Considering my first Sager, few quick questions

I am looking at the NP8651 from XoticPC as a potential purchase. I was hoping to get some feedback before I do so.

• Is the IC Diamond upgrade worth it? If I chose to exclude it, is it easy to get to the components myself? I've worked on desktops plenty but I have never had a laptop that was really serviceable.
• Is the 1080p IPS display a good option? I am not particularly interested in > FHD resolutions and I am coming from a 1366x768 display.
• I intend on buying and installing my own SSD and using the included 1TB HDD as a secondary storage drive. I also wanted to buy Windows 8 with the machine. How hard would it be to transfer the Windows installation to the SSD? Or could I buy just the media and license from them and install it myself?

Finally, are there any better options in a similar price range?

 

1. Get some good Gelid GC Extreme Thermal paste... It's quite easy to repaste the 8651... You can remove the bottom (14 screws I think) and access the heatsinks etc..
2. Definetly get it: Stock TN display is junk and LG IPS is only $45 more...
3. The 1TB HDD can be a 9.5mm drive.. This would mean that the 2.5" 7mm SSD won't fit and you'll need to get a M2 SSD.
4. For windows installation, you can clone your drives but it's better to do a clean install.. Not sure about transfering the key..

 

Ah! You followed me.

1. Is it a standard phillips head? not any of that torx bs?
2. I was more asking if it was a good option or if I should spring for the 4K for overall screen quality
3. My 840 Evo came with a spacer for 9.5MM slots, so I imagine it would still be doable. If I went the M.2 route, do you know what length it will take?
4. So they do not provide you with the key separately if you buy it from them?

 

You can find the product key in Windows.

It's standard phillips head.

Fits SSDs as normal, SSDs are standard 2.5" laptop drives

m.2, wouldn't worry about it, just throw it in there.

4K is up to you. I don't know what the rage is about since laptops just now in 2015 have GPUs that can have a minimum FPS of 60 @ 1080p.

 

• That depends on the price from the reseller, but it is good to have, whether you have it upgraded by the reseller or you source it and apply it yourself. Thermal compound is easy for end-users to purchase. All you would need otherwise is a Philips screwdriver for the screws securing the cover and heat sinks.
  
• It's a great option! But base the purchase off of what you need. You don't sound like very picky when it comes to the panel, so the IPS upgrade may not mean much to you. The 4K panels look good, just bear in mind the scaling in Windows with those (you can read up on this around the forums and elsewhere).
  
• Each reseller has their own setup, but often times, when purchasing a Clevo, the reseller provides the Windows installation DVD + product key if you purchase the OS with the laptop. You can clone that installation over to your SSD or do your own full installation of Windows with the DVD, either by using an external USB optical drive or by running the Windows setup off of a USB.

Finally: there is comparable pricing on comparably powerful systems, but this model gives you good "bang for your buck."

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I was hoping to get two final confirmations...

• After doing a little more research, I saw that TN panels are often recommended over IPS for gaming laptops due to the response time. What is the response time like of the LG IPS panel available in the NP8651? Is it a concern? If it is an issue, would one of the upgraded 4K displays be better?
  
• Is the Bigfoot wireless a definite upgrade over the Intel or is there some tradeoff?

 

1. Yes indeed however with the Sager, this is not a problem.. The LG IPS pannel is much better then the stock TN pannel (which is horrendus, has horrible colours and viewing angles).. Response time is high but not heard any complaints about input lag etc.. Get the 1080p IPS pannel.. 4K pannels wise, there will be scaling problems and you will need to downscale to 1080p in many newer games..

2. It's a tradeoff.. Wifi works but Bluetooth is fincky...