Is the Sager NP8170 a good solution for me?

A bit of background. I'm retired and spend a lot of time with my current 2008 MBP 15" on my lap surfing, digital photo post processing and porting/playing with Unix in terminal mode. No gaming but who knows that could change. I have been all over the map trying to decide on my next notebook. The MBP is showing it's age and seems to be taking for ever to render images in Aperture. So I'm using this as an excuse to get something new. It's either staying with Apple and going for a 17" early 2011 or going to Windows realizing that I will need to purchase a bunch of software.

I have been into computers since the days of S100 CP/M systems so I'm not exactly a noob. Although I have been exclusively using OSX from the Beta days.

Right now the Sager NP8170 seems to meet my requirements even though it is marketed as a gaming notebook. I'm looking for the following capabilities:

1080p matte screen for photo editing. Color accuracy is important. I would like to have the 95% gamut display but it's not an option in the 17" . The bigger the screen the better for my eyes. So I hope I won't be disappointed with the 17.3" 120Hz 72% Gamut screen for reading text and photo editing. Anyone have any input on this display?

17" from factor is important since it will support 2 HDDs and I would like to have a Blu-ray as well. I would have opted for the NP8150 95% Gamut otherwise.

Sager seems to have the best complement of I/O ports of any NB out there and I will make good use of the 1394b. Would be nice if Sager supported HDMI input like the m18x.

Not sure if I should go for the 2760QM for a future hackintoch attempt. Will it be better for VMs?

The NP8180 looks appealing as well but the 2 GPUs and the gaming KB would be way over kill for me I think. Although the backlit KB would be nice. That's kind of a draw back on the other Sagers but not necessarily a deal breaker.

I'm located in Canada so I will likely order from Reflexnotebook.

Is the Pixel Guarantee worth it? Would you recommend extending the Sager Warranty? Reflexnotebook doesn't give much information on their "Hassle Free" warranty. I would hope there wouldn't be any warranty hassle with a reputable reseller. Anyone know if it's worth it?

Is the stock WLAN and BT good enough for home based WiFi?

When I option the NP8170 out with Warranty and OS it is almost as much as 17" MBP. I know the Sager is more of a machine on paper but I have never seen one in person but I'm sure it will keep me warm during the cold winter nights.

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

Welcome!
To answer some of your questions, please see this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...ntly-asked-questions-read-before-posting.html

The 72% display is great, though it is a step down from the 95%. You can see a comparison of some of the displays here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-between-different-screen-options-photos.html

You could always go with the P150HM and put a hard drive in the optical bay, with the Blu-ray drive as an external. It's a pretty common configuration if you want the 95% screen and a bit of portability.

The 2760QM offers Vt-d and higher clock speeds, so you will see a performance jump from the stock 2630/2670 choices.

For the pixel guarantee, it depends on whether or not you think you need it- the top link should cover that as well.

The stock WLAN is good unless you have a wireless N router than can handle 300 or 450Mbps. If you do, you'd be missing out on speed and range improvements. The upgraded models will give you much stronger signals at the same range of the stock (so if you work far away from your router, you'll notice it right away).

 

The CUDA cores on a GTX 560M should really help out with any Adobe products you may use currently. The 120Hz screen is very nice and great on your eyes since the refresh rate is double that of ordinary screens, and I've had a couple photo buffs choose that screen over others.

 

What concerns me is doing all of this on your lap. This is not a laptop. This is a notebook. My advice to you is either work on a hard, flat surface or invest in a lapdesk.

Mr. Mysterious

 

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't realize there was a difference between the two. I didn't consider the weight factor. Looks like a lapdesk address both heat and weight.

Thanks to the others for advise on the wireless options and I feel better about the screen choice now.