Considering getting a NP8150

Hey guys I'm considering getting a NP8150 and probably from Powernotebooks.com and I have a few questions. I've never bought a Sager before and I just can't justify any other brand when I can get so much power with these prices.

First I will post up the customization I am looking at.

-15.6” Full HD 16:9 Wide screen (1920x1080) LED-Backlit Display with Super Clear Glare Type screen
-AMD Radeon HD 6990M 256bit w/2GB GDDR5
-8GB (2x4GB SODIMMS) DDR3/1600 Dual Channel Memory (Intel® i7-2630QM and up Required)
-Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM (2.2~3.1GHz, 45W) w/6M L3 Cache - 4 Cores - 8 Threads
-500GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200RPM Hard Drive (16MB Cache Buffer)
-Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi + Bluetooth™ 3.0+HS Combo Card
-1-Year Parts and Shipping plus Lifetime Labor and 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Support (Labor & Support paid by PNB)

This laptop is going to be used for some programming classes that I am taking, but I don't want to lose my ability to game for the next few years. So here are my questions:

-Do I need the 1600mhz 8gb memory or will the 1333mhz work with the 2670QM?
-I see people recommending to update the drivers on the Sager website for the GPU. The latest one for the NP8150 was updated Aug 2011. There have been later versions of catalyst that have improved performance in some games. Can we not use the mobility drivers instead since they are updated?
-I used to own a Dell that allowed us to upgrade our warranty while the warranty was still current/valid. Does Sager happen to let us do this?
-I've owned previous gaming laptops with heat issues. I've seen many today(m14x, gx640). The Np8150's cooling seems very efficient, what kind of temps will I see during gaming?(I'm guesing 70-80 Celsius?)
-This question is probably very difficult to answer, but I should try anyways. How long does it normally take to receive the Sager upon placing my order? Class starts in about a week and it would be nice to have it by then.
-It seems like they have a hefty sale on this model with some of it's features. Is this because a new line up is about to be released? I know that's hard to answer being the computer industry, I just don't want to be bummed out a week after I receive this because the next model is the same price and comes with a time machine.

Thanks ahead for your input and help. Sorry for my tedious questions, I am just trying to be as thorough as possible.

 

1. 1333Mhz will work fine. The bump in performance to the 1600Mhz is only 3-4% on average. If you need a decent amount of RAM, it's much cheaper to go with the 1333Mhz at little performance loss.

2. The drivers off of the AMD site will work fine. The Clevo driver thread here is much more convenient though, as it typically has links to all the newest drivers (although they aren't vetted for stability like those that ship with the model).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/573379-clevo-driver-thread.html

3. You can typically only upgrade your warranty within the first 90 days and cancel it within 30 days of purchase, though it may depend on your retailer (check the fine print on their warranty to be sure).

4. If you go with one of the 100w TDP cards (485m, 580m, 6970, 6990), you can generally expect idle temps in the 50C range and load temps in the 70-80C range. Above 90C is typically considered bad, though if you have high ambient temps (like in the tropics), it may be unavoidable without extra precautions.

5. This depends on the retailer. Build times are typically 5-7 business days on normal orders, faster on rush. Shipping can add up to another week or so with standard domestic. Again, it can be faster with overnight rush shipping. You really have to basically decide how much you need it fairly quickly

6. The new refresh won't be out until Intel releases Ivy Bridge, which should be around the middle of next year, give or take.

 

Excellent, thank you very much for your reply. It is greatly appreciated and will help me when making my final decision.

 

u can now get the 580m for around same price i would tink about switching

 

^^ I don't think you can.

I've seen some heat complaints about the 6990m. Has this been resolved? It seems it was a heatsink issue.

 

I don't think it's a heatsink issue: the 6990m is just a hot card, compared to previous mobile amd cards and nvidia's top mobile cards. It will run hotter than most no matter what heatsink you have.

 

The i7-2600 can't do 1600Mhz anyways, it's the 2700 and up.

Might be wrong.

Intel® Core? i7-2670QM Processor (6M Cache, 2.20 GHz)

 

I don't necessarily think that the price increase justifies the performance gain for 1600 mhz ram, but...I would take what the official Intel site says about memory limitations with a grain of salt.

An Asus representative tested 1866 mhz ram with the 2630 and it worked: G73Sw tested with Kingston's new Plug N Play Hyper X
A poster here tested 1600 mhz ram with the 2670 and it worked: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...r-np8130-clevo-p151hm1-owners-lounge-440.html
Even the i5 works with 1866 mhz ram: Kingston HyperX 8GB 1866MHz PnP Memory Kit For Notebooks - Sandy Bridge Notebooks Get HyperX Treatment - Legit Reviews

Just make sure that the ram is plug and play, as the hm65 chipset in the 8150 does not support overclocking ram.

 

I just ordered mine from them with the same specs. This is my first Sager also.

Mike