Question to College-Go'ers

I've been eyeing the NP8662 for about a month now for college, as I want to do gaming as well as work, but is it portable enough? Would a gaming PC and netbook (which I can both get for around the same price as the NP8662) be more suited for a college environment?

 

If I were you, I'd buy a Gateway FX P7805u($700-900) and a solid netbook. I think anything 14" or lower would be ideal for college. 15.4" shouldn't be to bad, if you're willing to pay the price for the Sager.

 

$1400 is not bad for the Sager- I simply don't know if I can go back to anything less than a GTX260m.

 

Goer is a legit English word. There is no reason to butcher the word with a useless apostrophe.

 

lol now if we're talking about practicality, the Sager would probably not be the best option. I'm not sure how the economy has affected you, but for us poor people, we're looking for Bang 4 the Penny .

 

Sure, if the 9800GTS if acceptable enough to the OP, then by all means...

 

Also consider that whichever notebook the OP chooses will have to atleast last him through his first three years at university. It has to fulfill his schoolwork and his gaming needs as well as remain portable and reliable, which makes the M860TU the number one candidate at the moment.

 

I think it's really up to you. Personally, I prefer having just one notebook to do everything that I need to.

 

Dah?!

"$1400 is not bad for the Sager- I simply don't know if I can go back to anything less than a GTX260m."

True and it is a very nice machine, but for that money I could build a sweeter pc and get a netbook.....
Is the sager portable enough for college tho?

 

I have been through college and going to university next year.

The m860tu has done me well, the 9800 GT still has no problem on high settings with good resolution on all the games i play (fallout 3, l4d, tf2, mass effect, gta IV etc).

Portability wise, for the power inside this 15" its well worth the extra couple pounds. Also i am always on the go, rarely at home, so being able to haul around a desktop replacement has been a dream. Hell, i even take it on my bike in my laptop knapsack. Never have had a problem.

However i think it totally depends on what you want out of the laptop. If you do not need a portable gaming machine/and are at home to use a desktop all the time, then i would buy a crappy cheap netbook for simple tasks at school and build a solid gaming desktop. In the end its up to what you want the laptop for/funtionality/use.

 

More portable than that Gateway d.rivera08 suggested. It is also more convenient than having two machines. You will find that the M860TU very portable after you get used to it. Most students carry 14 or 15 inchers anyway. If you feel like it is worth more building a desktop and buying a netbook for class, then by all means do so. It's your call.

 

I'd be staying in a dorm, so the desktop would stay there.
so you never tired of carrying the m860tu?

 

In my opinion screen size isn't what really matters in this case when comparing 15.6 inchers to others. What really matters is weight because most laptop bags are around the same size. In my opinion anything over 6 lb (2.7kg) is a bit too much to carry around college all the time. Since the sager weighs about 7.3 lb, I think it's not very portable. You might consider the sager np2098 though. It's got a worse graphics chip, but its also much cheaper and it's about 5.9 lb.

 

Truth is, if you don't want to carry around a gaming laptop, go for a desktop + gaming laptop. You say it's cheaper and if there is no chance that you'll want to carry it around to play games on your notebook, there is no reason to buy a gaming notebook. As a college student myself, I carry this computer from school to home with no problem during breaks, weekends if needed, etc. It's really a big hassle to carry around a desktop.

 

I've ordered my Sager NP8662 for college (University in Canada ) and I know it will be portable enough.
I have friends that carry around 17inch laptops and they've said that 15inch would be "too small"!

Honestly, its really up to you, although I can't imagine how the NP8662 couldn't be small enough, not only is it only about a square foot in size.. but its pretty small for its power. Sager/Clevo could have easily made it fatter for all the stuff thats inside.

I think its really up to your personal "scale" of how big things are, but I know for me, anything smaller and I'd just find it annoying.

Edit - it only weighs as much as a textbook.. and your going to be carrying those around Campus like its your religion. One extra one won't make any difference.

 

I was wondering the same thing as you when I entered college. I ended up buying a custom-built, very powerful, 15", 8-pound laptop to be my desktop replacement and to carry it around school as well. I personally hated it.

I'm not a small guy and I brought it to campus every day anyway. But I regretted not buying the smaller laptop + desktop. I don't really see the point of bringing a gaming laptop to campus unless you're going to play in class. But if you're going to do that, why go to class anyway? A year later, I ended up selling that laptop for less than half of what I paid for it and bought a second desktop and a 13" Sony Vaio instead. Netbooks weren't mass-produced at the time or I would have gone with that option.

So if you have a nice desktop at home, I would really go for the desktop + netbook and leave your desktop at school during breaks. If not, then I would still go for the lesser laptop + netbook.

 

This laptop is ideal for college. I used it in the last year of my studies and it was excellent.

 

How did a desktop at school work out for you?


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"This laptop is ideal for college. I used it in the last year of my studies and it was excellent."

How was bringing it to clasS?

 

Ignore this guy, soulbreaker360.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think the NP8662 is a great machine and in the end, it's your call. I'm only giving my opinion based on my own experience. You can choose to ignore it as Soviet Sunrise wants you to if you want.

For me, the desktop + lightweight laptop was the perfect balance. I went to University 400 miles away from where I lived so I used to drive home during the longer breaks. It was only after I had graduated that I moved my desktop home. At the same time, I lived with the same roommate for 3 years, so I never had to deal with the hassle of moving after the first year. Also, I walked nearly a mile uphill to class. I guess these are all contributing factors.

I guess a relevant question would be: what games are you going to be playing? Does it really require your system to be that powerful? I played mostly SC, CS, WC3, and WoW so I didn't need a powerful laptop.

Also, I don't really see the downside of having a desktop + netbook. Portability issues with the desktop? If your friends are having lan parties all the time, I guess that could be an issue.

 

if you travel to and from school often (for vacations, holiday breaks, etc) and absolutely want to type notes during class, laptops are the way to go. the portability and convenience just outweighs everything else. but if your an avid gamer demanding nice resolution screens and some high end graphics, then you might want to get a desktop/netbook or small notebook. the caveat is you can't take your desktop home very often (probably only at the end of the school semester) but you can take your netbook/small notebook with you.

if you drive from home to school and vice versa, then that would make transporting a desktop much easier. any other means (like busing, train or airplane) make desktops a real pain in the neck.

 

i just restarted college this year, i already have a BS in investment banking. i bought the NP8662 about 5 months ago thinking i would also do some gaming on the side or take it to class all the time. i could not be more wrong, the weight of the laptop started to give me trouble with also carrying around all my books and other school items. so i just left it at home, sold my old desktop in the process, and i went out i bought myself a HP 2510p with 2 9 cell batteries from ebay. i use the HP instead of the NP8662 to do my school stuff. i found out that i was doing more school things then gaming. school just took up more of my time. for me those "nettops" with 10 inch screens where just too small for my blind eyes. but the 12 inch on the HP along with 8 hours of battery life per battery is just perfect for me.

so what i am saying is, it just depends on your major that your doing and how busy your going to be. i didnt have to travel home cuz my home is my home. i would ask around this school for people in your field major to see whats the course load going to be. if its a heavy course load then a heavy gaming laptop wouldnt work. maybe try, desktop with a nettop.

but good luck in your choosing field.

 

I currently am wondering about the mobility of the NP8662 as well. I'm not in college but currently stationed overseas in Japan (Navy). Would this be an ideal laptop to use as a desktop replacement for when I'm at shore and bring onboard for week and a half long underways? I have a 7811 that is quite the hassle to lug around travelling back home to the states and what not.

Appreciate all the information and expierences thus far everyone! Don't mean to hijack the thread either. Just thought it'd be easy to throw a quick post in here.

EDIT: I don't mean to post a different brand laptop (still new here) and my apologies if it's against anything but the MSI GT627 weighs in at about 6 lbs and seems to pack quite a bit of punch for it's price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152095
My only gripe is the screen resolution being so low compared to the NP8662. Although on xoticpc.com they have a GT627 with WSXGA+ at $1299.

 

Okay so I had this laptop last year for college, and I'm gonna have to say it was just fine. It's a little big, but to be honest the size of the notebook is only 1 spiral notebook thicker than any other 15 incher, and this is isn't high school so you won't be lugging around books for every class anyway. My only issue was that sometimes I would run out of battery after 2 lectures or so -- kind of an annoyance since the power brick is probably the most unweildy part of this laptop. As long as you're carrying it in a backpack, the extra weight won't even be noticeable, so its really not an issue.

In all, as long as you're okay with the fact that you will need to carry the power brick for any sort of 2+ hour use, I'd say its a perfectly decent choice for college

 

No, I enjoy suggestions and please keep the student stories coming....I am having the hardest time making this decision..

 

Well a Sager Np8662 is $1499.. If you read the topic below you can see an idea of the best desktop computer you can get for your money for around $1000:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=276390

The $1000 system comes with an ATI 4870 graphics card.. This card is deemed to be better than the nVidia 260, which is better than the nVidia 9800+ GTX, which is only slightly better than the nVidia 280m, nevermind the 260m.. From some brief research I can pretty much conclude that it goes somewhat like this:

Desktop ATI 4870> Desktop nVidia GTX 260> Desktop 9800+ GTX> Laptop nVidia GTX 280m> Desktop nVidia 8800GTX> Laptop nVidia GTX 260m.

I may be wrong! I am just going by numbers and specs from the nVidia website. Between all these cards there is not much of a difference, and of course it also depends on the rest of the laptop of desktop pc's spec.

So really.. you can get a desktop pc with a much better graphics card than the Sager Np8662 for only $1000 if not less in a few weeks time as prices are always falling.. Leaving you $499 to spend on a small netbook or average laptop for college. If it's gaming you really want, desktop if DEFINITELY the way to gay; it's upgradeable in the future and parts are much cheaper.

However, if it's mobility gaming you want, as in gaming on the move, then the laptop really is your only option. If this isn't the case, and it were me, I'd definitely go the desktop route. The only reason these companies make gaming laptops so expensive is the fact you can use them on the move.. Especially laptop GPU's. Their highly over priced for the performance they give.. People say the nVidia 280m is almost the same as the desktop nVidia 9800+ GTX.. yet the 280m costs around $460 on its own yet the 9800 GTX+ can be bought from Newegg.com for less than $150..

 

The heck is that?

Agreed 100%, I have to go to the place im renting near work during the summer weekdays, and am home on the weekends, and im at school during most of the year. I would hate to lug around a gaming desktop around every time I changed locations.

 

I have the 570tu the 17in bigger brother which is bigger size and weight wise. But after a year at school, I don't regret it one bit... though the power supply is a pain...

 

Yes an 15.4 inch laptop will be easy to carry. I have one myself and I find it no hassle at all, very mobile.

Just remember laptops are highly overpriced simply for the fact they are mobile. Any laptop you buy for around $1,500 can be bought in equalivent desktop form for less than $1,000.

This is even more-so gaming wise. An nVidia GTX 280m is the best mobile laptop graphics card costing $460 from RJTech. It is pretty much equal to an nVidia 9800 GTX+.

If you were to spend $460 on a desktop Graphics card, well you could buy an nVidia GTX 285.. Which is dare I say double an nVidia 280m..

Don't be fooled by the names.. The mobility GTX 280m is not from the same family as the desktop cards at all. It is from the 9800 desktop card family.. meaning even the cheapest nVidia 260+ series card is better than it.

If you don't need mobility gaming.. Then there is no point in wasting your money in anything better than a Netbook, unless you also need to use things such as Photoshop and HD videos.. But some netbooks can still handle these no sweat with external monitors.

 

I don't carry my M570TU as often as sujinge9, but I still find it very mobile, and I'm most likely the smallest out of all of you.

 

I just.... I gotta say it... if you can't carry around 7 pounds, your a sissyflower.

 

The weight should really have nothing to do with it.. Unless your carrying a lot of books, although if he's looking to buy a laptop I'm pretty sure there is no need for books..

 

I carried 20-25 pounds of junk in my backpack every day from 7-5 in high school. With shorter school days and spread out classes, 7 pounds is easily manageable.

 

lol, that's EXACTLY what I did. Except, my Sager never even made it to school. The 2510p really is an excellent value.

 

Did you buy your sager for school?

 

any more opinions?

 

Yea, I had originally purchased it for its balance of excellent performance and decent portability. But, now that I have other computers on either ends of the spectrum, I no longer need one balanced in the middle, hence why I am regretfully selling my NP8662.

 

So you have two computers at school? did you enjoy the 8662?

 

Well I have an XPS and an X301. One's powerful and one's portable. The NP8662 is a very nice computer, though I never really got to enjoy it.

 

so Im assuming you keep your XPS in your dorm room?

 

So, on NP8662 the power supplier is built into the laptop?

 

no its not

 

To clarify; I'm about 103% sure he means it's a more powerful laptop...

 

Ah, yeah, that's right - he meant it is a powerful laptop. I did not read the post very carefully. I kind of hoped and I even reached for my Visa, but it's too good to be true to have a built-in power supply in 15" laptop.

It does not take too much to make Soviet laugh - good philosophy.

 

Have you looked at Sony VGN-SR490? It's 13" and it has ATI 4550 graphics card. I do not play games anymore but someone else might advise how well this graphics card can handle your games. Back at home/dorm you can hook it up to external monitor.

 

meh that graphics card isnt very good.

 

I use mine for uni almost everyday, it's not problem carrying it around or using it in café.

 

Well, when you're comparing it to the NP8662, most computers are going to look rather under-powered.

 

I myself had a desktop in college, and I wished I had a laptop that I could have taken to my design (autocad and formz) classes. I took notes in lectures the old school way (paper and pen).

I knew a few guys who had laptops and with our books averaging about 7-8lbs what's another "book"? The guys who had the laptops also got to stay in the design labs and work on autocad while making their models or use it to cross-reference stuff where i would have had to go home or ask to borrow one of theirs.

In the end it all depends on how applicable the laptop is to you. Do you need it to have the gaming/design performance at classes or labs? If so, get the M860ETU, if that's not a concern and you'd just like to be able to game on it at college when you're bored in the cafeteria, then get yourself a desktop and bring your lunch to your dorm room instead.

The weight won't be a concern, especially if you keep it in a backpack as opposed to a single strap carrier which puts all the pressure onto one shoulder (which sucks with a lot of books, period).