Buying a Sager NP8662

I am planning on buying a new laptop. It is going to be my first laptop, and it is an upgrade from my 5 year old Dell dimension 3000 desktop. I am going to be using it for gaming and school (but mostly gaming) for the next 5 years so I hope that it won't be THAT obsolete by then. Can anyone tell me some pros and cons about this laptop.

Specs are:
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050) - 8662
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- ~Intel® P8700 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- nVidia GeForce GTX 260M 1,024MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- ~ 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300)

Price: $1584

Is this a reasonable price for a laptop? Are there any other laptops I could get that are a little cheaper while still having the same quality? Any other suggestions would be helpful as well please.

 

it's pretty solid, the only bad thing that i've heard is the keyboard won't let you press more than 2 keys at a time, a bit of a downer, especially for games, but other than that, it's the best thing available I think.

Also may I suggest, get the 320gb hdd, its only $10 more than the 250gb

 

If this is true then this is a huge issue for gamers - especially in FPS games. However, an external keyboard may help bypass the 2 key limit.

 

So i've heard, and yeah it's pretty lame... i'm surpised keyboards like that still exist. I have a saitek multimedia keyboard on my desktop that i bought like 2 years ago for $15, and it doesn't have that issue haha...

but yeah, like you said, it's a pretty big issue in FPS games, I tried playing with a keyboard like that a while ago, Couldn't move and duck/crouch jump at the same time in counter strike... LOL

 

It's been discussed here. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=328178

 

Buying a Sager NP8662 is an excellent choice! I use it at work every day. Great feel, and build quality and I like the keyboard very much!

 

Another notebook that is often compared to the Sager NP8662 is the Asus G51 series. They are both 15" gaming notebooks, have the same GTX 260M GPU, albeit the 260 in the Asus is slightly underclocked compared to the Sager. There is also an obvious "flashy" factor with the Asus which may not suit everyone's taste. The up side for the Asus is that is can house 2 hard drives and has an illuminated keyboard.

 

Is the upgrade to the 1900x1200 matte screen on the NP8662 worth the $175?

 

If screen real estate is important in your line of work, then the 1900x1200 may be worth it. For example, if you often edit hi-res images/videos, then the higher res screen will be worth the investment. However, for most home users and gamers, the 1680x1050 is plenty and IMO, perfect for a 15" notebook.

 

This is the one reason why I try to veer away from "gaming laptops" which supposedly uses a different keyboard structure geared for WASD users. Dell and some others uses the traditional structure. Sony is also proprietary, cannot press up+right+(two of A/S/Z/X), and up+down+(two of A/S/Z/X, but not the same ones as up+right).

I refer everyone to this post, it's a program that I used to play with keyboards called Keyscan. It responds to what button you have pressed. Please record your thoughts. The NP8662 is one laptop that I'll be looking at, since my father is angry at my desktop decision.

Here's a general test that I use. The test is geared for some games that uses the traditional arrow controls (emulation specifically).

 

0 probs with my keyboard and I play plenty of games... never had the slightest issue...

 

XoticPC's price for that setup is $1403. Did you choose an OS as well?

 

1. It's 7200RPM HDD, not 5400RPM.

2. Yes, Windows Vista Premium + coupon upgrade.

= 1584 dollars non-cash discount price.

Yay I can add!

 

wait so the np8662 will only let you press 2 keys at a time and actually read the presses? Hmm thats interesting. I wonder if i will still be able to beat The Orange Box using this machine. Any answers?

 

@mc511,

I don't believe this is the case. It's only very certain rare button combinations, and usually with 3 buttons. I'm sure WASD, space, ctrl, shift, and most commonly used keys will have no problems.

 

I can play any fps and go up left while sprinting and jump, which means A+W+Shift+space at the same time. It is only certain rare combinations of keys that you can't press together. It won't stop you from playing games don't worry.

 

It seems like the only "problem" is the keyboard. By your comments, it won't be an issue for gaming. Two more questions. Is the chasis pretty solid? The only reason why I am staying away from AW m15x is because I've heard many problems about its hinges. I was also planning on getting their custom finish on the laptop by xoticpc for $89. Is this a wise decision or could I get something just as nice for cheaper.
Thanks for the information guys.

 

I just looked at the Asus G51 series, and it seems similar to the NP8662. Any more information on this laptop in comparison to the NP8662? I calculated the price, and it seems that the Asus G51 is $100 more than the NP8662. The only difference is the extra hard drive and its using a 2.0 quad instead of a 2.53 dual.

 

It's not out yet so it's hard to know if there are any problems with it.