Still hesitant. Critique my NP9170.

So after lurking on here for a while now, I made a quick account to ask a question. How is my NP9170 looking? Should I be adding anything, or ditching some unnecessary parts? I just want to get my money's worth and not mess this up (This is my first time purchasing a laptop). I'll mainly be using this for gaming/multimedia.


- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080)

- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)

- AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11

- 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)

- 750gb 7200rpm (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)

- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software

- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS

- Sager - Intel® Advanced-N 6235 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth™ 4.0


- Steelseries™ Chiclet Backlit Keyboard

Thanks!

 

Looks great, with good upgrades where you'll see great benefits.

 

The only thing I would closely consider would be the keyboard. My observations have people split 50/50 on whether they liked it more than the stock keyboard.

Oh, and if it will fit in your budget, you might want to consider getting an SSD to use as your OS drive, or even a small msata. Things are MUCH snappier with an SSD. I don't know if I can ever go back to only platters.

I got my first SSD last year, and out of all the components (including the SLI video cards) I was most impressed by how fast my computer was with an SSD.

If you can install it yourself, it will probably save you a little money if you buy it from somewhere besides the reseller.

 

i would get a 128gb crucial m4 as the os drive if i were you, you have 2 drive space in your laptop and you are only using one of it >.>, oh btw a laptop cooler is highly recommemded but of course you can always get both upgrades in the aftermarket

 

I would also suggest getting a mSATA on there unless you plan on adding a SSD sometime soon. Sager's also dont come standard with Windows so if you dont have your own ready to install add that as well.

 

So would I want to go with, say a 128gb Crucial M4 SSD as primary and a 500gb HDD as a second? I'm confused.

 

Yup, I'm running the 128 M4 with a 750 backup. Basically Windows and a few games go on the M4, all my pictures, music and everything else goes on the backup, including some drivers and such in case I ever need to reformat. The speed difference is amazingly noticeable. I won't go back, and I said I would never use an SSD to begin with (How unaware I was!)

 

Yes. The SSD will run circles around the regular HDD. My laptop boots Windows 7 in about 10 seconds compared to about 30 on a traditional HDD.

 

2 year warranty

 

I would check the tech bargain forum here on NBR as there are some really good deals on SSD drives right now and they are extremely easy to install yourself.

I am one of those that did not personally like the steel series keyboard. I was lucky enough to have a friend that had it on their Sager before I ordered my system. He loves it though so it really depends. Again this is a personal choice, but I would save money on the keyboard and get an SSD.

 

Add your choice of SSD later. It will be cheaper and you can pick your choice from reviews and research. Go basic on HDD and no added drive and just put in yourself.

 

I would pick the 3720QM instead and make good use of the extra overclockable 400MHz