NP5793: What parts are upgradeable/addable after purchase and use?

After learning about the huge contrast in power between the 8700M GT and the 8800M GTX, I'm having trouble seeing why I wouldn't get the GTX. But, I was trying to keep my purchase at Powernotebooks down to around $2700. Obviously I need to remove a few bells and whistles to the NP5793, but I need to make sure I only remove things I can add-on later, months after use. Whatever isn't replaceable, I'll be stuck with for the lifetime of the notebook. If I can't replace the GPU, then I'll always have the 8700M GT if I don't get the 8800GTX now. So I need to know what can be replaced or upgraded later.

I'm assuming I can't change the display, so I'll stick with the 1920 by 1200.

I don't know about the CPU, but I think the 2.4 GHz will do just fine.

I'm assuming I can replace the hard drives, but I need to at least have a 7200 rpm from the get-go, so I should probably limit my purchase to the 100GB 7200 rpm. That may not be enough in the long run, but I can upgrade it later, hopefully.

I can install a TV tuner later, so I can skip that now.

I was going with regular CD/DVD drive anyway, but just out of curiosity, can a blue-ray drive be installed later?


Here's the general question I'm getting at. What can I replace or upgrade later? What can't I on a notebook?

 

Pretty much everything can be replaced on exotics like Sagers/Clevos.

 

I'd say the cheapest/easiest items to upgrade would be the HDD and RAM. So you can skimp on those parts if need be. A Blu-Ray drive can also be added later on for sure.

 

You can upgrade:
-the RAM
-the HDD
-the CPU
-the optical drives

You can choose between the 7950GTX, the 8700M GT or the 88M GTX. But if a new card will be released, maybe a mobo upgrade might get you a new gpu also...but unlikely.
You can also get another battery,custom skins,extra mods etc.

 

Buy it from rj tech with the parts you need (cpu,8800, optical drive) and buy the other stuff off newegg and install it yourself for cheap .

 

I think I'll stick to PowerNotebooks. With RJTech, you save a couple hundred dollars, but that's due to their less expensive warranty, and I don't think their customer service is as good as PowerNotebooks. Plus, Powernotebooks has a 9.98/10.00 on resellerratings after almost 1300 reviews. RJtech pulled out a 9.44 with 40 reviews. I don't know about you, but it's clear to me who gets squashed like a bug.

Speaking of warranties, I just realized my master plan might be a problem. I'm getting the full maxed out Sager warranty. There's no doubt about that. But if I buy other hardware separately from, say, newegg, would that somehow put my warranty at risk if a malfunction occurs?

I'd ask P.N. directly, but I don't think they're in the business of helping customers buy from other retailers.

 

Upgrading anything except for the HDD and RAM will void the warranty.

 

Yea, Lithus was paying attention to the discussion about voiding warranties and such.
If you break anything when upgrading, or use other parts than those avaiable on the sager site(don`t have to be from them though) then you`ll definitely void it.

 

@Eleron911: Sounds like you already know the drill on this one, so you can skip the ersatz Cliff's Notes below (unless you're insanely bored and can't stand another round of sort-the-sock-drawer ).

The voiding-the-warranty issue is not quite as crystal clear as it should be. Basically, unless the seller says otherwise, a warranty only covers the equipment actually delivered by the seller to the buyer, and only against defects in workmanship that cause damage under normal usage.

If you add additional equipment to the system after you buy it, and the original seller hasn't explicitly covered add-on equipment of that sort in the warranty, the following will generally result:

1) the warranty will not cover the after-market equipment (obviously, duh, I just had to get that one out);

2) the warranty will not cover any damages caused by you (or your favorite techie) physically adding the after-market equipment to the system;

3) (this is where it begins to get murky) the warranty will almost certainly not cover any damage suffered by the original components of the system if that damage was due to the after-market equipment, and the after-market equipment was not within the specifications of the original system as delivered to you by the seller;

4) if the after-market equipment was within the specs of the system as originally delivered (e.g., because the seller offered the same or substantially similar equipment as an option), then there is a reasonable likelihood that the warranty will not be void as to the other components that were in the system when it was originally delivered to you by the seller; the warranty will not, of course, cover the after-market equipment itself.

A good example of this is the GPU in the Clevo/Sager 579x and 926x systems, which (at least initially) were advertised as being "user upgradeable." That term, unfortunately, is very vague (which would generally mean that it would be interpreted in favor of the buyer and against the seller, but only within reason); however, it should cover any after-market GPU that, based on published specifications, and in the absence of explicit advice to the contrary by the manufacturer/seller, would be compatible with the specifications of the original system.

In other words, if Clevo/Sager had not said that 8800Ms in SLi was not going to work in the NP9260/1, and if an owner of an NP9260/1 upgraded to 8800Ms in SLi and (this is the important bit) that upgrade caused damage to the remaining original components of the computer, then the warranty should not be void as to those remaining original components solely by virtue of the act of upgrading the GPUs. Obviously, the warranty would not cover the new 8800Ms themselves and, once Clevo/Sager made the public announcement that the NP9260/1 was not compatible with 8800Ms in SLi, anyone who nonetheless goes ahead and puts them in, will most likely have voided his warranty as to any damage caused by the upgrade to the remaining original components.

The simplest examples of components you can upgrade w/o voiding the warranty are the hard drives and the RAM (provided that the upgrade components are otherwise within the system's specifications; e.g., if the system is designed to handle 667/800 MHz memory, and you stick some 100/133MHz stuff in there, and thereby damage the system, that damage will not be covered under the warranty becuse 100/133MHz memory is clearly outside the specs of the system as delivered to you by the seller).

Beyond that, it's difficult to find examples due to the unfortunate fact that notebooks are still unjustifiably boutique as opposed to fungible goods. However, you do bring up a good example with swapping the original CD/DVD drive for a Blu-ray drive. Provided that the Blue-ray drive has operating specifications that are within the operating specifications for the original CD/DVD drive (e.g., draws the same current, uses the same voltage, uses the same interface, uses the same driver logic), swapping the CD/DVD for such a Blu-ray drive should not (but don't take my word for it - you get what you pay for and I ain't received a cent from you or anyone else) void your warranty as to the remaining original components of the system. The burden may very well be on you, however, to prove that the Blu-ray was, in fact, within all of the relevant specs, so you really should do your homework and study the datasheets carefully before you do the upgrade.

If you want a real answer you can rely on, you're going to have to talk to an attorney with actual experience in the area of computer warranties.

Finally, due regard for ethical responsibilities, and basic CYA, requires the following: this is not legal advice, and neither you nor anyone else, living or dead, natural or corporate (including, without limitation, any corporation, limited liability company, or partnership, general, limited, limited liability, or limited liability limited) may in any way whatsoever rely on anything said above in any way, shape, or fashion, for any reason at all, including without limitation, legal or non-legal. Okey dokey?

 

Man, I bet after a few beers with you, I`d know the secrets of the Universe

 

To boil down what Shyster so excellently said:

Installing a new hard drive, new RAM, a new optical drive, or even a new motherboard or GPU will not void your warranty UNLESS:

+You attempt to install a piece of hardware clearly labeled as incompatible by Sager/Clevo (e.g., if you tried to shoehorn a Conroe processor into an NP5793).
+You damage something during the upgrade process (this is why it is generally best, if you plan on upgrading, to skimp on your hard drive, RAM, and, in this case, optical drive, since they are the easiest items to upgrade and they have the least risk of damaging other components)

Obviously, you will need to research what kind of warranty any upgrade parts will have, as they will NOT be covered by your notebook's warranty, and a failure of an upgraded part will need to be pursued through the manufacturer of that part.

Of greatest note is the fact that it can be a little difficult to find notebook processors for general purchase (not impossible), and the only place you are likely to find a 100% compatible GPU is directly through Sager (and the price of buying an 8800M with your notebook is close to $100 cheaper than buying it separately).

Moral of the story? If you have to skimp, skimp on the les expensive items. The more expensive items may not drop in price considerably by the time you are ready to upgrade, and they may be challenging to actually locate.

 

Layman's Terms:

You can upgrade the RAM, HDD, ODD, and GPU.

If you break it during the uninstall and new install, you're screwed.
If you try to install something and it doesn't fit, you're screwed.

 

And, the one point many warrantors don't like to make clear: just because you un-screwed the case, that generally doesn't mean that you're screwed.

 

And to further continue the epiphany, if you screw the case back, doesn`t necessarly mean you`re screwed.

 

Nor would it un-screw you if you've already screwed yourself!

 

Screw that man, forget about upgrades. All this talk made me wanna see my girlfriend at 2 AM

 

You win!