Before I take the plunge..

I just wanted to ask a few questions about the Sager specs I've picked out (I figured that this would be a better place to ask than the General "What should I buy?" forum since I've pretty much made up my mind for a Sager. It's just the specifics that I'm unsure of.)

I was thinking about the following... ( -or- means I'm torn between those choices and want your opinion. italics means what I'm leaning toward)

Sager NP5793
Core
Orange Trim

Display
17" Wide Viewing Angles WSXGA+ LCD with Super Glossy Surface (1680 x 1050)
-or-
17" Wide Viewing Angles WUXGA LCD with Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1200)

Processor
45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 / 3MB L2 Cache, 2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB
-or-
45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.50GHz, 800MHz FSB

Video & Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Video Memory

Operating System
Genuine MS Windows® XP Professional [-$45.00]
-or-
Genuine MS Windows® VISTA Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition [-$80.00]
-or-
Genuine MS Windows® VISTA ULTIMATE 32/64-Bit Edition

Memory
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 X 2048MB
-or-
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 X 1024MB

Primary Hard Disk Drive
160GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive [+$35.00]
320GB 5400rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive [+$85.00]
100GB 7200rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive [+$30.00]
160GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive [+$60.00] Out of Stock!
-or-
200GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive [+$100.00]

Optical Drive
8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software

Wireless Network Card
Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module

Internal Bluetooth Module

Fingerprint Reader
=============
Price for italics selection: $2489 (including MS Office)
I want this to be around $2200 so I was also wondering if there was a discount or coupon that might be able to help out. Finally, I was wondering who should I buy the laptop from? Are there any good companies that also do skinwork? I know of Xotic but I wanted your opinion. Any suggestions welcome!

 

XoticPc is a good place to buy it from, but what do you plan on doing with it?

 

i have WUXGA, but I set my screen@1680x1050 except gaming.

 

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
At or Lower than $2275

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
or
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
*weight isn't much of an issue.

3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Sager

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Firefox
AIM
Photoshop (on rare occasions)
ChessMaster
SUPER
Microsoft Office
uTorrent
Most College Applications such as Blackboard.

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Different places around campus

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Chess Master
Maybe the occasional Shooter

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Moderate Amount. I’m a college student and I like to work in the foyer.

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No.

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Don't Know

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
1440x900
1680x1050

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Decision not yet reached

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes.

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Four Years
Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 500GB?
Don't Know

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
Yes, the first two

Prebuilt from the college:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 (2.00GHz) 2M L2 Cache, 800MHz Dual Core
15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCD Panel
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
Internal English Keyboard
128MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 135M™
80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
Standard Touchpad

Genuine Windows Vista® Business Downgrade, XP Pro Installed, English
90W A/C Adapter
24X CD-RW/DVD w/ Cyberlink PowerDVD™
Dell Wireless™ 1395 802.11g Mini Card
Resource CD and DVD contains Diagnostics and Drivers for XP and Vista
6 Cell Primary Battery
3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD Onsite Service

 

how much this cost? $499?

 

The 5793 may be overpowered and excessively expensive for your needs. A lesser-powered laptop might be better - one with a more modest GPU and CPU, and one that will get better battery life. The 5793 is really designed for high-end graphics and gaming.

 

if you dont want to game on it,then get 8700gt,also why are u buying MS office ?

 

If I were you I would go with the 1920X1200. I have a 17" Widescreen at that resolution and love it. I run everything at it. I can read even small text from an arm's length and a half, so it really isn't too small, and makes movies and games look spectacular. Hope this helps!

 

@Xirug: I need word and spreadsheet for college

@NirvANA: You're correct

@Friar: What about the Dell m1530?

 

look at the compal jfl92 also. very nice all around system. if you are at all handy with computers you can buy bare bones and build it yourself and save some nice cash

 

as i know colleges usually give MS office for free/cheap to their students

 

Yep. If I was doing what you're doing with it, I'd get something with an 8600 GPU in it, and it'd probably be the xps1530. Good machine, good build quality, nice size/weight. If you're not in need of high-end graphics, that'd be a better way to go. It'll handle everything you listed that you do just fine.