Gaming Laptop

[CaramonLS]

Link (http://http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31077%28ME%29.aspx#NA)

Memory Express has this little number on sale this week. Been looking for a gaming laptop for a while now.

Anyone else, got any comments?

[burn_this_city]

Link doesnt work. I have an Asus G73JW-X1M, its a hell of a laptop for $1400.

[CaramonLS]

That's exactly what I was looking at.

[burn_this_city]

I have no regrets about mine. I put a ssd drive in it last weekend and it runs Starcraft 2 on extreme graphics, BFBC2 on high res with no problems. I have a pretty decent gaming desktop that is collecting dust since I bought this machine. Only flaw I can find is slight white bleed through on the outside of the LCD, only noticable when you boot the machine and the screen is black, but who cares. If you do buy it, just ditch all the bloatware it comes with and you'll be laughing.

[burn_this_city]

Also if you want to patch anything, its best to do it through the Asus website. The graphics card is specific to these machines and the nvidia updates won't work. I believe its the 1.5gb of memory that it doesnt recognize. Asus has all the fixes out a couple days after nvidia releases theirs.

[Hack&Lube]

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31077(ME).aspx#NA

The reason it is discounted is because it's the old model going out in favor of new Asus Sandy Bridge ones which have a faster processor.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31863(ME).aspx

I considered this but I checked it out in store and it was too big/gamer looking for me with crazy angles and industrial design I don't really like. I wanted something more plain but professional looking with more power under the hood.

Do yourself a favor and check it out in store first to see if it's what you really want. The G73 is pretty huge, it's a desktop replacement. Portability and battery life aren't the selling points. Pictures are deceptive. This thing is a beast if you see it in person.

That said, a 17" Asus ROG laptop with a first gen mobile i7 and GTX 460M (much slower than desktop GTX 460 btw, but still worth it) is a steal for $1400. I ran Unigen Heaven benchmark on it while in Memory Express and while it could handle it at medium settings without AA and with low tessellation @ 1920x1080, it wasn't as powerful as I thought it could be.

The biggest issues for me was the size (it is like 2 inches bigger than other 17" models I looked at), the design (didn't like the look), and the biggest issue was the glossy screen. The screen was too glossy to be useful in bright lighting and I intend my laptop to be usable for both home and work and school.

The backlit keyboard is a nice touch though, and I wish I had that option on the other notebooks I am choosing over this one.

I'll probably buy a Sager model with a GTX 460M or GTX 485M with a i7-2630QM or i7-2720QM processor in the next few weeks and put an OCZ Vertex 3 SSD in it when it comes out. Definetely one with a matte screen as well. I've had enough of glossy screen laptops and went back to matte screen netbook from 2007!

-edit I just checked some benchmarks and the desktop GTX 460 is almost twice as fast as the mobile GTX 460M in some benchmarks so that's a bit of creative marketing on Nvidia's part, but all manufacturers do that. Still, that's very fast for a mobile GPU at that price. One thing I've found with notebook computers with 1080p displays is that because of the pixel density on tiny 15" and 17" screens, that quite often you don't even need anti-aliasing on games so it performs about the same as if you had a large 1080p monitor where aliasing would be more apparent.

[burn_this_city]

Not really a big difference between the two to justify the $350. Mine fits in a backpack, just barely, but its heavy. The glossy screen hasnt been an issue for me, even under the fluorescent lights in my room up north.

[CaramonLS]

Where would you buy a Sager anyways?

[Hack&Lube]

Sandy Bridge includes a built in GPU and I read somewhere that when not gaming, it should switch to the GPU built into the Sandy Bridge core which could greatly increase battery life. I am not sure if this is true however.

It's also about 10-16% faster clock for clock which works out to be 40-50% faster in some cases.

You're right, it does not justify the extra $350, I was just explaining why it's on sale. They are getting the new stock in. When this laptop first came out, it was around $1700 as well.

[burn_this_city]

Where would you buy a Sager anyways?

I think its internet order only, they arent cheap thats for sure.
http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php

[CaramonLS]

btc, what is your battery life like?

[burn_this_city]

If I'm gaming with everything cranked its only an hour or so. Normal use is 4-5 hours, although to be honest I typically have it plugged in. Really depends if you use the overclocking function on the processor which cranks it up to 3ghz.

[Hack&Lube]

Where would you buy a Sager anyways?

I'm currently trying to buy one from www.fortnax.com which is based in Calgary but the website keeps going up and down so I'm basically just e-mailing the guy. Not sure if it's reliable or not. It seems to save me a few bucks over buying directly from Sager but not much.

The lowest price I can find though is from www.xoticpc.com if you ship via USPS and they are one of the most popular sites and forums for gaming laptops.

Note that the MemEx G73 beats the price for a similarily configured G73 on Xoticpc. It really is a great deal. I just don't want it because of the design of the system and the glossy screen. I wish it wasn't that way or I'd buy it asap. :(

[Hack&Lube]

If I'm gaming with everything cranked its only an hour or so. Normal use is 4-5 hours, although to be honest I typically have it plugged in. Really depends if you use the overclocking function on the processor which cranks it up to 3ghz.

I like that feature on the G73, there's a nice physical button you can press which is like: "turbo on!" and then it goes faster versus having to dig into some dumb menu in Windows.

[burn_this_city]

I like that feature on the G73, there's a nice physical button you can press which is like: "turbo on!" and then it goes faster versus having to dig into some dumb menu in Windows.

Only time I turn it off is if I'm on the plane going north. You definitely notice the difference. Just like the old 486 I had.

[burn_this_city]

Hack what kind of battery life are you expecting out of the other laptops you're looking at?

[Hack&Lube]

Hack what kind of battery life are you expecting out of the other laptops you're looking at?

Battery life is not the big issue but it is a nice thing to have. Portability is more important and the 17" Asus is just way too big. Even the 15" Asus (which isn't on sale for some reason) is a little big. I measured it in MemEx and it was 1.6" wider than the 15" Sager that I wanted. It was just too bulky and I didn't like the glossy glare.

I do expect a Sandy Bridge chipset laptop with a 15" screen to give me more battery life than a nehelem i7 17" model though.

I'm probably going for this one since it's the only Sager that comes with a matte screen. It limits my options to a GTX 460M though but like I said for the Asus G73, that's fine for the pixel density of a 1080p laptop display. It has Sandy Bridge which which is a plus. Choosing a 2720QM and it works out to be only ~$1500.
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8130-clevo-p151hm1-out-stock-eta-march-p-2973.html
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2397/sagernp815001.jpg

I still have to factor in another $300 for a Vertex 3 SSD as a near future upgrade.

The 2720QM is the new processor in the new 15" Macbook Pros. That would cost $2469 versus $1500 though!

[burn_this_city]

Not surprising. I built a computer with comparable specs on Apple's website when I bought my G73 and it was almost $3K, good deal.

[TorqueDog]

My personal opinion with gaming laptops: never again.

I bought an ASUS G1S-A1. 15.4", Core 2 Duo T7500, 4 GB of RAM, GeForce 8600GT-M discrete graphics.

The heat got so bad that the keyboard was hot to the touch, the fans got so noisy that the crap speakers ASUS put in the notebook were almost not enough, the battery life was a joke, and best of all, they discontinued it and all the replacement parts so that when the motherboard died three years later, I couldn't fix it. The parts thing isn't so much a 'gaming laptop' issue so much as it is with ASUS, but since ASUS makes some of the best gaming laptops, it's certainly relevant. Battery life, heat, and fan noise as a result of the heat are all issues with the gaming notebooks I've seen in my time.

I keep my gaming to consoles and my desktop PC. I have a Dell Precision M2400 notebook that can play most games I throw at it with relative ease, and when I'm on the battery in the 'Balanced' power profile in Windows 7, I can use it for an eight hour work day on a single charge.

[burn_this_city]

How long ago was this?? 3-4 years ago I'm assuming. Mine has none of the heat and noise problems, its the coolest and quietest notebook I've ever used. We have a MBP at home as well and its keyboard feels quite a bit warmer than my G73.

[Rathji]

My personal opinion with gaming laptops: never again.



Second this.

I bought a 17" gaming laptop the first year I was in university (2004). The battery was almost useless, it was crazy heavy and the power supply was a literal brick. The only good thing that came of it was the ability to easily go to a friends place and play BF2 etc. After a year, I bought a 15inch that was much better and relegated the 17" to the desktop at home.

[MickMcGeough]

I've got a 13" Acer Timeline 3820TG (with ATI 5650) - scores 9300 in 3DMark06 and runs everything I've tried smoothly at native res. Gets about 7 hours battery life on the integrated graphics. Best ultraportable gamer on the market, imo. Only $600.

New 15" MBP is the best all-round gamer on the market, imo, if you can stomach the cost.

[Hack&Lube]

You guys had the unfortunate experience of adopting technology at a bad time. It has taken a long time for gaming laptops to become decent. Technology has improved dramatically. Games requirements have not gone up because games are tied to console technology. At the same time, the processes for GPUs and CPUs have gone down many nanometers and everything is much more efficient, requires less power, runs faster, and is much cooler and it will only keep getting better.

[Hack&Lube]

New 15" MBP is the best all-round gamer on the market, imo, if you can stomach the cost.

You mean for portability and cooling and power consumption?

You can build a much more powerful notebook with a GTX 460M and the same CPU as the 15" MBP (i7-2720QM) for almost $1000 less than the new 15" MBP.

For the same price of the 15" MBP default configuration (with 8GB ram), you could get a notebook with a single GTX 485M with a i7-2820QM processor and a next gen 120GB SSD.

The new 2011 MBP relies on a AMD Radeon HD 6750M. The HD 6750M in the new MBP scores ~4500 in 3DMark Vantage. The GTX 486M scores ~12500. It's almost 3 times as fast in most games and benchmarks.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6750M.43958.0.html
vs
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-485M.42883.0.html

Then you'll have to run bootcamp to add additional overhead unless they are Mac compatible or Steamplay games.

I guess it is more "all round" because it might run cooler and have more battery life? I know the ASUS G73s actually run very cool and quietly and Burn This City says he gets a lot of battery life out of it. I think the new Sagers are comparable in cooling and quietness.

I would personally stay away from 17" notebooks and agree that 15" ones are more functional as laptops but that's just a personal preference.

[renny]

I have an Alienware MX15 and I think it's fantastic, I typically just leave it at home though, but it's nice to be able to pack it up in 5 minutes to bring to a friend's house to play vids. It's probably because I have a Macbook Air that i use for on the road so the Alienware being a laptop is a nice plus since I don't have to lug it around with me all the time.

[MickMcGeough]

You mean for portability and cooling and power consumption?

You can build a much more powerful notebook with a GTX 460M and the same CPU as the 15" MBP (i7-2720QM) for almost $1000 less than the new 15" MBP.

For the same price of the 15" MBP default configuration (with 8GB ram), you could get a notebook with a single GTX 485M with a i7-2820QM processor and a next gen 120GB SSD.

The new 2011 MBP relies on a AMD Radeon HD 6750M. The HD 6750M in the new MBP scores ~4500 in 3DMark Vantage. The GTX 486M scores ~12500. It's almost 3 times as fast in most games and benchmarks.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-6750M.43958.0.html
vs
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-485M.42883.0.html

Then you'll have to run bootcamp to add additional overhead unless they are Mac compatible or Steamplay games.

I guess it is more "all round" because it might run cooler and have more battery life? I know the ASUS G73s actually run very cool and quietly and Burn This City says he gets a lot of battery life out of it. I think the new Sagers are comparable in cooling and quietness.

I would personally stay away from 17" notebooks and agree that 15" ones are more functional as laptops but that's just a personal preference.
What additional overhead comes with bootcamp? Do you mean storage space?

But yeah I'm talking all-around gaming laptop: portability, form factor, battery life, gaming performance, working, build, input, display, etc. A debate isn't relevant to this thread if the OP is looking for a dedicated laptop for gaming only.

[Diemenz]

New 15" MBP is the best all-round gamer on the market, imo, if you can stomach the cost.

Mbp's are always reviewed at the bottom when It comes to gaming performance and gaming value.

They might fair better if more games ran on OSX vs having to run boot camp and if apple understood that charging triple for the same hardware only fools the sheep.

[burn_this_city]

Now you've done it.

[Rathji]

Mbp's are always reviewed at the bottom when It comes to gaming performance and gaming value.

They might fair better if more games ran on OSX vs having to run boot camp and if apple understood that charging triple for the same hardware only fools the sheep.

Even I, a person who would almost never recommend a Mac, cringes at how badly you have misrepresented that number.

[Diemenz]

Even I, a person who would almost never recommend a Mac, cringes at how badly you have misrepresented that number.

I apologize it seems I was incorrect by saying triple.

I spec'ed out a MBP 17" to match a Sager's specs and it came in at $3553+ tax
The sager was 1779 for the same hardware (almost that is as the Sager's video card was better and the screen has a higher resolution).

As such I would like to amend my previous post and say the following:

They might fair better if more games ran on OSX vs having to run boot camp and if apple understood that charging DOUBLE for OLDER hardware....

Again I apologize for my terrible misrepresentation of the facts in my previous post.

I do not wish this to become a Apple vs the world thread. As a matter of fact I own 2 Mac computers for my studio work. They are good computers, just not for gaming.

[MickMcGeough]

They might fair better if more games ran on OSX vs having to run boot camp and if apple understood that charging DOUBLE for OLDER hardware....

I know man, I can hardly make it through the day on this ancient sandy bridge quad core i7.

Also, it's "fare better".

[Rathji]

I apologize it seems I was incorrect by saying triple.

I spec'ed out a MBP 17" to match a Sager's specs and it came in at $3553+ tax
The sager was 1779 for the same hardware (almost that is as the Sager's video card was better and the screen has a higher resolution).

As such I would like to amend my previous post and say the following:

They might fair better if more games ran on OSX vs having to run boot camp and if apple understood that charging DOUBLE for OLDER hardware....

Again I apologize for my terrible misrepresentation of the facts in my previous post.

I do not wish this to become a Apple vs the world thread. As a matter of fact I own 2 Mac computers for my studio work. They are good computers, just not for gaming.

I would be interested in seeing those spec comparisons. I have done similar things in the past and found it much closer than that. I was comparing to a more main stream brand rather than a barebones type thing, but that should only account for a small difference

[burn_this_city]

On a comparison I just did the sager costs $2159 and the MBP costs $2969.. That was a 15" with the 2.3 ghz sandy bridge and a 120gb ssd.. Anything I couldnt upgrade on the MB I just left standard on the sager.

[Coys1882]

So $800 difference. Are the screens better on the MBP? I can't imagine paying that much more for OSX

[MickMcGeough]

Before Diemenz derailed this thread I was trying to say that the 2011 MBPs with the AMD 6750 1GB are capable gaming machines. The graphics card isn't as fast as the 460. I get about 5500 in 3DMark Vantage, 10500 in 3DMark06, BlackOps on high around 60fps. I haven't played anything that wasn't silky smooth with settings on high at native res.

Everybody already knows that Apple computers are expensive, don't they? Is it even worth talking about?

[dissentowner]

If you are looking for a gaming machine I would always go PC. For everything else its Mac FTW.

[Diemenz]

I didn't derail the thread.

Your apple fanboy attitude did.

Thank you for the english lesson. I forgot for a second it's a forum and that grammar and spelling mistakes are not allowed to happen. Just an FYI you made several in your posts, to bad we didn't have someone childish enough to correct you. If you are interested I know a kettle that you might want to meet.

At least I can say I have now added someone to my ignore list. Fanboy away as I will no longer see it.

[Diemenz]

As per the OP's question IMO for the money you cannot go wrong with the Asus G73JW-X1M. Dollar for Dollar not much can match up for it in that price range.

[MickMcGeough]

Thank you for the english lesson. I forgot for a second it's a forum and that grammar and spelling mistakes are not allowed to happen. Just an FYI you made several in your posts, to bad we didn't have someone childish enough to correct you.
It's "too bad".

[Diemenz]

It's "too bad".

Thank you for proving my point about you being childish.

[MickMcGeough]

Thank you for proving my point about you being childish.
You're welcome.

Thanks for not really ignoring me.

[Hack&Lube]

I think a lot of people on CP are getting tired of the Mac vs PC stuff. I apologize for any that I may have started. Let's just stay out of each other's territory huh?

I just put in my order for my Sager NP8130.

Sager NP8130 Base Configuration + $1250.00
15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display - Matte Surface (1920x1080) + 0.00
Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M GPU with 1.5GB GDDR5 Video Memory + 0.00
2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM Processor (6MB L3 Cache, 2.20GHz) + $160.00
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 X 4GB + 0.00
750GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive + $55.00
No Operating System + $0.00

Total including GST and shipping and discounts: CAD $1,508.25

I bought it from www.fortnax.com which is a guy in Calgary. I hope it's legit :)

In a few weeks when the Vertex 3 SSDs come out, I'll swap the 750GB HDD to storage in the ODD drive bay and it will be perfect.

That doesn't mean I don't recommend the ASUS G73 on sale @ MemEx. Technically, after GST and recycling fee, that computer is the same price ($1500) but you get a 17" screen, backlit keyboard, 1TB HDD, and Windows 7 so on paper, it's a better deal. I just wanted the Sager for the slimmer/small size in a 15" system and it has a matte screen which I need.

[3 Justin 3]

I think a lot of people on CP are getting tired of the Mac vs PC stuff. I apologize for any that I may have started. Let's just stay out of each other's territory huh?

I just put in my order for my Sager NP8130.

Sager NP8130 Base Configuration + $1250.00
15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display - Matte Surface (1920x1080) + 0.00
Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M GPU with 1.5GB GDDR5 Video Memory + 0.00
2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM Processor (6MB L3 Cache, 2.20GHz) + $160.00
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 X 4GB + 0.00
750GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive + $55.00
No Operating System + $0.00

Total including GST and shipping and discounts: CAD $1,508.25

I bought it from www.fortnax.com (http://www.fortnax.com) which is a guy in Calgary. I hope it's legit :)

In a few weeks when the Vertex 3 SSDs come out, I'll swap the 750GB HDD to storage in the ODD drive bay and it will be perfect.

That doesn't mean I don't recommend the ASUS G73 on sale @ MemEx. Technically, after GST and recycling fee, that computer is the same price ($1500) but you get a 17" screen, backlit keyboard, 1TB HDD, and Windows 7 so on paper, it's a better deal. I just wanted the Sager for the slimmer/small size in a 15" system and it has a matte screen which I need.

I think I'm going to get this one. This may sound like a stupid question, but it comes with a power adapter right? I could build a desktop for cheaper but having a laptop for the past 5+ years I love the mobility of them too much to give up.

On the Sager.com page, I get mine to $1459 then $50 for shipping (I chose the processor you did, but didn't upgrade HDD), why did you choose to go with fortnax over Sager themselves?

[CaramonLS]

FYI, got my G73 and I am very happy with it. Blows my current desktop out of the water for performance.

I still need to find a carrying bag / docking station.

Only problem was Asus auto-downloads some drivers on install and it causes your hotkeys and function keys to become inoperable. So you need to reinstall that driver.

[Hack&Lube]

I think I'm going to get this one. This may sound like a stupid question, but it comes with a power adapter right? I could build a desktop for cheaper but having a laptop for the past 5+ years I love the mobility of them too much to give up.

On the Sager.com page, I get mine to $1459 then $50 for shipping (I chose the processor you did, but didn't upgrade HDD), why did you choose to go with fortnax over Sager themselves?

The $210 off deal at Sagernotebook.com has wasn't available 3 weeks ago when I decided to order it. Also, Fortnax offered me a better warranty at the time.

In the end, it works out to be the same as you pay $1509 shipped and I paid $1508 shipped except I have the 750GB HDD and no Win7 (I already own it) and you have the 500GB HDD and Win7.

And yes of course it comes with a power adapter. Another option is www.xoticpc.com I think their Sager notebooks are actually the lowest price you can find online.

I'll let you know how it is when I receive it (maybe a week from now?). I think it is not as cool and quiet as the G73. The G73 also has a backlit keyboard. If I were you, I'd honestly take a good look at the ASUS G53/G73 line and get one from MemEX versus a Sager. I just wanted to be different :)

[3 Justin 3]

The $210 off deal at Sagernotebook.com has wasn't available 3 weeks ago when I decided to order it. Also, Fortnax offered me a better warranty at the time.

In the end, it works out to be the same as you pay $1509 shipped and I paid $1508 shipped except I have the 750GB HDD and no Win7 (I already own it) and you have the 500GB HDD and Win7.

And yes of course it comes with a power adapter. Another option is www.xoticpc.com (http://www.xoticpc.com) I think their Sager notebooks are actually the lowest price you can find online.

I'll let you know how it is when I receive it (maybe a week from now?). I think it is not as cool and quiet as the G73. The G73 also has a backlit keyboard. If I were you, I'd honestly take a good look at the ASUS G53/G73 line and get one from MemEX versus a Sager. I just wanted to be different :)

The Sager looks like a couple hundred $ less than the G73 (smaller screen though).

I think I'll order a Sager in the next couple days,

[Hack&Lube]

The Sager looks like a couple hundred $ less than the G73 (smaller screen though).

I think I'll order a Sager in the next couple days,

Yeah, the price was good when G73 was on sale for $1499 at Memory Express when this thread was started.

Wait until I get mine from Fortnax, I'll tell you how the service was or if the laptop is any good.

[3 Justin 3]

I'll wait for your "review". Right now I'm deciding whether I need the 460m or just got with the 540. I'll really only be playing diablo 3 on it, which is still a year away. And from what I have read the 540 will also give me better battery life.

But it'd be nice to future proof it a little and go with the 460 over the 540.

I can save some money with the 540 too. Hmmmm

Want to get it in the next couple of weeks.

What do you know about MSI, I have seen Asus, Sager and MSI all together and the MSI ones look better, not so military grade.

[Hack&Lube]

I'll wait for your "review". Right now I'm deciding whether I need the 460m or just got with the 540. I'll really only be playing diablo 3 on it, which is still a year away. And from what I have read the 540 will also give me better battery life.

But it'd be nice to future proof it a little and go with the 460 over the 540.

I can save some money with the 540 too. Hmmmm

Want to get it in the next couple of weeks.

What do you know about MSI, I have seen Asus, Sager and MSI all together and the MSI ones look better, not so military grade.

Remember that laptop graphics cards have little to do with their desktop counterparts when it comes to numbering schemes. It is all marketing. The laptop GTX 460M is the lowest I was willing to go because it's basically the equivalent of a desktop GTS 450. It's nowhere near as fast as the desktop GTX 460.

The GTX 540M is actually about 50% slower than the GTX 460M.

To be honest, if you want to save money, don't get the 2720QM processor that I did. That's overkill for the graphics card in this laptop. The stock 2630QM is already going to be bottlenecked by the graphics card.

Also, consider that the Sager 8150 versus the 8130 has upgradable mobile graphics. It supports the GTX 485M and the Radeon 6970M (available in a month or two). It's called the P150HMA.

The reason that I went with the 8130 and the GTX 460M though, are for the matte screen (I could get a matte screen for the 8150 but it would cost another $200) and it's not my primary gaming system.

[3 Justin 3]

Thoughts on this (http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/asus-asus-17-3-laptop-featuring-intel-core-i7-2630qm-processor-g73sw-hst6-black-g73sw-hst6/10162736.aspx?path=9ac08053d5ecb15e839a9ab5f8e74bb een02)?

It's like $400 cheaper. Only thing I see as a drawback is the screen is 1600x900 rather than full HD.

Whats the difference between 460, 485, and 6970? 485 the best or? How do the 485 and 6970 compare?

[Hack&Lube]

Thoughts on this (http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/asus-asus-17-3-laptop-featuring-intel-core-i7-2630qm-processor-g73sw-hst6-black-g73sw-hst6/10162736.aspx?path=9ac08053d5ecb15e839a9ab5f8e74bb een02)?

It's like $400 cheaper. Only thing I see as a drawback is the screen is 1600x900 rather than full HD.

Whats the difference between 460, 485, and 6970? 485 the best or? How do the 485 and 6970 compare?

That's the one that was on sale @ MemEx for $1499 except this one has the new and faster Sandy Bridge processor. $1299 is a sick price!!!

MemEx's version is selling for $1799.99 with only 250GB more HDD space as the real difference aside from the LCD resolution.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31863(ME).aspx

The 485M is the best. The 6970 is slightly slower but probably ~$150 cheaper so it is a much better value. The 460M is about half the speed.

485M - 12199 3Dmark Vantage Score
6970M -11573 3Dmark Vantage Score
460M - 6721 3Dmark Vantage Score
540M - 3461 3Dmark Vantage Score

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

Honestly, I prefer lower resolution screens on laptops. The screens are already small and lower res means both the GUI is easier to read and also games run faster because the native resolution is lower. With the pixel density of a notebook screen, 1920x1080 doesn't really make a difference over 1600x900 for me when it comes to videos. For gaming, you'll get higher framerates.

I would totally jump on this ASUS if the screen wasn't glossy because I need to use it in a bright office for work too and I'm through with glossy screens on laptops. It drives me crazy. I have a glossy for my desktop though.

[burn_this_city]

Yeah thats a real good price, just make sure its not shafted out of some other hardware that the others have.

[3 Justin 3]

Ok thanks. I saw it at Bestbuy yesterday and the thing was lighter than I imagined for being a 17". I carry a 6 year old 15" which is like 10lbs so everything that is considered "heavy" these days really doesn't deter me.

I'll continue looking around for the next week and probably purchase one on the weekend sometime.

Depending on the price, I think I'll stick with the 460, only real game I'll be playing will be Diablo 3, which shouldn't need too hardcore of a video card.

[3 Justin 3]

Well, I sort of deviated off course and I think I am going with Alienware.

I have always thought of them as overpriced computers, like macs (my opinion, I don't want to start a flame war), but I think for $2000 the one I picked is pretty damn good.

I can get a good Sager for $1500 but it is ugly as f***, the G73 looks a bit better but it is still pretty fugly. They look nuclear!

The Alienware looks a lot better and for me, looks matter because I'll be using it everyday for 5+ hours every day so I want it to be aesthetically appealing.

- Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz
- 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (2DIMMS)
- 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6970M
- 320GB 7,200RPM HDD
- LCD PANEL17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
- Personalized plate with my nickname "JPeeper" :w00t:
- Everything lit up is in "Mars Red" which I think is bad ass :p

I figure its worth the money since I will most likely be using it for the next 4-5 years so $2049 over the long run isn't that bad.

The warranty is like another $400-500 though, sheesh! I should call and see if they will give me a deal. ;)

I'll email that Fortnax website as well (if you get the laptop that is ;)) and see if they can beat Dells price or if they can at least match it but have cheaper warranty.

[Hack&Lube]

^^^
that's hilarious because I think Alienware's are the ugliest things ever made and I wouldn't touch one with a 100 foot pole. The whole reason I avoided Alienware and the Asus (to a degree) are that they are all bursting with steroids in their industrial design and shout: "GAMER!"

I want a suit & tie business computer with muscle inside like a sleeper. Not something with alien eyes, stealth fighter angles, rubber coating, and jet engines in the back. To me, Alienware are the Monster Cable (overpriced) and 1990s Pontiac Grand Am (overclad) of computers. But that's just my own opinion.

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/9995/81701.jpg

versus

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/1526/m17xoverview.png

BTW, there are only a handful of laptop manufacturers in the world. Both the Sager and the Alienware laptops are made by Clevo in Taiwan. They are from the same company.

That said, besides their look, like I said, they are made by Clevo and they are high quality laptops backed by great Dell support. My friend has one. I can't stand to look at it without puking but to each his own :)

Seems like looks matter to both of us. If it was just price and tech specs, I'd personally go with the ASUS any day. What does that $500 warranty give you? Is it both parts and labor for like 4 years or something? Do you really need that?

You definitely can save $200 and not get the 2720QM. Like I said, that CPU is overkill for a 460M/6970M and only 4GB of ram. The 460M will bottleneck the 2720QM. Go with the stock 2630QM from Dell. I only chose it because I am doing a lot more than games including virtualizations, running server software, programming, rendering, and encoding.

[3 Justin 3]

I just think the Sager looks too old school for me, growing up thats the style my mom used for business and I think it looks ridiculous. ;) Opinions on looks will always differ so we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm a child at heart, thus I like the Alienware. :)

The $500 warranty from Dell is like 4 years of EVERYTHING. Not sure I need that much.

I'll look up the durability online to see when they conk out, then I'll just a year more. So probably 2-3 years of warranty. I'd get parts and labour, because my harddrives seem to go within a year or two.

Not sure what "Basic Warranty" covers though, the "Advanced Plan" covers accidents which is nice, but having had this for 5+ years I haven't spilled anything on it, dropped it or anything.

I'm going to send Fortnax an email and see how much they'd offer, warranty included.

How much did you get warranty for?

[Hack&Lube]

How much did you get warranty for?

I think you would be happier with the Alienware then :) Sager is a lot more plasticky/boring in most ways but that's the way I wanted it.

I personally never get warranties on electronics that I buy. I think it's a waste of money. Typically though, if you buy things with VISA you get an extra year warranty through VISA.

I didn't pay anything for extra warranty. Fortnax was only parts for 1 year but he threw in another 3 years labor because he listed it before the website got changed. But really, the 1 year parts warranty is through Sager, not through Fortnax since he's just a reseller who orders through the Sager website anyway. That said, labour is really nothing because there's no "warranty void" stickers or anything on it and everything is user modifiable and I can do my own work and replace my own parts whether it's the CPU, RAM, harddrive, etc.

The only issues with laptops are tough to deal with are dead motherboards, powersupplies, LCD panels/inverters, etc.

[3 Justin 3]

I think you would be happier with the Alienware then :) Sager is a lot more plasticky/boring in most ways but that's the way I wanted it.

I personally never get warranties on electronics that I buy. I think it's a waste of money. Typically though, if you buy things with VISA you get an extra year warranty through VISA.

I didn't pay anything for extra warranty. Fortnax was only parts for 1 year but he threw in another 3 years labor because he listed it before the website got changed. But really, the 1 year parts warranty is through Sager, not through Fortnax since he's just a reseller who orders through the Sager website anyway. That said, labour is really nothing because there's no "warranty void" stickers or anything on it and everything is user modifiable and I can do my own work and replace my own parts whether it's the CPU, RAM, harddrive, etc.

The only issues with laptops are tough to deal with are dead motherboards, powersupplies, LCD panels/inverters, etc.

Sounds good, I think I'll place my order tonight. I'll have to look into the Visa "warranty".

You can be my warranty guy. ;)

[Hack&Lube]

Sounds good, I think I'll place my order tonight. I'll have to look into the Visa "warranty".

You can be my warranty guy. ;)

For what? Dell or Sager? The Dell one would probably have a warranty tied to not opening or modifying the unit.

[3 Justin 3]

Dell can eat my d***. This whole time I forgot I was using the USA site and was about to place my order, then I remembered today that they have a Canadian site. So I go and set it up how I want and there is no option for the 6970. Those #######s have it available for the USA but not Canada.

And what the hell is with them charging $100 more for the base model? Our dollar is even.

Apparently if I phone and complain they can add it manually ($50 more than the American site by the way), but god damn. Really pissed and now considering the Sager again even though it is ugly as sin. ;)


Why couldn't it be easy, picking a computer? :(

[Hack&Lube]

Dell can eat my d***. This whole time I forgot I was using the USA site and was about to place my order, then I remembered today that they have a Canadian site. So I go and set it up how I want and there is no option for the 6970. Those #######s have it available for the USA but not Canada.

And what the hell is with them charging $100 more for the base model? Our dollar is even.

Apparently if I phone and complain they can add it manually ($50 more than the American site by the way), but god damn. Really pissed and now considering the Sager again even though it is ugly as sin. ;)


Why couldn't it be easy, picking a computer? :(

Just buy the Asus. $1299. How can you do better than that? Besides the screen (which I actually like at 1600x900), it has same specs than the $2100 Alienware unless you can get the 6970 model. It's also 17" compared to the Sager 15" Use the extra money for an SSD!

Do you want a bigger screen or more portability?

I just got dinged on GST twice for the Sager. I need to deal with that. These things are never easy unless you just buy one from MemEx or BestBuy but they never have the models I want.

[Hack&Lube]

I got my GST issue resolved. I paid GST on the original order but the notebook was shipped directly to me from California and CBSA charged me GST as well. Fortnaxnotebooks.com refunded me the difference.

I recieved my Clevo P151HM/Sager NP8130 on Friday. It's still missing an SSD as MemEx doesn't have anything good in stock but aside from not having a backlit keyboard, it's the best laptop I've ever owned.

Here are my 3Dmark Vantage and 3DMark11 scores. If you have a gaming notebook, feel free to add in your results too.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/4568/p11033p2256.jpg

The only thing I am concerned about is the durability of the markings on the keyboard keys as they aren't lasered in. As this is a somewhat obscure system, I hope I can get decent Linux drivers going. On another forum, I know there are users installing OSX on this same system.

[Hanni]

Just a note on 3dMark, PhysX will inflate your CPU score, disable PPU in Vantage settings. Doesn't matter either way, (though apparently the "hardcore" benchmarker's consider it cheating) so long as whoever you are comparing with has it set the same as you.

[Diemenz]

Dell can eat my d***. This whole time I forgot I was using the USA site and was about to place my order, then I remembered today that they have a Canadian site. So I go and set it up how I want and there is no option for the 6970. Those #######s have it available for the USA but not Canada.

And what the hell is with them charging $100 more for the base model? Our dollar is even.

Apparently if I phone and complain they can add it manually ($50 more than the American site by the way), but god damn. Really pissed and now considering the Sager again even though it is ugly as sin. ;)


Why couldn't it be easy, picking a computer? :(

I have a Alienware 17x R3 and received the 6970 with 0 issue. However I called in my order vs using the website since the Canadian website never has the newest options.

One thing to think about is Dell tends to give discounts rather easy when you get a good rep. I was able to bring down the price of mine by a bit over $200 while convincing them to add 8gigs of ram for no additional charge.

[3 Justin 3]

I have a Alienware 17x R3 and received the 6970 with 0 issue. However I called in my order vs using the website since the Canadian website never has the newest options.

One thing to think about is Dell tends to give discounts rather easy when you get a good rep. I was able to bring down the price of mine by a bit over $200 while convincing them to add 8gigs of ram for no additional charge.

Sweet, how would I go about asking for a $200 discount and adding more ram?

Do I just straight up ask, "hey look why is it more on the American site when our dollar is par, etc", or what did you do?

[TSXCman]

Did anyone here go through with one of the sagen deals?

My bro is lookin for a premium laptop that will last for some time as a desktop replacement and so far this thread has some of the better suggestions that i can find online.

the sounds of :
15.6
Gpu stronger than the 460m
new i7
4-8gb RAM
any HD (can upgrade to a SSD and swap in)
matte finish screen

[Hack&Lube]

Did anyone here go through with one of the sagen deals?

My bro is lookin for a premium laptop that will last for some time as a desktop replacement and so far this thread has some of the better suggestions that i can find online.

the sounds of :
15.6
Gpu stronger than the 460m
new i7
4-8gb RAM
any HD (can upgrade to a SSD and swap in)
matte finish screen

Yeah, I got the Sager. What's your brother's budget?

[TSXCman]

Yeah, I got the Sager. What's your brother's budget?
looking like up to 1800, maybe 2000$. he's got a large budget as long as he's getting a large bang for the buck. but those stats were pretty important for guidelines. the 6970 would be pretty exciting

[Hack&Lube]

looking like up to 1800, maybe 2000$. he's got a large budget as long as he's getting a large bang for the buck. but those stats were pretty important for guidelines. the 6970 would be pretty exciting

I put together an NP8150 with a 6970 from www.fortnaxnotebook.com which is where I bought mine and it was only 1595.00 for the base configuration.

I bought the NP8130 myself as it is the cheaper model and it comes default with a matte screen which I prefer. There is no option to upgrade to a 6970 on that model however. Only the 460M.

Looks like you can get TV tuners now. I might get that option in the future as an upgrade.

[TSXCman]

I put together an NP8150 with a 6970 from www.fortnaxnotebook.com (http://www.fortnaxnotebook.com) which is where I bought mine and it was only 1595.00 for the base configuration.

I bought the NP8130 myself as it is the cheaper model and it comes default with a matte screen which I prefer. There is no option to upgrade to a 6970 on that model however. Only the 460M.

Looks like you can get TV tuners now. I might get that option in the future as an upgrade.

That's exactly my issue with the NP8130, can't combine the matte screen with the 6970

[3 Justin 3]

I bought an Alienware. :D

[Hack&Lube]

That's exactly my issue with the NP8130, can't combine the matte screen with the 6970

Actually you can if you e-mail Fortnax. He can install a matte screen separately onto the 8150 but it will cost extra. I inquired about that before. He's in Calgary too so I think that would be easiest. The problem is it's just going to cost more. -EDIT looks like it's only $30 more now if you get the 8150-S1 edition.

I've overclocked the GTX 460M quite a bit in the NP8130 and it runs everything, even Crysis at max settings so I think it will be adequate for 2-3 years personally. Especially when the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are slated to not be replaced until 2014, game developers will be focused on technology that works on those consoles and therefore, PC requirements have plateaued for years. Crysis 2 is less intensive than Crysis 1.

I'd personally recommend the NP8130 and get the stock i7 2630QM and a GTX 460M. The CPU is already overkill for the videocard. Overclock the GTX 460M and it's a great machine that will only cost about $1400. Use the savings to buy a 240GB OCZ Vertex 3 SSD for $549. That's basically my route.

My only issues with the system overall (and a reason why the Alienware and Asus G53/73 might be better) are the lack of a backlit keyboard and the fact that the GPU fan spins up a little around 40° C even when idling on your desk so it can be a little irritating if you are sensitive to that. It's nothing a little light music doesn't hide completely.

[TSXCman]

My brother completed his order with a slight discount, sounds pretty nice to me. Thanks guys, Sager builds seem to be pretty sweet bang for your buck.

$1970 after tax, shipping, etc.

Sager NP8150-S1 Base config
1 x IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
1 x 15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
1 x AMD Radeon HD 6970 w/2GB GDDR5
1 x 2nd Generation Intel® Core™CORE i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz)
1 x Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
1 x Fingerprint Reader
1 x 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 X 4GB
1 x 500GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
1 x 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
1 x Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
1 x Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
1 x Microsoft Office Starter 2010
1 x Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty

[Hack&Lube]

My brother completed his order with a slight discount, sounds pretty nice to me. Thanks guys, Sager builds seem to be pretty sweet bang for your buck.

$1970 after tax, shipping, etc.

Sager NP8150-S1 Base config
1 x IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
1 x 15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
1 x AMD Radeon HD 6970 w/2GB GDDR5
1 x 2nd Generation Intel® Core™CORE i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz)
1 x Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
1 x Fingerprint Reader
1 x 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 X 4GB
1 x 500GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
1 x 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
1 x Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
1 x Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
1 x Microsoft Office Starter 2010
1 x Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty

Did he buy that from Fortnax or XoticPC or directly from Sager or somewhere else? I like the IC Diamond option. It was $40 more for my system so I didn't get it. I wonder if that would quiet my GPU a bit more? Looks like he went with http://www.fortnaxnotebooks.com/index.php?option=com_productbuilder&view=pbproducts&layout=minimal&pb_product_id=11&Itemid=102 ?

Good that he sprung extra for the Intel wireless module. I kind of regret not spending the extra $25 for that and going with the stock Realtek chip as the Intel module has slightly better range.

The 6970 will be sweet. Can you ask him to do a 3DMark Vantage or 3DMark 11 benches on it when he gets it? I would like to see how much faster it is than my NP8130.

I kind of regret not waiting awhile for the 6970M model to be released with the 8150-S1 version. Can you ask your brother how quiet it is? I just priced one out for 1860. If I bought a 6970M separately plus the AC adapter needed to run it on my 8130 properly, it would cost me another $600.

[TSXCman]

I will get him to post a complete benchmark when he gets it. should be 2 weeks. and post noise analysis.

Not sure where he ordered, looks like Solution A E T Hanessian Inc. from what I can see.

[Hack&Lube]

I will get him to post a complete benchmark when he gets it. should be 2 weeks. and post noise analysis.

Not sure where he ordered, looks like Solution A E T Hanessian Inc. from what I can see.

Oh, that's http://www.reflexnotebook.ca/ which is out in Ontario.

[3 Justin 3]

My brother completed his order with a slight discount, sounds pretty nice to me. Thanks guys, Sager builds seem to be pretty sweet bang for your buck.

$1970 after tax, shipping, etc.

Sager NP8150-S1 Base config
1 x IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
1 x 15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
1 x AMD Radeon HD 6970 w/2GB GDDR5
1 x 2nd Generation Intel® Core™CORE i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz)
1 x Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
1 x Fingerprint Reader
1 x 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 X 4GB
1 x 500GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
1 x 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
1 x Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
1 x Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
1 x Microsoft Office Starter 2010
1 x Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty

That much eh?

I paid less for my Alienware and it is the exact same (well, I have 4GB memory not 8, my screen is 17" though). I paid $1930 for mine with shipping and taxes. I was a dick to get the price down though and they just wouldn't go lower.

I say "that much" because I spec'd one almost the same and it came out to $1600ish. I wonder why your brothers was so much more?

[TSXCman]

That much eh?

I paid less for my Alienware and it is the exact same (well, I have 4GB memory not 8, my screen is 17" though). I paid $1930 for mine with shipping and taxes. I was a dick to get the price down though and they just wouldn't go lower.

I say "that much" because I spec'd one almost the same and it came out to $1600ish. I wonder why your brothers was so much more?
i think there is a large price difference from 15.6 to 17 inch laptops.

15.6 is what i assume to be the max size for a portable laptop, 17inch ends up being planted on a desk often due to the size/weight. and it is easier for the companies to produce the larger product.

it seems like a pretty good price considering most of his options had a bit of what he wanted, but lacking something else, at $200ish less. This one hit all of his goals.

From what i remember from one site, the Sager's could have 6970 with glossy screen, or 460M with matte. Glossy is not very nice to deal with, so I'd imagine he paid a bit of the premium to get all the desired parts together.

[Hack&Lube]

That much eh?

I paid less for my Alienware and it is the exact same (well, I have 4GB memory not 8, my screen is 17" though). I paid $1930 for mine with shipping and taxes. I was a dick to get the price down though and they just wouldn't go lower.

I say "that much" because I spec'd one almost the same and it came out to $1600ish. I wonder why your brothers was so much more?

His ends has 4GB more ram, a larger drive, and a more portable system and has to use more expensive, compact design and also a higher gamut matte screen and an upgraded wireless card. It's also the S1 version and not the normal edition. It also comes with IC Diamond compound which is thermal interface material made of diamond powder. Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any common (if you can call it that) material.

For me, 17" is just unmanagable for a laptop, it's a desktop replacement that is not very portable. The smaller the computer, the more expensive it usually is. That's why the Asus G73's were $1299 at Best Buy but the G53's were still around $1500.

[kirant]

Hm...Alienware is having a sale on their M15x (300 off). I'm looking at upgrading from my 5 year old computer (which pretty much sucks. It was the store minimum price from the Vista era).

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m15x/pd?refid=alienware-m15x&s=dhs&cs=19&~ck=mn (http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m15x/pd?refid=alienware-m15x&s=dhs&cs=19&%7Eck=mn)

I'm wondering, price wise, how it would compare to a Sager. Visual isn't a huge problem for me, but I would probably lean towards the non-black colours of Alienware:
http://www.fortnaxnotebooks.com/index.php?option=com_productbuilder&view=pbproducts&layout=minimal&pb_product_id=7&Itemid=96

I'm not too familiar with the differences I'd feel between what I'd probably get with the Alienware deal and what I'd get with the Sager (taking the default purchase) because I've only had 2 computers before (a '98 fitted to run 2000 and my current laptop...now running Windows 7)

Off the customization, I'd get ($1299. A pretty nice price):
ALIENWARE (Can't seem to find the graphic card data anywhere...)
Intel® Core™ i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache)
4GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 2GB DDR3)
320GB SATAII Hard Drive
Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-Card
6-cell (56Watt) LI Battery

And how much different would it be compared to my current laptop? It's got 1.6 GHz processor, 1 GB Ram, and can't run Starcraft II because of a terrible graphics card (and can't last 15 minutes unplugged :confused:).

[Hack&Lube]

Hm...Alienware is having a sale on their M15x (300 off). I'm looking at upgrading from my 5 year old computer (which pretty much sucks. It was the store minimum price from the Vista era).

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m15x/pd?refid=alienware-m15x&s=dhs&cs=19&~ck=mn (http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m15x/pd?refid=alienware-m15x&s=dhs&cs=19&%7Eck=mn)

I'm wondering, price wise, how it would compare to a Sager. Visual isn't a huge problem for me, but I would probably lean towards the non-black colours of Alienware:
http://www.fortnaxnotebooks.com/index.php?option=com_productbuilder&view=pbproducts&layout=minimal&pb_product_id=7&Itemid=96

I'm not too familiar with the differences I'd feel between what I'd probably get with the Alienware deal and what I'd get with the Sager (taking the default purchase)...off the customization, I'd get ($1299. A pretty nice price):
ALIENWARE
Intel® Core™ i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache)
4GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 2GB DDR3)
320GB SATAII Hard Drive
Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-Card
6-cell (56Watt) LI Battery

And how much different would it be compared to my current laptop? It's got 1.6 GHz processor, 1 GB Ram, and can't run Starcraft II because of a terrible graphics card (and can't last 15 minutes unplugged :confused:)

The Alienware is on sale because it's 2 year old technology. The i7 740QM is no slouch but it is the last generation i7 and slower than the current i7 (Sandy Bridge) CPUs are twice as fast. The GTX 260M on the Alienware is also slow.

The Alienware is also only on SATAII (3GB/s harddrive transfer speed) for the harddrive interface while the Sager provides SATAIII (6GB/s harddrive transfer speed) for the future. The Sager also has USB 3.0, HDMI, optical SPDIF, eSata, Firewire, etc.

If price is your concern, for $1250, this Sager NP8130 has a CPU (2630QM) that is two times faster than Alienware and a GPU (GTX 460M) that is at least 30% faster than the Alienware. Closer to 50% if overclocked (and it's easy). You also get 8GB of ram and a 500GB harddrive instead of 4GB ram and 320GB harddrive on the Alienware.

http://www.fortnaxnotebooks.com/index.php?option=com_productbuilder&view=pbproducts&layout=minimal&pb_product_id=6&Itemid=97

The Alienware is not good value. It's no contest. On the Sager (basically what I have, I added $150 extra for the faster CPU), you can run Starcraft 2 on the maximum settings at 1080p.

The Sager is cheaper, twice as fast, has modern interfaces and futureproof ports, the latest Intel series 6 chipset, more ram, bigger harddrive, etc. I don't know why anyone would even look at the Alienware unless they wanted it for the looks and the backlit keyboard. $1250 doesn't include the operating system though so factor that into cost if you want to buy one preinstalled or if you want to just find one yourself for cheaper. I got a copy of Windows 7 Professional for $25 on a student program from Microsoft. You can find copies of Win7 on CP, Kijiji, etc. for under $50 also.

Compared to your current laptop, the Sager NP8130 will be like over 10 times faster. I'm serious. The 2630QM CPU in it is already 2-3 times faster than my quad core desktop running @ 3.6GHz.

[kirant]

If price is your concern, for $1250, this Sager NP8130 has a CPU (2630QM) that is two times faster than Alienware and a GPU (GTX 460M) that is at least 30% faster than the Alienware. Closer to 50% if overclocked (and it's easy). You also get 8GB of ram and a 500GB harddrive instead of 4GB ram and 320GB harddrive on the Alienware.

http://www.fortnaxnotebooks.com/index.php?option=com_productbuilder&view=pbproducts&layout=minimal&pb_product_id=6&Itemid=97

Thanks. Though I am a little confused at the overclocking comment. Never tried it before. How would you?

[Hack&Lube]

Thanks. Though I am a little confused at the overclocking comment. Never tried it before. How would you?

Download a program like Nvidia Inspector. Then you just drag two sliders. One for the Shader (which is tied to the core clock) and one for the Memory. If you get this laptop, I can show you.

The stock speeds for the GTX 460M are:

Core Speed * 675 MHz
Shader Speed * 1350 MHz
Memory Speed * 1250 MHz

Just by dragging two sliders (Core and Shader are locked together), you can get:

Core Speed * 800 MHz
Shader Speed * 1600 MHz
Memory Speed * 1400 MHz

This works out of the box for almost everybody with this graphics card in the Sager systems and it's 100% stable.

The only nitpick I have for the Sager is that the videocard fan (there is a separate fan for the CPU and GPU) is usually on most of the time at a low level so if you are sensitive to that, it might be a bit annoying. I usually play music at a low volume and don't notice it anymore. I don't know how quiet the Alienware is. The Alienware also has a backlit keyboard.

I forgot the mention that the Sager has 4 ram slots (most laptops only have 1!) and two are empty if you buy the 8GB version so you could be crazy and still have room to upgrade in the future although more than 8GB is overkill for most people already.

Sager also has a mini subwoofer (a small low frequency driver) built into the bottom and a nice THX sound system that makes the speakers sound great.

I'd also recommend you get an SSD now or in the future since the Sager has SATAIII. I boot up in 10 seconds, can be on the internet in 15 seconds.

3Lh0j4WIYc4

[kirant]

I'd also recommend you get an SSD now or in the future since the Sager has SATAIII. I boot up in 10 seconds, can be on the internet in 15 seconds.

3Lh0j4WIYc4
I'll keep that in mind. At the moment, I think that's overkill for me, so I'll probably take the extra storage space instead.

[3 Justin 3]

My new computer came today, what a beauty!!

Need to get used to the keyboard as it is bigger than my old one. The screen is excellent though.