NP9150 Graphics card and other ?s

Looking at the Sager NP9150, but I do have a few questions. I plan to use the computer for gaming, office products, and internet surfing/video streaming.

I am getting the info from Sager's site custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks

GPU- I have heard and read that the upgrade for the AMD 7970M has driver issues, something I've see as an ongoing trend as with ipredecessorssor on the 6990M as well. Is there sconsensusnsus with ATIs cards? So with my novice technical experience is this something to really exclude, or which below is the best bang for buck?

Standard build- 670M
Upgrades
1. Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M = $100
2. AMD Radeon HD 7970M = $200
3. Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M = $445 out of price range for me- excluded from my possible upgrades due to another 1/3 of the laptop cost... eww

CPU- Would there be much of a performance upgrade from the standard 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.30GHz) to the 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.60GHz) for a $160 upgrade? I would not spend more on further upgrades on the CPU, yet will consider this one.

Power cord/brick- I had at one time looked into the NP8170, but the power cord was so large that it did not seat properly in the back of the computer. A slight bump of the cord and it would pop out due to the cord size and the brick (literally brick) size which kept the computer powered. It was almost as if you needed two cases, one for the laptop (or pickup truck), and a separate case for the AC adapter Does this computer also have this issue?

Design and portability- From my experience on the NP8170, it was a beast, with nothing that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye or feel. Granted it was a 17 in. computer, but it looked and felt like a tank. Frankly its appearance was that of one of those early laptops (late 90s/early 2000s) that were literally a huge box with parts. Now I am not one for all the lights and sticker/bells and whistles, but at the same time portability and the LTs feel in my hands does carry some weight. Just looking for some clarification from others that may have this model?

Wireless- which below?
1. STANDARD- Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
2. Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module [+$25.00]
3. Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module [+$35.00]

I will likely look at the MSI or Asus comparable products, but I have to always consider Sager stronglystandpointactical standpiont.

Thank you in advance for the support!!

 

Well the power brick is still a brick, but so far my power cord's never fallen out with a bump to the laptop.

 

Hi jjim,

If you are concerned with the 7970M issues, I would shoot for the 675M as it is still an excellent performing graphics card. AMD and Sager have been working hard to resolve the hiccups with the 7970M and there are some that have not really had any issues with the card. But, again, the 675M would be my second choice given the budget constraints you stated that keep you from getting the 680M.

For the CPU, I feel that the 3610 should offer enough performance for what you plan on doing with the laptop and you can either save the $160 for another upgrade or just keep it for a rainy day.

The AC adapter is still a brick and the design of the NP9170 is not much different from the 8170, the only changes I could find are upgraded speakers, a backlit keyboard and the addition of the mSATA slot but those changes have a minimal impact on the weight of the machine.

As far as the wireless goes, how often do you plan on using the wireless for gaming and web browsing? If you do plan on gaming over the wifi adapter, I would suggest upgrading to the 6235 at the very least. Also, what internet speeds would you have in your area?

As far as equivalent laptops from MSI and Asus, check into the G75 or the MSI GT70 branded and barebones (1762) models.

 

I agree with Heihachi_1337

Although I would just get the 7970M as it's almost twice as strong as the 675M and the Enduro issue is only present in some GPU's as well as in some games
- the Enduro problem should be fixed soon too... heh

 

Do all of the DT replacement laptop models (including those you mentioned Heihachi) have the beast AC adapters?

I failed to mention heating issues. I usually have the laptop on my lap; therefore with these components and running games do they still get extremely hot (Sager NP9170, Asus G75, and MSI GT70)? Does Sager still have the fans/vents on the bottom where the heat is dispensed out the bottom, thus onto my lap? I am guessing this can make cooling an issue if the vents are blocked by my lap?

Thanks all!

 

The power brick is big simply because it needs that much power, and they are hotter than your average laptop as all that energy has to go somewhere. That's the price you pay for a gaming laptop of any make. You can put the laptop on a lapdesk if you want to use it that way. The heat is vented out the back, but the intakes are underneath, so you have to careful about blocking the airflow on the base.

 

Every 7970M with switchable graphic have this issue, and it's present in every games. Most games you have more than 60 fps so you dont really care but it's still there.

 

Agreed I am soo sick of people posting pure bull on this forum. I have been saying for months the 7970m has A LOT of issues impacting EVERYONE... even Alienware users ... soo its not just the Enduro problem.

If I could do it all over again I wouldnt even think twice about opting for the 680m.....

With that said I still probably would rather et the 7970m over a 675m

 

The 7970M, even with the driver issues, is still a high-performing card. I haven't tested every game on the market obviously, but I have no doubt I could run every one on high settings at least. BF3 runs at 40-60 FPS on the high/ultra combination auto preset, which is decent. Performance will only increase as AMD figures out the Enduro problems and releases new drivers. I would recommend it personally. At its current "problematic" state, it still runs better than the 675M does.

The 3610 is more than sufficient for most people. Unless you are planning on doing a lot of video editing or any sort of rendering, there is no need to spend the $160 for a marginal performance increase (upgrading the CPU to will result in 1-2 FPS increase in games).

The power cord fits into the laptop very well. It's definitely secure. The power brick is still a brick, and that will never change. The laptop draws so much power under load that you need the brick.

I just looked up the NP8170 and I would say they are aesthetically similar. But in my opinion, the simple design of the laptop is what is most appealing about it. It is just a sleek, dark grey/black laptop with smoothed edges. That's what I consider attractive. The laptop itself is thick, but it is not heavy if you have any amount of strength. If you want a portable laptop, you shouldn't be looking at gaming laptops.

Definitely upgrade it unless you never use wireless. If you want Bluetooth, get the 6235, if you don't, get the 6300, which is slightly better for wireless. I have the 6235 and I max out my download speed with it and get Bluetooth, so I'm happy.

 

Two to three last questions that I have, and one will likely be quite subjective =).

1. If you had to choose between getting the AMD 7970M ($200 total upgrade) or the NVidea 675M with the upgraded Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.60GHz) ($260 upgrade for both upgrades), which would you do? Looking specifically at overall performance and longevity for laptop usage (4 years roughly).

2. Sager, MSI, or Asus, is there much of a difference in price and performance when looking at like products? With this being a Sager thread, I assume there will be more support in its corner. What are some major differences between the three?

3. I know that Sager now has the backlit keyboard on the NP9150, but has their speakers improved much over the predecessor?

Thank you all for the help once again!!

 

Hmm its a hard decision. I would go with the 7970. Just because the 7970 is newer technology and I will take the risk having issues with the drivers. The 675 is a good card but it's last generation and I will be buying something NOW, I would buy current technology. My 2 cents.

 

Clevo's speakers are still considered mediocre by most. To be honest, I hear sound coming out of them that's clear and loud enough so they're fine for me. MSI is known for its speakers and has two hard drive bays if you need that. The MSI keyboard's supposedly not that great and suffers from a lot of missed keys. I looked into Asus, but last time I checked it didn't offer the highest gpus, at least for its 15 inch model. Both MSI and Asus have heavier laptops than the NP9150. If portability's important, I'd definitely stay away from Asus. I've also read that both MSI and Asus are lacking in the customer service area, so because you can choose from many resellers, buying a Clevo will probably net you better customer service. Also, just to point out, it's not recommended to keep any laptop on your lap.

 

I'd suggest going with the 7970 as well--the 670 and 675 are pretty much outdated / old hardware now and you might as well save money and get a 650 or 660 and overclock it a little bit than get a 670/675. Not only would you get the same performance for less, but it would be cooler as well.

As far as Asus vs MSI vs Clevo, I don't have the Clevo I ordered (hoping for a delivery next week...); however, I can say that my old Asus is a bit bulkier. Same size screen but almost an inch larger in width, a fraction of an inch larger in depth, and about 0.5 to 1 pound heavier (assuming that the listed weight for the Clevo is with battery). Worse, it runs hot--it's single fan just can't keep up with the 260GTX (which is a rebranded 8800/9800 GT).

 

Checking on heat:

1. GPU- Does the ATI 7970 run cooler then the 670M or 675M? How is the heat between the 7970M and the 680M?

2. CPU- Is there any difference in heat between the Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.30GHz) and the Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.60GHz) ?

 

1. The 680M seems to run cooler.. at least on the Clevo's

2. Not that I know off, they run kinda the same

 

1) I can't answer with certainty, but I believe the 7970M runs cooler than the 670M and 675M, but the 680M runs cooler than the 7970M.

2) Probably not. If there is, it may only be a degree difference.

 

I just don't think cooling and laptop speakers should be a concern when you are making your laptop buying decisions. If you actually care about audio, you wouldn't use the laptop speakers, even if they are made by DynAudio.

 

Not really, but sure thing, I won't even bother finding evidence, just look at the posts @ the P150EM owners lounge

 

You can always go for 670m and add a 7970m later if issues get resolved, or opt for a 680m later, or heck whatever next gen GPU is released as long as it's compatible with the same MXM slot.

 

You should probably stop spouting misinformation. Every 7970m is the same.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

Just thought I'd throw my two cents worth in. I just purchased a Clevo laptop--still waiting on it to arrive, but check the other Clevo sellers if you want different options than what Sager offers. Other companies offer the mSata SSD drives up to 256GB, I think one of the companies even has a 512GB one as well. Sager only offers the Intel 50 GB or 80GB one. This drive is in addition to the regular HDD. Also, the wireless cards--a lot of companies offer the Killer Gaming wireless cards in addition to the intel cards, which may be better--I guess user preference though.

I was looking at the Asus computers since I'm currently using a 2 year old Asus, and the newer ones definitely run quieter and cooler than the one I have--they channel heat out the back of the computer instead of the left side like mine. They're also huge though. Unfortunately for gaming, the 15inch computer has only the Nvidia 660m. At least with the Clevo/Sagers you can choose. from 4 different graphics cards.

Good luck on your purchase.

 

Thanks everyone for responding. I plan to buy within the next few weeks and want to be as informed as possible. If there is more info missed, please add to thread so that I can easily reference it.

 

I didn't notice you bring up RAM. How much do you plan on getting?

 

8 would be plenety for me, but Sager is now running double that as a free upgrade to 16GB.

 

I too am getting the 8GB @ 1333Mhz. Put that $50 towards the 680! I'm not sure what to get as a hard drive though...I can't afford a SSD right now, either the free 750GB standard HDD, or the 500GB Seagate with a 4GB SSD. Which is better...?