Sager 2090 Impressions

Ok funny story...this just happended a little while ago. So I'm sitting here at my house and I hear the sound of a truck outside my driveway. I go to check and see what it was and it just so happened to be a Fed-Ex truck parked right smack-dab in front of MY house. So then as you would expect I got all really excited, but thought to myself, "Myself, how could they be delivering my laptop NOW, I got the WSXGA+ screen...is it possible?". The man inside the truck was sitting for a while looking at something(couldn't tell what it was)for about a minuite, when all of the sudden he whipped out a package that looked about the right size as the pictures I've seen from the ones who recieved their laptops early(but I have a long driveway so who knows...). Right in the middle of my anticipation, he walked out of the truck with the package in both arms, took a few stepps onto my sidewalk and walked to the house right next door to me dropped off the package and left .

Just a depressing story, I wouldn't of told it if he wasn't right there...he was directly infront of my house. Oh well.

 

That really sucks I was hoping back last month that it'd be around today that they'd ship the higher res screens out, guess not

 

Yeah I was definitely hoping to have it in my hands by now....

 

I feel the same way. Theres always a UPS truck that comes by and i just wait...is today the day??...but then it isnt...well at least i have a time when to expect it.

 

If I ordered the laptop WSXGA+ screen how long do you expect it will take to arrive?

 

DraGoZ, only a reseller can give you any idea of how long it will take. They are the only ones talking directly with Sager and Bizcom and they are the only ones knowing how many orders they have to fill before yours.

 

So did anyone get any good news yet?

 

lol yeah, I actually meant the speakers. It's hard to be specific when when you're typing it's in your head and you assume everyone knows what you are talking about.

But yeah, I'm really hoping it's the speakers. The laptop doesn't seem to detect the .1 in control panel. I plugged the speakers into an mp3 player, but I'm definitly going to be doing more testing. That post was just me saying 'damn'.

 

If you really want, you could always check out something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829270004

It's just an external sound card that's in the form of a usb stick. If you really like sound it could help, and it's more portable than the external soundcards like the one from Soundblaster (which I actually have in case you have any q's). Just a thought.

 

woah... bit of explaining to do.... coming out of the headphone port, if that is still what you are discussing, the computer is only sending out two channels worth of audio (stereo sound - left and right), hence the three sections on the plug, a left, a right, and a ground/earth. The computer wont "detect" speakers at all, only the sound card. From the options in the sound card you might be able to optimize settings for the subwoofer, etc, but technically you're only adjusting the signal output from the soundcard, nothing directly on the speakers.

The speaker system on the other hand, at least in the case of most 2.1 systems, will take that 2 channel stereo signal, and split it up between the main drivers, for mids and highs, and the subwoofer, to take all the lows/bass.

 

Will it be possible in the future to upgrade the processor in the np2090 with the new intel processors: T2600, T7700, or X7800?

 

You should be able to use any processor, other than the Extreme (X) versions, that the Intel 965 (Crestline) chipset will support.

 

For your sound problems.. how about the Audigy 2 NX USB? its a good product. I use it for recording stuff on the go and when i do some recordings for auditions and etc. Its kinda pricey but I personally think it is worth it.. about 100ish..

 

how about removing the battery and just using the cord to power the notebook?......

 

That would fall under removing and storing the battery in a cool place, johnrc.

 

So I felt the need to post here, maybe I'll be able to bump it enough to get some conclusive answers. I'll be poking around a smidge more though, just in case =)

Anyway! So evidently I'm ordering my 2090 far after the rush, and I wanted to know what people are thinking about their purchases? Are you guys happy with what you got? How're palmrest temperatures, noise, keyboard flex and the like treating you? I plan on running Vista Ultimate (friend works at MS) and will likely dual boot with Gentoo, but I'm somewhat concerned about how much VU will tax the hardware, and if people have been able to fix their issues with the screen, and video card drivers.

I really hope I breath some life into the thread with this post =D

 

Another question: I'm also considering building the system up barebones (finding a processor, RAM, HD on NewEgg and/or through PriceGrabber), getting the core of the machine from R&J Technology... any thoughts on doing a barebones build? I've never done one, but I feel like I could handle it, but wanted opinions and input from people who've been there before, and could provide some input on troubleshooting and the like.

Also... I'd like to slap some AS5 on there too, any tips for a first timer, assuming I go this route? I looked at pricing, and a 2090 configured through R&J Technology would set me back $1604 USD, but just buying HD, RAM and processor through NewEgg, everything else installed, would be $1549 (plus a smidge for shipping). If I was even more picky I could save another $20 buy getting some stuff from the cheapest vendor on PriceGrabber, and then I'd be around $1520 to $1530... given that I'm in Canada and paying with Canadian dollars, that translates to roughly $1448. Now the number crunching was perhaps lame for you, the reader (sorry 'bout that ), but basically my question boils down to this:

Is it worth the money given the numerous go-to people for warranties, and the possibility of shipping orders being completely screwed up by the shippers?

Please advise! It's huuugely appreciated, as I'm nearly the last remaining legs on this poor laptop I'm on now, and I'd love to be able to have a new computer ASAP as my USB ports are fried, my RAM is acting up, and my harddrive has been on the fritz for over a year and a bit now.

Another thing: I mentioned before that I'm leaning toward 4 GB and VU, but I'm a bit worried about stability of the system, and performance with Vista Ultimate and 4 GB of RAM vs. XP Pro and 3 GB of RAM. I plan on using the system for every day stuff (d'uh), some gaming (SC2, TF2 and Orange Box, UT3), as well as CAD, like SolidWorks and AutoCAD... apologies if this is in the wrong thread by the way. Never spent this much skrilla on... well, anything, let alone a laptop =b

 

I was considering to build my 2090 myself but I opted to just have a vendor build it. the extra $ was worth not dealing with multiple low cost suppliers and spending hours configuring ops. system and drivers ect... and of course a warranty is worth it's $ in gold.
I have my Sager NP2090 4 days now and it is certainly a rocket. I configured it with XP Pro and 2 gigs of ram which is plenty, I would have got 3 gigs if it was Vista...being such a tremendous resource hog ( spyware central ! ). I have been running Flight simulator 2004 and PhotoShop CS3 on this laptop and the performance has been way beyond my expectations.

 

I own my np2090 WSXGA+ for 3 months now and I am very happy with my purchase. Built quality is good, the screen is awesome (1680x1050) and overall performance is great. 8600Gt is great for gaming, left palm rest (where GPU is located) gets pretty hot though, but only when gaming (BF2,MOHA,HL2)...with powermizer enabled and Office work it's quite normal temp.
I downgraded from Vista Home 64 to XP Pro 32 due to software compatibility problems and performance (1GB that time), now I have 3GB of RAM and thinking about trying Vista again.
In terms of how/where to buy, I would go for buying from xoticpc.com (where I bought mine) or powernotebooks.com and let them ensamble and install OS. The price will be almost equal and you get warranty and great support. The laptop will be fully functional the second you get it and ZERO bloatware...so you don't need to reformat as you usually do with Dells, Toshibas and such.
I don't think you can order a np2090 barebone, it would be an IFL90 which is the same but not Sager.
Good luck!

 

I've been very happy with mine as well. Like Tor said, the screen is really awesome (1680x1050 matter), I cant believe I stressed over not getting a glossy screen. The 8600 handles everything I do with it, and it seemed to manage fine at medium settings with the Crysis demo. The left palmrest does get noticeably hot, but I think the same can be said for any gaming notebook. It's not burnable temps or anything though, just makes my palm sweaty after a long period of gameplay. The keyboard has flex, but I swear I havent noticed it under normal usage, typists with average skill arent striking the keys that hard anyway. Noise is really good, you can hear the fans kick in, but after a minute or so the sound blends in and you forget about it. Even with the wait (2 months) I am happy I went with the 2090.

 

The built-in microphone is horrible and barely usable.

The keyboard also has flex. My WASD keys and the keys surrounding them seem really flimsy. They tend to make annoying squeaking noises. I would have liked to have a higher quality keyboard.

 

Woo, this is all really good to hear! Yeah, I'm thinkin' I'm going to go with either Xotic PC or Power Notebooks, I'm unsure which. Both had really fast response times and were super informative, notifying me of a few little things which I hadn't quite noticed prior to their bringing it to my attention =)

Eee! I'm going to be ordering it by the end of the week it looks like XD

 

The microphone isn't -that- bad. It could be a bit more sensitive, but I use it for skype and people say they can hear me fine when I talk in a normal voice. And the keyboard is a matter of luck, I think. I've got a bit of flex around some of my F keys, but the letter keys on mine are all quite sturdy.

 

WARNING!!

Can you all NP2090/IFL90 owners make a self-test voice recording using Sound Recorder?
Just make a recording of your own voice saying Microphone Testing 1-2-3, and playback.

If you have the following problems such as hear a lot of static and blurred voice, then you might have a defective unit.

 

Anyone use a blueray or HD drive on this laptop

Just wondering how will the video looks scaled down to 1680x1050.

Also wanted to know is there any problems getting 1080p when you attach the dvi port to a HDCP compliant monitor or TV? I'm guessing this depends on the 8600GT.