Help with buying Sager NP9280

Hello everyone,

This site is an invaluable resource I found during my search for laptops. Great work!

Coming to my situation, I have saved up for very long to get a high end laptop. I mainly use it for gaming, entertainment and extreme muti-threading to run many high memory consuming scripts simultaneously. I have decided a configuration for a Sager NP 9280:

* 01. Display : 17'' WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Wide Viewing Angles LCD with Super Glossy Surface
* 02. Dead Pixel Policy : Standard Dead Pixel Policy
* 03. Processor : Intel Core i7-920 Processor (8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz, 4.8GT/sec QPI)
* 04. CPU Thermal Paste : Artic Silver 5 (AS5) Thermal CPU Paste Compound
* 05. Video : Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M Graphics with 1GB DDR3 Video Memory
* 06. Memory : 6GB (3 SODIMMs) DDR3-1066 Triple Channel Memory (+$90)
* 07. Primary Hard Drive : 250GB 7200 rpm SATA II 3GB/s HDD (16MB Cache Buffer) (+$20)
* 08. Second Hard Drive : None.
* 09. Third Hard Drive : None.
* 10. RAID Setting : Disable.
* 11. Optical Drive : 8X DVD+/-R/RW /4X+Dual Layer/5X DVD-RAM Multi CDRW Drive.
* 12. External Hard Drive : None.
* 13. Floppy Drive : None.
* 14. TV Tuner : None.
* 15. Wireless LAN : Built-in Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300AGN - 802.11a/b/g/n & Bluetooth.
* 16. Battery : 12 Cell Smart Li-ion Battery.
* 17. AC Adapter : AC Adapter with Power Cord.
* 18. MS Windows : Windows 7 Home Premium - (64-Bit installed - 64 and 32-bit CD included) (+$90)
* 19. MS Office : None.
* 20. Carrying Case : Free Black business Carrying Case.
* 21. Warranty : Sager 3-Year Parts/Labor w/3-Day Shipping 2-Ways Paid (+$249)


1. I am not much of a computer techie. So, I would like to get your opinions on this one. Can you guys please tell me the pros and cons of this laptop configuration.

2. I found different prices on different sites I checked out:
agearnotebooks.com - $2718
xoticpc.com - $2728
pctorque.com - $2738
powernotebooks.com - $2738
sagernotebook.com - $2748

Please help me pick a (re)seller.

Pctorque offers Manufacturer's Accidental Damage Protection for all parts (at about $100 per year) which I didn't even find on Sager website! So, I am keen on going ahead with them for now. But, I am not very sure if this is the right thing to do. Or is it a good idea to spend less on the warranty and more on ADP to save some money?

Some of the sites offer cash discount of upto 3%. I prefer paying with paypal or card. I could also get money wired if it's gonna cost me much lesser. If you know any other reseller who sells it for cheaper, please let me know.

3. Does the warranty or service or anything else in future depend on the reseller I purchase from? (Like the ADP offered only by xoticpc.com)


Though this price has crossed my budget considerably, I think I'll go ahead if it's worth it cos I could stick to this laptop for ATLEAST next 5 years as it's a Clevo with a good configuration

I am all eager to get a superfast laptop asap!

Off topic: When I run an auto-clicker to click 6-12 times a second on a browser, it always crashes very soon. Is this a browser issue or computer issue? Any ways to improve this?


EDIT:
I just found these deals from HP for cheaper:

1. HP Pavilion dv7-3080us Entertainment Notebook PC for $1299.99 (1 yr warranty)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._mri?_encoding=UTF8&m=A1QNWKKF9WDH43&v=glance
Pros: Similar RAM; Has Light scribe blu-ray ROM; Bigger hard disk; Free shipping; Costs half the price of this Sager!
Cons: Slower i7 & 6 MB cache; Its HP :-(

2. HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC for $1588.99 (excluding warranty)
http://livehotdeals.com/HP-Pavilion-dv6t-Quad-Edition-series_24459
* Espresso Black
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-820QM Processor (1.73GHz, 8MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
* 50% OFF! 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* FREE Upgrade to 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive from 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
* 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
* 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
* LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* Webcam Only
* Intel Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* No Modem
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


What do you guys think about these?

 

Welcome to the NBR forums.

I can move this to the Sager/Clevo section for you if you want more resposes.

 

Hello Gophn,

Yeah. You could move it there if you think that would be better

 

No help :-?

 

I'll take a crack at it.

1. On the Pros and Cons of NP9280

Pros: It's one big and powerful and kickass gaming demon that will kick the crap out of any program you throw at it. It might even be able to play Crysis.

Cons: Still can't run Crysis on max settings at native resolution.

2. On Clevo Rebranders and Sager Resellers

With this exact configuration, XoticPC and the others you listed are probably the cheapest resellers. XoticPC and PowerNotebooks.com have stellar service records and retailer ratings. Buying direct from SagerNotebook.com is not recommended due to the higher price. You can look up the other resellers on ResellerRatings.com for comparison if you wish.

3. On Warranties

I can't help you here. Call the respective resellers or read their fine print to learn what's what. XoticPC and PowerNotebooks.com both have an excellent support staff that will be very helpful with these questions. They are both very highly regarded in terms of their warranty services.

Epilogue: On HP's

What do I think of those? My own personal bias against HP aside, they are not impressive rigs. They are nowhere near on par with the Sager. If price is really an issue, then roll back the i7 on your NP9280 to an 820 or 720QM. Even the 720QM performs blazingly fast and rips through almost any game at max settings. If price is really really an issue, I or the other forum members would be more than happy to suggest some alternatives that are not HP. Perhaps you'd be more interested in an Asus.

If your decision gets much more drawn-out than just these options, then it would be really helpful for you to fill out the FAQ so we can know what you're looking for.

 

Thanks, Histidine.

I'll call up the pctorque guys about the accidental damage protection. Is pctorque close to xoticpc/powernotebooks in service? If it is, please let me know if it's worth spending some extra bucks on ADP.

About reseller service, does it all not boil down to Sager finally as they are the warranty providers? Why would we even need to contact the reseller after we the laptop except in the beginning may be?

To roll back to i7 820 or 720, I will have to pick another model as the NP 9280 is more of a desktop replacement and has only 920, 965 and 975 extreme versions. Can you (or anyone) suggest me any decent non-HP cheaper alternative with i7 920 and 6 GB RAM? Even I am pretty biased against HP. I have a seen a few (and even owned one) of HP laptops. They seem all shining and superfast in the beginning only to wear down and mess up pretty quick.

 

I don't know anything about pctorque. Look them up on resellerratings.com.

Service and warranties are done through the resellers, not through Sager. Although the reseller might have to ship in repair parts from a Sager warehouse, most of them have parts on hand and do their own repairs. So although your computer is a Sager, you won't be dealing with Sager for any reason after your purchase.

You're right about the NP9280 not offering i7 820qm or 720qm models. I forgot that it's the model that uses the desktop i7 versions, and not the 920xm mobile version. You should check out the Sager NP8760, a very similarly equipped laptop with the mobile i7 options. My computer (in my signature) cost just a bit over $2000, and I've been very satisfied with it.

To give you other options from other brands, you'd have to fill out the FAQ so I can know what you're hoping to get in your new laptop. You might make a new post in the What Notebook Should I Buy forum, since this thread got moved to the Clevo forum.

 

Thanks Histidine

I'll have a look at reseller ratings and place an order after I talk to each of three resellers (xoticpc, powernotebooks and pctorque) over the phone.

I'll also start a new topic now to see if any other laptop would suit me better.

This site is so useful!

 

Please take a look at this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5527499