Getting a P150EM

I'm getting a laptop for college and I think I'm pretty much set on getting a p150em. I just wanted to ask some questions about my configuration before I get it. I'll be using this laptop for gaming and college work.

- Screen: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen *
- CPU: Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)
- Thermal Compund: IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11
- RAM: 8GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- Branding: Remove All Branding
- Primary HDD: 750gb 7200rpm (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- ODD: Remove DVDRW Drive and Install Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy Only
- External ODD: External USB 2.0 Slim DVD±R/RW Drive
- Sager - Intel® Ultimate-N 6300 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module **
- OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included) + MS Office Starter 2010

I'll also be getting a Crucial M4 128GB SSD and install as the primary HDD and use the HDD as a secondary.

* Do you think the upgrade to a 95% gamut screen is worth $95 if the main purpose of this laptop is gaming and schoolwork?

** Does the upgrade from the stock wireless adapter provide a noticeable performance increase or should I just stick with the stock card?

Please feel free to make any other comments about my configuration. I would really appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks

 

Having used glossy displays for some time in the past, going to a matte one makes a world of difference be it the high gamut or not (in my case, the 72% one for the 17.3" display) when it comes to reflections. I can for the most part sit with my back to a window or light source and not need to change position to be able to see things properly.

 

Screen...
I, too, will be changing to matte. I have zero problems with glare since glossy screens that are super bright would cancel out most glare issues I have in my work environment. BUT the reason why I'm going with matte is because of the dust problems I'm getting. With a matte screen, in my experience, I can do a dry wipe or use an air can to get rid of the dust. With glossy, I have this special solution I have to use and it has to be a clean microfiber cloth. Otherwise, the dust just gets pushed around from side to side.

Wireless card...
Get one that you can afford. The 3x3 cards have a definite advantage of the 2x2 and especially the single antennas. Also, if you don't need Bluetooth, then your choice is between the Ultimate and Killer. It's up to you.

Paying for MS Office 2010...
I understand why you'd want to get Windows 7, because I did the same, though I can get an Ultimate license here at work. As for MS Office, if you have a valid email address (.edu, .gov, .mil, etc.) you can get it for $10. It's also the Professional Plus edition.

See link here: Microsoft Home Use Program - Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010. The software suite includes Word, Excel PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access and more!

I don't have a valid email address, I tried just about all of mine and my friends who still have an .edu, but I was able to ask one of my many friends working at the UN and used that.

 

The website says work email addresses only. Are you sure about the rest/did they change the offer? Unless I'm missing something the only Microsoft student offers are here: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...Category_Page?Icid=Student_Main_OtherProducts

 

I'm 100% sure. You don't have to be a student or have a "work" email address. Any affiliate to that program can use their emails. So if it's a university, a government branch, etc., it will work. I, as well as numerous friends, have successfully bought MS Office this way. I paid $9.95. Other paid the extra $13.95 to get the physical DVD. What I did was I simply burned the download for future use.

Also worth mentioning, Microsoft does this every few years or so. This isn't new nor will this be the last.

 

My school must not participate in the program then, because my email didn't work, at least that link led me to searching for other Microsoft student discounts, like the ones for Xbox Live.

 

Usually you can get discounted versions of office and windows through your college once you pay their IT fee. My school offers free downloads of Office Enterprise 2007. It's $10 for Office 2010(PC)/2011(Mac) disc or the Win 7 Ultimate upgrade (32 or 64 bit) disc.. The upgrade disc can be used for a full install w/ a registry tweak. It was the same thing at the other college I attended also.

 

I, too, got a p150em for university (engineering. I wanted a workstation.)
Here are my thoughts on the matter:
-the matte screen is worth it. This is, of course, just my personal opinion, and I've used matte my whole life, but glare can be annoying.
-Get an upgraded wireless card. I almost never use bluetooth, but couldn't quite justify the price of the killer card, so I got the Intel 6300
-As others have said, you can most likely get a really cheap copy of office through your uni. (I got mine for free)

Other food for thought:
-Its heavy to carry around school. Quite doable, but heavy.
-battery life isn't amazing. prepare to carry the PSU
-Don't spend *too* much time gaming

 

Thanks for all the answers.

The MS Office I listed is free with the OS, I'll be getting a discounted MS Office from my school.

Are there any other things I should change in my build? Anything unnecessary or anything I should upgrade?

Also, can anyone recommend a reseller? I think I'll be getting it from xoticpc but if anyone can recommend one that they think is better I might consider it.

Thanks

 

I ordered through xoticpc at the recommendation of a (real life, not online ) friend. Unless my computer arrives terribly messed up and the RMAA processes is miserable, I would say that they are quite courteous and professional. I would currently buy from them again.

I think your build looks pretty good (maybe not the RAM speed, but money is money ).
Enjoy!

 

I don't understand all the hate glare screens get. I feel like the increased brightness/contrast are worth a little bit of glare. However, it has been a while since I last used a matte screen. I currently have the 95% gamut glare screen and I absolutely love it. I rarely have a reflection that is bothersome except in areas where there is a light shining in the very near vicinity.

 

Wow, I've been thinking of purchasing a Sager P150EM for a while and if I do it would be almost the exact build. I might get the stock thermal paste and apply the fancier stuff myself.

 

Most people dislike glare screens as it limits the portability of the laptop.

 

Check out this thread which says that 95% gamut displays are not perfectly set up on Windows, particularly in games. Basically you must calibrate your display by downloading a colour profile, but the profile will be ignored in some games.

Check it out.

 

Several users have commented quite the information regarding the P150EM, so listen to them

good luck

 

-imo you could buy a tube of ic diamond and apply them yourself its cheaper that way, not to mention the fact that you can make sure that its applied properly.
-you might wanna look into getting the 1600mhz ram although the difference in speed should only be ~1ns but hey it made me feel better

edit: just remembered that rendering is very ram intensive, so you might wanna get the 1600mhz if you are doing video rendering

 

I completely agree with xxpawnerxx about the IC diamond. My temps were way to high when I received the laptop (from Prostar) and I had to redo the thermal paste. Waste of $35. I also downgraded my ram and saved $50 but they accidently put the 1600mhz ram in my system so that worked out in my favor While I personally love the glare screen for the increased vibrance/contrast, if you are going to be using it in a lot of different places I can certainly see the benefit of a matte type screen. Go with the 95% gamut if you have the extra cash, the screen is beautiful.