Some NP2090 Questions

I'm in the market for a laptop for college, and the 2090V has caught my eye. Before I was looking at an ASUS G1, but my price range just got dropped a bit, so the 2090 is looking very good. From what I'm seeing on reseller sites, the specs are amazing for what you can get for $1400-1500. I've customized some setups at PowerNotebooks.com and DiscountLaptops.com and I'm thinking I'll go with one of them if I decide on the 2090.

I'm thinking I'll save a few hundred dollars and buy the machine OS-less and rock Ubuntu or maybe XP. I've heard that I can get a free copy of Vista from my school for taking Computer Science courses, so hopefully that'll play out just so I can have a copy in case DX10 doesn't work with Linux in the end.

I have a few questions before I decide on the 2090 once and for all, though:


1. The WSXGA+ is matte, right? DiscountLaptops.com states the display is matte, while PowerNotebooks.com simply says WSXGA+. I want to make sure it's matte, because I'm worried about glare issues with a glossy screen when I'm outside.

2. Of the 3 following upgrade options, which would be more beneficial with regard to overall power and performance?
-2.2GHz T7500 C2D, as opposed to 2.0GHz T7300
-3GB of RAM instead of 2
-7200rpm HD instead of 5400

3. How would each of the previous upgrade options affect battery life? Also, how much battery life should I expect? I've read a few reviews here stating they get about 2 hours, but the reviewed setups seem to have slightly poorer specs than the machines I've put together. (1GB of RAM instead of 2, etc)

4. If I'm not planning on using Vista (at least right away), is the TurboMemory upgrade worth getting? From what I've read it sounds kinda cool and it's only $35 more. Would it serve any purpose at all with Linux, though?

5. Is the HUM X Ground Loop Eliminator worth getting?

6. Is there any "catch" to this computer? Probably a dumb question, but I want to make sure that there isn't a bad reason behind Sager's good prices. Does the laptop feel cheap or plasticy at all? Are the stock parts good quality? Stuff like that.


I think I have more questions, but I can't think of them right now... I'll post with any further inquiries.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

PowerNotebooks.com or xoticpc.com is the way to go for ordering as far as I've seen for consistent reviews, and yes, those screens shipping now are all Matte due to availability issues of the screen itself for manufacturing.

2 - Really depends on what you're going to do, but I'd say RAM would be your best quick upgrade, but on my own personal route, I'd do the processor because you can upgrade the RAM a lot more cheaply later, as opposed to having to replace a whole expensive processor if it came to that down the line...

3. I've heard much better battery life with the 2090 than the g1s, being about 3+ hours, maybe four tops? (non gaming, low brightness, etc, but I have no personal experience, just from what i've read) Not too much difference though with upgrades I think. You'll see a bigger difference with the HD I'm guessing?

4. Turbo mem is vista only

5. Not in my opinion at all... reduce hum and such? i've never noticed hum before on any computer unless they were crappy speakers/unshielded wires

6. http://www.xoticpc.com/info_pages.php?pages_id=11

 

Thanks for the quick response.

As for what I'd be doing with it, it'd mainly be a general-purpose computer (internet browsing, IM, Photoshop, school stuff, etc) with enough muscle to game adequately. I don't currently play anything hardware-intensive (CS 1.6 and Diablo 2 at the moment), but I want to leave the option open for any new stuff.

Is RAM easily upgraded in notebooks? I've always understood that it's much more difficult to upgrade notebook parts than in a desktop due to their miniaturization/tightly-packedness.

3-4 hours of battery life sounds tasty. Much more than I was expecting after reading a couple of reviews.

With regard to the HUM X dealio, I was thinking the same thing. I've never noticed humming or whatever, so it seems kinda frivolous.

Lastly, thanks for the article link. That'll come in handy when I try to explain to my friends why I don't like Dell, HP, etc.

 

yeah, ram will be your best friend for photoshop, with a processor behind that

but yes, ram is really easily upgraded - its a screw, push two pins, and all that simple - normally... some ram can be behind a keyboard, etc, but I'm sure you'll have no trouble. Hard drives are really easy as well, but those are about the only two things you can upgrade with ease

 

Cool. I need more hands-on experience with hardware, so I'll have to check that out sometime.

What's the deal with needing Vista to have more than 2 GB of RAM? Something about its 64-bit architecture?

 

Vista just sucks memory out of the computer to be able to run... they rec. 2gb for performance reasons.... you only really need vista 64 bit if you want to use more than 3 gb of ram (technically 3.2, but whatever...) I plan on just using 32 for compatibility reasons, because drivers are much more "iffy" with the 64bit system

also when getting the 3gb, it may be cheaper to order the 2090 with just 1gb of memory (1 stick) and then buy a 2gb stick on your own - might save a bit of money

 

That's what I'm thinking of doing, if possible. (Getting a 1x1024MB) DiscountLaptops.com doesn't give that option, but I'm thinking of going with PowerNotebooks or XoticPC anyway.

The XoticPC site says that the 3GB+ option only works with Vista 64-bit. Why is this?

 

well Vista 32-bit only supports to 3.2 GB of ram. so if you do go over then it is just wasted memory.

 

If possible let's continue this conversation here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=138143