Typing on a Sager

Hi,

I had started a thread on the "What Notebook Should I Buy" forum and Sxooter reinforced a friends suggestion of the Sager NP5160.

The thing is that I'm kind of an odd candidate for a gaming notebook. I really want to game (I'm coming off a macbook pro), I've heard great things about Sagers as gaming machines and I can afford the NP5160. That I'm also an aspiring writer and my main purpose for the laptop will be something that I can carry around and find interesting places to write with. I am a fairly large man and don't personally see the advantage to anything lighter than this notebook for my own use, but am a bit concerned with references to "keyboard flex" I've seen across the internet. Now, I've never had a keyboard flex before, and maybe it's not such a big deal, maybe it doesn't even exist and I've been successfully trolled. But I really don't want to drop up to $2k on a new machine to find its not well suited for its primary task.

I know that the NP5160 isn't out yet so no one knows exactly what the keyboard will be like, and I will do more research once people have been actually using them. But just to get a general idea for now: Do any gamers who are also student/professional/aspiring serious (like multiple hours of word processing most days) writers use Sagers? Would you recommend the experience?

(Also, I have no idea if this is at all relevant, but just incase it is, here is a link to my "What Notebook Should I Buy" thread)

 

i think the 5160 has the same kb as my older 8690. if so then you will have no issues with kb flex. if you apply significant pressure with one finger then maybe yes you will get it to flex but it will not do so when typing, even if you tend to press the keys quite hard.
you may have issues with the chicklet type spacing though as the keys are more spread apart. i dont type as much but i do make errors once in a while with the kb even after a year of usage. but im sure its not something you can 'learn', especially since youll be coming from a mbp which also uses chicklet style keys.
good luck

 

I actually have one of the older Macbook Pros (I wanted to abbreviate but it looked like megabytes per second) with non-chicklet keys. I'll try to find a friend with a chicklet keyboard and see how it feels to me

 

I do not own an NP5160, yet I reckon that Sager uses roughly the same type of keyboard for all its releases. Unfortunately, the keyboard is, probably, the worst part of a Sager, and some might even consider it to be the laptop's only single flaw.

My laptop has no keyboard flex whatsoever, yet the keyboard looks and feels very cheap - the keys plastic is thin and flimsy, some of the keys are seated rather loosely and make an irritating sound as you touch them. Ifind it if a bit unreasonable, since the build of the laptop is top-notch, the laptop's body is one of the best-buuilt laptop bodies I ever saw.

Personally, I consider typing on my Sager a very unpleasant experience - which is not a problem for me though, since I always use an external keyboard.

A Sager is a fascinating device, I find it extremely powerful very well developed and very well made. It seems Clevo puts quite a bit of thought and effort into their product.

Nevertheless, if the laptop's primary usage will be typing, you might want to check out a Sony Vaio F-series or a Lenovo w510 instead.

 

On second thought, the best advice I can offer you is to get yourself both a Sager as a reasonably portable powerful computer, and a tiny netbook with a good keyboard and decent build quality.

This way you will have all your prospective needs covered - you can game, do some reasonably complicated art-related tasks and even some video editing with your Sager (provided the need ever arises), and carry your tiny netbook everywhere which would grant you the possibility to do any amount of creative writing wherever and whenever you feel like it.

 

Ironically, the newest MBP has a much stronger GPU, than the 5160's GT 540M.

 

Ironically the new MBP cost $2200 whereas the NP5160 costs ~$860 + Good Netbook $300 = $1160.

$2200-1160= $1040 saved

Even NP8130 with MUCH better GPU than the MBP $1200 + $300 netbook = $1500

Still save $700.

 

so true... Yet people still buy horribly overpriced PCs known as Macs.

 

That has nothing to do with my point, nor is it ironic.

I'd never, ever, buy an MBP (overpriced coffee shop hipster kit imo), but the fact that its GPU is scoring above the level of my GTX 260M is very impressive. That's all I was saying.

We agree, on the essentials of this conversation.

 

Then again both the Sager / Clevo & the MBP target different users.
The only think i envy 17" MBP owners is that they get a 1920x1200 screen. D:

 

You REALLY should look into a Thinkpad then if you are spending most of your days typing. I would also consider getting a Matte screen instead of a glossy one so you can type anywhere, not just in a dark room. I haven't actually tried a sager keyboard, but I doubt its as good as a Thinkpad.

 

I agree to look at thinkpads for good keyboards. I also like most of the keyboards I've used on Toshibas. Best keyboard I've ever had came on an eMachine D620 tho. I'd kill to have it grafted on top of my Acer 4820TG.

 

Best keyboard I've had has been this one on the m1530...

I actually like it a lot more than the one on my Saitek Eclipse. I think that the issue is that this one has just enough travel distance on the keys to feel substantial, but then the backstop is metal not plastic and has no flex whatsoever. Also, not chiclet style so it feels much more like a normal one.

Hoping I'll like my new one too.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't some of the 17" clevos get the same resolution screen?

 

nope only 1920x1080

 

A gaming notebook with Sandy Bridge, a decent GPU like Geforce 470m or better + a sweet 1920x1200 MATTE screen would make me cry so much out of happiness.
But i guess that era is over. D:

I really like my current keyboard.
Its kinda cramped because of the actual size of the notebook but i dont have any keyboard flex whatsoever.
Never owned or tried a Thinkpad keyboard but buisness type keyboards are usually better made.

 

I wonder if gaming notebooks have WASD reinforced because those would probably wear out sooner... Problem is I always remap to esdf...

 

Is it just me or does the 8130/8150 have the exact same keyboard as the Asus K52 laptop series? Checkout this video around the 27 to 29 second mark, the keyboard looks exactly the same right down to spacing and layout:

YouTube - ASUS K52F laptop

I have a 8130 on order and was concerned the keyboard would be an issue. I got to play with a K52 at my local staples and have no major issues with that keyboard so I'm hoping it actually is the same.

 

The 8130 and 8150 only have a 3 row numpad, that Asus has a 4 row. It also looks like the keys are less spacious then the 8130. -This is just my opinion =]