Discountlaptops.com vs Pctorque.com Customer Service

If you are planning to buy a laptop that will meet the trends in power hungry and resource hungry future software. Then you must have browse the "boutique" section.

So there are lot of choices --Alienware, Hypersonic, Voodoo, Sager. Among this 3, I found out that Sager offers the least expensive given the same set-up. (Please correct me if I am wrong in my mini-research )

So in those which sells Sager notebooks -I found 2 leading reseller-- Discountlaptops.com and PcTorque.com

Given the same price provided for the notebook they sell, the choice where you will buy your notebook depends on 2 things ---customer service and warranty coverage.

According to www.resellerratings.com the rating of those who sell Sager Notebooks are:

PCtorque = 10/10

Discountlaptops = 10/10

Sager = 4.76/10


That said, it is a hassle to buy a sager notebook direct from sager. It will be best to buy from a reseller.


When a problem comes to your notebook, (and you are in warranty) which among PCTorque and Discountlaptops gives a fast and efficient response (does not go around the bush)?

Please tell your experience with them...

 

I understand the 2 reseller offer notebook configurations without the OS. That way you can save when you already have an OS.


1. My concern is, will the technical support have support on the current OS an owner have or will install(Windows XP) and with the new released Vista OS?


My dilemna is...when one already bought the laptop and the sales/technical support will reason out that "you did not buy the OS from us so we don't cover it"

I understand that Sager has lifetime technical support. And if bought thru a reseller... it is cheaper plus there is added technical support as claimed in one of the forum I read.


2. My second concern is... This is on the issue of buying online and buying direct from the store. If there are defects in the laptop. Would the owner endure the shipping cost even if it is a factory defect?


Plus the wait for the laptop to be repaired... I read stories in the forum of people sending their laptop several times. Cummulatively for months....


3. What is the stand of the reseller and sager on multiproblematic laptop? (In terms of exchange, lemon policy, shipping cost, etc)
In plain English... (I always get lost in the contract/policy and the fine prints.)

Please Tell your encounter with PCTorque and Discountlaptops
(Good or Bad )?



Tell what the laptop's problem (including the 3 concerns above) and how the customer support handled it...

And Rate them from 1 to 10. 10 being best...

Kindly join the poll also... :

The votes on the poll gives power and credibility to the rating you give.
For example, if only ten votes from one reseller and you give a good rating... It has less power and credibility as compared to 100 votes and a good rating.

So kindly post a message about your encounter, rate their service and vote on the poll

 

How about PowerNotebooks.com? Check their rating as well.

Hey those are weird smilies...from NBF eh? Interesting.

1. You'll get support on the O.S., I don't see why they wouldn't. The notebook is designed to run with Windows, so I'd assume all of their troubleshooting steps refer to that. Might want to send an email and ask just in case.

2. No - the dealer pays for the shipping. Read the "warranty info". That explains it.

3. Not sure of the answer to this one, as I don't know those two reseller's policies.

Be sure to check out PowerNotebooks - they also have a 10 rating out of 900 something reviews. Very impressive. Best customer service I have ever dealt with.

 

Hey this looks familar. I think I saw it over at NBF.

 

I'de say go with www.PowerNotebooks.com.

I ordered mine from them. They are great and there customer service is one of the best and quickest I have ever dealt with.

 

Thank you for the input Chazman421. As I mentioned, If revisions be needed please do tell. That is the beauty of Freedom of Speech and Learning thru Forums at work .

How do I include it in the poll? (there is no instruction/ help on the forum usage section)

We will update this as new efficient and fast reseller comes...

 

You can't add another option to the poll unfortunately...but based on user input, I'd say you have a few votes for PowerNotebooks already. You can read in more detail what I say about PowerNotebooks in my Sager review (link is in my signature).

 

I bought my Asus Z70Va (ChemBook 2370Va) from discountlaptops.com. Their customer service is outstanding. They answered all of my questions, including telling me exactly which hard drive would be in my computer even when it meant calling ChemBook to find out. They don't skimp on parts to save a few $$$, yet their price was the lowest I could find (and I checked many places). For example, they use Corsair memory, and the hard drive has a 8MB buffer (cheaper ones use 2MB). You can get 4 years of warranty from them (the most you can get on most other sites is 3 years). Their web site is much easier to navigate then some others I checked, and it has almost all the info I needed. The rest I got when I called them. They have a great purchase option that lets you secure the cash discount price with a credit card and then send the check later. That way they'll ship it right away.

I would definitely do business with them again.

I'm sure there are other fine retailers out there, including the very helpful folks who post on these boards. For my needs, discountlaptops.com was the best. But, you may decide differently. That's why it's nice to have several choices.

 

If there are reseller you think which are top-notch just mention them in the post and your experience with them. Including their policy on defects, shipping, etc. as noted on the first post.

I will make a summary including the additional reseller (if it can't be added in the poll)


NOTE TO MODERATORS: Kindly assist us on how to add new reseller in my post so we can make this thread more interactive and automatically updated. :base:

N.B. Your work as moderator is very much appreciated. Let me take the opportunity to thank you for making this forum worthwhile and educational.


We will update this as new efficient and fast reseller comes...

At the end, With all the terms, policies, warranty and customer service rating
I will make a table with all the leading reseller in a side by side comparison...

 

In light of impartiality. (Regardless of who maintains and participate in this thread). I posted the same thread and poll in 2 other forums. That way, both parties have the same chance. And still maintain the integrity of this mini-research.

That way, when I summarize in a side by side comparison... There is a large sample size. (Short of doing a formal biostatistical analysis in medicine)

So the outcome is reliable, unbiased and true.

 

As for the note to moderators, there is no way for me to edit the poll. It wouldn't be fair anyway, as other people weren't given that (those) same choice(s).

I'm sure that anyone who wants to vote for another reseller will post, as we have already seen.

 

Hmmm . . . Actually, posting this poll on multiple forums hurts its integrity since the same person can respond on more than one poll. So, any totals are suspect. That's why forums like this one only allow you to respond to a poll once. Rather than totalling the number of responses, you could average the percentages. That would be more scientifically reliable even if it's not perfect.

However, posting on multiple forums does increase your sample of comments. Even though you still may have some overlap, it would be nice to be able to read a summary of all of the comments.

So, I'd suggest that you don't be too concerned about the poll, and focus more on getting helpful comments. Perhaps you could even get the retailers to answer your questions about their policies. Their explanations of their policies could be more valuable than the explanations customers might give. The customer comments are most helpful in evaluating the retailers' customer service, product quality, etc.

 

Thank you Eutychus for your comment. The rationale behind posting it in multiple forums is to increase sample size. Eventhough he can vote in the 3 forums. He can only vote once. (If he cheats then that is against him. He can't cheat on judgment day. So follow your conscience )

I agree it won't be perfect. As there is no such thing as perfect. Even the randomized controlled trial, triple-blinded study which is the "ultimate" way of making a reliable result of a statistical study has limitations. One limitation is if they did the study only in one country so genetic variations in every ethnic/race is not considered. Nevertheless, we do with what we have. One good thing about this forum is its worldwide...

The ideal setting is not to get a sample but to get the whole population who bought sager notebook. So if we can spread the word about this discussion then we can achieve that goal.:base:


As I said earlier, if revisions can be made, the forum is open for suggestions, comments and even violent reactions..

In the polls, eventhough there may be overlap by posting it in multiple forums, equal chances are given to all. Perhaps the readers of this forum are mostly buyers from one reseller while on the other forum are on the other reseller. This way, equal chance are given to both side of the camp.:base:

 

Well, doesn't look like many people are dropping by, so I'll post.

You can't go wrong with PCT, Discountlaptops, or PowerNotebooks. From personal experience, I'm recommending PowerNotebooks, because I was extremely impressed with their customer service, responsiveness, and politeness.

 

\

Can you elaborate more on your experience ChazMan421...

 

This is right from my review;

 

Thank you ChazMan421.

That is really good customer service.

When the laptop comes perfect then everything goes well.

I was thinking. There is always, the other side of the coin.

Are there any or have you heard any incidents where its hard to replace a defective laptop...?

Usually, the usual complaints as I scanned in some of the forums is returning a laptop--the reseller beats around the bush, takes months until it can't be returned anymore, the reseller does not pay for the return shipping.:base:

 

You can always call or email them to see what they say. They offer the warranty through the manufacturer - I've heard no complaints.

Warranty info
Sager will fix you laptop in 72 hours guranteed - their policy.

 

So that is within the 1 year manufacturer's warranty... Regardless of reseller...
What can you say about extended warranty?

Saw one post in another forum having great difficulty with warranty...
(Is it allowed to post a link to other forums???)

 

To be honest, I haven't heard anything about the extended warranty...although I do remember that it was quite expensive to upgrade. The extended warranty was not from the manufacturer - it was from Phillips Magnavox. I'd call PowerNotebooks - they're very friendly and helpful - and see what they say about it.

 

PCTorque.com has the lowest prices on the extended warranty, but I don't know if that is through P/M or PCTorque itself.

 

Is it usually a sa d story when it comes to extended warranty as I read on the forums???

 

If you guys are looking for cheaper prices for Sager notebooks go to FutureTop.net.

 

Thanks for the info Gen. Reefer. I checked out the site but there are no Sager notebooks.

As written in the site, it was last updated September 26,2005.

 

Still searching for a dealer chief?

I would really recommend calling up PowerNotebooks, and talk to them on the phone. They are the nicest people, you can't go wrong. And, they don't pressure you into buying - they will even suggest you downgrade a component if you don't need it. That is customer service at it's best, and their ResellerRating confirms that.

 

Actually, I have not thought of buying a notebook yet.
(I don't have a laptop right now, by the way, my DELL died on me after 5 years of active service...)

Price too high as of now... But my eyes are open for future proof 64bit AMD's coz they are cheaper and yet powerful as I read in this forum.

I am just scoping all the reseller's customer service e.g. warranties so that I won't be impulsive when the time comes.
Usually, from what I usually read in this forum and the other forums as well---most laptop buyers are usually impulsive.
They just buy without seeking the policies e.g. shipping cost for defective laptops.
Always on the BRINK of using that magic credit card...

I don't blame them. I may be wrong...they maybe just misinformed or underinformed... (reading all those long policies in warranty and fine prints and be deceived by advertisement's exaggerations)

I don't have a trust fund or a rich corporation to buy a good future-proof laptop to be a impulsive buyer.

That is why I started this thread to empower myself and hopefully others as well.

 

So still searching for a Good Reseller which have confidence in their product...:base:

As of now, I have not seen any reseller of Sager notebooks which back-up their laptop beyond the Golden first 10 days...(DOA Policy)

When I say back-up, that means, they are confident that their laptop is not defective that they cover the return shipping cost beyond the 10 days from shipping date.

 

The summary includes:

1. Who handles technical support on Operating systems (e.g.Microsoft Windows) bought thru reseller?

2. Who handles technical support on Operating systems (e.g.Microsoft Windows) bought thru retail stores?

3. In case there is a problem with a laptop who handles shipping cost on first 10 days from shipping of laptop(not from arrival to customer house)?

4. In case there is a problem with a laptop who handles shipping cost after 10 days from shipping of laptop(not from arrival to customer house); within first year of manufacturer warranty; within 1 or 2 or 3 year extended warranty?

5. Who handles the extended warranty and their reliability in handling laptop issues

6. Parts used to repair or replace defective laptops. Using new or used parts? Using original parts?


As you noticed, price is not included in the summary.

For this is not a price war but a COMPARISON OF CUSTOMER SERVICE...

I have no affiliation with any Reseller of Sager Notebooks. I am not even in the computer field. And I don't even have a Sager notebook as a matter of fact.
Just a person WHO WANTS TO ASK THE QUESTIONS, BUT AFRAID TO ASK...BUT STILL ASKS IT ANYWAY...

The order I present the summary is...
the first one who confirmed and verified the contents of the summary first...
( I sent an email to the representatives of the reseller at the same time)

In the end I will organize the reseller in a table alphabetically...(so as not to give preference to anyone)

FOR THE RESELLERS: Thank you for the patience in answering the inquiries on the forum and thru email.:thumbup:

FOR THE MODERATORS: Thank you for the open-mindedness you showed in this forum regardless of who the reseller is. In one way, this is a show of confidence on your product and service by not filtering out the bad and leaving only the good. (unlike... but that is another story...)

N.B. Kindly tell how to post a table (from MS Word) so the summary can be looked at a glance with all the resellers.

FOR THE CUSTOMERS OF SAGER NOTEBOOKS: I hope this remain useful to you. And gives you confidence in any reseller you wish to buy. Coz I understand the most frustating part is waiting for the notebook only to find out it is defective and the reseller and warranty provider gives you a hard time...from day 1 to the end of the extended warranty...
In other words, GOOD SALES TALK:Angel: , BAD AFTERSALES CUSTOMER SERVICE:flammer: .
I HOPE THIS DISCUSSION EMPOWERS YOU::base:

Be assured this thread will be updated.
IF there are still QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO ASK, BUT AFRAID TO, PLEASE DO ASK IN THIS FORUM.
An update will be made as an upgrade or downgrade of customer service takes place.

 

The first who confirmed the contents: PowerNotebooks.com
Confirmed by Mr. Donald Stratton of PowerNotebooks.com

The contents with revisions: (thru email)

PowerNotebooks.com Summary

The ODM is Clevo, the OEM is Sager and then there are the resellers like PowerNotebooks.com (if you are going to use our name, please be kind enough to spell it correctly)

1. Operating system (Microsoft Windows) bought thru powernotebooks.com has a lifetime technical support by powernotebook also and not by Microsoft technical support
2. Operating system (Microsoft Windows) bought thru retail is covered by Microsoft technical support only (except the user should call PowerNotebooks.com 24/7 Customer Service first, and if it is a common issue we will help them.)
3. Sager’s DOA policy states that any failure within 10 days of the original shipping date will be covered by the Sager DOA policy. Under this policy Sager will pay for UPS Ground back to them, and then UPS 2nd Day Air back to the customer after it is repaired or replaced. In the alternative, if the customer wants to allow Sager to take an authorization on their credit card (not charging it, just taking an authorization which captures that amount of credit but doesn’t actually charge the card) they will cross ship a new machine to the customer via UPS 2nd Day Air. Once the defective machine is returned, the authorization on the card goes away. This is all handled by Sager, not the reseller.
4. During the Manufacturer’s One Year Parts and Labor Warranty the customer is responsible for paying shipping and insurance back to Sager, and then Sager pays UPS Ground back to the customer. If the customer wants to upgrade the shipping back to them, Sager will only charge the difference over the UPS Ground rate. During the Philips Magnavox 2 or 3 Year Extended Warranty period Philips Magnavox pays the shipping and insurance both ways, and will send the customer a shipping box if they don’t have one.
5. PowerNotebooks.com will only sell the Philips Magnavox extended warranty because our experience shows that while they are more expensive, they are also more reliable. Notice I didn’t say they were perfect, because occasionally we do have issues with them, but once we escalate them to the appropriate department they always get resolved satisfactorily. In addition, we are comfortable that Philips Magnavox will still be there 3 and 4 years from now.
6. The parts used by Philips is not original from Clevo. They replace it with parts from HP. With laptop computer parts it is rarely important to use “original from Clevo”. Please keep in mind that HP is NOT an ODM, so anyone suggesting that HP made the parts is just wrong. If HP is the supplier of the parts, as long as they are the proper parts, what difference does it make? They could get the parts from the corner news stand if they were the right parts.
Either new, used or reconditioned parts can be used for warranty repair…just read any manufacturer’s warranty, they all say the same thing. While only new parts can be used in a new laptop, warranty repairs can be accomplished in any reasonable fashion that will keep you running for the period of the warranty.
Only motherboards that were originally designed for a particular model will work in that model, so you don’t have to worry about anyone trying to put a Quanta or Asus motherboard in a Clevo laptop.

 

What follows are the Discountlaptops.com unedited statement of Matthew T. Richards...

Discountlaptops.com (DL) Summary

I can not answer for the other resellers.. so i will only refer to DL's section.

I am not sure why you keep referring to powernotebooks in the Discountlaptops.com summary, maybe you just did a cut-and-paste and forgot to change the names....?

Most of the resellerrs you are researching are going to be very similiar because you are purchasing a Sager notebook. Sager services the notebook during the 1st year for all resellers. Each reseller will have the same return policy and DOA policy because it is a Sager policy. The same goes with the OS. Our staff is happy to help with any OS issues regardless of where you purchase it. But, at the same time, it is unfair to ask a DL rep to train and teach anyone how to install an OS from scratch, we are happy to provide help and support as needed, but to walk through a customer over the phone to install a 3rd party OS, is very, very difficult. Driver installation or other help is not a problem.

Sager is the only party allowed to alter the hardware or perform hardware warranty work while the system in under the factory warranty. So, the reseller adds value by offer a better price (than Sager), extended warranty, payment options, telephone support, email responses, etc..... I hope that makes sense. A reseller role is to add value to the sale, not to replace the manufacturer. We are also here to represent the customer should any issues arise as we have significant "pull" with Sager.

On shipping coverage, the customer is responsible for shipping the system to the Sager support center while the system is under the Sager warranty unless the failure occurs in the DOA period. Sager will ship the system back. That is unless the shipping coverage option is purchased at an additional cost. Some resellers offer the shipping coverage option, some do not.

Sager does not offer an OEM extended warranty for the Clevo line. They never have, they never will. Sager has stated they are in the notebook business, not the warranty business. Sager has contracted with Philips / Magnavox which we have found to be very non-responsive and over-priced. Our experience tells us most of the warranty issues reported to Phillips or Warrentech never get addressed or fixed because the run-around and confusions is so high on the service centers processes. It is a very frustrating experience for the customer and reflects bad on Sager and the reseller. We have offered our own extended warranty for about 3 years now. Our warranty center works with a technical board-level US laptop repair center/manufacturer for all repairs (for most major brands) out of the Sager warranty period. We have not had a system that has not been able to be repaired by this service center.

For the extended warranty period, our warranty does cover shipping in both directions. For the ADP coverage, our warranty covers the shipping both directions for the first and following years, but ADP claims are limited to one claim per year.

P.S. I will just summarize it later... (pasted it entirely so I can delete other email and spam that is in my email)
The cut and paste is true.. Mistakes happen when one multitasks(having this discussion in 3 forum sites)... but already rectified it...

 

PCTorque Summary with r evisions added by Luke McBride of PcTorque.com

PCTORQUE.COM (PCT) SUMMARY

1.Operating system (Microsoft Windows) bought thru PcTorque.com has
a lifetime technical support by PcTorque.com also and not by Microsoft
technical support

2. Operating system (Microsoft Windows) bought thru retail is
covered by Microsoft technical support only

3. Problems in laptops occurring within 10 days from shipping date
(not arrival to customer's house), the shipping cost is covered by the
reseller e.g. PcTorque.com

4. Problems in laptops occurring after 10 days from shipping date
(not arrival to customer's house) and all through out the 1 year
warranty and 3 year extended warranty, the shipping is passed to the
customer.

5. . The extended 1, 2, 3 or 4 year warranty (In addition to the 1st year
manufacturer warranty).
We no longer sell Phillips warranties... For obvious reasons discussed in many threads. Our Warrantech warranties are for international only. We contract our own warranties for US
customers w/ On-Site and Accidental options.

From PcTorque policies on their website:

Only the central processing unit, internal keyboard, internal hard drives, and the computer's built in LCD are covered.

The hours of Support shall not include regular holidays which include New Year's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. PC Torque is not liable for any failure or delay in performance due to any cause beyond its control.


6. The Parts used are new or used parts from the original manufacturer, or a different one.

Also 1-4 for all resellers are Sager's policies and not the resellers
own. Perhaps you might want to list it as Sager policies that cover
all resellers and then list under each of them how they differ, but that's
just my organizational suggestion .

 

I like PowerNotebook's response better, so I'd stick with them. I find it hard to recommend anyone else, since they gave me such great service.

However, if what DiscountLaptops says about the extended Phillips Magnavox warranty is true, I'd go with DL if you want the extended warranty, sounds like you'll have a much better experience with them rather than Phillips.

EDIT: I didn't see that you had PCT's response in there as well. I have heard that they are an excellent reseller. I talked to them on the phone when I went to buy my notebook, they seemed like very at-ease, no-pressure people. I would have no problem ordering from them.

 

I'll be adding a Summary of ALL the reseller side by side in one table... ( as soon as I find out how to paste a table from MS Word)

I would like to give credit to those who also participated in the other forum from which the summary is derived from...
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=116425


If there are other resellers of sagernotebooks. Please do post, so we can include you in the final summary...
__________________

 

Red Chief, stop deleting your posts and resubmitting them just to bump your thread, it is getting on my nerves.

People will post, it is just that this forum does not get that much traffic.

 

Just organizing the threads so that similar threads are bunch together...
Just a habit ...
I'll fizzle it out

 

PCTorque ships internationally and clearly states that if there is a defect, the end buyer has to pay for the shipping, both ways.
Sager ships internationally, but only after unlimited prying do we know that if there is a defect, we have to pay for the shipping, both ways.
PowerNotebooks and Discountlaptops do not have international shipping.

 

Thank you Ardor for your input...
Are there other Reseller's of Sager laptops ?

 

Any update on this...

It looks promising esp. they dont charge on shipping within the warranty period, which is the first I have seen.
All Shipping Charges Paid

For Any Needed Service If for any reason during the 3 year coverage period your system needs to be serviced, FutureTop will pay for shipping both ways -- just give us a call toll free and we will arrange for your system to be picked up by your local FedEx courier and sent to us for service.

http://www.futuretop.net/3yearplan.html

If that is true...I hope there is more information on this or similar resellers like this...

 

As of press time... futuretop.net has not responded to the email that was sent to them.
It appears that the response time of futuretop.net in answering emails is not at par with PcTorque.com, Discountlaptops.com and Powernotebooks.com

 

You have certainly done your research Red Chief, this is a very helpful thread to a lot of users.

PowerNotebooks is still my dealer of choice - they also sell Asus, Compal, and Quanta notebooks.

 

Thank you ChazMan421 for the Compliment...

As of now, there are 5 Resellers included...

The Goal of doing a Compilation of ALL the Resellers and being Updated (At the same time First Hand Information from the reseller's themselves) is still in progress...:base:

 

Inquiry on Warranty of PCTorque:

There is a statement in the extended warranty coverage:
Notebooks. Only the central processing unit, internal keyboard, internal hard drives, and the computer's built in LCD are covered.

It was inquired If motherboard, ports are included...

1. So would it mean that it will include all functioning components???

Just curious on one of the statements on the policy " not obligated to repair reasonable wear and tear..."

2. How does the repair technicians identify ordinary wear & tear? e.g. criteria for motherboard, memory, lcd, fans, ports...

coz like this anecdote by jenson04...
I had my Toshiba Satellite 5005-S504 for about 6 months when it started giving me problems, it kept on shutting down in the middle of games and then just shutting down whenever it felt like it. It was really annoying and after having bought the extended service plan from Best Buy for about $250-$300 and taking it to them twice and having them say that it was my fault and not covered under their warranty because it was my gamepad that was screwing it up (which btw was not my fault, it was the Satellite 5005 lawsuit problem which I am happy to report that I sent in my laptop and they sent me $1500 so I bought a new Satellite M60.) I am just hoping that the M60 will be much better than the 5005 was. The one thing I learned from that whole experience: Pentium III processor = Much heat, Much heat = bad thing: Therefore buy a M60 with a 2.00 GHz and a dvd burner that works! The 5005 cd burner never did burn a cd I believe.

the technician claims that the laptop has no defect eventhough there really was... so it seem fishy how some notebooks are returned to user still with defects...
so knowing how technicians tell that a problem is an ordinary wear and tear or a defect already?


Just thought of this scenario:
Customer bought a Sager laptop. Noticed a defect qualifying within the 10 day DOA policy...
3. If the customer receives a replacement laptop...Would the 10 days DOA restart on Day 0 again? (coz it is possible that the 2nd laptop has another defect)

4. Will the following void PCTorque extended warranty?
a. CPU upgrade
b. GPU upgrade
c. Memory upgrade
d. HDD change
e. Overclocking

RESPONSE OF PCTORQUE:
1. I don't think it could be stated any better than you just did, wear and tear is not covered by ADP, it is covered by a normal warranty.

2. About hte best answer I can give you is they thoughly test all the components and determine from there, every case is different.

3. If you receive a defective laptop again the same applies as the 1st time.

4. We will not warrant a component we did not sell, and as such if the component causes the laptop to fail and or damages the laptop it will not be covered by your warranty. Changing out compnonets and breaking your notebook falls into the realm of willful damage and will not be covered.

 

to make it clear....
So for # 4:

a. CPU upgrade -- void warranty
b. GPU upgrade --- void warranty
c. Memory upgrade ---(e.g. so adding memory module to increase from 512 mb to 2 gb ) --- void warranty
d. HDD change --- NOT void warranty
e. Overclocking --- (e.g. applying arctic silver) ---- void warranty


IS THIS CORRECT???


RESPONSE OF PCTORQUE:
That is incorrect, you may replace what you want and it does not void the warranty of your system. However we are not going to warrant what we do not sell IE: you put a new CPU in your system and it fails, we will not replace it. As far as voiding your warranty, lets say you put a bad CPU in your computer and it frys your notbook, you are not covered under warranty as that is willful damage. However if you put a new CPU in your system and it works fine and then your HDD fails your HDD is still covered under warranty.

 

That makes sense, and I think they made a reasonable response.

 

Hey, I just ordered my 5720 from PCTorque.com. Under order status it says "Pending Confirmation: You should receive a call within 24 hours of your order". I ordered Wednesday night, receive an email by the time I checked my mail to confirm that I ordered it. It is Friday, and no call. I have never heard of anyone having to wait for a call from them. Is this some kind of typo?

I used a credit card, too, and if anyone can tell me how long the Free UPS Ground shipping takes to ship to someone In pennsylvania, please tell me.

Thanks

Also, expect a decent sized review, mainly on how it is for gaming, with screenshots and a LOT of pictures.

 

Nice machine, great choice! We'd all be interested in a review. Just contact Andrew (abaxter - he's a site admin), and he'll give you the review guidelines.

 

Its a double edge sword...

I understand the overclocking really voids the warranty coz it is outside of the limit that is prescribed for the processor or the laptop.

However, some components which are user-replaceable like the memory, hard drive and possibly the CPU and GPU seems not right.

Let's do some Simulations like the Military and Medical Specialists do for the two most common upgrades done by both beginner and experts in laptop:

SCENARIO 1: WORST CASE SCENARIO #1: MEMORY
You bought a laptop with 512 GB coz you can't afford the 2 GB configuration at the time you bought the laptop.
At a later time, let us say one bought a memory module to increase your previous 512 MB to be 2 GB...
The memory module you bought has a lifetime warranty as advertised...
The recommended memory module is bought let say at your favorite memory online store or a computer superstore...
You made the proper installation, wearing antistatic wristbands and the works...
Your computer hangs... You removed the memory module you bought... It still hangs...You reinstall the windows OS.. still hangs

Whose warranty coverage is it for the LAPTOP?
... A. Memory module manufacturer
B. Sagers warranty/extended warranty?
(Probably, there is some pointing of finger who really is...The laptop warranty provider might say, you did not bought the memory module from us.... The memory manufacturer would probably say...at the best we can replace the memory module... )

Not based on a true story...just based it on how one company thinks in saving from added expenses......

So would this mean that it is a disadvantage not to buy the loaded laptop with all the memory, CPU and GPU at its maximum options... IT COST A LOT...

SCENARIO 2: WORST CASE SCENARIO #2: HARDDRIVE
You bought a laptop capable of dual hard drive but you bought just 1 harddrive coz you can't afford the 2nd hard drive.
At a later time, let us say one bought a 2nd hard drive to increase it to a dual hard drive..
The hard drive you bought has a 5 years warranty as advertised...
The recommended hard drive is bought let say at your favorite online store or a computer superstore...
You made the proper installation, wearing antistatic wristbands and the works...
Your computer hangs... You removed the hard drive you bought... It still hangs...You reinstall the windows OS.. still hangs

Whose warranty coverage is it for the LAPTOP?
... A. hard drive manufacturer
B. Sagers warranty/extended warranty?
(Probably, there is some pointing of finger who really is...The laptop warranty provider might say, you did not bought the hard drive from us.... The hard drive manufacturer would probably say...at the best we can replace the hard drive... )

Not based on a true story...just based it on how one company thinks in saving from added expenses......

So would this mean that it is a disadvantage not to buy the loaded laptop with all the memory, hard drive, CPU and GPU at its maximum options... IT COST A LOT...

 

I got my 5720 from IST ( www.istnc.com). Sales rep is really knowledgable and shipping is pretty fast. Performance of this workhorse is awesome. Beats my desktop. Their warranty looks good on paper. Haven't gotten a chance to test the waters yet since everything is nice and dandy with my new machine. :centrino: