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15.6" Metabox Alpha-X N950TP -GTX1060, Desktop CPU i3-8100, 512GB SSD, 8GB RAM, No OS, $1399 Shipped (Save $80) @ Kong Computers

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A last minute EOFY Metabox laptop offer, one of the best value NVIDIA GTX1060 laptops available
The Metabox Alpha-X N950TP has a Quad Core Desktop i3 CPU and can be upgraded to the Hexa Core i5-8400 or i7-8700 CPU.
A video review of this laptop can be seen here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxOfAddUzmg

As per normal Metabox specifications the base model doesn't come with Windows OS, in case you want to use Linux, have your own copy, or are a student and can get a free copy. So you don't have to pay for it if you don't need it. We do offer Windows 10 installation for +$139. It can be added via the Customise menu items on the right hand side of the N950TP webpage.

Offer available until Monday night (midnight) 2nd July.
Please allow up to 7 business days for the Perth factory to build and test each laptop. Once made, they ship directly to you from Perth with Insured, Express, Signature-on-delivery service from Startrack.

Metabox Alpha-X N950TP
15.6" FHD 1920x1080 IPS WVA Matte 60Hz LED - Optional upgrade to 120Hz, 144Hz or 4K
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 VRAM
Intel Core i3-8100 Quad Core (6M Cache 3.60 GHz)- Optional upgrade to i5 or i7
8GB DDR4 2400MHZ Memory - Optional upgrade to 16GB or 32GB
512GB Plextor S2G SATA3 M.2 SSD - Optional upgrade or downgrade
No Secondary M.2 SSD Drive - Optional Upgrade
No Hard Drive - Optional Upgrade
Intel 9260 AC Dual Band WIFI/BT (up to 1.73 Gbps)
No Optical Disc Drive - Optional Upgrade
1 Year Platinum + 1 Year Extended Premium Care Protection
Free Insured, Express, Startrack Shipping

Please ask your questions below.
Cheers
Kris

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closed Comments

  • How easy is it to replace the CPU? Do you have service manual for opening up the laptop?

    • Hi Scrimshaw,
      You would have to send back to Metabox in the first 2 years if you wanted to upgrade the CPU.
      Otherwise, yes we can send through a PDF on how to do the upgrade for after the warranty period ends.
      Kris

      • Why? Adding or changing components doesn't void the manufactures warranty or statutory warranty. Neither does removing stickers, though a prudent seller will check to make sure pins aren't broken or some other damage was caused when the laptop was opened.

        • yo -does the warranty seal/sticker rule apply in Aust too? that would be great if it does but to my knowledge I believe this was a recent revelation relating to a case in the US?

          if someone can confirm that the same applies within Australia - i'd certainly appreciate it. and perhaps a ref to back this up if that's not too much trouble.

        • @tomadeira: I had a search on the ACCC website and couldn't find anything, though I'm sure I heard it applies to Australia too. Don't take that as gospel. It will be interesting to see what the rep says.

        • Adding or changing components

          Adding might not. Changing certainly would. Apart from bent pins, there are tonnes of damage you can do to the laptop without outwardly noticeable signs (like ESD).

    • Rep could confirm but I believe the barebone laptop is Clevo n950tp6/n957tp6. They're very, very common laptops internationally - might even be able to find a video guide in the future.

      • Yes it is the n950tp6.
        Kris

    • Good morning everyone,
      With Metabox laptops, there isn't a "void if removed" sticker on the base plate. So customers can open up the laptop and upgrade/replace the RAM, HDD,SSD or Wi-Fi card. Or even clean the fans or vents.
      CPU and/or GPU need to be upgraded by Metabox if you wish to do this within the warranty period (otherwise warranty is void, it's to protect the components). I can't see a customer wanting to do this in such a short time anyway. For the upgrade cost you'd may as well opt for the higher spec to begin with and later down the track upgrade 2-5 years later.

      Cheers
      Kris

      • The other comments are sort of right - you can't simply exclude a customer's rights under consumer law because they've modified or changed the product, unless you can prove the damage or fault is a result of or related to their modifications.

        Examples:

        A customer changes the CPU and immediately afterwards the laptop won't POST. It's noted that pins are damaged on the CPU socket. This isn't covered under consumer law or warranty.

        A customer changes the CPU. Months later the keyboard stops working. There's no evidence to indicate the CPU change effected the keyboard. This is covered under consumer law, even if not under warranty.

        A customer changes the CPU. Three months later the customer is experiencing issues with cooling. This may or may not be covered as the issue may be with thermal compound used or damage to cooling system, though it could be an unrelated issue which is covered (ie unrelated fan failure).

        • +1

          Hi Dyl,
          Yes I believe your reply is absolutely correct with all the 3 cases.
          It's intended to protect the customer from accidentally damaging a major component in their laptop (It can be quite costly to resolve).
          Like ensuring there is suitable thermal compound spread and contact, as well as that the heat-sink is reconnected correctly and completely
          I just can't see why a customer would buy the laptop and want to upgrade it within 2 years anyway. I guess everyone has different circumstances, but if you wanted a faster CPU within 1-2 years then it is best to buy the faster one now (and pay the upgrade price) instead of buying a new one from scratch again. As newer CPU's are released, yes you can upgrade to these but would predict that most people would probably skip the 9th Gen Intel (unless it was a massive speed jump) and opt for upgrading to the 10th Gen Intel when it comes out (more than likely after 2 years time).

          So yeah you could do it if you were confident with doing it, but we're trying to protect the customer by offering to do it for them.
          Cheers
          Kris

  • Can u list the lrice of some optional item?

  • +3

    Love Metabox. Mines still going strong (it's a really old one lol). Also that's a quad core everyone so don't be fooled by the i3 badge

    • +1

      It's a desktop quad core at that - will compete with some of the i7 laptop CPUs.

  • I've had two nvidia laptop graphics chips fail on me now, presumably from gaming. Wouldn't recommend.

    • Did they get fixed? Which model was it?
      Kris

      • +2

        Clevo with765m gtx. Xiaomi with mx150. Xiaomi chip seems stuffed. Can't get it to kick in. Clevo is working atm but I've had a crapload of issues with it. Main thing seems to be overheating with both. Logical blue one went out of business and Xiaomi is too far away for warranty repair.

        Bottom line is, avoid gaming laptops

        • +1

          On my 3rd with no issues.
          Alienware with 765m
          Asus with 970m
          Asus with 1070

          A little OC, a ton of hours on each, no issues.

          Have you tried re-pasting or cleaning the vents?

        • @noone025: nope. Nfi what I'd be doing. The 765 had issues with drivers from the get go

    • Not sure why you were downvoted. I had the exact same problem. Graphics card died only just out of warranty and looking at $800-$1000 in repairs ($100 for an assessment) and the laptop in its total life had about 30 hours I've been told. Trying to see that surely a $1700 computer (at time of purchase) that has hardly been used should reasonably be expected to last more than 2 years. Purchased the "Premium warranty" too. Anyone know my rights here?

    • because nvidia is trash and amd is better

      • Why do people rag on amd then? I think the issue is just gaming laptops in general

        • -1

          People rag on them because intel / NVIDIA had a large performance gap over them but in recent times that gap has closed by huge amounts. Also their old cpu design used to run hot, the problem was compounded because of a weak included heat sink and fan that came with the cpu. The same as before this has now changed and the intels higher end cpus run pretty toasty where as the new Ryzen cpus are running fairly cold.

          But like every thing people like to fight for the sake of fighting so amd vs intel, Apple vs Samsung, Ford vs Holden.

  • Whats the weight?

    • Weight: 2.5Kg with Battery Pack
      Kris

      • Here's all the specs:

        Intel Core i3-8100 Quad Core (6M Cache 3.60 GHz) Upgrade to i5 or i7 Hexa Core CPU's
        Nvidia GeForce GTX1060 with 6GB GDDR5 (Supports 4 active displays)
        Diamond Compound applied to processor and graphics
        15.6" FHD 1920x1080 IPS WVA Matte 60Hz LED
        8GB RAM DDR4 2400MHz, 1x8GB, 2 slots (Up to 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 Memory)
        512GB Plextor S2G SATA3 M.2 SSD (Max 3 storage options)
        No Optical Drive
        Intel 9260 AC Dual Band WIFI/BTv5 (up to 1.73 Gbps)
        Multi-coloured RGB Keyboard
        Sound Blaster X-FI MB 3
        Webcam: Built-in 2.0M FHD Digital Video Camera
        1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 port (Type C), 1 x HDMI output port (with HDCP), 1 x Mini Display 1.3 port, 1 x Mini Display 1.2 port, 1 Headphone Jack, 1 Microphone Jack, 1 RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000Mbps)
        6-in-1 Push Card reader MMC / RSMMC / SD / mini SD / SDHC / SDXC
        Size: 37.8cm (w) x 26.7cm (d) x 3cm (h)
        Weight: 2.7Kg with Battery Pack
        Battery: 6 Cell Polymer battery pack, 62WH
        230Watt AC Adapter
        1 Year Platinum + 1 Year Extended Premium Care Protection (2 Years Total)

      • I just watched the linked video review again and while the manufacturer says 2.5KG's, the reviewer weighed it at 2.7KG's.

  • +1

    Probably an ignorant question but is there going to be a difference in speed between an i3 and an i7? i.e Is i3 8th gen quad core with GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 equivalent to an i7 7th gen quad core with GTX1050 2gb DDR5?

    • +2

      Depends on use case. i3 8100 would be roughly equivalent to an i5 7500, both are quad cores without hyperthreading. An i7 like the 7700 has hyperthreading, so 4 cores/8 threads. For gaming, the GPU is generally more important, so from that perspective you'd go for the model with a gtx 1060.

    • +1

      Desktop cpu 8th gen quad core coupled with 1060 is better than your i7 7th with 1050

    • +2

      For gaming, nearly the only thing that matters is the GPU (I'm generalising of course =p). I mean you can't have a lemon CPU, but mostly you want to dump the majority of your money into the gpu.

      The 1060 6gb and 1050 2gb will be worlds apart in performance. Take farcry 5, the 1060 will hit >60fps at 1080p/ultra whereas the 1050 will fluctuate around 30fps. Moving from an i3 to an i7 you won't notice much of a difference at all.

      • Is the difference the 6gb vs 2gb? I originally thought 1060 vs 1050 was like an i7 vs i3 (negligible difference)

  • Do you guys use a superior CPU paste or a generic default CPU paste? Was looking at Acer predator but skipped it because CPU temps hitting 90 - 100 deg C during gaming. Would this laptop hit the same CPU temps or has it better maxed out CPU temps ?

    • +1

      My old metabox has dual fans. 100% if I was buying any gaming laptop I look for dual fans regardless of brands or models. Or I go the extra mile to understand worst case temps

      • Cooling over compact, even big fans work hard to move all that heat out.

    • The cooling is good on this model. Even better if using the i3 or i5 CPU. The fans and heat-sinks are the same on all three CPU versions. So they are geared to handle heat from an i7 desktop CPU.
      Thermal paste is Diamond Compound.

      On the review video (from 5:18 in) he posts the CPU/GPU temps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxOfAddUzmg

      Cheers
      Kris

  • Hey rep,
    Anything in a prime for an ozb special?

    • Send me a PM.

  • +1

    Also any chance for an upgrade option to 1070 GPU? Can't imagine the 1060 would cope with max settings and today's games.

  • +1

    Just ordered my Metabox (i7 8th gen, gtx 1060) last monday from Kong Computer and the have wildfire customer service. Can't wait for my item to arrive!

    Thank you Kris for hooking me up on this wonderful laptop.

    Best regards,
    J

  • +4

    I wouldn't recommend Metabox. It's cheap, powerful. Honestly the parts don't work together. Metabox basically just put them together without testing. Software/bios have problems too. A known brand might be a better option.
    I have a Prime-X 8700k, 32GB 3000mhz RAM, 10170 OC. Metabox can't get the RAM to run at 3000mhz. I can't undervolt CPU because of software/bios issue and Metabox can't solve the issue.

    • Price?

    • +1

      My experience is the opposite. Had two metabox laptops, still got one that's going strong. Name brand on the other hand has given me more trouble.

  • Hi rep, anything for Metabox Alpha-X N870EP? ;) Maybe throw in free windows installation? It's a pain…

  • +2

    Hi there,
    Send me a PM.
    Kris

  • +2

    Thanks for your assistance today Kris.

    will place order in shortly.

    Eric

    • Cheers, thanks for the call. Today has been crazy busy. Just getting around to replying to messages now :)
      Kris

  • Any opinion's on the quality on the screens, i'm considering going with either the 120 or 144mhz at those still IPS?

    • Hi ellave,
      The 120Hz and 144Hz screens aren't made by LG so cannot be called IPS, they are WVA (wide view angle) instead.
      LG own the patent to IPS.

      The 144Hz panel has the best colour reproduction of the two.

      15.6" FHD sRGB / Adobe RGB
      AUO B156HTN05.2 FHD 120HZ 89% / 58%
      AUO B156HAN07.0 FHD 144Hz 93% / 63%

      Cheers
      Kris

      • What's the price go back to after EOFY? I want this but I want to save up for it.

        I'd get 16gb RAM and the i7 8700 option.

        • It goes back up to $1479 on Tuesday. The current EOFY 512GB SSD promotion ended last night but we will keep it going for at least a week until Metabox decide on what the new promotion will be be.
          Cheers
          kris

        • @Kong Computers: Cool thanks. An i7 8700 in a laptop… is the cooling solution amazing in these laptops? I do a lot of development so I want something portable-ish (like this) but the desktop CPU appeals to me. Do you know if an 8700 on max load ever encounters thermal throttling?

        • @misterpotatomato:

          Thanks for the message.
          Yes the cooling is great on this laptop. The overall thickness of the chassis is bigger than the N850 models to handle the more powerful components.
          The team at Metabox just performed a stress test on this model which showed stable clock speeds. Did you also take a look at the review on YouTube. It's posted in the original posting at the top of this page.

          If you email me at [email protected] I can email you the stress test screen shot.

          Cheers
          Kris

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