inevitable which should i buy thread

apologies in advance, i realize this may be tldr for many people.
i know there is an faq i should be filling out. sorry.

*denotes that article was upgraded for extra cost


ASUS G50VT - A1
- FREE !! UPS GROUND SHIPPING + Instant $40 OFF (Use Coupon Code "freeship" in Checkout for Free Shipping)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound*
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) Pixel Guarantee
- -Intel® T9400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 35 watt - ASUS Default Processor
- nVidia GeForce 9800M GS 512MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10
- - 4,096MB (Corsair, Kingston, Major Brand) DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMs) Dual Channel Memory
- Standard Finish
- - Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti 8X DVDRW Drive w/ Software
- - 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - ENS
- - 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - ENS
- Internal 8-in-1 Card Reader: MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless A/B/G/N
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Asus G Series Matching Backpack made by Targus
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- Asus G Series Matching Logitech Mouse
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's - ENS
- 2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty, 24/7 Tech Support, 1 Year Accidental Damage Coverage & 2-Way Pre-Paid Overnight Shipping for Repairs


price: $1636

_____


Sager NP8660 (Built on Clevo M860TU)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8600 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.40GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt*
- nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- ~ 3,072MB DDR3 1066MHz Memory (2 SODIMMS)*
- 4GB Intel® Robson Turbo Memory II*
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carrying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Telephone Tech Support
(Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)

price: $1622

_____


Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)*
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.26GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt ~*
- nVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512MB PCI-Express DDR2 DX10
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- 4GB Intel® Robson Turbo Memory II*
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300)
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 802.11 a/g/n
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carrying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- 1 Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support

price: $1067

_____

several questions before i highlight the only major differences:

-Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
-Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 SB1090 5.1 Channels 24-bit External USB Sound Card ( + 99 )
-Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 Xtreme Audio Notebook Express Card (BACK ORDER) ( + 119 )

are my options in terms of sound cards. i am an avid music listener and amateur audiophile. i'm not considering upgrading the sound card for gaming at all if that helps. if someone could educate me on what each option would bring to the table, i would really appreciate it.

-what the is turbomemory? it even worth it? i have only a slight idea as to what it does but even then, it is amateur knowledge at best.

_____


differences:

asus g50vt - a1
-fastest processor at 2.53ghz
-4gb ram standard
-must pay $37 for thermal compound
-carrying case+mouse lol
-only of the three to come w/ Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's - ENS
-does not come with the turbomemory capability (if someone could tell me how disadvantageous this is, that would really help)


sager np8660:
-i believe the 9800m gts is superior to the asus 9800m gs, but only slightly, if i am not mistaken.
-must pay $40-80 for 1-2 more sticks. only comes w/ 2gb ram.
-must pay $75 for 4gb turbomemory
-must pay $95 for 2.4ghz (from 2.26ghz)

sager np2096:
-comes w/ 4gb ram standard
-must pay $95 for 1680x1050 (from 1280x800)
-must pay $95 for 2.26ghz (from 2ghz)
-must pay $75 for 4gb turbomemory
-only notebook to come w/ 9cell battery
-cheapest laptop by about $500-600
-weakest video card by far (and this is the kicker, how much weaker is it than the others? i am buying this laptop for gaming purposes, after all, but for work as well though).

i'd love to have as many people's impressions as possible. what should i be adding/subtracting to each machine. what is of waste and what is of great value? am i misunderstanding any of the specs w/ each machine?

anything and everything will help. thanks.

 

drop the Turbo Memory, it's useless if you have 4Gb RAM. 9800m-gts is by far the best card, 9800m-gs is good too, but definitely weaker. for proper gaming, i wouldn't consider the np2096, as it has a GPU with a 128bit interface, which many would consider "mid-range".

all in all, i'd say go for the Sager. best bang-for-buck ratio.

 

agree with the above, turbo mem is next to useless. the asus has a better cpu while its GPU is about 15% weaker. both of the asus and sager np8660 are good choices, thouhg for gamaing cpu is not as important as gpu, plus asus usually runs quite warm. I would go with the sager np8660, better gaming performance, runs cooler, and very good build quality

 

Go 8660. You can upgrade the Sager if you want later.

 

the 8660 is the best there. the GPU will be the limiting factor more than the CPU.

as for soundcards, if you are an amature audiophile and considering spending over $100 on a sound card have a look at M audio and other external audiophile soundcards, as they will sound far better than anything creative can offer.

 

Sager 8660. Drop the Turbo memory. It's worthless. Get a faster processor with that money.

 

what would be the ideal then?

cheapest but best variation?

4gigs ram?
0turbomemory?
2.53ghz?

what do you say?

and did i add any unnecessary on my build?
should i be adding anything else? essential ?

 

I own the 8660, its amazing but you will need a cooler/undervolting of the CPU or the fan noise while gaming will be too much to bear. The temperatures are amazing though. My CPU only hits 50, the GPU 66, and the HDD 58 after hours of gaming. Compared to the alienware m15x where the GPU hits 90 easily. I've had no experience with any of the other laptops. I heard the Asus G50 was on sale at Best Buy for $999 at some point. I would wait for that deal again and then buy that. If you can afford it go with the 8660 though. I personally think the best feature of the laptop is silent mode, the fan never comes on at all. I also like to leave it in silent mode for older games and the fan still never comes on yet the temperatures are great.

 

upgrade the processor and drop the turbo memory. you can upgrade the ram later

 

The reason why we have the FAQ is so we can understand what you plan on using your laptop for and give you better recommendations based on that. I know it's a bit of a hassle to fill it out, but the responses you get will be more tailored to your needs that way.

And turbomemory is useless. Don't get it.

Once you've filled out the FAQ, post in the "What Notebook Should I Buy?" forum: http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16