Thinking of buying a Sager 8170, need advice

Hello all!

I'm in the market for a 17" gaming laptop, and after narrowing the choices down to Asus' G73 line and Sager's 8170, I've decided on the latter machine. I'll be buying from XoticPC, all stock options save for a slight hard drive upgrade and the matte display (it hurts to spend $200 on this, but I don't want to deal with glare). Before I make the purchase, however, I'd like to ask this knowledgeable forum a few questions

1. How's the keyboard? Does it "feel" right, or are the keys mushy? How much flex does it experience? Are there any issues I should be aware of?
2. How would you describe the build quality?
3. How would you describe the audio quality?
4. How would you describe the screen? I'm especially interested in hearing your opinions on the matte version.
5. How are the fans/cooling? I've heard there are issues with the fans turning on and off, is this still a problem?
6. What are the odds of getting dead/bright pixels, and what can I do about it if I get them?
7. Anything else I should know about the 8170, about Sager, or anything else?

Many thanks!

EDIT: added a question on fans/cooling.

 

I can't really answer your questions because I have the NP8130, but I will ask you this: do you need the 17" screen? if you go with a 15" screen, you can get the same components with a better screen cheaper.

 

Considering you are keeping mainly stock options, have you thought about getting a 15.6" laptop, such as the 8130?

It packs the same stock hardware, and has a stock matte screen. The only main difference (at the stock level) is that the 8170 has two hdd bays; if you only plan on using one, I would seriously considering looking at the 8130 (P151HM1). The one in my signature cost less than $1200, which would save you more than enough money to buy a bigger (23+ inch) external screen for when you do want the bigger screen.

Anyways, to answer your questions;

1) From what I've read, the keyboard in the NP8170 is the same as the one in the NP8130, though I may be wrong. If so, I've heard generally good thing about it, besides maybe the numpad being small.

2) Clevo's generally have a pretty solid build

3) Not sure on the sound quality, someone else should be able to help you though.

4) I'm not sure about the 8170's screens, but a post here from Mythlogic provides pictures of the different options on the 8130/8150

5) I believe the "pulsing" you mentioned was fixed in an updated BIOS, or will be in an upcoming one

6) Dead pixels aren't really all too common. You should be able to return your laptop for a refund/replacement within 30 days if you are unsatisfied with it

7) See what I wrote above.

 

I actually started by looking at 15" laptops, but I'm concerned that 1080 may be too high a resolution for that screen size. That's really the main reason why I'm thinking of going 17".

I agree that the 8130 is an amazing laptop for the price. What's the difference in screen quality from the stock matte to the 95% gamut one?

Oh, one more question. Is the "IC Diamond 7 Thermal Compound" worth it (on either the 8130 or 8170)?

 

I just got mine a few days ago but I'll do my best to answer what I can.

1. The keyboard feels nice, it feels...not like a Dell keyboard (lol) which is a huge + for me because I have a toddler and he would pop off keys like crazy. So the keys feel right, I feel that there isn't ANY flex, they're solid keys. I haven't found any issues with the keyboard
2. The build quality is amazing, the computer is extremely cool (Temperature wise)
3. The audio quality is good, i had a problem with ventrillo last night but i figured out the sound card itself has a mic and you will need to mute it so you don't hear your keys as you type if you plan on using a headset
4. I'm not keen at all on screens but it looks great to me!
5. I read about fan problems too but I haven't experienced any issues, like i said though; the laptop is VERY cool
6. I have no idea, so far; so good
7. My only beef is this - My driver disc that came with the laptop didn't work correctly, it wouldn't auto play and I couldn't read 1/2 of the "Optional" drivers. I also tried to play Tron 3D and ran into problems, there are still a few more things I need to figure out before I can give you a definitive opinion on it but I'm running into issues running 3D movies on the BR player

 

IMO, Stock compound is always crap so i highly advise getting that tossed on there or doing it yourself.

 

Don't have the 8170, but I do have the little brother 8150. Pretty much the same laptop minus the bigger screen.

1)The keyboard feels great. I really like the chiclet style keyboard. Though, the numpad is awkward, but I've gotten used to it now. Buttons feel firm, no mushy feeling. One person I know of who posted a review here, said there is some flexing, but I don't see it as a problem, nor have I really noticed it.

2) This being my second laptop (HP DV7-1020US is my 1st), I'd say the build quality is good. But haven't used it much so I can't say for sure.

3) Audio quality does not sound as good as my HP, it has a tinny sound to it, there is a subwoofer, but I hear no bass. Pretty sure I enabled THX Trustudio (one of the first things I did when I first turned on my laptop.) because I can change the different settings in THX software. But I usually use headphones, so this isn't a deal breaker for me.

4) My 8150 has a different gamut % than the 17", but the matte screen for both setup is worth the upgrade. I think the only one available is the 72% 120hz for the 17" setup. Not as high gamut, but people have been happy with it, plus you get 120hz.

5) Haven't heard of this issue, but I haven't had any problems with the fans turning on/off. Laptop cools great, keyboard doesn't feel hot after hours of gaming.

6) you can return it back since you have a 30-day no questions asked return policy, but you eat the shipping costs. Or you can invest in the zero dead pixel warranty. Nowadays there is only a very small chance you would get a dead/stuck pixel. I didn't opt for it and i got a perfect screen.

 

I've never read that 1920x1080 was too high of a resolution for a 15", so it shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm still waiting on mine to come in though, so I have no first hand experience with that.

They are both great screens, but the 95% has more accurate colors... I believe you do have to calibrate it though. You should be able to compare pictures in the link I provide in my last post.. I think the regular one is v1 and the 95% gamut is v4.

I don't think the IC Diamond is worth $40; you can buy a tube for $5 - 10 and do it yourself quite easily, if you are comfortable doing that. If you aren't comfortable with it though then it may be worth it to you.

 

1080p is definitely not too small on a 15" laptop, it's perfect.

You don't really need the 95% gamut screen unless a.) you're doing a lot of photo/video editing or b.) you just want an incredible screen and are willing to pay $95 for it. The stock screen on the NP8130 is really ice.

On the IC Diamond: expect around 1-3 degrees celsius differences from using IC Diamond. It's up to you if that's worth it. If you don't mind opening up your computer, you can also put it on yourself for $15-20.

 

I think all your questions have been answered, but I'll give you my input because I was making the same decision as you...


Stay away from the Best Buy version of the G73: only 1600x900 screen and 'crippled' video card that runs 20% slower (128-bit instead of 192-bit).

Unless you *really* want the G73 backlit keyboard, go with the Sager (all other things being equal). Even if you think you cant live without the backlight, think about a USB LED light instead.
If you're thinking about upgrading, go with Sager.

I had my heart set on a P170HM3 (with dual HDDs), but after more consideration:
The P150HM's matte screen option is $95 vs $200
The P150HM is 2lbs lighter than P170HM (If you're a student, lugging that extra 2lbs might bother you)
The P150HM can still handle 2 HDDs (get a USB DVD drive)
Do you really need the larger screen, or are you connected to a keyboard/mouse/monitor most of the time?

On the IC Diamond, I'm not an overclocker so I saved myself the $40. If I need it, I'll apply it myself.

 

1. The keyboard is fine. I have no issues with it and it does not flex. If you are concerned about a chicklet style keyboard then go to Best Buy and look at an Asus 73 there. The keyboard is very similar but I found that the Asus flexes more.

2. Build quality is excellent IMO. Built like a tank.

3. The audio quality is fine but it is a laptop with only so much real estate to put speakers in. The sub woffer sure helps but remember you need to press fn +5 (not fn5) to activate it.

4. Dunno. I have the stock screen and I think it's great.

5. The cooling works great. I have read about issues with the fans but I'm not sure what everyone is talking about. I don't appear to have issues and have never heated past 74C while gaming.

6. Don't have any dead pixels on mine. I think the extra dead pixel warranty is a waste of money. You can always send the machine back (30 money back guarantee) if you are unhappy.

7. I love my machine. It works great. My only regret is that I only upgraded to the Nvidia 470m. This card works fine for what I am doing now but I worry about a year from now. Guess I'll just upgrade then.

 

I also like having the bigger screen (17" vs 15") especially for gaming. I travel frequently for work and carry both my work laptop and the Sager NP8170 in the same bag without much difficulty.

 

I have my NP8170 on order with MALIBAL. I too went back and forth between the 15 and 17 inch models. Eventually what won me over was two things: 1. I'm not going to be traveling alot with it. IE, starbucks, air flights, etc. I have a phone that I can surf while drinking my coffee. And #2 was the fact that I will be in Saudi for 6+ months here in August.. so it will be my "everything" machine for gaming, surfing, movies, skype, work-stuff, etc. I wanted something that perhaps I could set up at the foot of my bed and watch movies with minimal squinting. haha

Either way you will be happy I'm sure.

 

i have the p150hm/8150 and the screen is almost as wide as my old 17 inch 16:10, just not as tall, for me the 17 would be too big, and i wouldn't be able to have the screen upgrade, which i think is great, and its brighter than any screen i have ever seen.

 

The P170HM / 8170 is a great system. Here's a nice review that covers most of your questions. http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-review-htwingnut-resident-goldfish-blub.html Also, I would definitely upgrade to the 3D Screen... it's much nicer than the stock screen and it includes the NVIDIA 3D Vision Glasses kit, so it's a nice package deal. Plus, the 485M card that you need for this setup just came down by $200 - so it's a great time to buy.

 

The site still shows GTX 485M as a $395 upgrade from GTX 560M.Am I missing something ?

 

The 485M was a $595 upgrade from the 560M about 2 weeks ago.