I'm joining the 8760 club... help my n00bness

Hi guys. Apologies for the introductory like questions, but I'm sure we all start somewhere.

After researching stuff until I'm blue in the face (and flip flopped over a trillion times), I think I'm going to go with the 8760. I originally wanted to go with a m11x only for portability, and to go Alienware because of our employee discount with Dell. But after seeing the prices change so much, knowing I'm paying a little more for style rather than performance, and the customer service there I'm basically saying 'screw that' to them - even though the last Alienware (PC) I had was awesome... although I won it in a sweepstakes and didn't pay a dime for it

So I came to Sager/Clevo, and I liked what I saw. I was looking between the 8690 and the 8760, and figured that the extra HDD slot, combined with the better LCD screen... even though it's a 17 inch model - the prices don't vary a whole lot. Thinking my setup might end up being:

Intel i7-740
4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
4x Blu Ray Drive
500GB 7200RPM HDD (only $20 up from the 320gb...)
ATI 5870
Diamond Thermal Compound

If it was a PC build, I'd be doing things slightly differently - but seeing as my GF doesn't have a BR player, I added it in there plus I travel. I will use it work, research, and ultimately to game where I want to game. Playing Starcraft 2 at awesome settings is a priority, as I game mostly on consoles anyways... but I think this setup could allow me to enjoy games at a nice quality for a couple years at least.

In addition to any overall advice, a couple questions would be:

-Warranty, I'm thinking to add 3 years parts/labor on. Good idea? How do Sagers hold up in general?
-Is the Intel wireless LAN module worth the upgrade?
-How hard is it to OC the CPU/GPU, and what are some moderate changes I can expect to achieve without really overworking the lappy with regards to temperature?
-XoticPC, they seem like a reputable dealer - hows that worked out for some of you?

Thank you so much in advance for any advice, and overall critique - I am just looking for a solid setup for a laptop to hold me over until I build a desktop rig in a year or two, and this community seems very well informed. Thanks!

 

I got mine just a few days ago and I love it the only thing I dislike is the cheap mouse pad gets in the way I really dislike it. Everthing else is very nice... and pretty fast..

 

Have you thought about a SSD + HDD combination? that would be one of the main reasons if I were to purchase a laptop that can house two hard-drives.

Sager/Clevos are very reliable, I would say they are the most reliable gaming notebooks. Warranty is a matter of choice, though. If you don't mind spending a bit more money, and plan on having your laptop for 3 years or more, then go for it.

I would only go for the Intel Wireless LAN module if you were to do heavy internet work using a wireless connection, such as playing online. If you are gonna be directly connected to the router, there shouldn't be any need. Either way, you can upgrade later if you are not satisfied.

You can overclock from the BIOS... but only to a certain point; you cannot overclock as much as you want. Temperatures are always superb.

XoticPC is great, but keep in mind there are other great retailers too, such as PowerNotebooks and RJTech. Stay away from Sager direct and Eurocom.

 

@JL - I went with the 8760 primarily because of the larger screen and the second disk drive. Screen quality is essentially equal since they use variations of the same Hannstar screen. The two drive bays allow use of an SSD for speed and a larger mechanical drive for storage, an enormous advantage even if not utilized immediately, or to use Raid 0/1 if that is your preference.

You cannot overclock the i7-740 in these computers. The multipliers cannot be adjusted of course, and the PLL's used by Clevo prevent using SetFSB to increase Bclk speeds. On the other hand, the 5870 is easily overclocked, sometimes dramatically. The 5870's tend to run hot, and heavy overclocking aggravates that somewhat, but that is the nature of the o/c beast. The card is seriously fast in stock trim.

Extended warranties are always prudent with laptops. In my experience, Sagers are very well built and are reliable. I just completed a warranty replacement of a motherboard, and the service was excellent. In fact, above and beyond excellent under the circumstances. I highly recommend their warranty service.

I have the Intel 6300, selected mostly because it was a small price to upgrade to the best. I have no experience with the standard offering, but can say that after getting the 6300, my "Networks Available" screen lit up like a Christmas tree, including a number of neighborhood wireless routers that were invisible to my previous laptop, as a result of its extended range.

I purchased my 8760 from GenTech, a California reseller, and recommend them without reservation. Ken Lee is very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. XoticPC has an excellent reputation, but I have no experience with them.

Good luck. The system you are contemplating should serve you well. Remember, the 8760 is easily upgraded as future needs or budgets permit.

 

I found Ocing to make no difference. But at least you get 3.2ghz stock with a 920xm.

8760 Pros: Great laptop, excellent performance, easier to upgrade cpu/gpu than G73, less issues than the G73, and a bit more elegant in design than the Asus G73...plus esata and firewire(big plus over G73 if you need it), keeps video card a lot cooler than the G73(some say the new G73 bios keeps it as cool as the 8760). Very good deal if you go the barebones route. I think it's like $599 now for the 5870m base model or something. So get the i7 720qm for $200 on ebay used, and $40 for 4GB DDR3 laptop memory, and $40 for 500GB laptop hard drive and you have a monster quad core gaming rig for about $880.

8760 Cons: Extremely poor battery life(30 minutes under load, maybe a little more than an hour at idle or so), some think the fan is too loud...it's not loud to me but definitely is more noticeable than the G73 at idle and load.

 

$989.00 for the base model but still a good deal...

If it were $599.00 these boards would be flooded ...

Clevo W870CU Notebook Computer, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB Video Card

 

Whoops, $599 must be without the 5870m. Think I saw that on ebay or something.