Sager NP8170 Touchpad verses Macbook Pro's

Anyone have any experience with the Macbook Pro's touchpad that can comment on usability compared to the Sager N8xxx series notebooks?

I currently have a 2007 15" Macbook Pro and I'm seriously considering going to a Sager 15 or 17". I exclusively use the Mac's touchpad for tracking input and would like to know if there will be any comparative shortcomings to using the touchpad on the Sager models.

 

I am also interested in this. I like the trackpad on my macpro, and it would be nice to know how they compare

 

Could you explain me what exactly is so special on the Macbook pro touchpad? I have a Macbook Pro (4) and the touchpad feels the same as on the MALIBAL P170HM (=Sager NP8170). If you tell me what exactly you want to know/compare then I will give it a try on both notebooks.

 

There are currently no Windows-based machine touchpad's that can compare to the Macbook's...

The smoothness and the versatility are far from those on Macs.

Shortcuts like two-finger scrolling, 3-finger page down, etc. have been implemented by Synaptics, but you would really miss the Mac trackpad.

 

As long as it's smooth and doesn't have one of the new "textured" touchpads that a lot of non-Apple notebooks have been coming out with recently, I won't be complaining.

Those things are awful.

 

ok forgive my ignorance here but as a longtime mac user why on earth is the trackpad such an issue? gaming on a trackpad ( sager/clevo's main markets ) us almost as stupud as photo editing on it. isnt the touch pad fir quick imprecice work like web surfing and e-mail? yes shortcuts like above are nice and have been around awhile. buying a system strictly for a touchpad is like buying a car for its rims.

as for none comparing, quite a few of the business class units available meet or exceed apples IMO.

 

I'm not sure if there is anything "special" about a Macs trackpad but since a can't go to a retail outlet like BB and test out a Sager I have no ideal what it's like. I have read various threads where people weren't to thrilled about the fell and functionality of the Sagers. So I was trying to get perspective.

I won't be using the Sager for gaming. I want it primarily for photo post processing. So the touchpad will be the primary tracking input device. If Sager's touchpads are difficult to use it could be a deal breaker for me.

 

Why would it be stupid to use a Sager for photo editing? I'm maybe incorrectly assuming that something like a Sager NP8170 with a 95% gamut screen and a strong CPU/GPU would be excellent for image rendering and editing. Sager seems to have much more value for the buck than a 17" Macbook Pro even when including the purchase of new editing SW.

 

^^ i'm guessing that what was meant was using a trackpad not a sager for photo-editing.

back to the quality of the trackpad: i have to admit that it is still something i'm trying to get used to, and i've had my 8170 for more than 3 months. i've had a problem where the trackpad either is extremely sensitive (or maybe windows 7 has some issues), but i find my cursor often going places where i did not intend it to go. i've turned down the sensitivity, which seemed to have helped. also the placement is a bit odd, and when i'm not looking i figure out that i'm tapping not on the trackpad but outside the trackpad.

 

He's talking about using the trackpad when gaming/photo-editing.

 

she actually. for post editing and precise work you want a good mouse or digitizer tablet, not a trackpad.
clevos with 90% screens are a much better choice for editing over a MBP but the touchpad has nothing to do with it, if screen and touchpad are priority then an IPS equipped elitebook is best.

 

I believe he/she was referring to photo editing using the trackpad compared to using a digitizer tablet.

EDIT: Whoops, way too late after answering the phone before hitting save

 

Got it . Maybe it's just me and/or the functionality of the Macbook's pad but I don't have any issues using it for photo editing.

 

Agreed, you can't beat the precision of a mouse or tablet. But for rendering and adjusting photos a trackpad works real well in the field.

I was looking at the Dell and HP IPS offerings but can't quite afford them optioned the way I want. I can't even afford the bare bones HP Elitebook IPS. So hopefully a Sager is a good meet in the middle approach between a new 17 Macbook or the HP/Dell stuff.

 

it should do you very well. we have a couple as well as an alien in our graphics department.

 

If you use Windows at all on your MBP you'll notice that the Synaptics trackpad is vastly superior in precision to an MBP running Windows, OS X is another story but Apple's dismal boot camp drivers leave much to be desired with the trackpad.

Also, I have a 2009 MBP and am painfully personally aware of this since like you I prefer using the trackpad for most things, on the MBP I got into a routine of plugging in my usb mouse or grabbing my bluetooth mouse every time I booted to Windows.

FYI if you're like me and love the two finger tap right click option on the Macbook then grab two-finger-scroll, it'll let you enable that functionality on the synaptics pad.

 

I use my laptops for everything, from surfing the we, to emails, to data processing, image work, and gaming. I've found on my Macbookpro the pad is great for everything except gaming. This is especially useful if I want to use the notebook on the couch, or when traveling, as I dont need to break out a peripheril to use it.

In contrast, my wife has an HP laptop with a truly horrible trackpad. Its the size of a postage stamp, it tracks poorly, and the buttons are oddly placed. I cant stand using her trackpad for any purposes.

So I thought the question about the pads that come on thses computers was a good one. From what people are saying it sounds like it will probably work fine.

 

I would be interested to know the following:

Does the left oriented position of the pad (as opposed to middle location on Mac) make it difficult to use on your lap?

Is the touchpad about the same size as a Macbook Pro?

Do you get used to the fingerprint reader in the middle of the buttons or does it get in the way?

Does the pad have a smooth tracking feel to the finger(s) or somewhat resistive?

How does the two finger scrolling work in comparison?

Do you think I'm to anal about trackpads

Thanks.

 

1. no why should it? Are you some 130kg steroid monster who's chest is too big to move the right arm 10cm more to the left than you do on normal trackpads?

2. Yes.. can give you exact measurements later.

3. not at all. MALIBAL lets you buy the notebook without the fingerprint reader.

4. Mhh its a bit resistive.. but not too much.. just fine for me. I think the MBP isn't any different.

5. No idea.. didn't install the synaptics driver yet.

6. YES ! But who knows what kind of stuff you do with your trackpad

 

No just 100kg organically grown . Just seemed to me that the position to the left might be slightly awkward for laptop use. Thanks for your perspective on this.

 

Nope, for me that's is no issue at all. Feels just like always