ASUS G51Vx VS Sager NP8662 - Need Help Choosing.

So, I've had this dilemma for months now - I just CANNOT decide between the two and I need some more suggestions to help make a choice.

This is what I have so far:

ASUS
Pros:
-1920x1080 Glossy (Standard)
-Secondary HDD Slot
-Superior Warranty at no extra cost (compared to the Sager)

Cons:
-Heat issues. According to what I've read, the GPU can reach as high as 89C STOCK. That's pretty damn hot and keeps me hesitant to choose it on this alone.
-Limited Future Upgrades

Sager
Pros:
-Performance
-Dramatically cooler than the ASUS.
-Widely upgradeable

Cons:
-1650x1050 Glossy (around $175 for 1920x1200 Matte)
-Stock CPU is P8700 C2D as opposed to C2Q Q9000 on ASUS (extra cost for the Quad)
-No Secondary HDD slot.
-Inferior Warranty (unless you pay an extra $250 for a mere 30 day Zero Dead Pixels and 2 years parts and labour. ASUS offers, at no charge, 1 year Zero Dead Pixels and 2 year Global Warranty).

I'm sure I've missed a couple things, but these are the main things I can think of. I need to choose soon so that I have a laptop for school, which is very much needed.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers!

 

Well pick whatever fits your needs the best. Both are good, you'll get nearly the same performance out of both. I liked the fact that the Asus had a 2 yr warranty + 1 yr accidental and 30 day pixel policy. Having a backlit chicklet keyboard, 1080p display and 2nd drive bay was icing on the cake. If you plan to keep it for several years and wish to replace the GPU in the future, then go for the Sager. If cost to performance ratio is your thing, go for the Asus. I sell and buy new laptops every year or two so upgrading isn't a factor for me. Also, while the GPU on the Asus does run pretty hot, it's within operating tolerance so you won't have to worry about it--plus it's covered under the 2 years warranty.

 

I had a np8660 with 9800gt. the 1680x1050 screen was below average. The contrast was poor and it had a strange sparkle effect. I ended up selling it

 

Specifically, which manufacturer and model 1680x1050 screen did you have in your M860TU? European resellers tend to use lower quality panels, such as Samsung or AUO, in Clevo's compared to North American resellers, which use beautiful LG panels.

This is only my opinion, but I find a second HDD slot to be unnecessary on a notebook for general and gaming use. I am coming along well in terms of space on my Seagate 7200.4 250GB. If I need extra space, I would buy a large capacity 9.5mm HDD and dump it in an MX-25. I understand that two hard drives also has the option to link them in RAID, but in my book, CPU and GPU performance takes priority. And the G51 had to cut corners in regards to the most important aspect in engineering a notebook: cooling.

If someone can assist me in interpretting Asus's warranty concerning "dead pixels," I would greatly appreciate it. I am reading the "zero bright dot" policy in the warranty and I am unsure if Asus means a true dead pixel, or a bright pixel, or stuck pixel, which is technically not a dead pixel, rather a pixel with one or two of the three subpixels malfunctioning.

The NP8662 has an option that many users rave: the 1680x1050 panel. I believe the G51 only has the 1368x768 panel in the lower models and the 1920x1080 panel in the higher models. For some users, the WXGA resolution is too small. The WUXGA resolution offers a generous amount of desktop real estate, however the GTX 260M cannot push some GPU taxing games smoothly at native resolution. One would need to downscale to 1600x900 to crank out an enjoyable fps, and I'm sure all of you know what the image quality is like when downscaled off-integer. Lastly, the NP8662 is in EOL. It is no longer upgradeable beyond the P, T, and Q series CPU's, and the Nvidia G92b.

You all better keep your mouths shut about my small hard drive or else I'll have to start cracking skulls.

 

It was an AUO panel. I even considered replacing it myself but then decided to get an sxps 16 (which also has an AUO panel but is fantastic).

I do miss the 9800gt's power but the great screen, decent speakers and backlit keybard make up for it .

 

I think my ipod has more storage than your notebook

 

Zayne - I was in the same boat and went with the ASUS because it was FAR cheaper. I got my a1 for $1340 and some were even gotten at ~1200.

 

oh man... I love having 640GB of HD capacity =)

 

So, you decided on the ASUS solely on the cheaper price? I mean, the Sager has potential for 1920x1200 resolution instead of 1920x1080 on the ASUS (people complain that 1080p ruins games because most games support up to 1200p, so you lose that extra real estate) and the temperatures are much lower on the Sager. The warranty is WAY better on the ASUS though and it is cheaper, but limited upgrade ability as well.

 

The gpu is cooler in the sager but it has hot palm rests. The Asus has no such issues. Like I said before, asus has 2 yrs of warranty and the gpu runs within operating tolerence. The high temps do limit overclocking potential somewhat.

 

Good to know. What about the Resolution? I've read 1080p is only good for Blu-Ray, while 1200p is good for everything else, including gaming, design, etc. How noticeable a difference is it really?

 

Personally I love the 1080p resolution since I watch movies on my laptop a lot. Also, the 1080p screens are higher quality than the screens found on the G51-RX05 (BB version). That might be an area where Sager has an upperhand on Asus, their entry level LCD is more than likely better than the junk on RX05.

 

I was debating for months between those two and went with the G51-x1a. I got it for $1300 at the Egg - $130 w/ Bing Cashback (so, $1170...) An 8662 @ xotic would be $1340 with a lesser screen and warranty. So, you're talking $170 (so, a Zalman cooler, a gaming mouse, and a couple games) you could have with your Asus vs just the Sager.

I was concerned that the blue design would be a little much, but it's much more subtle in reality than on Newegg's pictures.

Heat's not a big issue here...my p8700 2.53 OC'd to 3.0 reaches no higher than 65c (w/ 5 minutes of Orthos...w/ Crysis it's cooler) without a notebook cooler, and my GPU OC'd from 500/799/1250 to 530/845/1325 gets no higher than 87c during Crysis (92c after 5 minutes of Furmark); again, no cooler. The air the fan kicks out is indeed hot, but it works. Palm/wrist-rest doesn't get hot at all, and it doesn't scorch me when running on my lap on battery.

The choice in the end is entirely up to you, of course. I like my G51.

 

Hmm, yeah the design on the back of the screen is a little much... I would much just prefer the logo "ASUS" on the back, and the rest solid black. I'll be getting (if I decide on the G51) from Xotic, so it'll be the Q9000/GTX 260M, neither Overclocked (I actually thought about undervolting because I don't need that extreme amount of power). I'll most likely also choose the 9-Cell Battery over the stock 6-Cell. Apparently, even with the high temperatures of the G51, the people here say that heat is not an issue, but I'm still a bit skeptical. The only thing bothering me now (besides the heat) is the 1920x1080p resolution compared to the option on the Sager of 1920x1200. I do a good amount of gaming, so more viewing would be nice I'd think...

 

The single 260m won't be able to keep up very well at the 1920x1200 range anyways. It will be the bottleneck of your system, and you'd be forced to downscale game resolutions to get good framerates in the future. If you chooe the sager, I would go for the lower res screen.

 

Do not say that.
The screen it self is good quality, the colors are great, and the LED backlight makes it very bright and crisp. Contrast is also very great. The only bad side is the low resolution, but personally i prefer such one due to increased FPS in games, when compared to higher. Games look great and sharp on 1366x768.
Anyway, as to the Sager, the lower res screen will provide good and sharp image. I have an external ASUS 1680x1050 and its great. U said u want to do gaming so, better stick with the lower res so that you could set games to native resolution.

As said by many users of this computer many times it just runs hotter than the other similar laptops in the same class/performance range. Noone on this forum has reported a fired GPU or CPU. Just invest into a good cooler. And anyways for some reason the resellers G51's seem to run cooler despite the Q9000 for some reason (compared to the RX05 which have the heating issue).

 

well yea basically i got mine for 1244USD...the biggest reason why i bought it. srsly, a 1700USD (thats what i paid upfront, get rebates to lower it down to 1244USD) @ ~25% (i think watever..) off is a great deal.

here are my gripes with the sager.

• much more thicker (1.4" vs 2"), i thought 2" is too much
• it has no spare/extra "celled" battery, only the 8-cell
• the aesthetics are not pleasing...srsly, im a sophomore so ive yet to develop the taste for lenovo style computers
• only 1 hdd slot
• it is way way way way more expensive for the comparable machine i got at my price

now dont take me wrong, i just got the ASUS cuz of price/suits ME better. both machines were great. the heat on the ASUS worried me at first, but im fine cuz 2yr warranty takes care of that. sager i heard has high hdd temps, idk but i rmbr seeing that somewhere. if it was strictly A1 @ 1700USD vs np8662 @ ~ 1800usd, i mite think differently. ppl who dont like flashiness of ASUS, def. get the Sager. People who want a couple of extra features from ASUS (bag, mouse, eee sticks, backlit kb, 2hdd thing, lights and stuff), get teh ASUS. simple. both are great manufacturers, ppl dont really know sager, such as me 2yrs ago. i know they are a good, reliable reseller of CLEVO machines.

 

You do get what you pay for whether you choose Asus or Clevo.

 

Seeing as the Sager does not include a number pad, that's a plus for the Asus in my book. Some games make use of the number pad and I find it easier that way. You can buy separate number pads, but they can get more difficult to use if you like using your laptop in your lap. If you're gaming with your laptop on a desk you will probably have it propped up on a cooler with the number pad sitting off to the side at an uneven elevation which could get annoying. I prefer number pads on the actually laptop. It's just easier that way.

 

The G51 has a full size keyboard because it is almost as wide as my 17 inch notebook. The M860TU doesn't have a number pad because it is not wide enough for one. However, you do raise a good point. The number pad is very essential for many users. For me, I personally don't use the actual number pad itself; my home. page up, page down, end, etc key are part of the number pad.

 

For casual browsing I don't use the number pad too often, but when it comes to gaming I use it much more frequently. I've heard some games even require a number pad. So for a gaming laptop I would prefer to have a number pad included, but that's more of a personal choice. There are some games that include compact controls for laptops that don't include a number pad, or you can just buy a separate one. It is something that should be considered, though, when choosing a laptop.

 

Yes, I agree. That's strange. I haven't encountered a game that requires the number pad. But it's always nice to have one.

 

I only use the num pad when I'm crunching numbers.......isn't that what its for?
Sometimes I need to quickly calculate what the cost for that new hardware with taxes and shipping is going to be exactly you know? Before that I had to actually use a little solar powered calculator, now I don't have to carry it around

 

I never use the number pad. I'd rather it wasn't there so the kb was more centered.

 

So, what do you guys vote for - The G51Vx or the NP8662? Reasons why would be helpful too..

 

Well, the most important thing you should keep in mind is that you should choose something you know you won't regret. From what I can tell it seems like the majority of the people responding are in favor of the G51, but I'm sensing that you are slightly in more favor with the NP8662. If you think you will find greater satisfaction with the NP8662 then that's what you should get, regardless of what other people think is better.

 

NP8662 because I said so.

 

I agree. You disagree with Soviet at your own peril. The KGB is watching you.

(Although I love my G51)

 

Am I right in assuming both models (especially not the ASUS) will not be able to be upgraded to next generation ATI or Nvidia GPUs? The 40nm and even 32nm process would certainly help with heat and power consumption.

 

Not unless they both offer those cards because Asus uses proprietary cards and a new bios.

 

Hmm, so it is even worthwhile to spend that much on either laptop with next generation hardware right around the corner?

 

That is always the concern ... the technology is always changing, I purchased a 4870x2 when they came out, I knew the price would drop and something better would be released, but I wanted the best at the time.

If you keep waiting, you'll never have anything.

I too am looking at the NP8662 (with P9700) v. the G51VX-X2A (with T9600). The second drive bay in the G51VX seems nice, but knowing that the graphics does not have easy updatability, I'm a bit concerned.

 

I would wait 3 days and take a look at the new alienware models coming out. A 15" i7 model is rumored and If you look at their most expensive flagship model which only starts at $1799 I'd bet that the 15" will be quite affordable. If the new models are anything like the 17" the gpu is easily accessable and easy to replace a few years down the road. I'm in the same boat as you, why spend close to 2 grand on a laptop when in two years you can't replace the gpu and must sell the whole unit to upgrade. Asus is more of a bargain brand then Alienware from what I've seen but the machines are very nice and I'd have to assume the customer service is probably easier to deal with then Dell. Wait three days though you'll probably be glad. (just don't order one before me)

 

why do people always assume that alienware is ahead of the game. if you read through the clevo forums, you will see that their i7 notebooks are confirmed and will be released early october. they are 15 and 17 inch variations, the W860CU and W870CU respectively. Clevo is famous for their upgrade ability.

 

Historically, Asus has always been first to release new tech before Clevo. But interestingly, this time Clevo is first on the market to come out with the two successors bearing the newest tech.