Sager NP5797 (M570ETU) with GTX 280M - User Review

It could be an os compatibility issue. mi last laptop a toshiba p105-s9337 had a stuttering problem in windows vista. all the fps in games were like 3 or 4 max. have you tried vista in your laptop? a new driver? new bios?

 

driver
physx version
vista or xp updates
game updates or patches
bios flashes
modded inf's

 

280m Driver - 6.14.11.7927

Physx - only indication I have of version number from the properties panel (most areas are grayed out or have no data at all) is that the Physx engines listed go from 2.3.1 to 2.8.1

Xp updates -
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 2
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Visual C++ 9.0
Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool
Windows Installer 3.1
Internet Explorer 7
IE security update kb963027
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series
Windows Media Player 11

Additional List here:

Game updates - none, these are demos.

Bios Flashes - none

Modded INFs - none

 

Double post since we're talking about two different things here...

Crysis benchmarks with the stock settings above.
Remember I'm running a P8600 dual core processor.
Resolution was 1680x1050 far as I know.

CPU Test -
Run 0
Average FPS 18.29
Min 11.44 @ frame 1083
Max 27.88 @ frame 106

Run 1
Average FPS 19.07
Min 11.44 @ frame 1083
Max 27.88 @ frame 106

Run 2
Average FPS 19.28
Min 11.44 @ frame 1083
Max 27.88 @ frame 106

Run 3
Average FPS 19.11
Min 11.44 @ frame 1083
Max 27.88 @ frame 106


GPU Test -
Test 0
Average FPS 20.66
Min 15.62 @ 153
Max 24.10 @ 1774

Test 1
Average FPS 21.60
Min 15.62 @ 153
Max 24.59 @ 1774

Test 2
Average FPS 21.53
Min 13.71 @ 1507
Max 24.68 @ 1016

Test 3
Average FPS 21.56
Min 13.71 @ 1507
Max 24.68 @ 1016

 

i would try vista and see if you still have them problems.

 

Not going to happen, so I'll just have to live with what I've got or try some different drivers for the 280m.

If any other XP/5797 owners experience the same issues, it'd be nice to hear about it.

 

Not sure where you are getting that price. Xotic has base model >1600 and with reasonable logical upgrades will go to 1700 and maybe break 1800... a few more 100 and you have a laptop that is far better.

I'm not trying to start a debate I just want to understand why people choose this system over another. I suppose they want something lighter and more mobile.

 

In my case I had looked at a 9262 vs. 579x before and ending up getting the 62 for my father some time ago.

The 9262 is a slab, like a computer made of counter top granite. I didn't want, nor need something built like that.
While I contemplated the smaller 15 inch unit, the 17 inch 5797 won due to the numpad, some quirks I had with port placement on the sager 15 inch model, and every time I've had a ATI video card, I've been dumped driver wise.

So with the 5797 coming in just above my original budget when I was looking at the 5793 - with the newest Nvidia card - that eventually won out above my other options.

 

smood. there is one big reason for me.

the way it´s nvidia.

i don´t play 3dmark and most of games are nvidia optimized. the asus at $2300 vs the sager at $1800. for me $500 is a lot of money. i don´t want to start the debate about ati vs nvidia, asus vs sager but thats my point of view

 

guess you need to expand your horizons first before thinking you have all the answers..
http://www.rjtech.com/m570tu.htm
if you already have all the parts..then i guess you can get this laptop for the asking price...if you don't already have the parts..then i guess your price goes up accordingly...

 

Does anyone still have the 3dmark zip that I posted on page 8 of this thread.

I needed to get my 3dmark 06 scores out of there, but realized when I wiped my usb stick it took my only copy of that file with it. The filedropper link ran out as well.

 

what was your score and did you show the image or just a link. i may have it in my temp file.

 

It should have been inside a zip. Example *3dmark*.*
The images I believe were a jpg, since I could not provide a valid link to the scores.

*sigh*
PCmark 05 refuses to give me a score..
I've got the save files, but it just doesn't provide one on the web breakdown.

 

if you are using XP, you must set Visual Effects (in System Properties > Advanced > Performance Options) to Best Appearance.

 

Still doesn't do it.

In fact after I changed it to best appearance, the first hard drive xp startup test also failed. Usually it's just the web page rendering test that fails. Although the remaining tests seem to have completed quicker.

 

PCMark05 is finicky.

I had issues with it as well... since it uses IE for its default web rendering... which gives issues if you do not have the right version of IE up to date.

 

Ah well I have FF set as default too.
IE is up to date.. I just don't care to use it. ^_^

 

I dont use IE either.

PCMark05 is a bit dated for todays standards... PCMark Vantage is more up to date but requires you to use Vista... which sucks.

 

Indeed it does.

Are 3Dmark scores comparable between 05 and 06?
In the review I'm trying to compare other laptop scores around NBR, but all they are using now is 3dmark 06.

Guess the review will have to do without PCmark scores.


Also would I be better off posting the review as I've got it (on page 7 so far, about 60% complete)
so you guys can see if I've made any claims that sound incorrect?

When it's finished I'll update the original post and hopefully... Chaz will get back with me as
to the main site. Didn't PM Andrew yet.

 

why dont you try new drivers from laptopvideo2go. maybe those fix all the bugs you had in your system

 

only stick with 3DMark06 and 3DMark Vantage benchmarks.

Vantage seems to be the most up to date and will give a more accurate comparison for the latest systems... as compared to the again 3DMark06.

 

I also believe that Vantage gives a more accurate system performance benchmark but most people still use 3dmark06 for comparison.

 

@jupapri

Because I want everything else to work before I do something as drastic as cleaning out the existing drivers and then going with modded ones.

Plus Dox's drivers have been a mixed bag as of late in the user reviews at LV2G, and he is no longer interested in making XP drivers. So I may be better off waiting for Nvidia to release a new set.

Furthermore, I'm reviewing the system as stock. Not everyone is going to want to tweak the computer in order to make it work out of the box. So I'm doing this from the standpoint of what you get performance wise - after you've loaded up your regular programs.. what are you going to see under real world conditions.

 

allright. good luck, i hope you can fix all the bugs you have.

 

don't take this the wrong way...but real world conditions are not windows xp on a gaming machine then dropping down to dx9 to play a high end dx10 game. windows xp is a downgrade for starters. don't get me wrong..i love my windows xp pro on my workstation computers in a 10 computer or more network environment, but this is gaming and getting the most out of someones purchase..and your not accomplishing that. (personal opinion)

you would have been better off buying a cheaper machine for that.
hardly anyone uses pcmark05.
if you want real world gaming, make a video and post it on youtube with a link to show us how the machine plays. using fps to show us your fps during real world gaming. but then that would entail using vista or higher, whether people like vista or not.
sort of like buying a lamborghini, to drive 30 miles an hour....not real world at all.

it gives a very good read out on ones card performance, but the catch...it doesn't work under windows xp.

 

I've already taken the corvette from the shop and tuned it, and it's only a matter of time till I drop in the turbo (qx9300) and let er' rip

 

anothergeek
i know that's right!!

 

We've got two different views on this area as we've seen before john, so I just have to agree to disagree.

There's a large amount of people, both gamers and not, that prefer XP over Vista. Now if someone finds a way to bypass the Win 7 audio copying restrictions in the future, I might be interested. Until then though, I've got a powerful system in which I have several directions I can upgrade at my convenience, should I need to.

So far with all the demos I've played, I've not seen where Crysis or several of the others offer anything revolutionary enough to force me to shift over. But I've got the option if I need it.

Doing the recording as you describe, also puts a strain on the system along with the game running. I've seen it first hand when I tried to use FRAPs for my game mod, and ended up with Debut Video Capture instead.

Now honestly for the sake of disclosure, the last few days I've been wondering if I should return my system and look elseware. Perhaps spend the difference on a nice guitar I've been looking at.

Here's the issues though, 1. no other system gives this much "bang for the buck" after you consider the new parts and upgradability. 2. the next closest thing available would be a 8662, but there I lose the num pad, add more heating issues, lose part of a screen which has so far been quite good compared to the average reviews of the 579x series, and 3. by the time I ship the system back and get a 8662 - I'll have a difference of $200, much less the time lost and the hastle of reinstalling everything. Since no one else is offering free shipping right now, I figure that'll be reduced to around $140 or so.

It doesn't make it worth it. I took a look around the "market" at Dells, Alienware, Xotic, PowerNotebooks, Toshiba, HP, VoodoPC, Lenovo, Falcon Northwest, Asus, Gateway, and they just don't compare in this price range.

 

something is sure with xp you will have a beast but caged. i want you to make great efforts and show all of us what this machine is capable to do stock in xp.

 

that's because you live to far away from the resellers...take me..i have like 5 here, so shipping is really nothing and i can over night or drop it off. you guys dont have it so easy.... if you had a reseller right there..then you would hurry up and send it back..

 

Um.. not really. Show me a laptop that solves the 3 issues I mentioned before, and costs less than a $1684.89 5797 after shipping, and I'll certainly be more apt to look into sending the unit back. I personally don't care where the reseller is (within the US of course), long as they treat me decent and take care of my problems like it is their problem.

I'll see if I can find demos on some of the programs so I can do screen caps.

As to recording with a camera outside pc... ah.. duh.
Guess I lose that round ^_^

 

nothing to lose..it was just over looked is all.

 

I'm going to post the prelim of my review. It's about 65% done I'd say so far and still likely needs some editing and
image tweaking.

Opinions or notes on things to fix are welcome.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sager Np5797 Gaming Notebook

The Sager NP5797 is a performance gaming notebook in the desktop replacement class.
Primarily this laptop is aimed at semi-mobile enthusiast users who need extra processor
or pixel pushing power to run 3D rendering software, media development programs, multitasking,
or games such as Call of Duty and Crysis. These laptops are actually built by Clevo, and rebranded
under many names such as Dell, HP, Gateway, Alienware, and Sager, among others. They
are offered under the Sager name in the United States by XoticPC, PowerNotebooks, PCTorque
and many additional resellers.

Being that this is a unit configured for personal use, the configuration will be a bit lower
than most enthusiasts purchase this model in. Currently the 5797 features the Nvidia
GTX 280m, the most powerful single laptop graphics card available. This is paired with
the entry level Intel P8600 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM,
Hitachi 320 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, and 8x DVD +/-R /RW/ 4x + Dual Layer optical drive.
It is also equipped with a Intel 5300 a/b/g/n wireless card, and a 17 inch WSXGA+ glossy
widescreen display. The laptop was ordered without an operating system installed, however
Windows XP Home was loaded by the owner. Having Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista
preinstalled (working out of the box) is available as a configuration option.

Detailed configuration as purchased:
Sager NP5797 built on Clevo M570TU
System Color – Orange Trim
Display – 17” WSXGA+ Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Display w/Wide Viewing Angle (1680x1050)
Dead Pixel Policy – Standard
PCTorque 30 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee
Graphics Card – Nvidia GTX 280M w/ 1GB memory
Processor – Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz w/ 3MB L2 Cache (P8600) 1066MHz FSB 25 Watt
Arctic Silver Thermal Compound
RAM – 2GB DDR3 1066MHz / Single SODIMM
Hard Drive – (1) 320 GB 7200 RPM SATA II w/ 16 MB Cache
Optical Drive – 8x DVD+/- R/RW / 4X + Dual Layer Drive w/Software
Fingerprint Reader - Standard
Bluetooth Module
Intel 5300 WiFi Wireless a/b/g/n Networking Adapter
High Definition Audio Sound System
No Operating System (Drivers and Utility Software Included)
Standard 8-Cell Smart Li-ion Battery
AC Adapter
Deluxe Black Business Carrying Case
60 Day Trial of Microsoft Office
Sager 3 Yr Labor, 1 Yr Parts Warranty (Yrs 2+3 paid by PCT)
Lifetime 24/7 Domestic Support

Total cost after free shipping and price matching:
$1,684.89 from PCTorque.com


My primary reason for purchasing the 5797 was my existing laptop, a Dell Inspiron 6000,
was slowly suffering from component failure and needed replacement. I'd previously purchased
a Sager NP9262 for a relative's use and had looked at the 579x series as an alternative. Before
picking the 5797, I also considered the Sager 5793 (an older model of the 5797 that was on sale),
and the Sager NP8660.

My reasoning for the choice of the 5797 over these units, is largely due to upgradability in the
5797. With the 5793 costing roughly $1500 USD fully loaded, and the 5797 $1684.89 total, I feel
there were significant benefits for the extra $200 spent. Some of these being that the 5797 can use
newer Quad Core processors, includes the latest Nvidia mobile graphics card, has eSATA for
external hard drive use, HDMI for high definition connections to televisions, and some minor
revisions between system components. If I had purchased the 5793 and tried to modify or
otherwise upgrade the system to be equivalent to a 5797, it would cost nearly $1000 in parts, not to
mention my own time.

When compared to the Sager NP8660 (now the 8662 by the time of this writing), there is less of a
gap in components. However the 8660 lacked a USB port (3 vs. 4), has a 15 inch widescreen,
removes the numerical keypad, has had limited reports of heating and flex issues, as well as a
poor choice of placement for the firewire port in my opinion. At the time of purchase, the NP8660
also did not come with the new line of graphics cards (GTX 260m for the 8662 vs. GTX 280m for
the 5797).

As to a usage and construction comparison with the NP9262, that will be further in this article
after the impressions of the 5797 have been discussed.

== Build Quality & Design ==

The design of the 579x series of laptops hasn't changed much, mainly because Clevo is sticking
with a design that has worked well and stayed fairly appealing to the eye. Here we have the 5797
in Orange Trim.



Silver Trim is also available, which changes the binding color to metallic silver and the screen lid to a
70/30 silver/black combination.

Construction of the 5797 is largely of strong black plastic in glossy or a shiny matte color.



One oft asked question potential buyers ask is “just what does the orange look like?”
Well to solve that once and for all, here are some comparison photos with common
objects you can relate to.

Dr. Pepper Can – Conclusion: Not nearly as red.



Heafty Trash Bags – Conclusion: Not as bright orange.



Ovaltine Malt – Conclusion: A match!



The metal lid on Ovaltine Malt is the same color of orange, or very nearly so. If you're
questioning whether or not you could handle such a color, try a local supermarket and this
should tell you what the color looks like. Speaking strictly of the appeal of the appearance
of the laptop, the orange color I believe is more striking than that of the Silver Trim. It's
subdued, but still enough that people standing around when you pull it out, are going to notice
it's not an A-typical computer.

Usage wise, the orange doesn't distract as it is largely limited to your peripheral vision. As to
durability, I've tried scratching the orange trim with a finger nail and it showed no signs of
chipping or damage.

Visually, I believe the laptop could be acceptable in a casual business environment, and would
also look sleek or “stealthy” in most any other venue. So it can transition from work to play
without appearing out out of place.



Around the screen bezel when the unit is open, is black matte colored plastic with silver highlights
in the screen mounted camera and lid locks. Directly around the screen itself in a recessed groove
is glossy black plastic. The lid design in general is good, with stiff hinges and pressing lightly on
the outside parts of the lid does not cause any distortion on the screen. The screen is also fairly
resistant to twisting from the edges. Around the screen on the interior, you have seven rubber feet
that press against the main body when the screen is closed. This helps prevent key indentations
in the screen as well as reduces wobble or shaking if you would be traveling with the notebook.

One thing of note with the screen hardware, is the lid latches. The latch on the left side isn't really
a latch, it's a lid lock. The right side latch is and operates as a standard latch with spring. The lid
lock is a nice feature if you travel or I'd imagine bounce your laptop around a lot in transit. It's
neither a laptop seller nor a hindrance. Just nice if you need it, ok if you don't.

Continuing down to the keyboard surface area, directly under the middle of the screen are four
buttons. The three on the left are programmable hotkey buttons; these could be used for one
touch access to an E-mail application, or web page, perhaps even an audio file. To the right of
these is the power button. This seems to be of adequate size and it lights up a bright tech blue.



Around the keyboard and touchpad, there is a section of plastic that looks textured, and is
actually a fine checkerboard pattern molded into the main chassis plastic. So this is all one piece,
not separate. Oddly enough, it serves a secondary function of letting you know when you've run
off the edge of the touchpad.



Outside of the checkerboard pattern you have a reflective, yet matte surface plastic which is
used for the majority of the upper surfaces, palm rests, and the chassis. This is a smooth, strong
plastic, which is good, since attempting to flex the machine as a whole produces no noticeable
warping or flex. You'd have to put some muscle into bending it, to get it to budge. Very solid
overall and it provides the impression that the plastics used may be a composite material. At
this time I don't have reason to believe this plastic is painted, the color appears to be naturally
part of the blend. This is also a benefit over a painted laptop, such as the Dell Inspiron 6000,
since the palm rests on the Dell were worn through to the body over the course of a year.
Very unsightly, costly, and doesn't help the resale value when it happens.

The keyboard itself, is unfortunately a low point in this machine. When I first received the laptop,
there was noticeable flex in the keyboard from the YJM keys to the right side. The epicenter or
worst area appeared to be below the Backspace key. When typed on, keys in this area felt deeper
and took slightly more effort to press. There was also some key rattling found around the
Backspace key once fervent typing was started. Left side of the keyboard was pretty solid.

Taking this issue to the NotebookReview Sager forums, I found other users had either had the
same flex in their keyboards, or not had the flex at all. Several users were advised to take the
keyboard out, by pressing in 5 latches above the Function keys and then bending their keyboards
back flat if there was any flex. In my case I did find that the flexible portion of the keyboard
was visibly bent. Mainly I believe the flex to be a result of the aluminum backboard being too
thin, or just not stiff to begin with.

One thing which greatly improved this issue, was the “rubber band mod” in which you take cut up
wide rubber bands and place them flat under the keyboard in order to provide support. Having
done this, there is no noticeable flex to the keyboard and the typing depth has become much
more uniform.

In general the keyboard keys are naturally stiff. I wouldn't quite say they are really uncomfortable,
but they are not a highlight of the system either. On the positive side, they may last longer and
soften with use. For people with thin, boney fingers, this may be more of a strain on them than
say a average meaty finger since they don't have as much muscle around the joints. For gamers,
I doubt you'll notice since key presses are not a major concern in the heat of battle. On that
thought, it may benefit gamers that are harsh on their keyboards – but sensitive, thin fingered
computer users may wish to look at a different system or an alternative input device.

Key size is about average, except in some areas. Tab, Caps Lock, left Shift, left Ctrl, and left
Alt are all less wide than you would find on a standard size keyboard. Everything else is about
average for what you'd find on a 15 inch notebook, except the 5797 has the added functionality
of a numerical keypad. Having a numerical pad is a great help if you've not had the option of
one previously. Very useful in games or business applications.

Last thing worth noting on the keyboard, is that since it lacks N-rollover, it can only register
2-3 key presses at one time. This might not sound important, but for instance in some sports
games you may need 2-3 keys pressed at once in order to toss/kick/etc the ball. I also found this
evident in an old space game where you need to constantly move about while targeting the enemy.
It could be worked around with key bindings, other gaming controls, or just a bit of adaption in
the way you play. From what I understand via the NotebookReview forums, Clevo gets its'
keyboards from two major manufacturers. One supplier may have this key registering issue more
so than the other.

Moving on from the keyboard, we have the touchpad. In general it feels pretty good. It's
responsive, and of a good size. Larger than on some Dell laptops I have seen past and present.
The trackpad is almost level with the top of the palmrests, just a paper thin indentation in
difference. The trackpad does have a scroll portion, although I would suggest increasing the
scroll area slightly via the mouse settings. Just generally pleasant to use, and this is from the
point of view of a die hard mouse user.

The trackpad mouse buttons on the other hand are so-so. Both left and right click buttons are
rather small. Each button has a bit of sway to the left or right when pressed. Both buttons are
also somewhat stiff like the keyboard, however these seem to be softening up with use. I
eventually went back to using an external mouse, simply due to preference and speed.

In between the clickers, you've got a fingerprint reader. Ultimately I think this is the single most
useless object on the laptop. First off, I'm not a fan of biometric security and didn't plan on using it.
The Sager manual reveals that the fingerprint reader is actually an option, but yet you can't find
a U.S.A. based reseller that will sell you a system without it. I asked. I did install the fingerprint
software, however it hooks itself into the Windows login screen and startup. That was enough for
me to want to uninstall it.

So to summarize, I think the space used by the fingerprint reader could be put to much better
use providing more space to the mouse keys. If you need it, it's there. If you don't need it, it's
not the be-all end-all in securing your files.

Down on the front edge of the laptop you have your audio ports for Line In, Headphones,
Microphone, and Digital. Placement wise, these are ok for quick hook ups and general use
like at a desk or station. They are not good for if you have the laptop in your lap, and have
headphones plugged in. You're more likely to be bumping the plug end into the notebook.

Also along the front end is your system lights. You have Power/AC, Battery, Hard Disk,
Wireless On/Off, Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock. These are small lights, ranging in
yellow to amber depending on the status. I'm a bit more used to system lights being up near
the screen, so it's a bit odd to have to look under your right wrist to see what is going on.
Otherwise they serve their purpose and work fine.

Lastly, on the right edge, you have your built in system microphone. As is reported elsewhere,
the sound it is able to record has to be fairly loud for the output to be “kinda decent.” You could
offset this in your audio recording program. It won't replace a headset microphone, but it's there
if you need it in a pinch.

Along the right side, there are the following ports: ExpressCard slot, 7 in 1 card reader, two
USB 2.0, one mini Firewire, one phone jack, one Ethernet jack, CATV/tuner jack.



Among these the only notable item is that you get the CATV/tuner jack even if you don't order
the TV Tuner option. Note that the TV Tuner card, isn't installed, just the jack is filling the hole
and the wiring is run if you get the urge to put one in later.

Along the left side you have the DVD/optical drive and the standard laptop lock slot.
Something concerning the optical drive is that I've heard users complain that it is too easy to
hit the release button, and pop out the drive randomly. Myself, I think the button is perfect as is.
If you know where to look for it, then finding it by touch is easy and responsive. The bezel on
the drive tray is also quite a bit thicker than a typical drive tray and matches the main chassis shape.



Along the rear of the laptop, the ports are: HDMI, DVI, one USB 2.0,
one dual purpose eSATA/USB 2.0 jack, and a power in port.



Again only one thing notable, and that is that the eSATA does function as a working USB 2.0
port. This isn't very clear in any reseller's product page. Which eSATA, if you don't know, is
mainly used for connecting an external hard drive such as a Western Digital MyBook, so you
can achieve higher transfer speeds than a plain USB port or Firewire.


== Screen ==

The screen on the 5797 so far has been a diamond in the rough. Individual reviews of prior 579x
units seemed to indicate that there was a problem with the screens being too dim. This screen has
to ability to go from “fairly dim” to “ow that's a bit bright.” After some research on the screen
model number, LP171WE2-TLA3 lead to the discovery that the screen is being used by late
2008 model 17 inch MacBook Pro's. It has very nice color representation, and with the Nvidia
GPU seems to do fine in scaling old games. One disappointment however is after the Nvidia
drivers are installed, the screen is really only viewable at the resolutions of 1680x1050 and
1400x1050. Everything else is very blurry and difficult on the eyes. Ultimately 1680x1050 was
chosen as the resolution, with adjustments made to the Windows DPI, font, and appearance
settings to account for the difference in object sizes. For comparison, originally I used 1280x800
on a 15.4 inch widescreen.



Concerning the glossiness of the monitor, it acts like a black mirror when powered down or you
have a full black screen displayed. The amount of reflective light doesn't seem to be much of a
issue over long periods, and the screen is still somewhat visible even with moderate sunlight.

So the main fault of the monitor, or perhaps rather the video card, is the lack of choices when
trying to stay with a low resolution. Otherwise, it's a very nice monitor.


== Speakers ==

First of it needs to be noted that the 5797's speakers are side firing, meaning that they produce
sound aimed away from the sides of the laptop and not at your head. In general this means that
your “center” or front sound is a bit hollow compared with front firing speakers, which would be
aimed at your face. After playing several pieces of music I'd say the speakers on the 5797 are a
little bit better than average. If you're comparing it to a laptop such as the sub $750 models from
HP, Dell, or Compaq, then the 5797 speakers are a favorable improvement in terms of having the
power to produce loud sound without significant distortion. There's not really much bass to speak
of with these speakers either, but all laptop speakers have major issues with quality bass reproduction.

So they're not 5.1 surround sound speakers, and they are somewhat weak in the “front” which is
where most of your stereo sound is going to be active. Something that I found to help greatly
with listening to music, was to turn on the SRS WOW plugin in Windows Media Player. This
expands the sound “field,” similar to a stadium or virtual theater mode on a surround sound
receiver. So instead of hearing more out of the “sides,” you get the impression your are in the
middle of the sound. It basically fills in the virtual “front speaker” you'd otherwise be missing.
I also found tweaking the Windows volume settings so the WAV balance was slightly more to
the right speaker helped.

If the lack of SRS WOW bothers you in other programs, such as games. The you could
purchase the SRS Soundbox, which adds the same sound effects to all programs running
on your PC.

If you're an audiophile, then you probably already have headphones or a external speaker setup.
For everyone who isn't a dedicated audiophile, I think the speakers would do their job just fine.
If you're upgrading from a 15 inch laptop, you'll likely notice an improvement in some of your
audio.

== Benchmarks ==


Something to keep in mind with the following benchmarks, is that largely, this system contains
the lowest performance parts it can be purchased with. Most gaming systems also come with more
than 2GB of RAM, however the owner chose this configuration. Since the system and drivers
were designed more for Windows Vista instead of XP, there may be a performance hit there as well.
All drivers and settings are factory default. Other 5797 owners have already shown an
improvement using modified video drivers.

Super Pi – Stress tests the CPU using math calculations.

50 seconds for 2 million values of PI

wPrime – Also works the processor performing intense math calculations, however wPrime is
more tailored for multiple core processors than Super Pi. Lower numbers are better.

Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time

Sager 5797 (Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.4GHz) 35.687s
MSI GT627 (Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 @ 2.71GHz) 28.143s
ASUS W90Vp-X1 (Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz) 29.080s
Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 (Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz) 30.126s
Dell Studio XPS 16 (Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.4GHz) 31.827s

Pcmark05 - Measures overall notebook performance based on processor, hard drive, operating
system, RAM, and graphics. Higher scores are better.

Due to a repeating problem with the PCmark demo, PCmark scores are unavailable.

3Dmark05 - Comparison results for graphics performance. Higher scores are better.

3DMark Score
15020 3DMarks

CPU Score
8567 CPUMarks

HD Tune – Storage drive performance results.

Hard Drive: Hitachi HTS723232L9A
Transfer rate:
Min 6.3 MB/sec
Max 80.5 MB/sec
Average 60.9 MB/sec
Access Time 16.1 ms
Burst rate: 134 MB/sec
Cpu usage: 2.0%


== Heat & Noise ==

First off, for the amount of hardware in the NP5797, I'd say it handles heat quite well. Despite
it carrying Nvidia's latest card at the time of this writing, the system overall remains well cooled.
Largely this is due to the rear of the laptop being composed of fan and heatsinks.
As for noticeable heat during usage, the only place on the work surface would be the right hand
side palm rest, between the trackpad and lid latch hole. This area is “warm,” but not “hot.” What I
could compare it with, would be a comforting cup of hot chocolate or coffee in a Styrofoam cup,
type of warm. The reason this area is warm, oddly enough is not a result of a major component,
but the Intel 5300 wireless card. Keeping the wireless turned off results in less heat overall and
there's not much difference between the palm rests then.

The only other spot is on the bottom of the laptop, basically on the underside of the Enter key.
This area is directly on top of the CPU and it's heatsink, so it is understandably hot. This isn't
burn you fingers hot, but it's several levels of heat beyond the palm rest for certain. Note that the
heat is not able to be felt from the keyboard side, only on the bottom of the chassis.

Due to the design of the intake vents, which are mainly under the right palm rest on the front
edge, I don't believe it'd be wise to use the notebook in your lap very often. Main reason being
that no matter how you sit with it, you're inevitably blocking some vent, fan or otherwise.
Another consideration for lap use, is that the notebook is heavier towards the rear, so it likes to
tip a little backwards when being kept on an uneven surface such as legs.

Ultimately, while I think the system does a great job on it's own handling heat, I believe for
system longevity and comfort when it's used in a lap, a notebook cooler would be a recommend
purchase. If you were to purchase a 5797 with Quad Core processors, which produce more heat
than a Dual Core system, it'd be very wise to include a cooler as part of your budget.

Noise is another often discussed item with the 579x series. I can only speak for myself, but
under normal conditions it's not any louder than a Dell Inspiron 6000. For those of you without a
Dell to compare to, I would liken the noise level to a leaf blower two to three city blocks away.
Another comparison might be a table or desk fan.

Something else worth mentioning, is that there are two main fans that produce noise. You have a
main heatsink fan in the rear of the laptop, and a small fan under the chassis below the Backspace
and Delete keys. The small fan is what produces the most noticeable noise because it's higher pitch.
By pitch I mean the “fan whine.” It also starts up after the heatsink fan, so that's another reason
you may notice it.

Depending on use, the small fan kicks in about every minute and a half. How distracting the small
fan noise will be will vary from person to person, but if you're playing a game or some form of
media, then it likely will be drowned out by the speakers. If you're quietly typing a document,
then you'll probably notice it until you learn to adjust and “tune it out.” It's not bad.. it's just there.
Like getting a new car or new house, there's some things that take getting used to.

Main reason I don't have much to say about the heatsink fan is that it's noise is unremarkable,
and equivalent to a much lower class 15 inch notebook. So there's nothing worth noting actually.
Optical drive noise is also unremarkable and stable. None of the spin up “jet turbine vibration” as
is found in some laptops.

 

Wow. And I thought I spent a while on my report...

 

Congrats. it´s a very complete report. im waiting that xotic pc get some stock and get one beast

 

Heh thanks, but we're not done yet... ^_^

 

It took me a minute to get used to the jump from WXGA-> WSXGA+ (it was quite shocking at first), but now I could never go back.

 

It's ok, but what I worry about is making graphics.
Like for instance making images for forum banners on several forums I admin for. Now with this huge screen, you don't get a good grasp of relative size for other users... of which most of the world doesn't use these giant resolutions.

Anyways, I need to evidently take some better pictures tomorrow, and finish this monster off. Kinda spent, so you guys get to ruminate over what is posted for a bit.

I noticed the forum ate a lot of my document formatting, but I can fix that in the final version.

 

Are you guys fine with having a video only (without audio)?

I managed to capture some clips with my phone, but the format it records to is odd and I can't get anything but the video out of the file.

Not that the audio was much to listen to, but the UT3 video wasn't unwatchable... at least. Otherwise everyone's going to have to have the K-lite codec pack installed to be able to read these video files.

 

you can record game video by using FRAPs.

 

Already covered that one Gophn. I don't have anything better
than my cell phone camera, but I may be able to fix the audio part after I thought about it.

 

When in doubt... Google!

As far as I know, when uploading to YouTube, you can upload almost ANY type of video or audio file. It kind of knows what to do.

I basically read this whole thread today and I wished the actual review was on its own thread because the majority of what came after included a lot of homo erotic narcissism.

No John, I'm not talking about you.

 

Not sure about that, but whatever.

Basically the best solution I found was to use Debut capture and rerecord the phone files while they were being played in MPC.
The files are .3g2 which is a spin off of .3gp which is a spin off of Mpeg 4, with about 8 sub versions for mobile phone use.
Tried what converters were available, none of them seem to handle Motorola's version of 3g2, so it doesn't eat the audio.

I also have taken some videos using Debut while playing the same games, so you get an idea of better visual quality, but the frame rates are pretty poor, due to the extra strain of trying to do 3 things at once.

So far I've got Crysis, UT3, SupCom, and Bootfighter Windom -XP for videos. I don't think I'm really going to be able to do much better since all the other demos are out of date, broken, or don't exist.

None of the CoD demos work, which is what I really wanted to try. FarCry 2 has some kind of major malfunction with graphics. Crysis works fine. UT3 you have the set the date to 2008 for the demo to play. Left 4 Dead doesn't have a demo any longer.

 

*Sigh* Got two more pages to write up and should have the review done.

Until then - here's all the videos I recorded. Spent the day re-encoding, editing, and whatnot so Youtube would play nice.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JGZinv&view=videos

Sorry about the double posting. There really needs to be an update on edit feature for the thread starter.

 

The way it´s Nvidia.

Thank you JGZinv for the youtube videos.

Please try DMC4 that game has a benchmark tool.

 

Is it possible to start a new thread for the actual review?
Clicking through multiple pages is tough on my iPhone-

Id love to read your take on this laptop-

 

Once I've got the full review up at the end of this thread as a prelim for people to read over and say yea or nay that it's accurate or whichever, then the original first post will be edited.

Which I don't mean to be snarky here, but most Internet
forums are not designed to be read with subminiture devices such as phones. In Japan, that might be another story though.

 

http://www.filehippo.com/download_gpuz/


new gpu-z run it and post your gpu if it shows the specs now.

 

Reads just fine-

Plus company policy prohibits use of internet for non-work related activities.

 

Yeah it shows up as a GTX 280m

New pic -

Guess they got that BIOS I sent them.