Dell Alienware M17x vs. Sager 9850

yeah...somebody had to bring it up

sager released this on the 12th (ETA starts mid-july): Sager 9850 vs. dell alienware M17x.

spec for spec (mine), the Sager is 600 USD cheaper except i'd be paying for shipping. and this one is 18.4" and for whatever reason, is slimmer than the M17x. beyond that, i'm not comparing looks...mostly coz i don't care

the screen on the Sager is 1920x1080 instead of 1920x1200 like the M17x.

the one good thing about the dell alienware is: in case the sh1t hits the fan, local 'delivery' for servicing is better than paying for shipping all the way back to the US. it also has 4 USB 2.0 ports (sager has 3). apart from that, i can't think of anything.

the M17x tech specs doesn't list the webcam but there is one listed in the gallery - 2.0M vs. sager's 3.0M.

(ps: i hope i don't have to give not-flamebait / flamewar disclaimer)

 

18.4" is huge. that's what she said, but it's also the truth. certainly not the type of notebook you'd want to carry anywhere. also, good luck finding a bag. beyond that, many people dislike 16:9 screens, me included. also, the sager is all-glossy, it will attract fingerprints like crazy.

 

from what I've known, Sager always include the standard bag for all laptop you buy from them (also from resellers).

 

They are both nice systems. I prefer the 17" non-glossy look of the M17x. It also gives the option of getting the 256GB Samsung SSD. I'd have to pay extra for the smaller Intel SSD with the Sager. As far as the Sager is concerned the only thing I like better is the 3 hdd.

 

I just configured the two to what I'd have in the real world, and the Alienware is $10 more. (That's with 1066Mhz in the AW, as I think 1333MHz is pointless considering the FSB as well, with that included the AW would be an extra $60) But I'd definetely go for the AW. The reasons? I THINK the AW is slightly lighter, and it's 17.1 inches instead of 18.4 inches...gawd, my M17 is bloody big enough, I can't imagine what an 18 inch one would be like. Not to mention the hell I'd go through trying to find a bag for it, and not just any bag, a good one...The thickness wouldn't REALLY bother me, it's the weight that really bothers me, and the AW is slightly lighter as I've said above, I THINK it's lighter anyway.

So what I'd go for the AW for is the smaller 17 inch size, the fact that the AW screen is 16:10 instead of the 16:9 rubbish that they're using in the Sager, and the looks as well. There's no doubting that very few people would choose the Sager over the AW in terms of looks. And the AW has confirmed overclocking in the BIOS as well as a 9400M to switch to when you're doing low performance tasks, I don't think the Sager has either of those. (Correct me if I'm wrong there)

 

One major advantage of Sager over Alienware used to be the lower price without compromise in power and the solid build quality. Now that Alienware has catched up with the new M17x, it doesnt matter much. I prefer M17x because of 1) Anodized aluminium case 2) 16:10 screen 3) Lights, of course 4) A little lighter and a little smaller 5) Non-glossy finish.

In real world, the difference in weight is not going to matter - both are ultra-non-portable. The size difference might matter.

 

why did you put this in the alienware section. you are going to get more people to side with alienware. anyway

 

The M980nu starts off thinner at ~1.7" but it tapers up to 2.5" thick while the M17x tapers from 2.02" to 2.11" thick.

 

IMO, there are some big pluses to the M17X over the Sager.

1. They are at the same price point basically so why would you want a plastic exterior over a premium anodized aluminum exterior?

2. There are no pictures of the Sager power brick so I think it's safe to assume it's the same old massive brick or they would have advertised it.

3. That glossy plastic will be way more of a fingerprint magnet.

4. It would be wrong to assume the Sager will cool any better than the M17 because they aren't even out yet.

To sum it up, the Alienware has a small AC adapter, 16:10 aspect ratio, screwless under belly for ease of access, great looking anodized aluminum exterior, cool lighting, and apparently has very effective cooling according to reviews from E3 and elsewhere.

Unless someone just loves the Sager, I don't see why anyone would choose it over the M17X considering they are very close to the same price. Maybe if someone likes a massive laptop with 16:9 and almost no choice in luggage to carry it.

EDIT: Base price on a M17X with 2 280's = $2399

Base price on the Sager with 2 280's =$2492

 

I wish i could order stuff for US price....

Jeez..what you guys pay in Dollars i pay in Euro's and get a less powerfull laptop.. /cry

 

if u were asking me, was planning on putting it in the sager section but have the same issue - more ppl will side with sager there. since i've ordered an alienware and don't have a sager, decided to put it here.

perhaps to keep things fair, this thread should be cross-linked in the sager forum :-/

base price on M17x depends on your dell-country. it's costlier than the US everywhere else (except maybe Malaysia). and u can't expect 1.3" extra (from 17.1") on screeen size to come for free. plus, that's 4 GB @ 1066 MHz vs. 1333 MHz which i'll agree isn't a biggy if u don't overclock. after equalizing the CPU (P8700) and HDD (320GB) it's M17x at $2474 vs. Sager N9850 at $2599 (a bigger diff, i know). but how many ppl here for example, are going for the base config? the M17x base config for Singapore without equalizing anything is $2745 (already 150 USD more than N9850, that's half ur sager shipping cost).

i can't afford to take sides though...i ordered an alienware. if the N9850 came with core i7, i would've cancelled my dell order already.

 

18.4" is not a straight extra 1.3" up from 17.1". The aspect ratio changes so while the diagonal measurement gets longer on 16:9 screens they actually have a smaller screen area than comparable 16:10 screens. (i.e. 15.6" screens have less screen area than 15.4" screens...17.3" screens less than 17.1" screens).

So while an 18.4" 16:9 screen is larger than a 17.1" 16:10 screen it's much smaller than an 18.4" 16:10 screen would be and not an extra 1.3" of screen size.


Also the resolution and DPI is different. 1920x1080 on a 18.4" screen has a very similar DPI count to 1680x1050 on a 17.1" screen (120 DPI vs. 116 DPI).

 

Why?

They are free to discuss or compare whatever they like.

This is the Alienware forum.

 

Very true Phinagle,

And while the Sager has full 1080p on their screen the M17X has full HD 1200p and a dual CCFL back-lit LCD.

 

M980nu has dual bulbs for back lighting too.

And don't get me wrong...I like 16:9 and think it's better for gaming.

But things are what they are and aren't what they aren't. If you're going to use the info to support a case understand it first.


An 18.4" screen isn't much more expensive than a 17.1" screen to produce because it's easier for manufacturers to cut as it doesn't require separate machines from TVs, uses sheets that have a lower pixel count (currently), and are smaller than comparable sized 16:10 screen.

However 16:9 screens can also display more pixels at a readable DPI than a 16:10 screen in that smaller area....they just don't yet.

 

i'm glad there's so many of you saying the M17x is still better, esp the screen which is really the biggest difference (since i ordered the M17x)

i was definitely disappointed to see that the N9850 was 1920x1080 instead of 1920x1200. oh well.

now just waiting to see if/how many ppl have the heating issues that sometimes happens with alienware L/Ts.

 

Yeah! Let's discuss which one is better with Alienware Fanboys!

 

I couldn't care less which is better, and I currently have a strong notebook and it's not summer 2010 so I'm not in the market for either.

Here are your main tradeoffs:

The Clevo is undoubtedly wider, and tapers to ~2 1/2" in the rear where the main components are. The main panel opens up for easy access to your CPU and 2 GPUs, which are in the typical D900 fashion (2 HDDs have a seperate compartment, and the third is under the battery). Arguing against it, you have to remove the keyboard to swap the RAM. To cut it short, this just means the Clevo still has the best cooling and swapping solutions in the high end gaming market, and it is going to run very cool (being tried and tested).

Looking at the M17x service manual, the innards are comparatively more complex. The single panel is misleading - you can find the CPU, HDDs, and RAM there, but you have to flip it over and remove the keyboard to get to the GPUs. And the cooling capability remains to be tested, but being more cramped than the Clevo, one would expect it to run warmer.

Style is subjective, I think both are good looking laptops. The M17x is over-the-top in a good way, it would be different if it did not have the performance to back it up. Aluminum always looks and feels rich, but do not expect that to have any effect on the cooling, it is only part of the cover. Backlighting just adds to over-the-top, and I personally would have no use for it given the bright screen. But it is part of the theme, and to not have it would be a step-back for fans (the people, not the motorized noise-makers).

The Clevo is a step up visually from the previous bland plastics, but I've got to question the feedback from the chiclet keyboard, and why they put those "gaming buttons" on the left instead of utilizing a 100% sized keyboard. It's not understated, but it's still a very simple design, and it is obvious that Clevo prioritizes the interior over the exterior styling and dimensions.

18.4" vs 17", 1920 x 1080 vs 1920 x 1200. Either way, after 1 month of use you will grow used to your screen. The difference is not substantial enough for one to say it is not "good enough". You can be picky and end your decision here, or you can look at what counts most (the performance and reliability of the chassis). More importantly would be the color reproduction, brightness, and contrast, but we know both are dual lamp and it is safe to say they will both perform very well.

Before tax (and Sager only taxes Nebraska? Dell taxes everyone), pricing for those in the US is almost a tie, and finally you can make your decision based on more important points than the price... Outside the US is another matter. For those outside the US, it's propable the Clevo is cheaper.

3 vs 2 HDDs. Part of the chassis arguement comes the sheer size of the Clevo's chassis, and it has plenty room for the 3rd HDD a la D900s. Whether you need it is up to you, but for most this will be unimportant, and again the reliability and performance of the chassis will come first.

Cliff notes, in no order of importance

1. Chassis - Cooling Performance
2. Chassis - Easy of Upgrading
3. Chassis - Reliability and Strength
4. Screen Brightness, Contrast, and Color
5. Style vs Substance

 

well don't forget even though ram isn't going to be easy to get to. how much times are you going to go change it. unless you have less then 4gb of ram. and even then unless you have bad ram it's a one time thing.


for my 17in is perfect and i love 1920*1200. i don't know how well cooled the m17x will be but i saw that clevo took the same route as the np9262 which the fan is directly on the gpu and cpu. this makes cooling not a problem.



but on sager i love the fn+1 feature. as soon as i turn on mt notebook i press it.

what a hard choice to make.

 

The Sager 9850 has 4 USB ports, 1 USB - eSATA combo.

 

OMG... look at the looks of sager... killing!!! I mean you might get killed with that sad looks

 

and it's one glossy, fingerprint-attracting SOB as well.

 

Both has 9400M because they use the same motherboard chipset.

 

i've never heard of the fact that the clevo m980nu has GPU switching as well.

 

If it's got Nvidia GPUs and an Nvidia Chipset (and both are over 9000 series) then it supports HybridPower and has GPU switching.

 

It all just comes down to brand loyalty.
Both look great in there own way.
I'm guessing both will have just about the same performance because both can be configured with the same 280M GTX'( Slight edge in performance goes to AW because of factory OCing option and pretty sure the SAGER will not have that option)
The only basic difference comes down to size, 17" or 18.4" and build materials (aluminum or plastic)(Isn't only the LCD cover aluminum and not anything else on the AW, I could be wrong but I talked to DELL technician and was told that the rest is made of hard plastic)
I'd call it a wash with both AW and SAGER owners going home happy.
How could you not,both systems kicka...er but.
Me I would get the........lol

 

Does being loyal to Sager include being loyal to their numpad?

Like a love her for all her flaws kinda deal.

 

yes whizzo the m98nu has a 12 cell battery and intergrated graphics

the clevo has its good things

18.4 is nice (more screen)
but basically that the only difference

the m17x offer pretty lights
17 inch

every thing else is the same

the cooling will be good ... it uses the m1730 cooling system which was pretty good heat pipes for each GPU and fan for each GPU

exterior is where the clevo gets killed really and thats what it will come down to ... not price this time.

NO body here can dispute the AW gets more for looks ... the lights aluminum the overall design is far superior to the Clevo.

 

i could swear your a closet AW fanboy.
you seem to spend more time in the AW forum then the sager one.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the numpad,(not on my NP9262, hands down the best laptop I have ever had) so I really don't know what your getting at
And nothing is perfect, but it's nice to get close to perfection

 

I'm sure the Sager will perform extremely well, it's got the same components as the M17X.

The M17X however has hit a home run everywhere else in addition to thee innards.

How big is that power brick for the Sager?

 

Yup sure is ... il love AW keyboards.... i game useing my m17 keyboard because i prefer it to a desktop keyboard

 

My power brick is huge
Thanks for asking

 

so is mine


i used a standard dell adapter one for a 1525 .. and i pulled wayyy to much power from it and flipped the whole breaker


couldn't give my laptop enough power soooo my laptop did some thing about it

 

It's not the size of the brick that matters.......

 

Question for someone who knows more about battery life than I do:

The M17x's 9-cell has a rating of 85Whr while the M980nu's 12-cell has a rating of ~69Whr....if the two machines are drawing the same power then the 9-cell should last longer correct?

 

yes, you are correct

 

not sure i'd ask Rob hes the elctric man

or K-tron

 

....it's how mean-spirited the note tied to the brick was before you threw it through the window. amirite?

 

the power brick is the same exact size as the whitebook.

everything is exactly same saize weight where the sticker is located. the only difference is the power output.

 

Yeah, mine is massive too. I sure would like to have one like the M17X. lol

 

actually i think they will fit both


the m17 actually has a standard dell adapter head thing.

the AC adapter looks to me a m6400 plug which means it could work

 

Like Sleepy0 said, it's true.

One watt hour is the amount of energy expended by a one watt load for one hour.

So, if your rig consumes 85 watts an hour you get 1 hour of batt life.
42.5 watts, you get 2 hours etc.

 

I found the AC adapter for the M17X for sale at Dell. I might have to get one since I do have to carry it quite far.

 

well now im curious the battery life i dont want to go from one power hog to another

stealth mode brings it down to 65W draw ...

 

dont hold me to it ...

i would research first the output and get some pics of the head

 

In case anyone is interested, here is the link to the M17X AC adapter.

It goes for $119

Yeah Moo, I'd have to check the output in volts and amps to be sure it's suitable for the M17. I'm not too worried if I have to change the plug connector.

 

whoa

 

Haha, you should read some more often around these forums.

 

that cat freaks me out .....