P150HM portability vs. MBP 15"

I'm with the US Air Force, and I'm getting deployed in a few months. So I'm currently in the market for a 15" laptop I can take with me to game on in my downtime. I'm pretty sold on the P150HM with the 6990M, seems like a great value for the $2200 price tag it's averaging at retailers.

Here's the question...

I was set on the MBP 15 because of the portability. Mostly the formfactor and the weight, since the Sager has the huge brick adapter. Looking at the photos of the laptop itself, it's hard to tell how it stacks up to the MBP.

I'll be gaming and also doing a lot of digital art work in Photoshop/Illustrator. I know the 6990M destroys the MBP's GPU, but is the weight and bulkiness small of enough of a factor to go with it?

I'm waiting for the fanboy and anti-fanboy responses, I know they're coming. I'm just looking for other opinions, before I pull the trigger next week.

Oh... if anybody has access to BOTH, and can take photos of the size comparison, I'd rep you like there's no tomorrow.

 

I know this might sound kinda strange but if you are comparing a MBP to a sager you aren't in the right market for a sager probably just get the MBP.

 

It doesn't sound strange, it sounds like an attempt at a flame and a poor one at that. I'm just curious if people find the Sager to be portable enough. I've lugged this 17" DT-Replacement around for far too long. And to be honest, Apple computers might not outperform anything Clevo, Asus, or MSI puts out. But their formfactor sure does.

I use an ASUS G73JH right now. But it's too big to carry around when deployed, and I'm selling it to a friend for $500.

 

I'll admit I prefer MBP's case better (from a block of aluminum), but if you want the best bang for buck and future-proof-- Sager/Clevo is the best out there.

 

Probably because it wasn't a flame. It was genuine advice.

You stated in the first post that you were set on the p150hm+6990 combo then in the same post you say I was set on the MBP because of the portability. It just seems like you aren't sure what you actually are going to use this laptop for because those two laptops are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

here I did a size compare of the MBP vs NP8150:
Sized Up: MBP vs NP8150

hope that helps.

also if getting deployed I hope you have considered durability in your choices.

 

Let me restate it instead of editing the post to try to make you look wrong. I apologize for thinking it was a jab.

P150HM : Power
MBP: Just as capable in everything BUT game graphics, but it's smaller.

I was just curious if anybody else chose between the two, since they both have pros and cons.

And thanks for that link, didn't know a site like that existed.

 

The thickness difference is very big!
That might be a big difference in portability for you.

The clevo would have dramatically better gaming performance because of the GPU. Big difference!!

Make sure to choose the 2.2GHz configuration to get a faster GPU on the MBP, because the GPU on the 2.0GHZ model is much worse

What kind of games do you like to play anyway, that might be helpful

 

as far as weight differences go I owned a general use laptop previously at 5.4lbs which is very close to the MBP 5.6lbs and my current NP8150 is about 7lbs. I can't tell a difference. I can definitely tell a difference between the power bricks........... this brick is kinda huge and I have to assume the MBP as a small brick(square).

 

Yeah, the thickness and weight differences (including power brick) are precisely because of the power and cooling requirements of the massive GPU on a laptop.

I mean really, it's pretty funny and unusual they got a GPU that powerful into a 15".

So you gotta really decide whether you need such a fast GPU?
How important is gaming, what type of games

 

Gaming is important. But at the same time I'll be doing a lot of videoediting and animation. So the extra power in the GPU helps there. But on the same note, OSX handles most of the productivity really well despite just having the lesser GPU. (Though the 6990M in a 15" definitely blew my mind) I'm not the kind of person that has to run games at 100% specs to enjoy them. Then again, having to deal with 2 OS's is probably the biggest pain in the world.

It's quite the predicament now that I have it all laid out. The last determining factor might be whether the P150HM fits in the laptop pocket of the backpack I have ordered.

laptop bags > laptop backpacks > jet medium laptop backpack > STM Bags

 

According to all posted dimensions for everything, it looks like it will.

Just a matter of getting my pride and joy in there, my Wacom Intuos4 Wireless drawing tablet, which I'm sure will.

Last question everybody... retailers?

I was looking at Malibal after reading reviews on delivery and all that. But also at XOTICPC because they have a military discount, though they don't post how much it is. (Probably $40 or so, I'd guess.)

 

In my experience laptop bags don't really have a thickness limit but they always have a width+depth limit. But here size comparison again:
laptop space: 10.4 x 14.8 x 1.6 in
P150hm: 10.08 x 14.8 x 1.69 in

btw that is 1.69in at its thickest point it is thinner at the front than the back. So it might fit but it will be tight.

 

I can send you pics later this weekend, I have both. Well I own a MBP 15 and I am building a few P150 series this weekend. The short answer right now is that you really want to figure out how much gaming and graphics power you need. I do CS5 on my MBP but all of my gaming and video editing on the PC. The GPU acceleration for CS5 and Sony Vegas products is far superior that the GPU acceleration of FCP and Adobe products on the MBP. Malibal, MYTHLOGIC, XoticPC all offer Military discounts and have various sales going on right now.

 

All resellers offer a military discount.

 

Not sure of the bang for the buck argument works well. Apple computers tend to lose less value over time compared to performance laptops. In the end, you may be spending less money than if you get a Sager.

Of course, you're getting more immediate performance per dollar but you may or may not pay for that in the long run.

 

I can't take picture because I no longer have my Macbook pro but the NP8150 is heavier and then you add in the PSU and it does get heavy when traveling. In terms of size, only the height is slightly bigger than a MBP. You will be surprise, it actually very small compare to other 15.6 inches laptop.

I would still get the Sager NP8150.

 

Hi, we also have a 2% military discount.

 

i have owned a 15inch gateway laptop, a 15 inch acer laptop. and a 17 inch asus laptop. i say size for laptops in the 15-17inch category are not limited in any way for portability. the macbook is smaller yes but its weak. imagine double the performance for something slightly bigger.

you would be crazy not to go for the np8150

 

The 8150 is 70% bigger by volume, that's not slightly bigger

 

cause it's so buff!

 

yeah but it doesnt weigh 70% more. the apple weighs 5.6 pounds and the clevo weighs 6.83 pounds. lol and as i was laughing at the mac webiste i came upon an interesting site, well at least for the nbr member "blacky" the new macbook air 13" has a 16:10 ratio screen.

 

Hmmm... I suppose that in the end it will be the Clevo/Sager. Mostly because once I'm back from deployment, It'll pretty much serve the purpose that my G73JH serves right now. A desktop replacement, but with more portability than this 17" monster. And it weighs a bit more, but it's only a 6 month stretch where it gets moved around a bit, so for value's sake... it would be best to go with the Sager.

After researching everything on the MBP too... multidisplay works really retardedly on macs. I don't want to buy a $250 adapter just to get 2 monitors merged into one. With the Clevo, I can still use the DVI and HDMI outs to run my TV and my Dell IPS.

Thanks for all the help, guys.

 

You welcome mate!