Please tell us what's inside...

[mrgoose]

I am a huge Novatech fan. The quality of service is excellent, the Clevo-based laptops are good value for money and best of all, almost everything across the Novatech range is available OS-free, which means I am not forced to pay any Microsoft Windows Tax. :trophy:

However, there is an area upon which I feel Novatech really could improve - and I mean this in a helpful, not-critical way. In a nutshell, it seems very hard to find out what components are used in Novatech's machines, particularly the Clevo-based laptops. I have actually already asked several questions on the forums which only Novatech can answer. Sadly, these have so far gone unnoticed or ignored - though I accept that perhaps I didn't put them in the best possible place. E.g.:-


Trying to find out what modem is installed in the X16 Pro laptop:-
http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showthread.php?t=16144
Trying to find out which webcams are fitted in the E|X16 series:-
http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showpost.php?p=209627&postcount=16 (http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showpost.php?p=209627&postcount=16)
and
http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showpost.php?p=210501&postcount=19

Moreover, the manuals as shipped with these laptops are so generic and cover so many models that they are somewhat less-than-helpful. So there has to be another solution. These are my thoughts:-

When you guys assemble these machines, surely you must create build-sheets? Would it be possible for purchasers to access these build-sheets on-line by typing in a serial number? Or if that is too expensive to implement, perhaps make the build-sheets available manually via an email request?

Novatech attracts a lot of very technically-minded customers. In fact I am amazed and slightly awestruck by the skills and talents of some of the people who post on these forums. Therefore, making detailed technical information available, as suggested above, must be good for business?

I would certainly appreciate it! What does everyone else think? Feasible or farcical?

Best wishes, G.

[mrgoose]

@ Novatech tech support:- Sorry to bump my own thread. Thing is, my question regarding what modem is inside the X16 Pro (Clevo W76TUN) laptop remains unanswered. I know you guys are busy but I really would appreciate an answer please, at your convenience.

Many thanks,

Best wishes, G.

[daydotz]

i would love to know what goes into my laptop maybe even if its a simple tick list placed in the box at build stage

[magichater]

great idea, i think it should definately be considered

[Khaz45]

mmm maybe its secret because they use cheapy components?

[mrgoose]

Well, we know that many of the bits are manufactured in China - as with most other manufacturers' laptops - including some very expensive ones. Nevertheless, all-in-all, the two lappies and three desktops purchased so far from Novatech all seem pretty good for the price.

But I must say, I am a tad disappointed that no one from Novatech will tell me what the modem in the X16 laptop is.

Best wishes, G.

[Steer]

My guess is that they don't say because it actually varies from batch to batch. So, they (Novatech) specify the component (e.g. 500Gb 5400rpm sata drive), but the actual brand of drive varies depending on what is cheap/available at a particular time. Rather than constantly keep track of which drives are in which laptops, it's easier to not say.

That's just my guess.

[Mike]

Hi guys

I can put this question to the head of production to see if it is do-able, but there may be a cost element here which might have the affect of hiking prices up - something no one wants (including us!) :).

And yes as Steer says we do occasionally change components as some become difficult to get hold of or are naturally superceded by others. Although this does not affect the notebooks/PCs performance-wise it does mean that a detailed component-brand specific spec posted on the forums might become invalid very quickly - and cause lots of confusion.

What I will say is that if you have an item such as a notebook or PC from us and want to know what is inside we are always happy to lookup the information where we can and advise on a per case basis.

Mike

[mrgoose]

Thanks Mike, I'd be interested to know what your head of production comes back with.

I take your point regarding costs. Obviously I would not advocate anything that costs any of us any money! It's just that I figured you must have build sheets of some sort. Otherwise how do you account for the parts that you use, reorder stock, etc. And how would you manage health and safety issues such as product recalls, if, heaven-forbid, you ever had to do one, if you didn't actually know components went into the machines you built? So I hoped that somehow, customers could have access to information that you already have, rather than putting you guys to any extra trouble, if that makes sense?

Anyway, if you are prepared to do this on an individual basis, then that is excellent. :thumbs:

What do you need from us? How should we request it? PM you with model & serial number? Or is there a better way?

Best wishes, G.

[Kremmen]

I phoned sales recently to get the lowdown on a system and they were more than helpful :)

Shame you can't self pick components for a custom build though :(

[mrgoose]

I phoned sales recently to get the lowdown on a system and they were more than helpful :)

Shame you can't self pick components for a custom build though :(
Ah but that would add to the costs methinks! :D

But you're right, they do indeed seem pretty helpful. I'm interested to see what Mike discovers from NT's Head of Production.

Best wishes, G.

[Mike]

I've had a word regarding this and although a good idea in principle it would cause an number of issues with our internal systems and so unforutnately an automatic system would not be feasible at this time. However, as I have said previously we are happy to advise individual customers if they phone, use livechat or email.

[Kremmen]

Understood

However - when I spoke to sales recently a custom build was totally out of the question. He would only be able to supply the additional bits to be delivered at the same time for self fitting.

Not a huge problem though