NP5793 vs NP5797

Hello! I've pretty much just now found out that I have a good bit more money to spend on a notebook and I can now get what I really wanted, a Sager! I've come into a bit of a debate though, as to which to get, the 5793 or the 5797 so here I am to ask a few things.

The main points are:

5793 @ $1,589.00
T9300 45nm 2.5GHz w/6MB L2
9800M GTS 1GB
4GB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (2sodimms)
2X Blue-Ray Read Drive
Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera

5797 @ $2,024.00
P8700 45nm 2.53GHz w/3MB L2
GTX 280M 1GB (User upgradable)
4GB DDR3 1066 Dual Channel (2 sodimms)
Combo Drive
2.0 built in camera

Other than that as far as I can tell theyre pretty much the same, are there any other features such as a better motherboard or better user upgradability?

Is it worth the extra $400 for the 5797's GPU and other smaller things? (Blu ray doesnt mean anything to me, and i may be able to price match price down a little bit)

Or is it a better buy to just get the 5793 and use the money saved to get the rest of my stuff like router, cooler, bag, extended warranty?

Many many thanks for your help!

(Complete specs of importance here)

Sager NP5793 - $1,589.00
- 17" WUXGA "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- ~Intel® T9300 45nm "Penryn" Core™2 Duo 2.5GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 800MHz FSB-
- nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS 1,024MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory
- NP579x Orange Frame Trim Color
- ~ 2X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's

Sager NP5797 - $2,024.00
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- ~Intel® P8700 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- nVidia GeForce GTX 280M 1,024MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- NP579x Orange Frame Trim Color
- ~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)
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's

 

the 5797 will cream the other, the 280 is 50% faster than the 9800GTX so even faster than the GTS.

 

Clarify what you're saying here...

because the 280M GT is a desktop 9800GTX+.

perhaps you mean 9800 M GTX, but even then, 50% is an exaggeration.

I would go with the 9800M GTS and pocket the cash, the hardware moves too quickly to overspend. The best way to compare is using desktop benchmark examples of the 8800 GS (9800M GTS) and 9800 GTX+ (280M GT) , and ask yourself, is the performance gain worth $400?

How about just keeping the money in the bank?

 

The real thing I would say since I had to make the same choice - is upgradability.

The thing that hung me up on the 5793 was the fact it had the matte screen I wanted, and despite the service manual saying matte is an option on the 5797 - not one reseller would put it on the 5797 because they come as kits. However I came up with a solution if you look around NBR, is there is a company that makes glare films which do a pretty decent job of cutting back on the glare. Depending on what it looks like when I get my 97, I may pick up a film or maybe find a 93 screen.

Other than the processor, ram, and OS, you've got the same setup I was going for on both units.

I went with PCTorque on a 5797 due to the pricematch, free shipping, $5 night owl discount (after 1 am est it shows up on the site) and wanted to check out someone besides xotic. Not to say xotic is bad as I ordered a different unit form them previously, but there were a few quibbles that made it enough for me to try someone else for the sake of trying.

Back to hardware though - the 5793 is basically maxed out, although in a good way. The 5797 has some room to grow and the new 280m appears to have some nice specs. The blu-ray drive is a reader, not a burner - so to me not a big deal.

The motherboard in the 97 is a revision update from the 93 if my info is correct. Plus you get eSATA and a HDMI on the 97. Nice if you have HDTVs or going to be doing backups to say a WD My Book hard drive...

In the end, being that this new laptop has to last me about 4-5 years. I went with the 97 because of the upgradability. The 280m rather than the 9800GTX swap I think is why the price dropped on the 97.. so it made it a hard pick when comparing the two.

I paid $1684.89 using the price match with Power Notebooks a month ago.
Since then I think Xotic and everyone else noticed and is matching right now.
You could still go for that $5 off... but I've not been getting any updates from PCTorque like Justin's been giving out here. So take your pick.

 

Some very good points here, I was thinking pretty much the same way.
Not too concerned about glossy vs matte screens right now, maybe in the future as well. I as well am looking for something to last me 4-5 years.

I think if I go for either option, using pctorque with price matching will benefit me pretty well, and it sounds like the 5797 is more solid and to my needs right now, so as much as it pains me to pay that extra bit, upgradability and current power seem very nice.

 

Xotic, PCtorque, Powernotebooks are your big 3 pretty much unless
you have to deal with Eurocom in Canada. The big three all do price match.

My main thing with PCtorque at the time, was the free shipping (which is UPS and is like $20 to 75 I forget) and the $5 discount. To me every penny is important as I didn't have a budget for a new laptop in the first place. More of an emergency replacement type situation.

Just trying to clarify that other vendors do price match...

I was at the same crossroads you are now. Contemplated for better than 2 weeks. But yeah - 5797 wins in the "prepared for the future" category.

We've got a couple topics around here if you're looking for a new laptop bag too. I'm fond of Kinsington as I've said before.

As to warranty, I got 3 year labor, 1 year parts, lifetime phone support.
If you ever have to send the system back you're going to pay for the shipping yourself. Plus the most likely thing you'd be sending it back for is probably an upgrade, which isn't covered anyway. So really, I don't see a lot of practicality of an extended warranty. If you know how to keep care of a computer and be mindful when toting it around (or get a bag to compensate) you should be fine. My comps either become totally obsolete or almost every component is failing before I get a new one... so 3 years doesn't apply much.

If you stress test it in your 30 day period (which is from day of shipping, not when you receive it - also some might be 15 day, I forget on that as well so might check on that with the reseller) then you should know if you've got a keeper anyway.

 

I'm thinking pretty much the same, and I think I can manage to dole out enough cash for everything since it seems worth it.

Few tech questions about the 5797 though:
1. How many HDD slots?
2. How many RAM slots? Can it take DDR3 1333 or only 1066? Is the max 4GB or 8GB?
3. With everything being upgradable, does removing anything or changing the OS at all void the warranty?
4. What's a reccomended cooler for this unit?

Thanks again!

 

#1 1 HDD
#2 all ddr3 laptops are limited to 1066 memory
#3 memory, hdd, and gpu swaps will not void warranty, anything else will
#4 zalman nc2000 or the NZXT cryo

 

Cool!

Specifically what brand and type of HDD is it? (320GB@7200RPM)
So changing the CPU, swapping any small internal things, or modifying the physical appearance or anything like that will do so?

What cooler do you personally reccomend as being better, or is it just a preferencial thing?

Thank you again.

 

It'll only void the warranty if you make it obvious you've done so. If done properly/carefully and the old item is put back before you send it in, how would they ever know?

 

Please ignore the comment above.

 

The GTX 280M is only 10-15% better at best than the 9800M GTX right?
But then the 9800M GTX is also probably about that much or a little more better than the 9800M GTS?

If that's right, those numbers kind of start to stack up against the GTS though, still kind of inclined for the GTX 280M so I can squeeze as much good performance as possible from a single high end GPU

 

9800M GTS has 64 shaders. 9800M GT (or 8800M GTX) has 96 shaders. 9800M GTX has 112, and GTX 280M has 128 shaders as well as higher clocks than all below.

 

... OK, this is my last attempt to get you swinging towards 5793 + $400:



Crysis, is only a 2fps difference on high settings @ 1600*1200 & 1280*1024...

That is $200 per frame on average in intensive games when comparing 9800M GTS & 9800M GTX.

The other games don't matter because they are above the 30fps threshold....

How much better is the GTX 280M than the 9800M GTX?

If going from 64 shaders to 112 only yielded 2fps, then going from 112 to 128 will not be a big deal unless the 280M is clocked out of proportion....