Sager NP8130 for photo and video editing

I purchased my Sager NP8130 for two reasons. One was that my existing laptops were getting toward the end of their useful lives. Two, I required a state of the art notebook that has plenty of memory, a super fast processor and a screen that I could use for process photographs and videos that would keep colours true to their image.
The model I choose has the following configuration:

1 x NP8130 Base Configuration
1 x Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M GPU with 1.5GB GDDR5 Video Memory
1 x IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU+ GPU
1 x 15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display features 95% NTSC Color Gamut in Matte
Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
1 x Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
1 x Fingerprint Reader
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at
1600MHz - 4 X 4GB
1 x 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.20GHz)
1 x 500GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
1 x Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
1 x Microsoft Office Starter 2010
1 x 6X Blu-ray Reader/8X DVD±R/2.4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
1 x Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
1 x Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty
1 Each 1 x Reflexnotebook Hassle free warranty.
1 x internal Drive Caddy
30 Day return policy.

Being Canadian I purchased it through reflexnote.ca, as they are a Canadian reseller for Sager. I bought my notebook through Mark, I found him helpful and after speaking to him twice I make a couple of changes. I ordered two sdd drives from newegg, one 60 GB for the OS and a 240 GB for data. I decided to order the full complement of fast ram, 16 GB I received an email one week after I ordered the laptop , two days later it was delivered to my door. Not bad for a Canadian order.

The main focus for my new laptop is for advanced photo and video processing and editing. One piece of hardware that I use as a photographer is a Gigapan Pro. This device attaches to a tripod, I then attach my DSLR camera to it. Using this apparatus I am able to shot panorama pictures that can be 2 to over 100 GB in size. The native resolution of my pictures is 18 MP. If I shoot a panorama that is 20 frames wide and 7 frames high my captured image is 20 x 7 x 18= 2,520 MP. This image must be processed and stitched together to make the finished panorama. Power is what it’s all about, and this sager certainly can handle it. What took My three year old Sony VIO a half hour to do can now be done in a minute.

As a bonus my Canon 7D also shoots videos at 1920 x 1080 using a 16 x 9 ratio, the same as the resolution of the Sager. I should also mention that I use software from Breeze Systems called DSLR Remote Pro. This software allows me to use my laptop as a screen for focusing my DSLR as well as many other advanced functions. This is another case where the matte screen with 95% NTSC Color Gamut and 1920 x 1080 display makes this system rise to the top of my laptop selection.

The one change that I did while waiting for delivery of my laptop was deciding to go with a solid state drives, commonly called a sdd. I purchased a 60 GB OCZ vertex III to use as a system drive and a 240 GB OCZ agility III as a data drive, replacing the blu ray player in the drive bay. I initially installed the complete windows system on the 500 GB drive that came with my system, it amounted to about 65 GB. I managed to cut it down to about 55 GB then I used Accronis True Imaging Software to clone the drive. After cloning the drive I moved my user files to drive D using the Microsoft approved method. I also moved the indexing reserved file, again using the Method approved by Microsoft. This cut my system down to around 30 GB. Remember these are new drives, therefor no data, the recovered space is just space that Microsoft reserves for system functions. I will not put any of my data on the System drive, it is reserved for system functions and any data that the system must place there. All of my software programs have been installed on drive D.

I installed my Blu ray player in a rubber case supplied by newmodeus.com, their description is:
SATA (slim SATA) to USB Cable , with External Rubber Enclosure (slimSATA-USB-C12) $29.95.

A cable plugs and screws into to rear sockets of the Blu-ray player then into a USB 3.0 connector of the laptop. Both data and power flow seamlessly. A fantastic piece of hardware to complement the Sager NP8100 family of laptops. The same company also supplies the same cable for eSATA.

I installed the 500 GB drive in an external case that is configured for eSATA for back up purposes and to my surprise the data download from my sdd is between 600 and 300 MB/s.

Some may wonder why I chose a “gaming laptop”, it just happens that I require all of the ports the Sager has, I have USB 2 as well as USB 3 peripherals as well as eSATA dirves. I also require HDMI as I use a Samsung 42 inch 1080 p display for large imaging at times. Combine the large variety of posts, the choice of processors and memory, the NP8130 was exactly what I would call my dream computer. As an aside, I don’t play game on a computer, that is what game machines are for, they really do a better job.

I also purchased a 64 GB thumb drive from Super Talent that used RAID 0 and also has the above transfer speed. To top off my package I purchased a US Robotics USB 3.0 card reader. All in all I believe that I have put together one of the most powerful laptops possible.

 

Just make sure to double check your display for that ghosting issue, and of course pixels. And as long as you don't mind the shorter battery life, I think you've made a good choice.

 

I have no ghosting at all, the monitor is absolutly outstanding. Battery life is not an issue. The ony time it is really used as a portable device is when I am on location with no power, then I might use it for an hour at a time for focusing the camera.

 

for what I will guess at your budget I would say you got a very nice machine to work with for certain.

for my needs I still needed a better screen, different GPU and warranty so went with the Elitebooks with the 150% 10 bit IPS screens and pro GPU's

 

I looked at hp Elitebooks but I thought the quality of the Sager was much better, in total including the two sdd drives I paid much more that any of the Elitebooks.

 

see sig and I have an 8760W equipped with 32 GB and dual 512 SSD's too. ANY machine can get expensive fast

I have not seen that sager in person but the Elitebooks are very well built and I tend to like NBD warranties. but I assume we also work on different types of projects too

for me it came to the NEED of the IPS screen since I do alot of onsite work direct to film and to press

 

Since you are editing videos that are quite large in size, I would actually recommend you use the 240GB SSD for the OS and then use the original 500GB or get a larger 750GB mechanical drive in the optical bay. The Agility isn't as fast as the Vertex 3 but it is no slouch.

 

A very interesting write up. Always good to hear how people use their laptops. It even appears that the limited battery life is not a problem, I always thought a photographer would want a laptop with decent battery life. Keep us informed of how it all goes. A picture of that awesome sounding rig hooked up to your laptop would be really good!

 

My error in my comment. The Elitebooks are of excellent build and quality, I love the open concept of the Sager laptop. Online manuals, both opperational and service. The service manual walks you through the complete dismantling of the laptop and shows you step by step how to replace every component. The online user ma

 

My error in my comment. The Elitebooks are of excellent build and quality, I love the open concept of the Sager laptop. Online manuals, both opperational and service. The service manual walks you through the complete dismantling of the laptop and shows you step by step how to replace every component. The online user manual is just as complete.

 

I tried the drives both ways. I am getting over 500 MB/s transfer rates both read and write with either drive in my set up. A much faster boot time with the Vertex as the boot drive, 20 sec compared to 30 sec. Performance using the Agility for my data is much faster than using the stock 500 GB 7200 rpm drive. Another very important factor in my laptop is that there is absolutely no heat coming from my drives. Under normal conditions I am getting about 3 hours per charge when needed. The drives required almost no power. I also have my screen adjusted to about 50% brightness.

 

I dont trust OCZ SSDs....rather would go with the Crucial M4 or Intel 510 even if I have to sacrifice write speeds. reliablility>speed.

 

I don't know why some people have given OCZ such a bad rap. They have been in business for so long and are , in my mind, the leader in r @ d. Have you actually ever owned one or are you one of those people who go by what someone else is saying on the Internet?
The opinions about OCZ vary, however if you only look at hands on reviews by experts mostly only good things are said. I have had mine since they came out an I love them.