NP2096 vs. NP7680

I've been looking for a laptop for a long time, and now I've come down to these 2 laptops.

Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90) PRE ORDER
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050) *
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P9500 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9600M GT DDR2 DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Sager 3 Year Parts & Labor Warranty, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Support

_______________________________________________________________

Sager NP7680 (Built on Clevo M762TU) Sager NP7680 (Built on Clevo M762TU)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050) *
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P9500 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- 256MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9300M GS w/ up to 512MB Turbo Cache DDR2 DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Wireless 802.11a/b/g
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Sager 3 Year Parts & Labor Warranty, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Support


I now need to know your opinions on which I should buy. Both satisfy my needs, but which one would be the better investment?

Also, do these laptops have the build quality of durable business laptops?(Can withstand much punishment) And which one lasts longer on their battery?

 

How much gaming do you do? If you're just a casual gamer, then the 7680 would be fine.

They will be very close in battery life. The 2096 has a more power hungry video card, but also a bigger battery (9 cell versus 6 cell).

Also, if you want the 2096, wait. There is a slightly different model coming in the next week that will have faster VRAM.

 

I don't do much gaming on PC's, but then again I never owned a poweful enough comp to do such. I'd like the option to be there.

What about build quality? Is it rock solid like some tough business laptops or is it like consumer laptops?

 

You are probably looking at a $200 difference between the two with the only real difference being the video card. I guess you need to determine if the video is going to be enough for your needs. I consider general business use Office-type applications and in that case, the 7680 is enough to handle all your needs.

You should also make sure your applications have no problem with a 64-bit OS as well.

 

Laptops are not made for punishment whether they are "business" or "consumer" type models. You need to treat them with respect.

For much punishment you need to look at a "ruggedized" laptop, but you usually won't find the latest technology in them, and they are very expensive.

 

As for the 64bit thing, I've read that Vista x64 handles 32bit things very well, and that almost everything has a 64 bit driver nowadays.

As for build quality, I'm not going to take it and whack babies and angry animals with the thing, I mean will it stand up to being constantly carried around in bags and such? From what I've read, consumer notebooks don't last as long as business notebooks when people tote them around.

 

I wish I knew how to tell whether a notebook was a consumer notebook or a business notebook.

 

Business notebooks can be carried around and don't show signs of wear and tear after a while, while consumer notebooks do.

Do Sager notebooks usually last for a few years even when people carry them around?

 

According to various reviews of Sager notebooks, including the ones on this website, the quality is top-notch and the notebook itself is pretty sturdy. Expect it to last for a while...

 

Okay, I decided to get the NP7680. One question though.

I heard that the new Montevina platform allows for switching between the integrated and the dedicated graphics. Can I do it on the NP7690?

This won't affect whether I buy it or not, just something I wish to know.

 

Centrino 2 (Montevina) is not what supports the video card switching.

What you are referring to is the yet to be released nVIDIA Hybrid video technology that will only be supported by an nVIDIA based motherboard with integrated nVIDIA video together with a discrete nVIDIA graphics card.

Hybrid video technology is not supported by Intel, and therefore not a part of the Centrino 2 (Montevina) platform.

 

Okay, then what supports the Hyper video technology? AMD? I thought they were with ATI.

 

"What you are referring to is the yet to be released nVIDIA Hybrid video technology that will only be supported by an nVIDIA based motherboard with integrated nVIDIA video together with a discrete nVIDIA graphics card."

Not AMD or ATi...nVIDIA

 

uhmmm, whats the purpose of switching from dedicated to integrated graphics?

 

I just ordered an NP7660 (pretty similar to the NP7680) from our favorite Paladin here, so as soon as he gets it to me I'll be glad to post a review for you all.

 

Battery life I'd imagine (switching to integrated for basic tasks).

 

nVIDIA touts the Hybrid technology to boost the performance of the lesser discrete video cards. The idea is to put their integrated video on their chipset together with say a 9100-9500M in SLi to boost performance.

It is really directed toward the Multi-national brands that tend to use the lower end video cards while giving them what appears to be some really zippy technology with a zippy marketing name...instead of the real deal in the 9600-9800M cards.

They say it wasn't really designed for the 9600-9800M cards for any purpose other than some minimal battery life extension.

 

so why would someone get the "red" if they can have the "blue" already?
will the "red" be much cheaper than the "blue"??

 

Yes, the red will be considerably cheaper, but even with the Hybrid technology it won't come close to matching the blue card's performance.

But for those who want the zippy marketing stuff they can save a pile and still feel good that they have enhanced performance...but it still isn't the real deal of a 9600-9800M.

 

Hi folks,

I was doing a search on NBR for this comparison ... since Count Kaiser had already started the thread I decided just to tag to this one ...

@ Count Kaiser - Why did you go with the 7680 choice?

@ Bardia - I'll take up on your offer ... please post your review when you get the 7660. And why did you go with 7660?

Now for my Questions ... aside from the GPU & Battery difference between NP2096 and NP7680 ...

Q1: What separates the 2 units?

Q2: Which one is a Better Built machine?

Q3: Which one has better Port Layouts?

Q4: Which one has a Better Heat Exhaust System?

Thanks,

G!

 

thanks paladin