15.4" or 17" for school?

I'm starting school in the fall, Computer Programmer Analyst, so I've been looking for a nice 15.4" lappy to use. Since I like to play my share of games an 8800 is required. This limits my choices to basically the M15x, and the M860TU. But the AW brand is just a bit too pricey for me, and I'm a bit concerned about the release date on the M860TU. If I end up going away for training all summer, my chances of ordering from the time I get back and receiving it gives me about 8 days in total. So I'm looking for a fall back Only contenders I can think of are the Np5793 + Np9262 both look nice and can be excellently configured for under $3,000. The NP5793 with Core2Duo Extreme 2.8 GHZ, 512mb 8800 GTX, 4gb of ram, and a quick 160gb/7200rpm HDD. And the NP9262 offers Core2Duo e8400 3.0 GHZ, my beloved 8800 GTX, 4 GB of ram, and a 160gb/7200 rpm HDD.

Both of these NP's have a very clean simple look to them which I like, but are they just too big? And from either of the NP's is either one supreme to the other, since they both look about the same power to me. I do plan on carrying it in a case, and my laptop provides individual power stations for every student in the classrooms so the loss of power from a 17" comapred to a 15.4" is not an issue..

 

Basically it'll be a personal choice. How comfortable will you be dragging around an additional 10-13 lbs along with all your normal school things?

I'll be starting law school in the fall myself, and I am quite strong, so weight is not an issue. But I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a 15.4" as 17" is just too big to have on the desk along with a law book or two, and whatever other stuff I'll have.

Since you are in the same situation as me though, I will tell you that the NP5793 is the reason why I might not follow my reasoning, simply because how perfect it is.

So it comes down to this. If you don't mind the weight and the sheer size of a 17" laptop, you won't find anything better than a NP5793. If you are thinking along the same lines as me, I would suggest waiting to see what happens with the M860TU.

 

9262 is too big... i only commute with this thing once a week. I need it for school and cuz i luv gaming. But i do NOT bring this beast to class, too big to have it. You'll start to get some weird stares from ppl too. i might say the 5793 is too big too, but i do not have one so i cant say for sure, but it definitely has to be lighter than the 9262. Besides, you're probably not gonna want 3 built-in harddrives (u can just get an external), or SLI (since one OC'ed 8800 is enuf and SLI is still rele glitchy anyway) so its down to a 15" or the 579x i guess.

 

Well, if It's in a backpack I don't mind it all at. High school was a lot of books . I will also be driving to school so I can keep unneeded books in the trunk! These are the reccomended/minimum specs my college issues for our laptops.
Processor R: Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile or AMD X2Dual-Core Mobile
M:
Memory R: Expandable to 4 GB
M: 2 GB installed
Hard Drive R: 100 GB
M: 80GB
Optical Drive R: DVD Multi Dual Layer
M: DVD Multi
Floppy Drive Optional
Network Interface M: Ethernet 10/100 Mbps or better with standard RJ45 jack
Wireless Interface R: 802.11b/g
Modem Not required
Video R: 128 MB dedicated video RAM such as ATI x1300, nVidia GeForce Go 6000, or better.
M: DirectX 9.0, shader3.0 compatible.
Display M: 14" XGA (1024x768) or better
Audio R: DirectX compatible
M: Any
USB Ports M: 2 x USB 2.0
Serial Port M: Serial COMM port or USB-to-COMM adaptor
Warranty M: 3 Yr comprehensive parts and labour
Operating System Must be compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista and common Linux distributions.
Application Software M: You will provide VMWare Workstation 6; Fanshawe College provides: Microsoft Office Professional, MS FrontPage, MS Visual Studio.NET and other required development and productivity tools.
Network Cable(s) R: 1 x Ethernet Network Patch Cable (approx 5ft; Cat 5; RJ45 connectors).


As you can see the most they say for size is at least 14". Maybe I'll give them a call and see if a 17" is suitable, Since it is measured diagonally, it's dimensions won't be THAT much bigger will it? I think for dimensions I'm looking at about 15" across, 10" deep, and 3" in height in general for a 17" notebook. If it turns out that the desks are large enough to suit a 17" comfortably, and the weight is not an issue. I really can't see any reason for me not to go with a 17"?

 

Yes I'm definitely only going to be using 1 internal HDD, externals for the hogs of my data such as music/movies. Won't be getting SLI since it's out of my price range. So the 9262 is much bigger then the 5793?

 

i dont know the exact specs... but the 5793 is DEFINITELY smaller, and the only thing that makes it better is that it can have SLI and 3 HDDs. Although, the 9262 is cooler than the 5793 i believe. this thing is big enuf so that wen ppl in my classes see it, including the professor, its quite a spectacle. One of my professors actually said to me as i walked out, "thats a beautiful piece of a equipment you got there" in all seriousness.

 

Just read a few thinks about it's size and the 5793 seems more comparable to 15.4" then it's 17" brothers. This little..big laptop may have just won! Also is the Intel® X9000 45nm "Penryn" Core™2 Duo Extreme 2.8GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 800MHz FSB a "future proof" processor? And when they say overclockable to 3.2GHz, that doesn't mean they're doing it automatically does it? It's just saying stable speeds for it?

 

Dude, I have a Toshiba p35, it's 10lbs and overall bigger than the 5793 (checked the online dimensions of both). I am in film and animation so I gotta take that to school a lot, let me tell you, its pretty nice to have the screen real estate. However, when I see the rest of the people in class walking normal with their 15 " and the girls coming in with their 13" and even 12", it seems I am toting a lot more than I have to.

Now seriously, although the 17" is nothing to carry around, after a while, you find yourself wishing, if only I could get a comparable 15". I've been saying that since 2006, and now that time has come, the only difference is that the 15" won't hold AS much as the 17", but the parts will be just as powerful.

 

the 5793 is still imo to big to carry around every day.. we should start to see 15" with the 8800 soon enough though..

dare i say to check out the new gateway i saw one in person and imo its def slimmer than the 5793.. and a lot cheaper to be carrying around just in case something did happen or it got dropped i would rather spend half the money if i was carrying this all the time.. but maybe thats just me

 

I've used both 15 and 17" systems at school. Right now I'm using a Sager 5793/Clevo M570RU and I'm very happy with it. It's not very heavy for a 17" especially since it's powerbrick isn't insanely large like in the dell xps 1730. Performance is great. It's a bit bigger than I'd want to take to class, but is fine taking to coffee shops, the library, etc. Not sure I'd want to take much more than a 13" to class.

 

Maybe I'll go into Futureshop or something and see about getting my hands on a 15.4" and 17" to see how I feel. All my courses that I'd use it in (everything besides Calculus) is heavily computer based so hopefully they've made the work areas large enough for a laptop and such. If need be I could always grab an e-book of my text books, or scan a copy of them myself... That'd save a lot of weight and space

 

Another benefit to the 5793 is the full keyboard. It may not seem like a big deal but I use a 10-key a lot so it's something I really miss on my 15.4". I was trying to make a similar decision this week between a 15.4 (np2092 or m860tu) and the np5793, and that full-sized keyboard was a big selling point. I spent some quality time with DH's np5720 to try to decide how important the size difference was to me. The extra screen real estate is nice but I was ok with the 15.4" at 1680x1050. Ultimately I just felt more comfortable with a lighter laptop. The difference is only a couple pounds but I could feel it. I think it was also the bulk in addition to the weight. I can use a thin lapdesk but the 5720 needs a cooler. DH has a heck of a time using that thing on a plane, too. Mine's pretty easy. He doesn't mind the weight but he's a big manly man. The power brick for that thing is huge, too. I wouldn't be surprised if that's another pound right there compared to the ps for my current laptop. I guess I'm being girly but it's just a lot more comfortable and relaxing curling up on the couch with my little 15.4" lappy. Still, I almost went for the Asus m50 for a full keyboard. In the end, I figured I trust Sager a bit more and the np2092 offered better resolution. The m860tu looks sweet, too. More expensive than the 2092 but worth it for the right person.

 

something to get you thinking about size of the notebook keep in mind thats a MBP 15.4 stacked up against my NP5793 17

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=238476&page=3

Scroll to the bottom you will see the pictures

 

Thanks a ton for those pictures, I'm hopeing that the MBP is just really small I checked the dimensions of the M860TU and the NP5963 and it's about 1" bigger in width and depth, and about 1/10 of an inch higher. I drew a little sketch of them on my wall with a pencil (It erased pretty well, thank god) and it didn't seem too significant. Tomorrow I'm going to go into Futureshop or The Source and see about getting my hands on a model or two to compare the weight.. Then maybe Ill check out the different backpacks for them. Any suggestions on one that's not too hard on the eyes?

 

correct me if i am wrong. I think mbp is the thinnest 15.4" laptop on the market, so NP5793 probably not that bad compare to regular 15.4".

 

actually you are right if it was against a regular 15.4 you wouldnt notice much of a difference. maybe about half an inch or inch less

 

I think I am going to go for the Np5793 depending on the timing of the M860TU. Also another little question

I was checking out different configurations of the notebook and just saving them to my cart for reference. Once I found one I liked I figured 'hey lets see the payment options and such' so I went too the checkout and flipped through a few pages regarding shipping and payment options, apparently I went too far. I just received an email awaiting my payment on the laptops. Notice the s I sent in a ticket regarding it, this is the coarse of action I should be taking correct?

 

what is that mean?

 

I had multiple laptops in my cart for comparing them, so when I accidentally went too far int he checkout process, not only am I stuck with the NP5793, I have a few others so it's not a cheap checkout. Did I royally screw up or should a simple email/ticket to xoticpc fix the whole ordeal?

The payment wasn't by credit card, it was by money order so it's not as if it was instantly paid for.

 

have you sent the money order? if not, then i don't see any problem there. they wouldn't process the orders without payment. if you can't delete the items in your cart, just pm Justin or email Xotic PC.

 

i would even think 15.4 inch is too big for school, because your not just carrying a laptop, your also holding/carrying alot of textbooks/workbooks. Unless you're strong, get a 14.1 or a light 15.4 inch with high res.

 

Alright that's what I figured nirvana how do you find your NP5793 overall? I notice you have a nice collection of laptops in your signature.

GaMeRxD I don't really have an issue with the weight as it will be in a backpack when I carry it, and I leave my textbooks/workbooks in my car when I don't need them.

 

I just ordered it last friday, should be receiving it within a week or two. I will let you know the size and built comparison.

 

Alright great It looks like your specifications are similar to mine, except I think I'm going to get the x9000 since I can fit it into my budget. Or I could drop it down to a 2.6 or 2.5 and get a Blu-Ray player and a few more toys, decisions decisions!

 

i am gonna wait for the x9000 price drop and swap it. i personally think that its over price right now.

 

It is pretty expensive, I'm just unaware of how easy it is too switch out a processor. Switching from say a 2.4GHz to the x9000 would it be like switching out ram? Take off the heat sink and stuff, pull it out and pop the new one in + replace heat sink?

 

and reapply the thermal paste

 

How low do you think this processor will go down by in ~6 months? Or is it one of those things that there really is no predicting of?

 

i think even the P-M 2.13 on my thinkpad can satisfy my needs. the only reason i am looking for a new computer is because of the 8800m GTX

 

Ya that's also the main reason I'm looking at the NP5793, looking forward to a few new game titles such as Age of Conan. Looks like it'll be great, probably will test how good the quality is if I output the video to my downstairs TV. Should make for some exciting adventures I hope