Downside to NP8662?

After looking at a lot of different posts and other forums, I have pretty much concluded that I will be getting a Sager NP8662. I just want to make sure once more that this notebook is perfect for me: 15", right around $2000 with all the bells and whistles, decent battery life, quad capable, and user upgradeable parts. With all of that and more, I fail to find a downside to this beast of a notebook. Are there any out there?

 

I honestly see no extreme downsides, as long as 2 hrs of battery life and ~7lbs don't bother you.

 

You have to hold the power button down for about 1 second to turn it on.

The fan creates a "whining" sound.

The USB ports on the back are too close to the power jack.

The audio jacks are on the front and can get in the way.

The microphone is located in the palmrest as opposed to near the webcam, or somewhere else that won't be frequently disturbed.

^^That's about all I can think of for now.

 

Omg, really? I thought all computers are required to do that. Did they invent a computer that turns on after reading the minds of the owners already?

Mine doesn't. Certainly most of them don't. Actually, mine runs so quietly, I don't even notice it.

This is a problem for him, apparently. I don't know why. There are 2 in the side for your convenience. Many 15" only come with 2.

Personal preference, but I like it in front instead of side. If it was in the side, it would bother my arm in that side adjusting it.

Usually people don't talk on microphone while typing or having the right hand on the palmrest. When you're playing a game, your left on left side and right on your mouse. When chatting, both your hands are removed or just one on your mouse. Again, many computers are built with Mic in the similar position.


These are all little tiny problems from picky users where they should've built their own design instead. But like said, there is no extreme downside to this computer, unless you get one of those overheating HDD ones, in which case you can return for fix or exchange with your vendor.

 

Every other laptop that I have had, starts booting immediately after pressing the power button, as opposed to requiring being held down for a short period of time before booting.

There have been many posts about the M860TU's whining sound. As it has been suggested by others, I have found the fan is the source of this sound.

It's not the amount I have a problem with, but the spacing from the power jack, it would be more conveneint if they were further away from it. This way larger USB devices would be able to be placed there without them pushing against the power adapter.

It's not just they are on the front, but they are directly in front of the touchpad; which is an area that receives much traffic from the hands, since laptops are usually used from the front.

As do many laptops have them next to the webcam; a location that is not as prone to pick up hand or operating noises (ie: noise from the optical bay or fan).

Although I find these things minor and purely subjective, I thought it best to inform the threadstarter of them, as they have requested to hear about the potentially negative aspects of this notebook.

 

If you pick P9700 (2.8Ghz) you'll have the 5th mobile processor in the whole world, the 260M is the best for a 15.4 (you can upgrade it for a 280M).

This laptop can handle a QX9300 (2.53Ghz), with a 280M. The problem with the quad is the amount of heat (45W), also, that's probably the difference between 5482741 and sabricaze about whining sound. Look at their config, sabricaze has the what i call the "light one", while 5482741 has the "heavy one"

 

I've done both, this is a great laptop.

 

if you are using battery it takes just over a second but if you are using it plugged into the mains its almost instantanious.

 

This is a good thing. I'd be annoyed by a button that turns the computer on with a quick tap. Us clumsy folk have a way of pressing those buttons when we don't want to, causing laptops to shutdown before we've finished work or startup when we don't need it to start up. Holding it down assures us this won't happen too often. Now sit down, grow some patience and stop whinning.

 

Seriously? One full second is just way too long, there are so many other things I could be doing.


I didn't say it was that bad.

 

Hehehe, don't worry - when I think of something your welcome to get your own back.

Actually I have one - the lack of a smartbay for extended battery life, or an integrated GPU like the m15x. Uggghhh, I can't believe I'm stating that there are some things that machine is better at...

 

He meant that 1 second is long compared to say, 0.5 seconds!

It's TWICE as long!!!

 

Yes. Its a pity that so many people are wasting precious milliseconds pushing the power button U_U

 

Honestly, this is actually a good thread. I personally would have wanted to know that these are the downsides to this laptop because anyone in their right mind will know that these are extremely small downsides and will make them feel better about ordering it. I know it does for me.

And who are YOU to judge about my 0.5 seconds? Maybe I have something important to do with that 0.5 seconds!!

 

A more serious downside I can think of is the loose power adapter issue that people (including myself) had early on. The power adapter was prone to either falling completely out of the powerjack, or it would slip out partially to the point the laptop couldn't charge. However, I think this has since been rectified.

Also, the Wifi module has been known to get quite hot.

 

Smudges. Everywhere. Touchpad, outside cover, inside rims, etc. Not enough to bother most people, but they're there. If you look really close and focus on hating those smudges, it'll drive you insane. Cotton cloth or eyeglass cloth works great though.

 

Busting out the most powerful 15" laptop cruising through Crysis causing my friends to dislike me is my only downside. Jealousy can be really evil.

 

is the asus 15inch with the 260m nicer than the m860tu?


the prob with the M860tu is batterylife and noise.... it really is not a quite laptop even with stealth mode.

i love mine thou.. had mine for a year and its going strong... hope it will last 2-3 more...

Def looking forward to using it more once i get back into wow..

however... if i could perchase again i would prob go for a 15inch macbook pro...

the performance is only slightly lower on GPU and the batterylife/noise/finish is alot nicer...

beside that im rather content...

once i upgrade/overclock my 9800m GT and swap out my 2.4 to a 3.06 ill prob be less upset that i didnt get a Macbook Pro...

 

It's 260M is downclocked, and appears to have heat issues. But it supports dual HDD's, has a backlit keyboard, and the option of a 9-cell battery. Another difference is that it has 16:9 resolution.

It depends on how much those differences are worth to you.

 

Yeah, I guess, the fingerprints and smudges.

Yes, they drive me insane. Really insane. I'm one of those that don't like them. Little scratch on it will kill me.

 

The fan gets loud when hitting a game like Crysis. Default DVD drive is loud as well. Surface finish loves to suck fingerprints. Styling is oddly reminiscent of a 1980s Toyota Corolla.

 

Oh yea, the DVD drive. That thing causes earthquakes.

Silent mode though, is VERY quiet. I don't know what other people are complaining about; the laptop's sound is only noticeable when playing video games and I have earphones in at that time. If you want the laptop to be as quiet as a netbook, turn on silent mode and don't run anything on it besides a browser and Word.

 

Thanks for all the help. The smartbay in the m15x would be really convenient, but thats the only advantage the alienware has over it. As for waiting a second for it to start up, I'm fine with that. Smudges don't bother me much. The audio out the front may cause some issues since I have speakers constantly plugged in while at home. Other than that, it sounds like my kind of laptop

 

Seriously? Mine is nearly dead silent when I'm web browsing or typing documents. It does blow some serious air when I'm gaming though.

 

Gah... I dont understand fanbois. You say something bad about their laptop and its like you hurt their feelings. Whatever, I guess I wont mind them.

- Keyboard should have more tactile feedback... this has been mentioned in some reviews. Also, certain key combinations, such as C + tab + W dun work... this isn't a real problem though.
- At least in my case, the dvd can get really shaky with some particular disks... (Fallout 3 in my case)... this is the only problems that borthers me a little. I'm thinking about doing some modding and put some rubber gum or something on the DVD drive.
- The right touchpad button is a little messed up...
- Port location; for me, it's better to have the audio jack on the side, and the e-sata and USB port on the back are a little too close to the power jack.
- A little flex on the left side, where the DVD drive is.
- Right palmrest and touchpad can get a little hot, even when not playing. A cooler solves this, though.
- Hummm... nothing else.

Keep in mind these are all little problems, and are easily bearable.

 

Keyboard actually feels TOO tough and springy for me [Compal JHL90 keyboard is more my type].

At first I thought the touchpad buttons were terrible too but I realized they're kind of hinged near the top, so hitting the bottom edges of the buttons instantly makes them better.

I'm not getting any flex on the left side unless I'm putting serious pressure on the palmrest.

 

I forgot to mention these.

 

I actually love the strong resistance in the keys. It's an FPS gamer's dream. The tougher the better I always say.

 

I have large, heavy gorilla-like hands, so I guess the keyboard is just right for me.

The DVD drive is noisy when a disk is inserted and it spins up. Annoying. I might try tightening it somehow. Opening a media player causes it to go silent immediately. I guess you'll never notice, if you have it set to autoplay.

Please tell me you're not referring to me.

 

Yep, I actually love the keyboard.

Also, I don't know about the DVD drive. It runs quiet for me, even at a high load or something.

 

My only downside for the NP8662 is that it's too big and clunky for a 15" notebook. It's the only thing preventing me from purchasing it.

 

I just compare the keyboard the the laptop I had befoe, a gateway P-7811 FX, and, although the M860TU keyboard doesn't have crammed keys, the keyboard on the gateway just feels a little better to type on...

 

Only complaints are stock Optical Drive (but not a big issue as I rarely use it) as it is sometimes funky and causes mini cyclones in my room when at full speed. Another one is the fact that it doesn't support ATi, I'd love to stick a HD 4860 in there and see what happens Oh, I also do a lot of spreadsheets and wish it had a proper numpad, but I'm assuming that isn't a problem with too many others.

 

do you have a external monitor connected?...

Due to the Bios config the GPU cant software downclock while a external monitor is connected... big issue 4 me..

clevo leave alot to be desired in finish and features..


Put it this way.. im not totaly disastified with my M860tu.. but i would never ever get a clevo laptop again.. period.

 

Ah I see. Yes, the fan is constantly running when I'm connected to my 67" Samsung.

 

- Tough men keyboard
for me who had used hp for about 1.5 year...this keyboard is REALLY tough , by all means...needs time to get used to it because i still missing some characters when typing

-Stiff power button
and also others buttons (mail , browser..silent mode) but thats not a big turnoff...

-Wheres the multimedia buttons?
i keep finding myself that it is lost.. still missed the volume buttons though...proved to be very useful...(rather than FN+f5 / f6)

-Touchpad buttons...
again..it is hard...haha
but since i use wireless mouse , not a big problem

How about the GOOD ?
-Hideous
yes...its an ADVANTAGE , my friends didnt notice a sager in the classroom
so does other people..

-Rhino
yes...it is , rhino in disguise .... as people said....dont judge its power from outer part

-Light
when i first try to lift it , compare to my old 6500t ...it is almost the same..
i am quite surprised....only the major weight comes from the power brick

final words is....it is better to have hideous laptop with lots of power inside rather than show off with some nice casings but el weako specs

 

Absolutely. I got the 8662 more as a workstation that can be taken to the occasional LAN party but I sure as hell don't want to be "marked" as a gamer [like Asus/AW] outside of a party. It's the difference between a polo and a Hawaiian shirt.

 

Is this still a problem? I know you just posted, but i have to ask.

 

It would be nice if there were some kind of overclocking support as well.

 

Though these are all matters of opinion, this one is particularly down to subjectivity. Most of the people I've known have been very positive about the aesthetics and design, including Dell and Macbook owners.

 

Well I'm not a fan of the silver trimmings deal but it does make the 8662 look distinctive without raising some eyebrows.

 

I guess I just prefer sleek, simple and suave compared to the flamboyant, otherworldly and unique when it comes to notebooks.

 

Downside:
HDD temps
Heavier than your regular 15'' (but power comes with a cost)

That is... Appart from that, it is perfect in every aspect!

 

Oh yeah. Screen only opens up to ~120 degrees or so.