Clevo Brand Notebook Hardware Guide

Clevo Brand Notebook Hardware Guide

Clevo is a large Taiwanese computer company specializing in laptops. While the Clevo brand name is perhaps not widely known, their products are re-branded and sold by known boutique brand OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) like AVADirect.

They are also considered (by whoever knows about notebooks) to design and manufacturer the best of the best notebooks in terms of superior build quality and innovative designs.

Established in 1983, as an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer), they sell barebones ranging from laptop to portable computing solutions for both AMD and Intel processors. Clevo is one of the world's most preferred ODM partners and markets their products in more than 50 countries, and have established service centers in the USA, Germany, Britain, China, and Taiwan.

Their main notebook range includes:
* PortaNote (denoted with an D*** in the model number) - Desktop Replacement and Multimedia systems, with features like support for desktop CPUs and multiple hard drives.
* MobiNote (denoted with an M*** in the model number) - Thin and Lightweight systems with superior build quality and performance.
* TabletNote (denoted with a T*** in the model number) - Tablet computer systems.

What has Clevo done to distinguish itself?
1994 - First Pentium notebook PC producer in Taiwan
1997 - World's 1st 15.1" notebook
2003 - World's 1st 17" WXGA notebook
2004 - World's 1st Intel Dual-Core notebook (M570 debuted)
2005 - World's 1st AMD X2 Dual-Core notebook (D900K and X2 released late 2005)
2006 - World's 1st notebook with SLI technology (M590K... 19")
2007 - World's 1st Intel Core 2 Quad-core notebook with SLI technology and RAID 5 (D900C already out, G0-step Q6600/Q6700 was released)
2008 - World's 1st DDR3 notebook (M860TU... 15.4" w/ 8800M at release time)

Deciphering the Model Number:

Why buy a Clevo notebook?
1.) Price (Bang for the Buck): Since Clevo notebooks are sold by so many vendors, they are usually very price competitve (along with competitive service/support) as opposed to notebook models that are exclusive to only one vendor (whom can charge whatever they want)
2.) Quality (Hard as a Rock): If you ever have a chance to try out a Clevo notebook (especially the high-end models), you will find that they have superior build quality and design as compared to mainstream notebooks.
3.) Software (No Crap/Bloat-ware): When you purchase your custom systems, you can choose whichever OS you want to install (or have installed for you) and the OS is clean installed w/o extra trial/un-needed/useless software installed along with the system.
4.) Uniqueness ("It Ain't a Dell"): Subjective to personal preference. But having a custom high-end notebook that the masses cannot identify is pretty 1337.
 

Clevo Design Differences:
Within the previous years' models, the majority of Clevo notebooks have a few distinct things in common…

...the metallic circle on the top-center, above the LCD where a built-in camera is.

...(for 17"+ notebooks) the keyboard with the unique layout and NumPad.

Available Clevo Notebooks

Future Clevo Notebooks

How To Take Care Of A Clevo Notebook

Gaming/performance notebooks are a new thing, you must realize that you have to take some extra care of them over typical mainstream notebooks:

1.) Battery: to maintain the longevity of any rechargeable battery
- you must NEVER overcharge it [especially for long durations of time] by keeping it plugged into AC
- when it reaches 100% you should unplug it and let it discharge to at least under 50%, then plug it back to power
- OR you can just charge it to 50%+ and remove the battery and store in cool place.. not the fridge [remember to use it occasionally 3-4 time a year to charge and discharge it].

2.) Heat: to prevent a healthy notebook from overheating*
- ALWAYS use the notebook on a clean, hard & flat surface
- RECOMMENDED to be used on a notebook cooler... namely the Zalman ZM-NC1000 or ZM-NC2000
- check your fans underneath occasionally (at least once a month or two) for any dust clogs [clean them out with Q-tips and air cans/compressors]
- ALWAYS monitor the temps (CPU, GPU, HDD, etc..) to watch for fluctuations, which would indicate overheating by dust usually
(for Clevo notebooks) use the Fan Toggle to switch all fans to Max Speed when gaming and such.

* 3.) Overheating (time to clean out the dust):
If you are overheating... usually any temp over 90C degrees is bad.

when was the last time that you cleaned out the fans and vents thoroughly...?

if never, then thats why.

1) remove battery
2) remove/unscrew the panels on the bottom of the notebook to get to fans and vents (if possible)
3) use flashlight to look through vents for the dust (if you cant see the light on the other end, then the vents are clogged up)
4) go outside, get some compressed air (cans or compressor @ ~ 50 PSI) and give the vents a good airing out all directions (concentrating on the vents)
.... you might want to brace the fan blade(s) when airing it out (with anything to prevent it from spinning out too much)
.... or use short bursts (1-2 secs) of air instead of bracing the fans.
5) go get some Q-tips (cotton swabs) and swab the fan blades and the area around it
6) then go do a second airing with compressed air (all directions again focusing on the fans and vents) to push out the dust that was dislodged from the Q-tips
7**) Now go use the flashlight again and look through the vents (shine the flashlight from the fan, you look through the other end) for anymore dust clogs.
8) Then start up the notebook... and let the fans cycle up (use the Fan Toggle at max speed if your system has it) to push out any other dust that might have been stuck.

If all goes well you should be able to close up the notebook and...
you're done.

**repeat this step until its cleaned out.

Just make sure to do this every two-three months... it should take about 15-20min per cleaning if you want to be thorough.

Guide Credits

This guide was not done by me.  This guide was originally created by Gophn of forum.notebookreview.com.  I edited out the portions that did not pertain to AVADirect and the items that we do not sell.  The full article can be seen by clicking here.  This guide was reprinted with permission.