NP9170 Recommended Build

I am pretty fresh to the customized laptop world and was directed to Xoticpc. I really wanted a 17 inch screen and going by reviews the NP9170 seems to be my top choice for a budget of less than $1500. Well my question for discussion is, what are your recommendations for specs to make this laptop run a long while before going obsolete. I have a beginners understanding of each piece except for the Wireless Network cards. Will the stock network card run well enough for me or should I make the investment to upgrade to the highest available? Here are the specs I came back with so far.



Sager NP9170 - Gaming Laptop (Clevo P170EM)
- FREE!! Continental (U.S. Lower 48 - UPS Ground Only) Ground Shipping on ALL Sager Laptops (Enter Coupon Code: "SAGERFREESHIP" during order process)
- SAGER Autumn Sale!!! - $100 OFF When you spend $1350* or more! (*excludes non-sager parts, accessories, shipping, & taxes) - [NP9150, NP9170, & NP9370 Only]
- 17.3" Sager FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - S1R401)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- FREE - nVidia GeForce GTX 675M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology [User Upgradeable] - ($100 Value: FREE!) (SKU – S5R520)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 16GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (4 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4T822P)
- Sager Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No mSATA SSD
- 750GB 7200RPM [Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache] (SKU - S5R306)
- None Standard
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 6x Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Special! (SKU - S7P557)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth™ v3.0 (SKU - S8R110)
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included (Supports up to 16GB of RAM)) + MS Office Starter 2010 -[ Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 (Directly through Microsoft) ]
- Yes, I will be upgrading to Windows 8 Professional [Directly through Microsoft] - Windows 7 purchase required (valid until: Dec.31, 2012 - U.S. Customers Only)
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- LIFETIME Ltd Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Telephone Support (Labor through XPC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Parts Warranty Repairs (SKU - X9R009)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- Standard Production Time
- No Xotic PC Gear

 

The build looks pretty good. I would definitely upgrade the wireless card, any of the choices will be much better over the stock card as it's one of the main complaints we receive when it isn't.

Depending on what you're using the system for, this build should go a long ways. The GPU will probably be the first piece of hardware you want to upgrade down the road, but that'll depend on if you're using it for gaming only or for other tasks instead. You can also upgrade the HDD to an SSD for faster boot and load times, but those are pricey and you'll be able to upgrade that fairly easy when the prices drop a little more.

If you have any other questions feel free to hop in live chat and I'll be glad to help.

 

- Get the 3610qm if cheaper,
- Get lowest amount of RAM you can upgrade yourself for cheaper, unless it's on sale with seller,
- Get smallest Hard Drive (500GB 5400rpm etc.) or no hard drive.
- Much cheaper to buy your own SSD and install, you can get Samsung 830 and Crucial M4 for $160 nowadays, then stick the spare Hard Drive in the secondary bay for storage.
- Get the 675MX or 7970m,
- Wireless card also cheaper to buy your own and install, then sell the stock or put into another laptop, personally I have found absolutely no difference and sold my Intel Ultimate Wireless card and my Bigfoot Killer and just kept the stock one.

Again the choice is yours to make.

 

For the GPU, switch to the 7970m, its worth the money. And for RAM, you really don't need 16GB. 8GB will do the job nicely. As for the network card, some people suggested to upgrade to the 6300 or higher.

 

I hate to talk a laptop without knowing the purpose of buying such laptop for.

I would give out different recommendation for different purposes.

Let me know.