Sager NP9150 for College

I've been snooping around this forum a while, it's been awfully helpful I can tell you that. Basically, I need a college laptop that will preferably last me a few years to stay cost effective, but will also meet all my entertainment needs, and I've pretty much decided on the Sager NP9150 as the best mix of cost/performance for me, here's the configuration I'll likely go with from xoticpc.com:

Sager NP9150 / Clevo P150EM
- FREE!! Continental (U.S. Lower 48 - UPS Ground Only) Ground Shipping on ALL Sager Laptops (Enter Coupon Code: "SAGERFREESHIP" during order process)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen (SKU - S1R316)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11 [User Upgradeable] (ETA: Early June) (SKU - S3R155)
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 12GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (3 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4R777)
- Sager Branding
- Standard Finish
- No mSATA SSD
- 750gb (w/ 8GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid (Serial-ATA III 600 - 32MB Cache) (SKU - S5R421)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (When selecting a Hard Drive in the Optical Bay, No Optical Drive is Included) (SKU - S7R455)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth (SKU - S8R110)
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- LIFETIME Ltd Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Telephone Support (Labor through XPC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs (SKU - X9R009)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No Xotic PC Gear


My biggest question, I know the laptop can provide all the power I need to play demanding games down the road, but is it also something I can use that will be comfortable for typing away at papers, hauling it to classes and the library and other workstation stuff? I'll be a biomedical engineering student so no idea what programs I'll have to run (probably not much), but above anything I need a laptop that will get those done well before the gaming, academics before entertainment, you know, and was wondering if anyone who has the laptop can speak for that.

Feel free to make any comments on how I've configured it if there's something better/has more value.

 

I haven't gotten hands-on time with a 9150 yet (just ordered), but I expect the potential issues are weight and noise. The 9150 is listed at a little over 7lbs, which I personally don't think is that bad at all, but it is in sharp contrast to the trend of super thin, super light laptops/ultrabooks that are in right now. How heavy is too heavy is a matter of opinion, so you might want to try to find a friend with a laptop that's a similar weight to get an idea of what you're looking at. Also keep in mind the power adapter is big, and my understanding is around 2lbs itself.

The noise I can't speak on from personal experience either, but I get the impression that if you're in a quiet library/classroom, you'll want to avoid doing things that'll result in the fans cranking up, such as gaming.

I'm sure some folks with more hands-on experience will chime in shortly.

 

Yes the keyboard is said (mostly) to very nice, but some people have gone the extra mile and ordered the secondary (Steelseries) backlit keyboard that is changed out and put inside instead of the stock keyboard, check THIS out

 

Quick disclaimer: BioMed is almost identical to MechE at my school until about the last year or so, but it could be different for you. For the sake of being helpful, I'll just go ahead and assume you will have to run the same programs I do/will.

Although I haven't used mine in college yet (still waiting for it), my friend has the 8150 (last year's model), and these were his thoughts on the matter:

-its pretty heavy to carry around. totally doable, but heavy.
-the beefy cpu/gpu is awesome for 3D modeling projects, of which you will probably have many.
-its a gaming and media powerhouse.
-the air coming out of the vents it quite hot.
-the keyboard is awesome, but the 8150 doesn't have a backlight, which he missed.
-its build like a tank. He dropped his down the stairs, and it fell open onto the screen eek . It was fine.

 

hi MGoBlue1,
I would suggest changing the RAM to 1600mhz unless you need to have 12GB. While the upgrade you selected is more it is slower. Since everything goes through RAM at some point its better to have less faster RAM then more slower RAM, as long as you have enough RAM. For school 8GB is going to be plenty.
Also add Windows to it if you dont have a copy already or plan on getting one to install yourself.

For what you plan on using it for, including gaming, the rest of the specs look great.

 

YAYTech is spot on. Weight and noise will be your biggest issues. The P150EM is on the borderline of portability. It's doable, but kind of annoying and it's like carrying around a large textbook. Noise is also an issue. You definitely should not do anything intensive in the classroom/library and it may or may not bother your roommates. Even when it's not under load, the fans can come on under low settings which are sort of noticeable.

Both of these are more subjective things. If you can handle a little extra weight and if noise doesn't bother you, then it's the best gaming computer you can get for college, imo. If the weight and noise are more of an issue, I do like the W110ER as an option.

 

Other choices are Samsung 7, hp envy 15, dell XPS 15 (the new one), MSI GE60 are all slightly lower on the GPU front but other wise comparable performance wise. And the size of any of these are alot easier to carry around.

 

Wow guys, thanks for all the replies.

I'd love the SteelSeries, but for the $90 premium that's a lot and I'm really trying to keep the cost down a bit. I could always add it on later too if I find it need it, from what I've read.

That's real helpful, thanks for the input. I'm at the University of Michigan (if my username wasn't telling) and they tend to put a little more bio and chem into the program, but with the typical amount of engineering design if I remember the whole curriculum.

I was debating on the RAM, although I guess the jump from 8 to 12GB probably less than the speeds, I could always add more. And I have some XP and 7 discs around I'll use, and probably will upgrade to 8 at the cheap student prices from our tech center. And I'll probably be in touch with you guys to order sometime this week!

Is there any way to use SpeedFan or something else to throttle the fans a bit? It's what I used on my desktop. And borderline of portability sounds good to me, I've got a good backpack anyway that should help.

I like the Samsung, but it's too pricey. I also like the MSI, but my concern is that since I'm looking for something that has a chance at lasting all four years (maybe with a sole GPU upgrade but I'd like to stay away from it), there's no way a 660M could do that.

 

I'll be doing biomedical engineering too and first I've been looking for a gamer/high performance laptop (exactly the NP9150), but then I realised that in general usage it's bulk and weight would probably be a greater annoyance than it's power an advantage. I tried to look for a compromise between mobility and power and considered the MSI GE60, then I discovered the possibility of external GPU setups and now I'm actually looking at Thunderbolt equipped Ultrabooks and lightweight 'normal' notebooks to use with an external GPU ^^.
To be honest I don't know how often I would be doing power intensive tasks, but I think if I can mostly restrict those to when I'm in my room (with my eGPU), I'll be okay and have an almost unnoticably slim and light laptop for regular usage.

 

This is precisely it. With the 7970M, your computer could likely play future games quite comfortably. I agree with 'academics before entertainment' but no reason why they should be mutually exclusive. I've never done a biomed course (currently practising veterinarian), however there shouldn't be much academic-related software that you need to run on your computer. Most courses would already have the necessary software installed in their own computer labs and you can just use their computers instead.

It would be challenging to debate if the 9150 is too heavy for college, or too noisy because those are subjective things. The 9150 is a bulky computer but it does come with the territory when you're looking at a high performing computer with high-end products, and good heat dissipation characteristics to avoid overheating.

On that note, instead of standard thermal compound, go for the best option that is offered (IC diamond etc). I'm pretty sure my last computer died from overheating, so I'm obsessed with cooling at the moment, and at any cost...well, short of placing the computer in a freezer while I load up the most demanding game...Don't go too far in the search for 'thin and light' because IMO, performance and longevity is everything.

Weight-wise, I'd say the 9150 is manageable and quite comfortable to lug around. In my college days I used to lug around a Dell Inspiron 8100 which is as big and heavy as the 9150, so don't worry too much about the weight. The Sager also has good build quality and so long as it's not abused, I reckon it should hold up very well.

The standard keyboard should be as good as those on most consumer laptops, but not comparable to an external keyboard in terms of ergonomics and feel. A good idea is to get an external keyboard that can be used with the computer when its stationary (eg. at home, in your dorm) and use the built-in keyboard when on the move. It's also backlit and looks attractive in the dark, but not sure if it really matters to you.

Back in days of college, I know that having a backlit keyboard would have been great. I used to spend hours looking at xrays on a lightbox while typing reports on my old Inspiron, so the room would be fairly dark...a bit of a strain to see the keyboard at times.

The issue of fan noise has been touched on by many. Some find it disturbing, but I personally think that under load, the sound is no worse than that from my old Macbook Pro (also audible and sometimes loud when under load, but runs virtually silent otherwise), and the cooling is fabulous. I remember playing games for hours over the last long weekend in Australia and the computer only felt warm to the touch. It is unlikely that fan noise will be an issue if you're doing just word processing or running light programs in an academic setting. If you're in a small apartment with a couple of other room mates, the sound might be an issue. But seriously, your mates will probably be listening to music and on the tele anyway, and they wouldn't notice.

In short, I would be very surprised if you found the 9150 limiting for your work in college. It should more than suffice, and importantly, assuming you're the regular poor college student who can't afford to regularly upgrade, the 9150 is a computer that should last you for some time. But consider an extended 3 year warranty.

 

Something like that would be awesome, but since there's no timetable on the GUS-II and ultrabook laptops with Thunderbolt are still pretty expensive and rare I don't think I can take the time to wait until later this year, since I'd need it for the fall.

They do, although for the 15 degree days when I don't feel like walking outside to a lab it might be nice to have something that will suffice. Thanks for the post though, makes me feel real confident about this now.


One additional question, is the wireless card update worth it, or will the stock one suffice?

 

This is exactly what i order except i had the Intel Advanced wireless card, windows 7 home prof. and microsoft office student edition... other than that, it's nice! Still waiting to be shipped though

 

I know I'm new and don't have much credentials on the forum, but being a Computer Engineering student I can tell you that I disagree on the whole RAM speed thing. CPUs these days do a marvellous work at hiding latency on RAM and you will only ever notice some difference if you are using the integrated GPU, as those are more sensitive on the memory bandwidth. However, given that the performance of those in Intel CPUs is bad anyway, it shouldn't matter.

The decision on RAM should be more of a future proof thing rather than a performance thing. You can confirm what I'm saying on one of Anandtech's articles:

AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3

If the price difference on getting the same amount of RAM is small between speeds, go for the faster one. Otherwise, just choose what you think fits your profile the best. I know that I'd rather have more RAM as you never know when you'll have 25 tabs open while doing some simulations and or compiling some stuff in the background. Swapping is not a thing I want to encounter on a modern system these days.

That being said, YMMV. But don't take my word for it, you can see the numbers on an article up top.

 

So do you think the 12GB of 1333Mhz is better than the 8GB of 1600MHz? It's the same price.

 

This is exactly the same situation I'm going to be in this fall. I'm doing biomed to and ordered pretty much this same setup except for the 675m instead of the 7970m. Can anyone here who has the 675m or the 7970m in this laptop comment about the fan noise and weight? I don't think anyone who has one actually commented yet. I have the same concerns.

 

The most disadvantage of this configuration is 7970M is still locked out with this crappy Enduro thing, and if this is for college use, you'll get bored because of noisy fans (on load) on theses P91xx Models (except P9130).

 

Personally, of those options, I'd go for the 8gb (2x4) of 1600, and save to throw another 8gb (or 16) 1600 in later in the 2 leftover slots. 2x4gb 1600mhz is only $45-70, depending on exact specs & brand preference, and it's cake to install yourself.

 

Will have to let others comment on this. For most users, the stock should suffice. Personally I went all the way with the Bigfoot Killer 1103. There's a lovely article here about the older 1102 and what advantages it offers over a standard wireless card when it comes to gaming.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4590/bigfoots-killern-1102-wireless-networking-vs-the-world

It doesn't have bluetooth, but I have a separate USB dongle for that. However, it is said that you do need a reasonably good router to take advantage of what the Bigfoot offers. There is also a possible backorder on the Bigfoot Killer 1103 cards from some retailers, so do check before you order.

Agree with future proofing. Hence the reason why I went for 16GB of 1600MHz RAM. From my local retailer, the price difference between 8GB and 16GB was AU$44 (no option for 12GB at 1333MHz). Honestly I know that I wouldn't dare/ bother to buy and install RAM myself in the future. If, in the months or years that come, I ever have any need for 16GB of RAM, I do know that it is at my disposal and ready to go.

Most people agree however that 8GB is more than enough for games, but then again, a lot of us do more than just gaming...for example processing large files in Photoshop, creating videos etc. Up till a month ago I survived on 2GB of RAM and 256MB of VRAM in a computer that was more than 4 years old...until it died an untimely (or should I say timely) death.

We can usually make do with less, but as they say in photography, life is too short to be using bad camera lenses. Likewise life is too short to be 'making do' with a slow computer.

I'm not a computer expert, but it appears to me that everything is obsolete by the time it hits your desk at home. So I'd rather buy slightly higher-end for some components that will most likely be very useful in the future. Buy with the future in mind!

 

@MGoBlue1

The stock wifi adapter should suffice, unless you plan on transferring large amounts of data wirelessly or playing games constantly over wireless.

 

I can't think of anything important I'd be doing over wifi anyway, anything intensive I'd just do wired or I can wait the extra bit of time to download something if I have to I guess.

I just looked up videos on YouTube of Sager laptops playing games. It's loud, but it's covered up by game volume or chatter, headphones it'd be silent. As for weight, it says 6.83 pounds. The last generation of 15" MacBook Pros were I think 5.4 or 5.5 pounds, for some perspective. So it's on the heavy side, but when it's in a backpack I don't think the 8 pounds (with battery) will be a terrible hassle.

I'd go for 16GB no problem if I wasn't trying to avoid Broke College Student Syndrome. I'll probably just go with 8, it's what I have in my desktop right now, and it should more than suffice. It'll make it easier to upgrade myself in the future because then I can just buy 2 sticks in a pair and put them in, I have no problem doing that.

So true with the obsoleteness, I'm hoping Haswell and Broadwell down the road don't just obliterate the Ivy Bridge platform, I kind of expect it to happen with graphics though, it's just the way things go.

 

Sorry for the necro, but I think this might be useful for you. In the 9150, the CPU + GPU are (user?) upgradeable. So if one day you decide you need more power, you will be able to throw a 680 in there (or something even better if it fits) and get an extra 30%+ performance.