Sager with 970M NP8288/NP8671

Hi, long time lurker here.

So now that Asus has increased the price point for their ROG laptops I'm looking to join the Sager brotherhood. 17' with a 970M is the specs that I'm going for and have zeroed in on these two models according to their website. I was just hoping someone could chime in on the pros and cons of these two laptops and also let me know if there are any other I should be considering.

I know the NP8278 is bulkier and has the 6gb 970M version (the need for that much vram is debatable. Future proofing? but really though?). Is it comfortable to use? It also has unsoldered cpu/gpu but would the motherboard even be compatible by the time the next generation of GPUs are release in 2016 and would I even really need to upgrade? Is heating an issue with the slimMER NP8671 I doubt it with the more effcient cards but would just like to be certain as it is on the hotter side of things over here.

Are the sound systems for the laptops identical? Which performs better if not?

Warranty wise I live in Dubai, UAE. Does sager/clevo provide worldwide coverage like Asus? If not what would you suggest?

Finally for the power brick, we run off 220V over here. Would that be an issue since I plan to pruchase from Xotic PC in the states? I really don't want to plug it in without checking then find I've burnt out my new laptop.

Sorry for the flurry of questions but I don't tend to just purchase without doing a crap ton of research beforehand. Appreciate the answers in advance.

 

Hi,

Sager/Xotic warranty is valid in US only I believe... You'll have to ship back to US for repairs if needed... This can be very expensive so probably not a good idea.. The only options you really have are Asus,MSI and Alienware...

 

Congrats on your first post!

The AC Adapters will work from 100-240v so no worries there. You will need a prong adapter for the different wall outlet styles though.

As mentioned Sager warranties are US only. However if you do need warranty work and we can identify what is wrong we can ofter just swap that part which will save on shipping costs. Not all parts will be that way, say like a motherboard, but easily removed parts like HDD/SSD or RAM can be done that way.

 

I'll try to cover what hasn't been answered thus far.

For gaming purposes, the extra vRAM is seldom, if ever, really handy. It won't make a noticeable performance difference in games that don't need anywhere near that much.

In what scenario? They're fine if you're at a desk, though one might find it a bit cumbersome on a lap. The level of perceived comfort is to each their own, though.

It's unlikely there will be any official support for future hardware. Whether the next line of GPUs will work or not is hearsay until tested. The next gen CPU is slated for the same socket if I recall correctly, but electrical and firmware compatibility is, again, hearsay until tested.

Do you mean a cooling issue? As far as we've seen, no. The laptops don't run excessively hot. :thumbsup:

I don't know about identical, but they are comparable, with perhaps a slight tilt in the P170SM-A's favor.

Sorry for the dissection! Just wanted to address each question.

 

Really appreciate the responses so far. Still leaning towards the Sager as I've heard really good things about them for a couple of years now so might take the leap of faith. Additionally I'm not a fan of MSI as their units are quite gaudy and I've heard cooling can be an issue with the single fan. Asus are a lot more pricey nowadays as well compared to previously.

When I mention comfort I meant in terms of gaming with your palms resting on the units. I have a G73 from Asus and they have angled the base of the unit so that the front is thinner than the rear which makes it super comfortable to use. The NP8278 seems quite flat and raised from the table. Do you find your wrists being forced to be elevated unnaturally.

When researching vram I saw it mentioned that it could potentially be useful in this generation for all the unoptimised console ports that seem to be coming out. Is this true?

Finally, I guess which unit would you personally go for given the choice and why? At the moment I'm inclined towards the NP8671 for the size weight and price although the soldered parts do give me pause.

 

Sager 8258-S owner for about a year here.

12 hours gaming on Borderland 2, ultra everything, 1920x1024, and the keyboard/top generally runs me between 31-34c depending on the area.

The keyboard is fairly level to the palm wrests on the laptop itself. However, keep in mind I took mechanical typing courses so learned to type with my wrists up off wrests anyway.

Very very very comfortable. No noticeable hot points.

But keep in mind, depending on the model will depend on the hot points. The slimmer model will likely give you higher hot points as it has less overall area for air and dispersion.

I also have the 880M in my rig, which is notoriously hotter than the 900 series.

Though I only ran it to 82-84c on Borderland2 (at highest spike)

The 8278 (my laptop's big brother) has similar cooling so I wouldn't expect to have any hotspots on the top or bottom of the laptop. Then when you add the 900 series? Yea, done deal.

 

recently got Np8278 works great and there are no noticeable hot spots but the only game i have been playing is Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning for a few hours .

 

Oh yea, Hidevolution sells Clevo laptops... They have a limited global warranty where they pay for shipping 2 times in a year if there are issues that can't be sorted out.. Have a read about getting the laptops from them..


Clevo HID Warranty Information

 

Awesome. Will take a look Tom thanks.

Exactly the sort of comment I was looking for as well Ashen, although it just makes picking just as hard again . I'm now leaning towards the 8278 for the unsoldered parts even though it is slightly bulkier. allows for easier replacement of parts should there be any issues, especially outside of the warranty. Also allows for upgrades should I decide to. Curse my indecision!

 

I think when it comes to the 17" models, the decision IMO is straightforward.. The 8278 due to the upgradebility... If it were 15", then it's a bit more problematic IMO as if you went for 8258/8268, you lose the option of IPS, 3K/4K IPS screens which come with the 8651/8652.. I would second the 8278...

 

It does come down to if you are the sort of person to replace a gpu. If not the upgradability is less important. Also the requirements of form factor and weight are to be considered. It's a personal decision which is often the case with notebooks which is usually quite different to desktops.

 

Do you use clevo 170 sm-a with 6gb 970m?


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