Sager NP8662 questions before possible purchase

I read a few posts ago in the other thread that it's been over a year since the M860TU has been released. In that time, have new versions of the laptop been released? I see a lot of the Sager models in the sales forum section less then a year old that no longer are up for sale at xoticpc. I was curious how many different builds on the M860TU there are (for example, I see a M860TU 2 months old that stocked the T9550). How old is the current build, and are there an speculations of when the next one will be released? I don't know this for a fact, but are these differences from new builds or just people customizing from different sites? (I plan on using xotic).

The reason I ask is because I am looking to definitely purchase a M860TU but I can wait a month or even two if there is a update coming soon.

Also, I can get the M860TU with the T9550 chipset for a pretty good deal. From what I know, the T9550 is 35w based so it will have higher temperatures then the current stock P8700; will the higher temperature be problematic? Besides temperature differences, is there a noticeable performance difference?

And lastly what's the difference between TU and ETU at the end of M860?

I plan on customizing the M860 by only upgrading the RAM to 4gig, HDD to 320gig 7200rpm, and windows vista. This makes the purchase ~1600, or I can buy a used one with the T9550 chipset for ~1200. Whats your opinion?

 

The first one doesnt support quad core cpu

Yes, thats true but you can check some reviews here of the clevo M860ETU with quad core (QX9300, 45W) and 280M with no heating problems, although problably with >35W youll want purchase a cooling base.

How old is the one with T9550, is a M860TU or ETU (Youll probably want to update to quad when prices drop)? Cosmetic condition? All accesories? Full description? Do you trust the seller? Warranty?

We're talking a 33% increase from old to new...
5% (Its tiny not real improvement) of cpu speed difference including 3Mb extra in the L2 cache (Not huge but still valuable), the downside is that a generation older.

I think the old one is a good deal, but ill check all the features first.

 

It seems to be a great deal; 2 months old, 4 gig mem, 320 hddrive, the rest similar specs to my custom NP8662 (monitor, etc options identical). +windows vista! But what do you mean by 33% increase, then you said 5%?

But... unfortunately not ETU version so thats a real setbakc.

 

Do you really want a quad that badly? I don't think the improved benchmark scores are enough to justify. Real-world performance is what really matters and as long as >50% of programs aren't optimized for quads, imo it's just not worth it.

 

Tabnir the quads are going to be useful within 1-2 years. Its good to have the option tho.

fstop if you dont plan to have this laptop more than 1-2 years or you dont want to upgrade it to quad core (guessing $300 in 2-3 years) the two months old seems to be a good choice (why is he/she selling it?), there's a guide to change the fan to a zalmans $40 that will probably be the solution for the heating problems if any.

ps: its weird now that im aware that it says two months old because the T9550 wasnt a choice at least in the custom laptopts sites i've visited, be sure isnt a scam and if it could be 2 months old. Is it two months old or two months of use?

 

But even in 2 years a powerful dual is still just as viable. Also the nextgen quads coming out won't be compatible with M860ETU mobo right?

Wouldn't 2 months of use = 2 month old?

 

2 months of use could be on laptop purchased 4 months ago. He could also be a second owner. As far as I know, Q4's paired with a 280m gfx card is do-able on a ETU. In 2-3 years those parts will be very cheap, so why not have the option?

The deal slipped due to complications. The guy was extremely nice, one of the nicest people I've had a conversation with over the internet. I trusted him. It wasn't his fault, but in the end I couldn't purchase the laptop.

Looks like i'm going to have to buy it from Xotic. I'm trying to find a way to work around the $117 vista+win7 key. That parts really killing it for me.

 

Laptop + wireless = $1059 + $40
http://mivasecure.abac.com/rjtech/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=M860TU

4gb 1066 ram - $65 or $58.5 (if you wait for the double cashback in a few weeks)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4481607&sku=C10-5122

250gb 7200.4 seagate - $60 or $54 (if you wait for double cashback)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4777425&sku=TMD-250AS3

then all you have to do is buy whatever cpu u want to fit in there.
without double cashback - $1224 (cpu cost not included)
with double cashback - $1212.5 (cpu price not included)

PS the laptop that was linked is the full ETU, so i would advise buy a lower end cpu then sometime in the future upgrade it to quad or what ever you want. if money is tight that is.

 

Thanks for the very helpful post. Quick questions though. Is the memory you linked the same brand (centon) as what is stocked from Xotic or RJ? Does it really matter what brand the memory is?

The way I've worked it out:

Laptop + wireless = $1059 + $40
http://mivasecure.abac.com/rjtech/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=R&Product_Code=M860TU

4gb 1066 ram - $65 or $58.5 (if you wait for the double cashback in a few weeks)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4481607&sku=C10-5122

320gb 7200 rpm Seagate - $75 or $60 after CB
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4167702&CatId=2682

And I can pick up a P8700 core duo on ebay cashback ~180.

Summary
$1059 + $40
$58.5 + $60 + ($10 shipping from TD)
$180

Totals up to $1408, still leaving me to have to buy the OS.
Xotic will sell me the same setup for ~$1460 shipped. I'll be saving roughly $50 but there will be a lot of extra legwork... Not sure if that's going to be worth it.

 

^well that depends on your meaning of legwork, for me, building pc's is a hobby so its no legwork for me. Actually shipping for TD is on $1.99 on packages of more than $100 and less than 20lbs. And if you wanted to really save some money you could install the wireless lan by yourself for $15 (eliminating the $40) however that process is a tad more legwork.

But at this point we are nickle and diming, either way will produce a great lookin laptop. But im a rather cheapskate, so my though process may be different from yours.ALSO xotic offers a 3year labor included in that $1470.

As far as the OS, when I get my m860etu (whenever i finally pull the trigger) my os is gonna be win7 RC, so I personally dont add a cost for that, but you might if win7 rc is not gonna be your os.