Alienware or sager np9261

Hi guyz im stuck in the middle of deciding which laptop to get. I have placed an order with the alienware for the m9750 but their customer support is really sh**...its the uk customer support im talkin about btw. they dont know when my laptop will be ready and a whole lot o mess has been made as far as the shipping date is concerned. On the other hand im looking into the sager np9261 as well which looks really good as far as the specs are concerned. I got the intel x6800(i think) 2.9Ghz with 2gb ram and 600gb hard disk(raid 0) and the 7950 SLI with windows xp. Now i dont know which one to buy cuz theyre costing almost the same amount but then alienware has the slower processor and they have no idea when my laptop will be ready and shipped, where as sager sayz that as soon as they recieve the payment they can prepare the laptop in 2 days and ship it by ups air which can be delivered to me in 2 dayz. so thats a total of a weeks wait. Im really impatient when it comes to buying something i want. when i want it i want it there n then. Not a good thing i know but thats not the issue. I just want to know that which one would be better? and by better i mean does sager have heating issues when playing games like crysis and all?? or any other problems?Should i wait for the alienware or go ahead with the sager? Please help out any suggestions are welcome. Thankyou

 

If it were me I would go with the sager. I live in the US and the customer service here isn't any better (in my experience). Their customer service made it so I vowed never to purchase another alienware. I was utterly disgusted with their customer service. From my experience and research its a hit or miss with alienware pcs. Either they work or they don't and if they don't you are in for a world of hurt.

This is just my experience though. There are lots of people that are quite happy with thier alienware. My next purchase will be a Sager/Clevo NP9261. I think for the price you can get an even better laptop in my opinion. And with alienware you are wasting some money on a custom case essentially, not really the hardware so keep that in mind as well.

Don't take my word for it though, everyone has their own cup of tea so to speak.

Good Luck!

 

well thanks for the advice but my question still remains. does the sager have any heating issues since im gonna be using it primarily for games like crysis n all or any other issue for that matter

 

If you search these forums you'll see heat isues with the NP9261. Surprisingly it runs extremely cool for a powerhouse laptop. There are 4 fans on the bottom and if you keep the fans at max speed then you shiould be fine. You also should pick up a cooler since you'll be playing games that put heat on it. But you should be fine without the cooler I just like it to be extra safe.

 

The powerhouse Sagers are built with cooling in mind.
You will have no overheating problems with a Sager.

Also, quite a few of Alienware's gaming laptops are actually Clevo/Sagers, with a shiny paintjob on them.
So why not get it straight, instead of paying alienware extra just for their name?

 

..my 5 cents here: If I were in your shoes, I'd avoid that Alienware..besides the fact that their customer service is really horrible their sales LIE straight in your eyes. And since you are looking for high-end system there are some things to consider:

- 9750 is using Napa platform (Intel 945 chipset) that cannot address 4GB of RAM - it tops at 3GB with single card and around 2.6GB with SLI
- Napa platform is limited to 667 MHz FSB
- fastest CPU available is 2.33 GHz and you still have to pay extra for it..a lot of extra dough for yesterday's technology IMHO..especially snce Intel doesn't plan to make any new CPUs for Socket M that is used there
- even though 9750 uses mobile components, battery life is almost the same as Sager NP9261
-..and I think it's 1lb lighter..

..on the other hand NP9261 offers you:
- quad core @2.66GHZ or dual core @3GHz
- full support of 4GB RAM with any hardware configuration (it uses Intel 965 chipset)
- 3 HDDs in any configuration (RAID 0, 1, 5)
- SLI 7950 GTX's or 8700M GT's (with a CHANCE for 8800M GTX's - nothing confirmed yet)


..hope it helped..or at least gave you a lot more stuff to think about ..both notebooks ARE monsters and I think you should be happy with any of those..especially at that price

btw. welcome to Clevo/Sager forum!

 

thanks a lot for the comparison bobeer86 really appreciate it...one more question though...which setup is better raid 0, 1 or 5...whts the difference between em...im totally clueless with this raid stuff

 

Defiantly go with the Sager man you can already get a desktop used quad core CPU or a dual core, Sager is has very high quality laptops. I'm not sure if you can buy off www.Xoticpc.com in the UK but if so go with them, I also think the Sager looks a heck of a lot better in my option

 

the sager is faster but the alienware has the way better case and ergonomics design along with more connectivity ports.

for example, the sager has all the usb ports on the right side ffs. how in the world is a right-handed mouse user, which generally operates the laptop on a desk in front of him, going to operate an external mouse without constantly hitting the usb ports?...your hand will have to be about 2 feet to the far right of the laptop.

 

I understand the position you're coming from and I agree that the Alienware looks sleeker and probably has slightly better ergonomics, I agree with you in that it was a bad choice to put USB ports all on the right side.

However, all laptop have their faults, the Alienware has older technology for the same (probably greater) price than the modern Sager. It's not worth to pay the extra money and last generation tech for brand name, especially considering that Alienware's customer service and RMA policy is notoriously abysmal.

 

the only thing putting me off from the sager at the mo. is its design thats all....and maybe the weight...i travel quite frequently and carrying a really heavy laptop will definitely b a problem...but then again the specs r to drool for...oh man its so f****** hard to decide seriously

 

im a left handed person so the usb ports dont bother me btw..inface its good that all o em are at the right hand side

 

well ive narrowed it down to this...wud the alienware or sager be upgradable to the 8800 sli video cards whenever they get launched??...any 1 know??...cuz which ever wont b upgradable thats out then....please advise...oh btw im gettin 7950 sli right now...thought id mention maybe it'll help or something

 

both systems will be able to support the 8800m as it is only an mxm 3 card.

i also want to add that if the laptop will be primarily connected to an external monitor, external mouse and keyboard along with external sound system then the sager will be the better choice as it is overall faster than the alienware and you do not have to worry about wires and such getting in the way. the laptop will basically just sit on un-occupied space away from you.

but, if the laptop will be used in front of you normally then the alienware is the better choice by far. i will state my reasoning behind this and why i think the alienware overall is the winner for me, despite it using older tech. but still being quite powerfull by todays standards.

1) it has a subwoofer for better overall sound
2) zero keyboard flex (or near zero) where the sager has some flex (i own the older model so i assume they are the same).
3) the mounted web cam tilts so you don't have to tilt the screen
4) better positioning of the connectivity ports so it won't become a wired mess at one spot
5) more types of connectivity ports
6) the case design is sleeker and much much stronger than sagers.
7) the finish on the system is nearly immune to fingerprints.
8) the molded grips on the lid cover are nice and serve purpose
9) battery can be released without screws and is not required to be in-tact in order for the laptop to stand properly (unlike the sager). the underside of the laptop is better looking and smoother as well.
10) the laptop overall is better looking despite having the goofy alien eys on teh lcd cover.
11) the lcd monitor opens up a little beyond 180 degress whereas the sager is about 135 degrees.
12) the ac power connector is a single hole and easily slides into place on the back of the laptop whereas the sager uses a 4 prong design forcing the connection to insterted only one way. you will actually cause a spark if the 4 prong ac connector touches another metal part on the sager like the older D900 series.

 

well alienware it is then thanks a lot

 

This might not be entirely true...the official specs are not out yet, only the suspected specs.

 

I like the look of the Sager a lot more.. the Alienware looks very unprofessional to me, but don't judge a laptop by it's looks.. that's not what it's all about man

 

Ok I just looked at the M9750 and compared it back to my 9261. M9750 cost for a system close to my specs and it costs more without the quad core processor. I'd go with 9261 like I did. The memory is also slower.

 

Hi, alienware fanatic I think you should get the Sager NP9261 over the Alienware. I got the Sager NP9261 with a good deal from XOTIC PC and it was really cheap. Also it is very easy to upgrade on the SAGER NP9261 if you needed to. Also with XOTIC PC they have a really good support what ever question you have they can help you out. So i think with Sager NP9261 you will be more happer with it then alienware

 

the Alienware M9750 is old technology... using Napa platform
(old Core 2 Duo's and can only handle 3GB of RAM due to the limitation of the mobile 945 chipset)

Its days are almost over if there will not be any upgrades for it... which has yet to be confirmed.

 

omg this guy has his mind set for alienware completely...
one would be so much better off with a sager than an alienware

 

lol derq every1 got their own choice n taste mate....if ive got my mind set with alienware i dun think theres anything wrong with it...as far as the whole outlook o the laptop is concerned uve gotta give points to AW

 

if you want a better custom paintjob (any pic or color you want), it costs an extra $300 through XoticPC.com

So save yourself some mark-up and get the 9261 with a custom paint job... which has a nice warranty by the way.

 

alienware fanatic, i surely understand that 9750 looks a bit nicer, but keep in mind that this unit has technology that launched loooooong time ago..it is already outdated and it pretty much makes no sense to buy it now especially with cutting edge 9261 that you can have for much less and with MUCH better specs..
..it's your choice after all..but i just hate seeing people make such a horrible decisions

 

well its the sagers weight thts puttin me off a bit i dunno i mean i get to travel a lot....around once a month a month or sumthing but carrying such a heavy machinery is a pain in the a** trust me...i had the sony viao ar11m before which i sold...tht was a heavy machine n this is gonna be probably heavier

 

real men shouldn't be *****in about laptop weight...

 

lol yea whtever man....i gotta carry tht stuff all around n it is a prob...laptops are supposed to b mobile...not f****** bricks u carry around but whtever i aint fightin over shi* here specially with u

 

I don't think he wants to take a gaming laptop to a business meeting.

 

First, I will address your heating issue question. Let me say right off the bat,
I'm not a tech expert. However, I think i have a fair amount of common sense.
I have a Sager NP9890 and a Sager NP9261. I expected the machines to run hotter than my old Sony GRZ610 because they pack more desktop style hardware. Going into a notebook, no matter how big it is, it stillis a small space for such hot running items like the Intel Duo 2 CPU, the nVidia 8700M
etc. And yes, I can feel the heat, especially when doing some serious video editing. But it is surprisingly cooler than I expected. There may be a reason for that which I will expand on below.

Concerned as you are now about the heat, I invested in an ALLsop notebook stand. The multiple holes allow free airflow and at the same time, lifts the machine so that I don't have that problem some mention about right handed mouse users being impeded by the uSB ports. See: http://www.allsop.com/home-office-tools/notebook-accessories/model-28222/metal-art-notebook-stand/

It's my belief that the ALLSOP puts distance between the bottom of the notebook and the desk while providing almost unrestricted air flow so the fans can REALLY do their job. Thus the reason I have no hetaing problem. Yes, it gets VERY warm at times when I'm pushing the machine for an extended period--but never hot. Of cours ethe fact I work indoors in a climate controlled location surely helps. I believe if you just sit it on a desk with the meager separation from the desk the footpads allow, the fans have a harder time cooling the machine.

I think Xotic where I bought it should seriously take my suggestions to heart.

1. Install rear end foldable braces in the back that lift the computer half an inch to one inch so teh fans can cool better.
2. Return to the two DVD drive system the NP9890 had for future desktop replacement machines like the NP9261.
3. Return to the metallic silver top the NP9890 had (so macho!).
4. Return to the LED clock that was on the front end of the NP9890 for future desktop replacement machines like the NP9261.
5. Include at least two SATA ports.
6. Install a device that flashes and sounds a repeating vocal alarm when you press a small remote control ("Put me down you thief, I don't belong to you!) if stolen or a user fails to input a BIOS password on start up. the only disable woudl be via the remote, entering the correct password, or detroying the machine. In which case it owuld be wise to have Safeware Insurance.
http://www.safeware.com/ hmm which might also replace a notebook that does overheat. hmmm.

 

well thanks buddy for this...really appreciate it...n thanks to all o the guyz here in this forum that i now have ordered the sager thru the xoticpc...i cudnt stand the alienwares effed up customer support anymore...but then again thanks a lot for everything

 

the sager 926x has taken a huge step backwards compared to it's older series 98xx for the reasons you stated and alot more. some other thing's lacking that ticked me off were; no parallel port, all the usb ports on the right side, no ps2 port, only one fire wire port, vga AND dvi port, why? for something this large, this heavy, and so powerfull, to be called a desktop replacement is in-exscusable to be lacking these connectivity ports & features or how they are offered. they simply favored the very small SLI & gaming market and completely forgot about the professional CAD, movie editing and rendering folks out there, it appears.

 

I have to agree with you about the step backwards thing. Upon getting my 9261, while not exactly unhappy with it, I quickly asked if my 9890 could be upgraded. Justin Notle said no (CPU and video card I believe) so that was that. Undoubtly, I will buy another Xotic machine but not until they get one that's built along the 9890's versatility.

Now, in what may seem contradictory to the above, I also believe the following.

1. Xotic is not unreasonable to limit the 9261 to one firewire port, though at least two would be preferred. Fact is, Firewire is losing ground to USB 2.0 AND SATA ports. If Xotic is smart, they will make sure future desktop replacements include a minimum of two SATA ports.

2. The old serial ports for printers is well. OLD. They can let it go in my view.
Same thing for the serial normally use by a mouse or modem. It's OLD, let it go. Same thing with PS/2. USB is king. BUT if they dump these ports, then I revise what I said about the SATA ports they shold have four.

3. Having both a RGB and DVI port? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm apresenter. And I can tell you that I've faced situations where (than goodness for my paranoia) teh fact I haul around a lot of adapters have saved my bottom end over and over. How so? The LCD or DLP on site are not consistent connection-wise.
Some are DVI, some are RGB, a few have both types of connections. So the 9261, if I used it for presneting (not out of the question) would let me travel without RGB to DVI and DVI to RGB adapters.

Regarding their over-favoring the gaming market with the NP9261, you're right on. However, to be frank, the CAD, movie editing and rendering folks based on what I've seen, many never even heard of Sager. Toshiba, Dell, Sony, IBM, Compaq and so forth are well-known due to marketing strategy. But Sager is a "What's that?" brand. So the first thing they need to do is get known before they cans ell anything. In thelight of that, maybe the focus on gamers was all they could do because gamers are always latest and greatest people looking for extremes. Whereas CAD, movie editing and rendering folks are of a more practical ilk. But if made aware of something like Sager and its power to replace those bulky desktops, Sager would see and expanded market for sure. Let's just hope they pay attention to these forums and get some sense in their heads. Their machines are EXPENSIVE-more so than other brands. But I bet folks like me, once they use a Sager simply will not go back to a desktop or under-muscled brands. I'm Sager now and forever more.
But I won't buy another one until they listen to what we want on a desktop replacment. Yet I'm already putting aside money to make another purchase in the belief they will listen.

Oh, about the SATA port, Fry's sells a dual port SATA express card for 49.99 as of yesterday.

 

You keep saying Xotic should change these things...
They have no control over the manufacture of the laptop. They don't build the chassis.
The only thing they could do is pass your request down to Clevo, the actual ODM manufacturer. And it will take a lot more than a couple requests before Clevo/Sager makes a design change.

 

^^ what he said.

Read the Clevo Guide... and do a bit more research before posting inaccurate assumptions.

 

some of the cad-based programs require a security device to be connected to the computer via parallel or usb. the parallel devices are very sturdy and can take a beating whereas the usb devices are flimsy as hell and literally tear themselves to shreds if you are not very gentle with them. on top of this if the 926x is in front of you and you connect the usb security device, the usb printer cable and a usb external mouse how are you supposed to work without constantly colliding with these ports if you are right-handed?

and for movie editing and creation with 2 opticle drives you can disk-copy your work without having to write gigs worth of data to the hard drive for high definition movie editing, as an example.

the bottom line is that the older D900 series was alot more versatile than what the new offering brings. for someone that uses a laptop for every day purposes, it makes no sense for that someone to upgrade from the older series to the new series. it's better buying something else.

 

well..guess that's what we call "off topic"
question was "AW9750 or Sager NP9261"
btw. i'm not seeing any other notebooks coming out with dual optical drives anymore..looks like its a thing of the past now..if you need more than one today, you can still plug an external one on USB..
and IMO i find additional 250GB HDD (third one) to be more useful than a DVD burner..especially when we are talking about saving a lot of data
..to say the truth, AW is not offering you any of those options anyway..and Arima is not such a great ODM after all..i'd rather stick with Clevo

 

Understoof. habit. Keep forgetting that Clevo is the foundation and Xotic is just the grunt in a manner of speaking.

 

Thanks. So apparently Xotic could customize the notebooks along the lines I suggested? That was my original impression but I'm quite open to correvtion because as I said previously, I'm not an expert.

 

I kind of agree. But I liked the Duo 2 and the fact I coudl put three HD into the 9261. And like I said, I got the NP9890 for doing presentations, not daily work. The NP9261 is for daily work and with all that HD space quite suitable for that, including video editing. So far, I have no complaints beyond the fact ti showed up lacking two screws. One for the under carriage and one for the memory module fan. Exotic sent extra screws and that's taken care of now.

While your position is rather sensible, it isn't a one size fit all answer. it depends on how one intends to use the machine that dictates the practicability of buying it. Plus I have preexisting solutions to thing like the unit having only one DVD drive. I happen to have a high speed external DVD drive(Sony) drive that uses either SATA or USB 2.0. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy the NP9261 because despite certain misgivings, it meets my personal needs quite well. But next time, I will insist the new unit has certain NP9890 features.

 

XoticPC is a reseller of Sager (who is a distributor of Clevo notebooks).

Clevo does all of the designing and manufacturing. They sometimes gets some feedback from their resellers and vendors (never directly from end-users) to update certain minor issues... with BIOS updates.

 

i think the topic is closed
most of us agree that the clevo is the way to go
(even tho they have done some stupid redesigns that noone likes)

alienware_fanatic i think u will be more then happy with ur/our decission
lol

 

yes i have a NP9261 and it runs beautifully for games.....i recommend Sager aswell

 

Just get one of these if you don't like the right-hand USB fuster-cluck:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-0289523-2753576?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=Port+USB+2.0+ExpressCard+34mm+