Gaming Laptop

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Diemenz

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

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]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

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

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]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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?

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]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Thoughts on this?

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/Product...31863(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-...ist.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"
- Everything lit up is in "Mars Red" which I think is bad ass

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.



versus



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]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

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]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

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]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

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?