Help with Analysis Paralysis!

I am going to cross post this in both Asus and Sager section because I know I will get properly biased answers in both areas.

I am looking hard for the right 15.4 w/ dedicated graphics and I think I have narrowed down to between the Asus Z70Va and the Sager NP5320C. In general summary, I have narrowed to these because I like the ATI X700 w/ 15.4" widescreen and both have Bluetooth onboard as an easy option. They also both seem to have a modular optical drive bay which seems critical for longer battery or weight savings potential.

The Asus seems to win out in overall size and bulk (less of each), and looks a little nicer as far as case design goes.

The Sager seems to win by a small bit in pricing and by having a Serial port which if you can believe it, I will routinely use. However, I think I can get a good PCMCIA adapter to work. (Don't mention the USB ones because they are NOT 100% reliable for my appication)

I recently eliminated the Fujitsu N3520 due to no Bluetooth OR Serial...

Am I nuts over wanting Bluetooth?... it just seems like a step backwards without it and I don't want to plug in a dongle... but maybe I'll never use it anyway?!

Is there some real-world differences to these notebooks that I might be overlooking?

This decision is driving me nuts... Help!

 

Well, ok, I'll allow this cross post just once, because a lot of buyers will go through this arguement, and would be useful to see.

One of the main reasons I bought the Sager NP-5320 over the Z70VA is because of the 256MB video card. That makes a big difference in the latest games, such as FEAR and Quake 4. If you plan to play games for a while, then the 256MB of VRAM will help future-proof your notebook.

In addition, the Sager has a DVI-D port - great for hooking up to an HDTV or external digital monitor, serial port as mentioned, integrated digital video camera, and also an Internal dual TV Tuner option.

The Z70VA will have better build quality, but the Sager is very good, better than an HP by a good amount. It's about on par with a Dell Latitude business notebook.

The only disadvantage of the Sager to me is that it's bulky and very heavy at 7.5lb. Also, the screen could be a bit brighter, but it is very sharp and displays good colors.

 

good point about the vram and dvi-d. I design, sell and install a/v systems for a living so a dvi-d out laptop would be practicing what I preach!

p.s. sorry if cross-posting is against the rules - these are both just really nice units and thought the answers would be helpful. Thanks for yours!

 

i was in a similar situation. and my sager 5320 is on its way!~!
the selling point for me was-
1. 256MB VRAM
2. SATA support
3. Future potential for bluetooth and tv tuner
4. Metal top to protect the screen!!
5. catchy looks, esp the front dj - although z70va also looks cool
and although it was slightly heavier, I have handled my friends 8lbs notebooks, so it should not be a problem.
and since it was about the same price, i went with the sager
hope it helps with your decision

 

This single thing blew away a friend of mine this weekend when he saw my 5720. He didn't believe me until I said:

Go ahead, touch it, it's cold!

 

that's true. very few laptops have a metal panel!! maybe the thinkpad titanium.
dont know of any others.
it would be a great advantage if u are going to carry ur laptop around in a backpack or something similar.

p.s. will be receiving my 5320 tomoro!!!