Sager NP9170 disapointed

I received mine few days ago.
It is not so bad in general, I don't had any problem with AMD enduro.
It works very well but the screen is VERY slow for playing (like 8ms not sure).
I choosed the matte screen, I don't know if the response time is different of the regular gloosy screen
and the sound that come from the headset audio jack is TERRIBLE.
Its hard to justify this on a 2000$ laptop, maybe i'm gonna ask for a refund.

 

The stock matte screen's response (in my NP9150) is a little slower than average and also has more blur trailing than my Samsung monitor. It is a really good looking screen but not the best for gaming in my opinion. I have a thread called "fix headphone sound" or some thing close to that if it helps.

 

I saw it, but the sound still sucks, I think sager never tried theirs laptop before they goes to production.
I made some shopping last night, there is no good replacement screen for these models, it use the old s.h.i.t.t.y LVDS interface instead of eDP.
This thing is not a high end 2k notebook like alienware, this is a Acer with premium cpu/gpu THATS IT. I'm gonna ask for a refund for sure.

 

Just get an USB soundcard for your headset. I got Asus Xonar u3 for like 35 euros and my headphones (HD595) sound very good with it.

 

ok and for the screen?

 

Well I haven't had any problems with my screen. You sure your screen is not defective?

 

I'm also voting for bad screen - first i've heard of any of the screen options being as slow as you're claiming. I would ask for a LCD replacement.

The sound is horrible indeed - and you soon might find out the keyboard sucks too.. but the rest of the unit is pretty solid. My P9170's 90% gamut glossy is nearly if not as good as the Samsung LCD in the Gamer 7 which has been said to be one of the best laptop screens out there. My refresh/GTG is perfect, no ghosting, nothing..

 

ive got the 15" but almost the same except for size.
im loving my standard screen which imo is perfect.
the keyboard sure is taking some time to get used too as its a total different layout that im used to and im missing quite a few letters or space.
yes the speakers arent great. i was about to buy an x-fi card but plugging my external speakers into the headphone socket sure does make a difference.
just read on here that if you plug your green lead (front speakers) into your headphone socket and your yellow lead (bass and rear) into your mic socket they will all work so im going to test it out tonight.

 

No, its because its a 8 ms, seriously we are in 2012, ''high end laptop'' LOL

This is a Chi Mei N173HGE-L11 8ms

I cannot change it for a better display, there is no better display on LVDS. According to the manual, there is a eDP directly through the MXM slot but with this Muxless design, it will not works.

 

Dude... 8ms is just fine for gaming. The average viewer won't notice a difference between a 2ms and 8ms screens. Our eyes are not that precise. Besides, it's more about the quality of the panel than ms that counts. My screen has no problems, and it is the stock screen from MYSN (matte). Yours might be defective.

 

I also am using the 15" version and have never had any such problems with the screen. There's no ghosting and the response time is definitely good enough for gaming. I would say your screen may be defective.

 

The screen is not defective, it do what a 8ms should do, i will get a refund, it not worth its price.
I will wait for the alienware mx17 R5 with intel haswell

 

Again, it doesn't really matter if the screen is 2ms or 8ms. Its about the overall quality of the panel. I would still say it is defective if you truly are seeing the issues you claim to have. About the Haswell, you'll need to wait another year or so for it to come out, but if you don't need a laptop right now then go for it .

And what games are you playing? Could there be a problem with the game?

 

DISAPPOINTED - YouTube

Nah, save your breath. Some people will find stuff to criticize no matter what. Just the other day someone was willing to return this beast of a laptop due to the trackpad. The TRACKPAD. It's like returning a Lamborghini due to the cigarette lighter..

 

The screen you say is bad received excellent reviews from most websites I've seen it reviewed on.

But yes, this is not a premium laptop in any way shape or form. They gather the premium GPUs and CPUs and throw them with a cheap everything else to save money and make a profit. I've received my laptop not even a week ago and I'm thoroughly dissatisfied.

1- This metallic black finish is so mid 90s and gathers fingerprints like anything.
2- the CHEAP shiny plastic border around the screen bezel.
3- My screen came with some sort of smudge that can't be wiped off.
4- The 7970M -a whole other catastrophe- doesn't work and when it does it underutilizes.
5- The keyboard is gimmicky at best and mine is a little convex (ballooning slightly upwards) on the left side. You have to purposefully PRESS to get a response.
6- Everything else in the system performs less than its AW counterpart with identical settings (SSDs ..etc).
7- The cooling system might work for cool cards, but requires some DIY if you're thinking of any serious OCing.
8- The soundcard is ... well ... I've heard better audio from 80s mono radios.
9- The touchpad is horrendous.
10- My power brick fried after 10 hours of use. Although this is definitely a lemon, when I had a professional electrician look at it, and this is a guy earning semi-minimum wage from one of the less known cities in India, he said -indian accent- : "These are cheap capacitors and coils" about the brick. When a guy from Kerala who came to work under the scorching sun in the Persian Gulf to earn some 600 USD a month says that about your "premium" product, you're a bit let-down.
11- A Tamagotchi has a more customizable BIOS than the NP9170.

My old Acer had more of a premium feel to it. Yes you could get an external keyboard, screen, mouse, soundcard, and then buy it a cooler, do the DIY foil mod and a repaste, then go through a cycle of BSODs and trouble-proof that, and keep on trying to chase either AMD/Sager for some update on the 7970M situation and get no where, and end up with a semi-palatable experience, but this is far from premium grade quality or build or finish or operation. Enough circle-jerking, this is junk electronics and for only 100-150 USD more I would've gotten an AW. Was a stupid mistake and I'll willingly pay some 250-300 USD to ship this piece of junk back to the reseller and get a refund to buy an AW.

No, you're not being "tech-savvy" and the "Underground-of-the-web-handyman-geek" when you get one of these. You're just being ripped off and Sager is probably making more of a profit on their products than alienware. This has been a tremendous mistake largely thanks to most people here being fanboys rather than unbiased reviewers.

Have a good day.

 

YEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!

So true

 

What do you expect? I just configured an alienware (at UK site) that matches my laptop and it costs 1000€ more (with 1 year less support than mine). Of course its going to be better (for the price it surely should be!).

 

mine cost only 150-200 more
don't try to fool us.

 

I'm not about to defend this laptop (I simply don't care enough), but the exact same things you whine about has been whined about by many AW customers throughout the years, and even worse so, including the latest revision.

Sorry, but it looks like you're just searching for stuff to hate because of your busted power brick and that 7970M fiasco. As for me, I got 99% of what I wanted out of this machine and most of what you wrote is completely inconsequential for everyday usage for me.

But really, to his own. Good luck with your AW.

 

Yeah because AWs never have any problems.....rightttt

 

With the exact same specs as my Sager (buying the SSD and RAMs aftermarket) it's about 150 dollars more expensive than what I paid for the Sager (including discounts for being an NBR member and a summer discount, and an over 1500USD order discount, and a wire cash discount ..etc). Shipping is something else but that's the same in my situation for either.

Sager is marketed as "The secret treasure, no PR, no nonsense, the real deal, no fancy brand name" .... It's an inferior product. I grant you that it might work for many, but for someone living this far away from the source, I'd want a truly premium product that plugs in and works no questions asked.

 

Fool you? You can try it yourself. My specifications are in my sig (oh, and I have a hd screen)

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

Then configure a clevo from MYSN:

mySN.de | XMG XIRIOS XESIA | buy Schenker Notebooks - XMG P702 PRO Gaming Notebook 43,9cm (17.3")

What would I gain from lying?

 

​

Nothing like this, nothing this consistent, nothing this major, and nothing on their flagship model. Try again. Your fanboyism is one of the reasons Sager doesn't pay enough attention to their product quality, because there will always be a few fanboys beating down anyone else who has a criticism to say. We put our case forth, either respond and discuss or beat it. A lot of people have lost a lot of money over this.

 

I'd never said that AW had no problems, they do have problems nothing is perfect and my 7970m works very well at 100% on my sager. But this acer not worth its price and my screen/sound sucks thats it.

 

hmm ok, if you buy it directly to dell, you will pay for sure, try xoticpc.com

 

for my configuration

Sager 1819.00 USD

AW 2079.00 USD

+260$ for a real gaming laptop with a real gaming laptop screen (5ms) and a correct HDA, thats reasonable.

 

Well, I do like my laptop. I like the finishing and I don't mind the fingerprints (had an Acer 8930g...). I rarely use the trackpad, and when I do it works just fine for me. The audio was the negative side, though my Acer didn't have a great audio either. Might have gotten the Asus Xonar u3 regardless of the laptop I bought.

Also, the alienware does look like a spacecraft, and I do prefer a more clean and basic look of the clevo (this is a preferance question ofc). AW is just too flashy for my taste.

And at least for me, the Alienware would have cost so much more than my Clevo, that it wasn't really an option. I'm a desktop guy who bought this laptop out of necessity. I wanted as much power as possible for a semi reasonable price.

The 7970m problem is that of AMD's. Ofc there could have been a Mux cable, but the fact is that Enduro is messed up with Alienware too. The Enduro technolohy itself is to be blamed. AMD is apparently working hard to fix this issue and I hope to see a fix soon. Might switch to 680m otherwise.

I don't feel comfortable with OCing a laptop, and I see no reason for that atm. Not all people are willing to risk the health of their laptops.

Clevos have their place among the consumer base. I don't see them as premium as AW, and the price would suggest so too. I don't know if the Clevos are overpriced in the US or if AW is "underpriced", but at least in Europe the Clevos are much cheaper.

 

Alienware also has HDMI-IN, which is a cool feature if you travel a lot, as you can also carry a console with you and connect to it.

There's no question that Alienware is of higher quality, that's not a contest. But the shipping + VAT would have killed me. Living in Europe can be a pain sometimes

 

You are right

 

AW are cheaper from reseller, dell (in europe) is overpriced.

 

Well if you are from Europe then you're screwed. I didn't want to order my laptop from the US.

 

1- wah, personal preference.
2- wah, personal preference.
3- wah, probably could have RMA'd for said smudge. try water and a microfiber cloth.
4- wah, your problem for ordering the 7970. loads of unbiased reviews on that abound.
5- wah, colored backlit keyboards are in fact gimmicky. so is the entire alienware build, but who's comparing?
6- now that's a proven point if i've never seen one.
7- wah, most, if not all, "serious OCing" is "DIY."
8- agreed, but we're talking about a notebook's onboard sound. it makes it. in stereo. wah.
9- wah. in 10+ years i don't think i've ever come across a touchpad that i could say i actually liked or was as effective as a mouse. so when you say horrendous, what are you comparing it to?
10- as much as i hate the expression--cool story, bro.
11- har. har. wah.

 

Just because one monitor is listed as 5ms and another is listed as 8ms doesn't mean they are rated by the same standard. Because there is no standard. And some list the bwb rather than gtg and vice versa to make the specs look better than they really are. Unless your display is faulty I seriously doubt you are being honest with yourself about seeing a difference between a 5ms and 8ms response time. Most any half decent display this day and age isn't going to have ghosting problems. My desktop monitor has a "12ms" response time and it doesn't ghost at all. My previous 7 year old Dell monitors that are now on my other desktop with "5ms" response times don't ghost at all. My Sager with the stock matte display also doesn't have ghosting issues.

You're either following false myths about current day response times and are under a placebo effect or your monitor is faulty.

 

I would get into arguments with customers all the time about response time on monitors when I worked electronics retail. Response time is how long it takes a pixel to go from black to white to black again. The problem is there is no set standard that companies go by when the monitors are rated. Most of the 1ms and 2ms monitors that we sold were not BTB but were GTG (grey to white to grey) so they could get a lower rating. The only way to know this is they put it in really small print hidden in the manual. I personally never paid attention to response time. My TV is a 240Hz 2010 model Sony LED and with the 240Hz on the response time is the same as about 12ms. I play console games on it and never ran into any issues like dying because my TV is too slow. There is a SLIGHT delay, but you only notice it if you're looking for it and even then it's barely there.

 

You're joking right? You have clearly never owned an Alienware or a Dell for that matter as you seem to be living in the land of unicorns and sparkly rainbows. Dell/AW tend to use questionable grade parts in many of their computers, especially in those that are purchased pre-release/release due in large part to the great warranty that is offered with the machines. I think if you actually took the time to do you research you would find that even though the design maybe better the quality of parts is largely not, Dell's/AW's eat motherboards like it's their job so ya.......

 

At the retailer I worked at, we used to have a "high end" Alienware on display (quotes because it was $200 more than an Asus with a GTX580m when the Alienware had a GTX550m) and we had to replace the demo unit 3 times. twice because of hard drive and once because of motherboard.

 

I think you're mainly disappointed with the aesthetics, that it actually looks cheap. If it looked expensive, but had the same cheap guts inside, I think you'd be satisfied. Not that there's anything wrong with this, as I can't stand the eye sore of a cheap looking piece of gear either. I just feel that if you're going to buy Alienware, that you should know it's probably not as reliable as the "cheap looking Sager", despite it being easier on the eye and having a "premium" look to it.

My advice to you is buy whatever looks good and make sure it has a global warranty service in your country. It's all junk!

 

I will upgrade my screen to a AUO B173HW01 V4 or V5
Maybe that will fix my lagging ghosting issue.
And for the ''gimmicky'' keyboard > Steelserie

 

Wait.....what model did Asus put a 580m in and how did I miss out on purchasing it

 

Sorry about that. Alienware had 540m and Asus had 560m.

 

I already have the AUO B173HW01 V5, and it has the exact same specifications as the Chimei. Actually, on paper, the Chimei even has better 'response time'.

I don't know, I can't see any ghosting issue. The screen looks very good, the games run and that's about it.

 

Considering that I'm stuck with a Clevo M360s for the next year/half year(Which has a SiS M661mx/M661fx, Pentium M 730 and a 1.5 gigs of DDR1 ram). I can't but help think of this thread as abit of a joke. Sure your keyboard isn't made of jet fighter grade steel and you can't claim there's automotive paint on your laptop.

And yeah your screen has 8ms lagg time, in gaming(assuming your gaming that is) there is no difference. Considering it'll take you like 300 ms to react to that sniper trying to blow your head off, that extra 5ms that your screen took comes second place to player skill. If your screen is plain crap though and it's difficult to see in anything other than complete darkness then I'd agree you have a crap screen, but 8ms has little difference.

Ultimately though I'd say the fault for most of your problems is your own. Paint and keyboard poor quality?, should've researched and then tried a different Clevo reseller, or maybe no clevo whatsoever. Expecting a better screen?, should've done more research before you pop $2k on a laptop. Power adapter broke?, too bad, nothing works everytime.

 

Seriously blah blah blah, your are ridiculous.
Sager is great remember? It has a beautiful screen etc....
Maybe i'm the only one here who want what I have paid for, anyway its not my problem anymore, have fun with your acer, mine really s ucks, goodbye

 

Yeah, mine does too. The 8930g is really dated and the battery is dead too. Thankfully I got this new and powerful Clevo

 

Just a quick reminder most people seem to forget unfortunately. Not everyone is looking for and expecting the same in a laptop as YOU do. Some flaw you don't care about might be a dealbreaker for someone else, in the same way something you think it's a huge problem might not be a big deal for him/her.

 

@tiguy2 - There is something wrong with your screen, there should be no ghosting. Use your exchange policy and get it replaced. Yes it sucks, but stuff happens. I've had to exchange laptops many times from many brands INCLUDING Alienware.


@ NeoCzar - Sager actually have a generous return and exchange policy. I can understand the frustration when getting a new laptop, and it has some issues, but I believe all of your gripes are unfounded except for the failed power brick. If there are other things that disappointed you then exchange it or return it and buy something else and move on. I know you're overseas, so you might consider a different brand laptop with rapid international turnaround time or a Clevo reseller that will cater directly to a foreign customer.

My personal experience is Clevo laptops have same quality of internal components as any other "quality" manufacturer, they just offer a simplified look to the chassis, which I personally like over AW. I agree keyboard could be better and if yours has a bulge that's another issue, and I would remove the keyboard and inspect it for something underneath it. I had a laptop once with a small piece of plastic under the keyboard that the way the keyboard was bulging you would think it was a giant marble underneath or something. Removed the little piece of plastic and bulge was gone. If you think AW is any better, guess again. Their quality control has a lot to be desired. From the two AW laptops I've owned, I had to send one back three times to get one that was built properly, and the other exchanged once.

 

Nah your ridiculous, 8ms is fine, grow up. And nah Sager is not great, no need to label everyone who disagree's with you as some blind fanboy.

You got what you paid for, you clicked on "1920x1080 screen this that" and ASSUMED you were getting something better. You paid a premium price for something you consider crap and that's your fault, so please, no more hate threads because you need to someone/something to blame.

 

being from the philippines, i understand how frustrating your experience can be.
but after owning two sagers (not this model), im very satisfied with their machines. since there in no service center in my country, i usually ask for additional qa and always get the zero pixel guarantee.
i also have an external forwarder who is knowledgeable in handling such machines air freight it to me. ive never relied on sagers/resellers overseas delivery. some of your problems may have been due to faulty handling.

anyways yes it can be a crapshoot sometimes but taking those precautions i listed (though making it a bit more expensive) can help a lot.
if you want an easier return policy, i suggest you find a brand with local presence.
good luck on your search for a replacement.

 

keyboard is the worse part
I must press hard

 

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Why would someone buy an expensive gaming laptop only to use it as a display-only for a console with considerably LESS power??? Why not just play the game on the laptop??? How is it at all logically or logistically sound to carry a laptop AND a console when you travel??

Really????