How portable would the NP8170 be in practice?

I was only considering 15" laptops since I need to move the laptop for occasional travel and up and down stairs daily normally, but how much trouble would it be in practice to lug around the NP8170? Having 2 more inches sounds real nice during use, especially for movies and gaming. Before starting to look for a new laptop, I thought all of these 17" laptops were all over 10 lbs, but the Sagers dropped a lot in weight with the new models. Is the HP Envy 17 the lightest 17"? Currently using an old Dell Inspiron 1520 (6.4lbs, 14.1" (w) x 10.6" (d) x 1.8 (h)) as reference.

17" Mac Book Pro
6.6lbs
15.47" (w) x 10.51" (d) x 0.98"h

HP Envy 17
7.51 lbs (does this include the battery pack?)
16.38" (W) x 10.83" (D) x 1.25" (min height) / 1.52" (max height)

NP8120
12.50 LBs with Battery Pack
17.25" (w) x 11.75" (d) x 1.7" (h)

NP7280
12.13 LBs with Battery Pack
16.5" (w) x 11.3" (d) x 2.2~2.4" (h)

NP8170
8.60 LBs with Battery Pack
16.22" (w) x 10.87" (d) x 1.65"~1.79" (h)

NP8150
6.83 LBs with Battery Pack
14.80" (w) x 10.08" (d) x 1.38"~1.69" (h)

1.77 LBs more doesn't sound "that" much. Thoughts and opinions?

 

Except that 6.6lbs is already not very portable, then you add 1.77lbs more.

Sager has always been around these weight, the 12lb+ 17" notebooks are those desktop CPU with dual GPU class of true desktop replacement notebooks, which are another category on their own.

 

Thanks for the info on true desktop replacements. I haven't read up on laptops for quite some time. I suppose since I haven't moved it lately, I look longingly at the larger 17" screen with 1080p. At least the 15" 8130/8150 will be comparable in weight to what I am using and lugging around now with a lot more performance so it shouldn't feel too different...Also more backpack choices...

 

Well, the difference in 15.6 and 17 is more in the size than weight.

15.6 fits all conventional bookbags, but 17's dont.

 

To be honest, I used to worry about size and weight. After going through a handful of laptops (and I thank Dell and HP for their very generous return policies), anything less than 10 lbs is not an issue. Size-wise 17" actually isn't that bad either. Problem being, as stated above, that it might not fit in your conventional bookbag or handbag.

 

Well, lift some weight (go to gym if you don't have some at home) and see for your self...only way to test the weight before purchasing this laptop. It depends on your body too. I have 17" dell and I would never buy another 17" cuz it is way to big "laptop" to begin with. 14-15" is a good middle point. If you are looking for something portable...never go with 17"...just my 2centS. Also, if you are planning on using it for some programing/3d modeling/photoshop/etc...maybe 17" is good for you...in which case you won't be carrying it around a lot.

 

I was lugging around a 23lb backpack (with my laptop inside) with a ton of my work files on my last airplane trip with a 1 year old baby as well and that was why I was wondering how most folks viewed traveling with a 17" notebook in reality since the weight doesn't sound too bad on the specs...

I suppose the size is the big PITA since backpacks normally aren't that tall/big.

I saw some Asus laptops at Best Buy and thought they were insanely big. Will have to look more specifically on models/size.

Thanks for your time and sharing your opinions!

 

1.5 lbs difference is nothing.
what bothers me more is the size.
since i move around a lot and i use my laptop for work and play, i sometimes end up working in coffee tables. with my work files a 17inch just wont fit into these tables, and forget about using the mouse.
imho 15.6 is the limit for a laptop that actually mobile because of this

 

I was using a 8.99(I think)lbs M17x all last year. Took it to LANs once or twice a week, and the four-hour round trip - about half of which is walking - home each weekend. This includes laptop, charger, mouse, books/notes/etc. all in a backpack, and possibly other stuff. It was heavy, of course, but not in a "what the hell is in this bag?!" type way, just that it was more noticable than usual.

tl;dr - I've used a 17" monster extensively, and I didn't find it a problem in size or weight.