5160 vs 8130

Hi I've posted in the "What notebook should I buy section" and most of the replies have been reassuring me about my decision to go with a Sager laptop. However, I am currently stuck choosing between to 5160 and the 8130.

Heres my situation:
I will be going to University in the fall for Computer Science and need a computer that will last as long as possible while managing the tasks of a Computer Science student. I don't do any major gaming, but I do play a bit of games. The laptop will mainly be used for homework, web browsing, downloading, etc. I want something that will last me my entire university career. (If that's possible)

NP5160
Pros:
-Better battery life (With a dedicated GPU on/off switch)
-Slightly cheaper
-More portable (Weighs less)
Cons:
-Not as upgradeable (8GB max Ram)
-Less power
-No matte screen (I will be purchasing from ReflexNotebooks since I'm from Canada)

NP8130
Pros:
-Better GPU and more powerful
-More upgradeable (Max 16GB Ram I think)
-Standard matte screen
Cons:
-Less battery life (Not sure how this will play a factor in University)
-Heavier and less portable
-Slightly more expensive

I'm hoping you guys can offer me some insight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

RAM isn't that big an issue, few games need more than 4GB RAM although professional rendering programs might be more demanding. You don't say which games you play, if you're an FPS nut demanding the latest bells and whistles then the 8130 is a better bet. The weight difference between the 2 models seems rather trivial to me.

 

Hello again. I remember you had a thread in another forum. It caught my interest because I'm a Computer Science student too. All I can say is really, for programming, both should do well, atleast with the IDE, we have now. I don't see the i7 showing its age for a long time. So you'll be fine on either one for coding. Now battery life, it may just be this forum, but I've see quite a few people point out that the battery life between the two is much closer then you would think. 3 hours for the 8130 and 3.5 for the np5160. Last is portability, the 5160 is a lot lighter, but the 8130 is not so heavy either. XoticPC puts them at 5.73lbs and 6.83lbs respectively, so about a pound heavier.

Now don't take my word on the battery life, I was assuming 4-5 hours too, for the np5160, but this is just what I've been hearing. I wouldn't say its conclusive till someone does a test with optimus switched off. But assuming its true, the only reasons left to choose one over the other IMO is price and graphics power. Also worth noting the 8130 has more ports and the ability to upgrade to more ram, 8 gigs are already a lot, but it is possible with heavy vm work you could run outta ram. One last thing to consider is upgradeability, the np5160 can add a lot more upgrades at the same price as the 8130 base config. Adding just a BluRay, Momentus XT, Overclock, and Win7 took me to $1500, with the np5160 its possible you could add an SSD and a second hard drive, and still be below the 8130's starting point. Just something to consider. I wont tell you what to choose, because u should make that choice, so your happy with what you buy.

Also there are some other Optimus lappys with better battery life, but I for one have never take my laptop to class, a lot of people do, but I prefer to handwrite notes.

 

Get NP5160

 

id say 8130..

like other said, the weight is probably negligible. plus you'll more then likely be carrying it from place to place in your backpack anyways..

lots of classrooms have power outlets (especially those in which you'd be required to bring your laptop to do your work..). if that's an issue, you could always save up a bit more and grab an extra battery. then you'd have closer to 6hrs on the go

as for the $, yeah it's more, but i think it's worth it if you want to keep it for a long period of time. the gpu will be able to handle more over the next 4+ years. or if you see that it's holding you back, i'm sure they'll have another in a few years that you can swap the card out for. also, the 16gb max ram will be a lot nicer in the future as your studies become more focused on your major. the ram wont be terribly expensive to add. just buy a 4gb stick once a year, and you'll be good to go in a few years..

 

I saw a picture of this on Sager's web site. Does this mean you can switch the NVIDIA GPU on and off at will, just like on the Alienware M11x R1? So if I want to play a less-demanding game, I can use the Intel HD, but I can also play the same game on the 540M if I so choose?

 

Well you can turn the Optimus technology on & off, choosing to go purely with the IGP, but Optimus will then decide when and where to use the dedicated card vs the IGP.

 

Darn. Will have to look more closely at the 8130 then.

 

I think 5160 has better value for "normal use" while 8130 is more about gaming. Disregarding of gaming performance, the two would have the same excellent performance on any other application.

The weight thing would matter depending on your size... If you are a smaller guy, I think the heavier would get more uncomfortable as you carry it around. If you are a strong guy, it won't make difference.

I think it's about it, you think on how important gaming is for you and if a heavier notebook could be uncomfortable.

I have ordered a 5160. Not bothered by the weight, but I thought it had better value for me.

 

Congrats! Who'd you order from? Don't forget to post the specs or put em in your sig

 

The difference in weight is a single pound. I doubt that will be make or break for a person, regardless of their size.

 

Here's another quick question:
Does anyone know the size of the power brick on the 8130. I saw in a video that it was pretty big and I don't know if it will be a hassle to carry around.

 

are you not going to be using a backpack? if you've got a decent backpack, the weight of the laptop, and size of the power brick shouldn't be too much of an issue

 

Ya I probably will use a backpack. It's just more of a convenience issue.

And also I am having trouble deciding between a standard 500GB 7200RPM hard drive and the hybrid 500GB 7200RPM + 4GB SSD.

Is the extra $75 for the hybrid hard drive worth it?

 

if there are some tasks you'll use it for repeatedly, then yeah the hybrid drive is worth it. once you do stuff a few times on it, it gets stored on the ssd part and becomes a lot faster

 

Depends on what games you want to play. Even if you game occasionally, if you're trying to play Crysis or Bad Company 2 or GTA IV then you're better off with the most powerful system you can get. Otherwise if it's Source games (TF2, CS:S, L4D, etc), SC2, Civilization, or whatever then the 5160 will be fine.

But if battery life is important to you then 5160 is your definite answer.

 

Another spot for input:

Does anyone have experience running Linux on either system? If so, which laptop should run Linux better?

I'm asking this because I read that Linux doesn't support Optimus, which means that the 5160 will be stuck with integrated graphics while running Linux. Is this true?

If it is, then I will definitely be leaning towards the 8130 because I need to run Linux for school.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...6-sager-np8150-clevo-p150hm-linux-thread.html