Clevo D470K

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Note: this page is in the process of being resurrected from http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://wastelands.net/d470k (the Internet Way Back Machine). Not all the information may be current and the wiki page needs to be converted to the new format of having links to component chipsets and relevant drivers that are shared between all laptop wiki pages using them.

The above system is also rebranded as the Eurocom D470K Python, Sager NP4750, the M-Tech D470K, the Hypersonic Aviator AX7 (missing a speaker?), the DirectPC 470K and the GreenLaptop D470K.

If you are in Australia it is available from Pionoeer Computers as the Pioneer Power 470K.

If you are in the UK it is the same as the Rock Quaddra 64 available here.

Note for french buyers: it is also identical to the Kenitec D47K.

image:d470k-total-recall.jpg

PowerNotebooks.com have a good article on Name brands in laptop computing and also seem to have some linux support going, so if you're going to buy a Sager, you should buy it from them. Eurocom have a Linux compatibility chart but the D470K isn't listed yet, although it does have a nice "Linux support" on it's product page. If you live in South Africa, you can get the Eurocom model from African Gateway Connection.

Contents

[edit] The Hardware

Wow, what a beaut! I wanted a total desktop replacement, something that wouldn't skimp me on anything I wanted in a desktop system, but something that I could still take with me when I'm travelling. This machine is a total monster that's big cons are weight and battery life (about 2hrs) but its big pro's are everything else, which is exactly what I was looking for.

For the full specs you can click on some of the links above. The highlights are an AMD 64 bit processor (I got the Athlon 3400+), up to 2GB DDR400 ram, 60GB 7200rpm (or 100GB slower), 8xAGP, 800mhz FSB, 17" wide screen, 5 built in speakers with subwoofer, built in webcam, 4-in-1 card reader, DVD-writer, tv tuner with video in/out, S/PDIF out, internal wireless-g, internal bluetooth, infrared, firewire, cardbus. That's about all i wanted :)

[edit] Linux support

Now obviously I'm not going to waste a baby like this on a crappy operating system like Windows. Our goal here is to have total full native Linux support, and I'm hoping through a bit of communal effort here I and the other happy owners out there will succeed. My initial install was Mandrake 10.1 Community, so alot of the stuff I'm going to write here is based on that, but please mention anything else you're using and how you got it working... there's plenty of space here.

Update: This system really flys on 64 bit Linux, and everything works correctly just as with 32 bit versions. I am running a 64 bit kernel (2.6.9) but most of the other userspace programs are still 32 bit from SuSE 9.2; this setup works fine and for desktop apps it makes little difference (plus it's more compatible). There is indeed a big performance boost going to a 64 bit kernel, especially if you have a lot of memory.

Component Chipset Status Comment
Bluetooth Cambridge Silicon Radio Bluetooth Dongle Working Fn-F11
Card reader Working Since kernel 2.6.12.
Firewire Working.
Graphics card ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (M11) Working
Gigabit Ethernet Working
Infrared Working Since kernel 2.6.12.
Modem Possibly Successful install in 64 bit Linux
Soundcard Working
TV Tuner AVerMedia TV USB2.0 No driver
Webcam Z-Star Corp ZC0301 WebCam Working
Wi-Fi Option 1 Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Working
Wi-Fi Option 2 Ralink RT2500
Wi-Fi Option 2 Atheros AR5212

With the latest 2.6.12 kernel, the Winbond card reader is now fully functional without the need for kernel patching. IR (both the Remote Receiver and the Data Transmission Interface) is also fully functional in this revision. Additionally, it is worth noting that the latest ATI Driver (8.14) has atleast a 15% performance increase over the previous (8.10) driver in all OpenGL Benchmarks that I have tested. Finally, it is worth noting that if one attempts to use the Matshita UJ-845B Slotloading Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Recorder, there is approximately a 45 second delay in clearing POST, however this is not in any way related to Linux. Hopefully Clevo or any of the OEMs will release an updated BIOS for this unit that addresses this and several other annoying hardware compatability issues.

Please post information on the kernel config that you used to get the Winbond card reader working.

[edit] Installation Notes

You might need to add "noapic pci=noirq" to the boot options if things get stuck.

This should not be necessary on newer kernels. I tested with 2.6.9 and had no problems.

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Screen Info

When apps screw up the display, you can often cltr-f1 (to get to a virtual terminal) and ctrl-f7 to get back to X. you may need to move the mouse around a bit to redraw parts of the screen, or repeat the above process to redraw everything.

[edit] Utilities

Useful applets: Wireless Link Monitor, Battery Charge Monitor (panel applets in GNOME).

[edit] Heat issues

Wow this baby packs some heat! The fans are hardware controlled, as things get hot (from more CPU activity or blocked air vents) you'll hear them speed up. Make sure you keep the vents clear, particularly the two fans on the bottom! Keep the notebook on a flat, hard surface... if you put it on anything else you should raise the two sides of the laptop with books or cd covers or something to ensure ventilation underneath.

Surfaces such as a bed will let the notebook 'sink' into it and stop ventilation. Be careful! Listen for the increase in fan speed, and use the hint of raising the laptop found above. Linux will probably crash anyway when things get to hot but you should REALLY not let this happen!! If you do let it cool down for a few minutes, then turn it on while its on its side for more ventilation to allow for cooling. Unfortunately, this is not the kind of notebook you could comfortably use as a "laptop" without being careful to avoid covering the fans.

Fortunately, all AMD K8 CPUs (Athlon64, Opteron) have built in thermal protection. If they get hot enough to start to fail, the chip will typically throttle itself (reduce duty cycle) to avoid damage. If that still doesn't work, it will shut down. I have never had this happen though. Earlier Athlon based CPUs did not have this feature and could literally set the computer on fire if the fan failsafe mechanisms did not engage,

You can add a line like this to your /.bashrc for a handy alias: 

alias showtemp='cat /proc/acpi/thermal_zone/THRM/temperature'

now when you write 'showtemp' at the prompt it will show you your temperature in degrees C. I usually run at around 63^C. There's some other info in the directory named above... in particular it lists 155^C as the "critical" temperature, and 85^C as a trip point for 'passive' cooling.

Unfortunately none of the heat applets I found actually worked... anyone else had some luck here?

[edit] CPU Frequency Control =

The system works fine with Linux 2.6.x cpufreq support; the "powernow-k8" module should be loaded automatically. You'll need to run something like cpufreqd or cpudyn (my preference) for this to work. It lets the clock frequency and voltage swing between 800 MHz and e.g. 2 GHz depending on the system load. You can configure the parameters to favor immediate performance or power savings.

[edit] Editing Info

PLEASE -- DO edit these pages with any additional info you have, including your own experiences, etc. Change any of my info as you seem fit. Try and reference any working material you have referred to as hyperlinks, including postings on mailing lists and giving credit where possible.

[edit] Useful links (not necessarily for this model)

Facts about Clevo D470KRDF feed
Hardware Components Cambridge Silicon Radio Bluetooth Dongle  +, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (M11)  +, AVerMedia TV USB2.0  +, Z-Star Corp ZC0301 WebCam  +, Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG  +, Ralink RT2500  +, and Atheros AR5212  +
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