Sager NP2096 Brief Review

Hey guys the Sager NP2096 is old now (2008 laptop), but I saw some threads in the past month about the Sager NP2096, so I thought I'd post my opinions on my laptop.

tl;dr: In general, I keep good care of all my electronics. It's in its 5th year now. Ran really nicely until year 3-3.5. Only issue is heating (thermal compound is gone according to my friend) and slow performance/BSOD's (only a recent issue, which I think is due to the software/drivers I have installed). I used to game intensively. Happy with purchase.

Intel C2D P8400
4GB RAM
160GB 5400RPM HDD
1280x800 resolution

I've had it since the summer of 2008, and it's been my main computer ever since. I use it for everything college kids need it for. I used to play graphics intensive games like Crysis 1 (which ran okay on medium). Now I only play LoL. I carry it around with me to classes almost every other day. Dropped it twice I think (not from high elevation). Nothing is broken.

Since this forum has a ton of posts on the laptop's performance, the most useful piece of feedback I can give is about the laptop's durability. I've had it for 4 full years now, using it as my main computer. It runs okay (slower than when I first got it, but that may be due to software). I've actually gotten BSOD's often more recently, which I think is more of a software issue. From the hardware side, the only thing that I'm aware of that is broken is thermal gel completely used up. This means heating issues. I currently have to take off the bottom of the laptop and put it on top of a laptop cooler in order to be able to play games and do CPU intensive tasks. Aside from that, I don't think anything else is wrong with the hardware (unless the laptop running slowly is due to hardware, which it may be).

It ran perfectly for 1.5 year, then started having heating issues from that point on until I've had it for 2.5 years. Since then I've had to use fans/laptop coolers to limit the heating. It's fine for normal tasks though.

Battery life, I get maybe 1.5 hours now? It lasted ~3-4 hours until I stopped caring (which was about 3 years into ownership). After that I got lazy about removing the battery even if it's fully charged, and leaving it at 100% charged for extended amount of time.

Everyone I know has replaced their laptops at least once in college, except for me, so I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I got it for ~$1200 at the time of purchase.

I will be continuing to use this laptop for a few more months until I buy a new convertible Windows 8 laptop.

For the few that might be considering this laptop, hope this helps.

 

Great to hear the computer has been working for so long.
If you're comfortable doing so you can replace the thermal compound. IC Diamond is a good way to go and you can get instructions on how to apply it here Application

 

IC Diamond is indeed good. If you decide to reapply thermal paste, don't fall into the pitfall of marketing. I've used Arctic Silver 5 for awhile, and despite some enthusiasts claims that it isn't up to the task in comparison to other compounds, it has never steered me wrong.

For your reference:

Thermal Compound Roundup - January 2012 | Hardware Secrets

You can backtrack through the pages in that roundup to get a synopsis of each product, as well as the test machine.

 

I ran a test with three of the TIMs listed in that roundup ( the report is in my signature if you're interested in reading it) and determined that the method of application is very important. Any one of the top compounds listed in that link are great, but make sure you apply them correctly and then run some benchmarks to make sure they are working as they should be.

 

Yes, I've heard the same about application too. Which method do you prefer? There was a guide/comparison of application methods somewhere, depicting which provided the best coverage and contact. I'll have to see if I can find it again.

Thanks for sharing the comparison, by the way! Very in-depth and helpful.

 

Would it happen to be this article?

 

No, although I was considering going with that. This was actually the report I came across previously: 80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test | Thermal Interface Material,Thermal Paste,Heatsink Compound,80-Way Thermal Interface Material Best Thermal Paste Heatsink Compound Cooling Performance Comparison Benchmark Tests

 

They have much prettier pictures! You always do want to refer to the specific thermal compound manufacturers application instructions though as each manufacturer will indicate the best method of application for their compound. IC diamond suggests doing it differently than Arctic Silver, and etc... If you really want to get into it will also depend on the CPU it's being applied to but that's where I draw the line. I've always used the tiny dot in the center method and have had great success with it.

 

Just an FYI, Arctic 5 has a curing time up to 100 hours. If you are benchmarking the temperature immediately after application, you are not going to get the best optimum temperature. However, I will still recommend against using Arctic 5 since it is conductive.

I personally recommend Tuniq TX-2. It's cheap and performs extremely well.

 

So you DON'T use the smiley face application method?

And those are good points to make regarding application variation. Benchmarks aside, it's usually safe to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Arctic 5 is not the only one with a curing time, either - and curing times may vary from one compound to the next.

 

I used the dot method and it worked better than the line method. I also applied it by spreading it out with gloves on, but had higher temps. By rubbing it I imagine a lot of tiny air bubbles were mixed into the paste, which obviously isn't good. Placing a rice grain sized dot and applying pressure from the heat sink with cross pattern screw tightening gave me the best results. This method worked well for a square shaped chip but I think the line method might work better for a rectangular chip.

 

Definitely room to experiment especially since a typical tube can be used for quite a few pastes. If you have the time, no harm in experimenting.