Thinking of buying a NP8130; convince me!

I'm really interested in what the NP8130 (P151HM1) has to offer, but I have a few concerns before I drop the money:

1) Is the headphone jack quality good? I don't expect the laptop speakers to be good, but I expect at the very least that the sound coming out of the headphone jack has to be above average, since I will be using my Ultrasone 780's a lot.

2) Judging my some photos and videos, the NP8130 seems to be made of "cheap" plastic. I'm not sure if that's the case, but that's what it seems like to me. It doesn't feel like the NP8130 is of a high-quality casing. The bottom panel looks like its made of the cheap "grainy" type of plastic, and the plastic surrounding the keyboard/palmrest area looks kind of flimsy. Can any of you comment on that?

3) Also, the power brick seems to be very big according to some people. Can anyone give dimensions? For those of you who own the NP8130, do you think that the power brick is overbearingly huge? (For example: Will carrying the power brick around the house be a problem, or carrying it in backpacks etc?)

 

The 8130's audio is not going to be as good as a Dell XPS 15 and probably the HP dv6, however, I think it's still more than acceptable. On a grading scale, the XPS would get an A, the dv6 a B+. The Sager will come with a THX software package. Once you activate it, sound quality improves quite a bit, going from probably a C/C- to a B/B-. If you're a hardcore audiophile, it might not be the best, but for the other 99% of users, it's more than up to the job. I'm actually surprised by how good the sound is that comes from the $10 Lenovo headset connected to mine.

TL;DR version - With good headphones and the THX software enabled, audio quality is above average, but no better than that. Without THX, the sound is average at best.

This is a case where looks are deceiving. The build quality of these notebooks is actually quite good, better than comparable Dell XPS, HP dv, and Lenovo IdeaPad machines. From personal experience, my Clevo P151HM1 (same chassis Sager uses for the 8130) is also built a lot better than the three Alienware M11x machines I ordered previously. I will admit the 8130 is not quite as good as a business-class machine from any of the aforementioned OEMs, but the Sager gives you more bang for the buck.

TL;DR version - Don't let the looks fool you, Sager/Clevo machines are very well built.

The 120W PSU that comes with these machines is about the limit I would consider for comfortable moving. Looking at the PSU lengthwise, its dimensions are: 6.5x2.75x1.5. This week, I took my machine on a business trip and had no problems carrying it, including the power supply. Ordering the 8150 variant of this system with a more-powerful GPU than the GeForce GTX 560M will require an even heftier PSU, which would add even more bulk. IMO, the 8130's complete package is a "just right" blend of power and portability.

TL;DR version - The PSU is big but not overwhelmingly so; you should be just fine carrying it wherever you need to go.

 

i have the 8150/p150hm and the powersupply, is large, but i have found out that i can get a lower wattage power supply for taking around campus, like 75 watts or something.