Which one should I get? NP5796 (M570TU) vs NP9262 (D901C)

OK - here it is. The moment of truth. It's down to these two laptops.

Which one do I choose? :confused2: Specced as they are below they are almost the same price - D901C is slightly more money.

My issue with the M570TU is it's only got one HD bay - thus the 500GB 5400RPM which I will set up with 2 partitions. Should be enough - but not as nice as 2 drives.

My issue with the D901C is that it's bigger/chunkier and isn't the latest tech - eg no fingerprint and no e-sata and no HDMI.

Honestly and truly I won't use HDMI but I will probably use e-Sata and if the fingerprint thingy allows me to login without typing I will DEFINITELY use it.

I have a 320GB 5400RPM drive I will install into the D901C if that is what I get as it's second hard drive.

I am 60% preferring the M570TU due to it's form factor. Love the fact it's a real notebook with such grunt.

40% preferring the D901C because of it's sheer configurability. Love the fact it's like a desktop within a notebook chassy.

Which one should I get?

Which one is faster with the specs I have chosen?

Which one will give me the best gaming experience? Fastest FPS?

Thanks for everyone on this forum who has helped with my latest notebook decision. Hopefully this will be the decider!

M570TU

PRICE INCLUDES:
Intel Montevina T9400 2.53Ghz 1066 FSB 6MB Cache CPU,
4GB DDR3 1066Mhz RAM,
17" WUXGA Glossy Display,
8x DVD-RW Dual Layer,
500GB 540000RPM SATA HDD,
NVidia 9800M GT 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM,
2.0 Megapixel Camera,
Bluetooth V2,
Basic Bag,
Fingerprint Reader,
WIFI 802.11 GN,
Vista 64 bit Ultimate.


D901C

PRICE INCLUDES:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 CPU 3.16Ghz 6MB Cache,
4GB 800Mhz RAM,
17" WUXGA Glossy Display,
8x DVD-RW Dual Layer,
250GB 7200RPM SATA HDD,
NVidia 9800M GT 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM,
Webcam,
Bluetooth,
Basic Bag,
WIFI 802.11 A/B/G,
Vista 64 bit Ultimate.

 

Trust me, the fingerprint login is so convenient! I've almost completely lost the habit of typing in passwords now. Get the 5796

 

Obviously, the D901C's E8500 desktop processor will walk all over the mobile Montevina at 2.53 GHz. Someone can correct me, if I'm wrong. I configured the D901C for less than the M570TU with much superior configuration (Q9450, quad core, GTX, etc).

 

I voted for NP9262... I travel quite a bit (2-3 days out of the week). I have never taken out a laptop in public, starbucks (not my thing), library (i go there to read). my laptop goes from my desk to my bag to a hotel room and back home every week. I dont think your concern is the battery life...but I guess thats something to consider.

Oh I have never used my NP9262 to watch a movie or TV, to busy playing games.

http//forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=247119

above is the link to my NP9262....

 

What's the "real" gaming difference between the two?

Those specs listed above are virtually identical in price - approximately $2500.

$2453.13 for the NP9262 (D901C)

$2487.08 for the NP5796 (M570TU)

 

Leebaldock,

You made it clear in your earlier postings; you want a notebook with 2 or more hard drive configurations. You specified why you would prefer that option, and also went into detail why that solution would be best for you. Now you have the option of getting a notebook that is just as powerful (even more so) than the 57xx (unlike the ASUS), that also features the ability to have exactly what you wanted in the first place.

Just going by our earlier discussions, the D901C is the machine for you out of the two. I don’t think you will notice any performance difference between the two in gaming, at least not yet. But one thing is certain, the D901C will give you more power options and the ability to give you that storage solution (2 hard drives) you so desire.

 

I went though this last month, I decided on the 5796 for a couple of reasons

#1 - the option to run the notebook in a car without hard wiring an inverted to your battery. I wanted some battery life as well and based on my previous DTR notebooks I realized that the battery was nothing more than a 15-30min APC on them.

#2 - Esata - You can get yourself an external Esata drive that is every bit as fast (if not faster) then your internal sata drive. You can even boot off it, so if you don't mind the additional box to carry around when you need that extra space, Esata works perfectly.

#3 - HDMI - not as important to everyone, but the HDMI out makes playing movies on an external TV easy without DVI converters and seperate sound connections.

If Esata isn't a concern, or battery life or HDMI then I would go for the 9262 in a heatbeat. The power that unit can reach is truly amazing. I just wish they would of refeshed it with Esata and HDMI when the montivena's came out.

Reality is, you won't go wrong with either one. Both are top notch machines.

 

What do you intend to use the notebook for the most? If you need power and performance, answer: D901C

Is portability more important to you? If you travel a lot then consider the M570TU. The D901C is HEAvy

Is extra hard drives a must? D901C

If an HDMI port is not important, then D901C. Who needs eSATA when you've got 3 HD's?

Is a stylish appearance more appealing to you? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course. But the D901C does look rather plain and boxy.

Check out this previous post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273703

 

Thanks kobe. I'm going to take a look at both models side by side at the warehouse here in Perth where they ship from. That will give me the information I need to make the decision.

 

Thanks everyone for your votes and comments. I was hoping for a clear winner but voting is basically equal at this stage! LOL - just goes to show how good these two machines are I guess. I'll let the forum know which way I go. Either way I will win I think. Both excellent notebooks!

 

voted for the 9262 (DUH!!)

reasons:

-you said you would like the more-than-1 HDD bay (9262 has 3)
-you said you din't need HDMI now
-you talked about fingerprint reader, there's a USB version for this, includes a thumbdrive too(one of the previous posts talked about this)

faster spec? obviously the 3.16GHz duo will just pwn the 2.5++GHz in terms of processing speed. i'd get the duo over quad just for its clock speed =)

best gaming experience? obviously the 9262 here. its so upgradable. anytime u feel the speed's not enough, go to your local computer shop to get a new proc/GPU.. hdd not enough speed? throw in a 500GB now or 1TB when it comes out

IF you happen to be concerned about the ram speeds and the 9262 not matching up to the "DDR3" speeds, no worries, cos ram isn't the bottleneck for speed here.

oh btw, the 9262's wireless is A/B/G/N.. you missed "N" there..

yeah you carry something ABIT bigger, you carry something ABIT heavier, something not so classy, but ALOT more powerful trust me, your friends won't look at the laptop's exterior after they find out what's INSIDE. i just came back from a gaming session with mine. GREAT.

there. hope i've helped you clear some of your doubts.. so in short, the 9262 would be the deal for you. waiting to hear from you...

 

Hi leonyeo1001,

Thankyou very much for your awesome response. HUGE wrap for the 9262/D901C! I have to admit this has really helped. This review of the Sager NP9260 SLI Notebook helped heaps too

Sager NP9260 SLI Notebook

as it's the actual chassis I am interested in as the guts are "known good".

I have spoken to my local "vendor" of the Clevo laptops. When he gets some in stock of both in the next couple of weeks he is going to call me and then I can compare both.

The decision will be made! Either way I will win. Thankfully I have time. I can't make the decision until some business transactions occur which is due to happen in about 2-3 weeks.

I wish in the video on youtube he actually put the Sager NP9260next to another 17inch notebook like an Inspiron 1720 or XPS 1730 that Ihave seen and felt and touched instead of a tiny little notebook that would look tiny next to anything.

 

I had the 901C and loved it but I wanted the HDMI, eSata and Fingerprint reader more than the 2nd and 3rd HDD. The video card options are the same and the mobile CPU is not the bottleneck when gaming so I could care less about it. I ordered the M570TU with a T9400, 9800M GT and 4 Gig DDR3
I also recall reading the M570TU has TPM. I'll check when it comes

 

When you say you "had" does that mean you don't still have it? I would KILL for side by side pics of these two together.

THanks for that info. What size HD will you get with it?

 

Lee,

The 9262 will be slightly faster in games because of the faster CPU (maybe 10%), but the main advantage of the 9262 for gaming is its SLI potential.

In spite of the negative comments about SLI around here (many of them written by non-SLI users it seems), I've played dozens of games, old and new, with a variety of drivers, and all have worked flawlessly. At high resolutions SLI seems to yield a 70%, or greater, FPS gain.

 

I sold the 901C to a member here, to make room for my M570TU.
My 901C had two drives, a 250 and a 120. My M570TU will have a single 320 7200RPM drive.

I never planned to use SLI so that wasn't an attraction for me.
I would prefer a 2nd physical HDD but 320gig can be partitioned.

I will most certainly use HDMI and eSata along with the Biometric reader.

(I also recall reading the M570TU has TPM, can anyone confirm this?)

 

Leebaldock I would say go with your heart, choose the one you like the best from this point onward because both laptops are pretty good.

 

I was talking to Nirvana awhile ago and I remember him telling me that I should get the NP5796 over the D901C unless I am getting SLI.

 

-the 9262 will surely be heavier but your laptop bag will weigh about the same at the end of the day when you cram your peripherals, games, and ac adapters. figure your laptop bag to hit the 20 lbs. mark rebardless of what 17" gaming laptop you have.

-why do you even need e-sata when your d901c has 3 hard drive capacities with raid5 and raid 1 for data protection?

-dvi to hdmi converter solves the lack of hdmi port. i don't think it is a huge negative. just a small peripheral to stuff in your laptop bag when not in use.

-fingerprint reader is nice. you will have to settle for usb fingerprint reader. another small peripheral to stuff in your laptop bag when not in use.

-the faster cpu will give you better fps in dual-threaded games (which most current games are now), no doubt about this.

-as both configurations are almost the same, the laptops should use about the same power with the d901c using slightly more (30w more) due to the desktop cpu. thus, both should get about* the same battery life. 2 hours for m570tu and 1:30 hours for d901c. the m570tu has a max-rated 120w power supply while the d901c has a 220w.

bottom line is this; your configuration will be accomidated by the m570tu and d901c. the d901c will give you the upgradeability factor to allow for more (more money thrown at your laptop purchase, hehe) hard drives, performance sli options and even quad core in the future.

since the m570tu accomidates all of your current needs, and you do not like or plan on upgradeability then you should get it. in order to justify the d901c you must plan on upgrading it in the future (or loading it up now) and taking advantage of it's strengths. this would mean stuffing 3 hard drives, using the raid options, and looking at sli performance options.

 

I don't seen how USB is actually useful for theft protection. Any tech savy thief would simply reformat and reinstall an OS and completely bypass any finger print protection.

 

at least they won't be able to see your files...

 

My point exactly.

Built in Biometric offers an extra level of protection but TPM with Bitlocker is better.

 

Thanks yes the problem is I don't see a clear winner. I keep flip flopping from one to the next and back for various reasons. When I finally see them I will know which one I want I am sure.

 

You welcome! I hope you find the perfect laptop!

 

Thanks AARGH. Appreciate your comments. As I have said before the m570TU with 2 hard drive bays would be the perfect laptop for me. I don't need SLI level gaming but at the same time I don't want 9600M GS level gaming either. The 9800M GT is for me the perfect balance of price and performance/compromise for my gaming needs in a laptop.

I've seen the Gateway P-7811 FX in the last couple of days and it's made me fully aware that my requirements of

9800M GT or equivalent
WUXGA
2 hard disk bays
Numberpad on keyboard

is not un-doable in a smaller form factor using Notebook level CPU etc.

If I lived in the US I think I would have bought this. UNfortunately in this instance I live in AUstralia so I shipping, GST and then warranty issues become a factor that add significantly to the cost.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/14/gateway-p-7811-fx-gaming-laptop-gets-reviewed/

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...1+FX+&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1211587727985

In Perth where I live the NP5796 (M570TU) vs NP9262 (D901C) are virtually the only notebooks available with 9800M GT I can access readily. Everything else has WUXGA, 2 Hard drives and number pad but then only has an ATI 3650 or a Nvidia 9600GS - eg Dell Studio 17 or ASUS M70VM-C1

It's a real pain in the *** not having more choice.

My choices are always a compromise and I don't want that. I want all the latest whiz-bangery - why? Because it's available - if I don't choose it I want it to be because I decided I didn't need it - not because I was forced to compromise.

Shipping from the US was an option when our $ was at parity but it's taken a dive lately cause our interest rates will be heading south soon (at least that's what the world currency markets think) so shipping internationally from the US is much less a no-brainer now.

My choices here in Perth are:
9262/D901C = Pros = WUXGA, 9800MGT, numberpad, 2 hard drives, quiet, cool and probably go for quad, desktop CPU gives me heaps of configurability.
Cons = larger form factor ???? won't know until I see it, 1 yr warranty, no extra new techiness like HDMI, eSata and fingerprint

NP5796/M570TU = Pros = WUXGA, 9800MGT, numberpad, smaller form factor (will I care? won't know until I see it), HDMI, eSata, Fingerprint thingy
Cons = only 1 HD - if I do get it it will be with a 500GB drive but then only 5400RPM, 1 yr warranty - also read that the fans are quite loud.

ASUS M70VM-C1 = Pros = WUXGA, 9800MGT, numberpad, 2 hard drives, 2 year warranty, I have an ASUS already and know they are awesome, HDMI, eSata, Fingerprint reader
COns = 9600M GS 512MB.

Dell Studio 17 = Pros = WUXGA, 9800MGT, numberpad, 2 hard drives, Dell 2 yr onsite warranty, HDMI, eSata, Fingerprint thingy
Cons = ugly as sin and only ati 3650 256MB

I've looked at Toshiba's, MSI, NEC, Sony and some other brands but they are even less specced/and more expensive than those I have listed - eg screen res is low and GPU is low.

The Gateway P-7811 FX is perfect and so bloody cheap and just rubs salt into my available choices here.

So this is why I got it down to the NP5796/M570TU and the 9262/D901C - graphics is one thing I don't want to compromise on (and can't "upgrade" in the ASUS or DELL). I can get the M570TU with 500GB to max it's available internal space, or get the D901C and go beef on the Quad (to take advantage of it's form factor) and then have everything I want in a laptop but not the modern "tech" of the HDMI, eSata and fingerprint thingy

No when it comes to the HDMI, Esata and Fingerprint reader, I don't know if I will use them yet because I don't have them yet - fact is you don't use something until you've got it and with tech you don't know what you are missing until you use it for a while and it becomes something you can't live without - eg dual monitors or QWERTY keyboard on a mobile phone or GPS, eSata I would probably use over USB2 as it's so much faster - but I don't have an e-Sata port yet to know - fingerprint thingy I would probably use if it makes logging into stuff much easier/quicker - but I don't know because I don't have one yet...

Clear as mud. Good problem to have though! I just want to make my $3000 AU go the distance and not be left muttering to myself (buyers remorse) over some aspect of the laptop I settled on.

ANyone got pics of the NP5796/M570TU next to a 9262/D901C??

 

ok then i would highly advise you to get the m570tu. the 500gb hard drive is quite fast due to it's platter density. if you are worried about speed, you can get the 320gb 7200 rpm drive. that has alot of space as well. also, you will be getting an external drive with this laptop, probably those 1 TB drives.

i also highly recommend getting an extended warranty if the purchase is $3k dollars or higher.

 

I'd get a 320GB 7200 RPM in a M570TU, and then use an external hard disk for videos, pictures, etc...

 

im still trying to decide between these two computers.... the only thing keeping me away from the 9262 is the look. i cant stand it at all... its so plain, big and grey. i also hate the logo right in the center. it reminds me of the old dells with their ugly logo in the center of their laptop covers. i only really like the 5796 for the power and look, weight is no problem. i also dont need more than 1 200GB HD. so its between a powerful 5796 that looks amazing.. or a 9262 that will fully beat any laptop out their. i also kind of want SLI and a quad core processor, but dont really care, since im not going to be doing the most ultra intese gaming.

also being able to upgrade the 5796 to a 9800M GTX is also very good, thats why im leaning towards the 96, with the GTX, itll have all the power ill need, then some (its also alot cheaper maxed out)

 

the 9800GT SLi will still be better than a single GTX..

 

After careful review of both of sager's 17" notebook options I decided to go with the 5796. The chassis on the 9262 sits about 2.5 inches above the desk, try putting a 1" block on top of your current laptop and try typing of playing a game for more than 1 hour...uncomfortable to say the least. There is no doubting the power of the 9262 but I'll sacrafice some of that power for the mobility and comfort of the rig itself. The HDMI out is huge for me as well as I can plug it into my home theatre and play games in 1080p. I recently ordered my rig and will take delivery in 9/08 - I will post a detailed review - my specs as follows:
Sager NP5796
Chassis: Black/Orange Trim (a black chassis w/ silver trim would be a nice feature)
Display: 17” WUXGA 1920x1200
Processor: 45nm Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 / 6mb L2 Cache, 3.06Ghz, 1066Mhz FSB
Graphics: NVidea GeForce 9800M GTX 1Gb DDR3
OS: Vista Business 64/bit
Memory: 4 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM @ 1066mhz – 2x 2048MB
HD: 320GB 5400rpm SATA 300
2 gb turbo memory module
No dead pixel policy
3 year warranty

 

Sager NP5796
Chassis: Black/Orange Trim (a black chassis w/ silver trim would be a nice feature)
Display: 17” WUXGA 1920x1200
Processor: 45nm Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100 / 6mb L2 Cache, 3.06Ghz, 1066Mhz FSB
Graphics: NVidea GeForce 9800M GTX 1Gb DDR3
OS: Vista Business 64/bit
Memory: 4 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM @ 1066mhz – 2x 2048MB
HD: 320GB 5400rpm SATA 300
2 gb turbo memory module
No dead pixel policy
3 year warranty
mistake on the hard drive, 7200rpm

 

If do go for the M570TU I'll get a 500GB 5400RPM drive in it and then partition that to C:\ and D:\ - C would be about 120GB and then D:\ the rest (approx 340GB) OS and apps will go on C:\ and games will go on D:\

I always have this sort of setup on my machines but with 2 hard disks as each drive. Makes reinstalling the OS for any reason MUCH easier. Plus after years of working in desktop support and using imaging software to recover OS from an image I have it sort of hardwired into me now.

Question is what sort of performance hit would I get from doing this on a 5400RPM 500GB rather than running a single C:\ on a 320GB 7200RPM drive?

I know load times will be longer. But not by much. Will it be that big a deal or would I be better off with 320GB 7200RPM paritioned to C:\120GB and D:\ the rest (approx 180GB). This setup will obviously be faster but trade off is I will have D:\ filled quick - but how much faster?

Fast enough to be worth it?

 

I would go with (and I did) the 320 7200RPM drive.
Take a look at these performance charts...the first is a 320 5400RPM that some guy on ebay thought he could pass as 7200RPM. The second is one I got from Pricewatch.com that really is 7200RPM. WD BEVT vs WD BEKT

 

Note: I noticed the CPU Usage fluctuates depending if I run the test after a fresh reboot, with or without the Vista Sidebar...these were run before a reboot with nothing shut down.

 

Thanks Zenica,

It seems not all 5400RPM's are slower than 7200's as per this Toms Hardware info

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/chart...1868,1897,1902,1895,1910,1856,1873,1853,1865,

 

dvi = garbage

 

Okay...this is the first time i'm seeing this thread/post and I just breezed through the postings here.

But let me say this, i'm a 9262 Fan, but for the features u want leebaldock such as the HDMI, E-Sata and the FP reader I think u should definitely get the M570TU. I've used my moms FP reader on her HP laptop and the thing is Wonderful. 99% of the time it works on one swipe...so convenient and so worth it. And HDMI, are u kidding me...this is the future..one day u will definitely use that. And u already stated that u r very interested in the E-Sata. Of course the 9262 will be more powerful; it's using desktop processors. But the M570TU will be one powerful notebook too nevertheless; it's also using DDR3 memory..which is the future of memory, while the DC901 is not. Trust me u need the M570TU...that's my vote.

I don't plan to purchase the DC901 (refreshed) model til' next yr. so hopefully by then they add those features because I want them as well...especially the *Integrated FP reader. Who will want an external reader? yuk!

Anyhow, whichever road u choose to go down, good luck w/ ur purchase!

 

Thanks!

I keep reading that the fan on the older RU was very loud to the point that people didn't like it..

Is the fan on the M570TU loud?

 

Hey all...new to the site AND LOVE IT!!!
I'm in the same boat right now...I've been trying to make the decision for about a month and I'm STILL stuck!!! This thread has helped though...
I just have one question...I'm basically buying a new laptop for when Diablo 3 comes out, and the only part I'm not sure of is: Quad or Duo? Thanks all, Mike

 

On this question, for sure, the D900. The E8500 is a Desktop processor!.... and the 9800GT, although the same card will be a little cooler in the D901c, as this has the best cooling out there. Plus you can always just slide another one in. The fact that this platform is a desktop hybrid its still faster than the new montevina system for laptops.

 

hello!! welcome to NBR yeah this forum is darn cool man..

answering your question, get the duo if you're tight on budget, the duo would suffice in gaming.. if you're doing heavy processes, get the quad. if you got enough money now, get the quad, as most games (as i heard,) are being designed to handle more multi-threading, meaning that all 4 cores would be utilised.. the Q9650 proc is something i'd go for if i can afford it if not, the E8600 would do just fine..

oh and btw, i'm waiting for D3 to come out too

 

I have decided to order the M570TU over the D901C.

The more modern features of E-sata, hdmi and fingerprint reader plus the smaller form factor and better battery life have pushed it to the one to have for me.

I'm "amost" about to order it from here:

http://www.affordablelaptops.com.au/metabox/m57tu/m57tu-vhp.html



Before I order. Is there is anything else I should know or be aware of?

Any huge price reductions coming next week?

Or major model refresh coming in a month to make mine half the performance for twice the price?

I want a great laptop that will last two years.

This is Australian $ as well remember PLUS I will be picking it up from the local warehouse in Perth.

 

Good call on the M570TU. Just hope you don't get one with issues like mine...

The fan noise on this machine has been kind of blown out of propotion IMO. Just sitting at idle, it's really quiet. Yeah, depending on what you're doing the fans may come on ful blast once in a while, but I really don't even think that sounds too loud.

I wouldn't worry too much about the D901C having "better" cooling. After hours of playing Crysis my GPU has never gotten over 73 degrees C. If you're going to be overclocking, that may be another matter, but if the D901C's cooling system is the best out there, the M570TU has got to be a close second. You'll be happy with it.

 

Just don't forget the FP Reader Option! If it's anything like HP's it would be well worth it.

 

What were your issues?

 

Yeh it's one of the selling points I think.

To be honest I decided about a week ago that the D901C wasn't for me when I saw the ASUS M70VM in the flesh and realised I did want "true" laptop formfactor (and battery life) and all the extra goodies of e-sata, fingerprint reader and hdmi. I've spent the last week trying to "like" the 9600M GS on the ASUS M70VM because otherwise I think it's a spectacular machine. If someone told me there was an M70VM coming next week with a 9800M in it I would wait for it!

So it came down to the M70VM with 2 yr warranty, dual hard disks, bluray, tv tuner for quite a bit less than the M570TU vs the M570TU with it's single hard disk and 9800M and 1 yr warranty and no bluray and no tvtuner. Price is a big factor too of course and I did have to ask myself do I REALLY need a powerful video card.

I've weighed up price, dual hard disks, bluray, fingerprint readers, tv tuners, CPU's, hard disk speeds, warranty and to be honest the M70VM wins on most things IMHO. I especially like the SplashTop. But I just can't get past the "lameness" of the 9600M GS. It's just too "uncertain" for me as a gaming card. When I play I like to play at good resolutions and good settings. I've come to terms with the single hard disk in the M570TU as I have discovered 500GB 5400RPMs can be just as fast or faster than 7200RPM's.

My mate who has a PS3 says he has only ever watched 1 bluray movie on it (saying just because you have bluray doesn't mean you will use it) and I know that I will most certainly never use the tv tuner or for that matter the HDMI (unless I get a new monitor but that's unlikely) so really the biggest positives of the ASUS for me came down to build quality, 2 year warranty, price and Splashtop.

But when it comes down to it the M570TU is the only laptop that I can buy "affordably" that comes with a 9800M, WUXGA 17inch, numberpad and well I will just use e-sata or get a 500GB drive and ghost the image off the 320GB when the time comes for more space.

I know I won't notice the extra money spent in 6 months but I still have doubts so please feel free to tell me what's bad about the ASUS M70VM vs the M570TU! So I feel better about my choice.

 

sometimes you just gotta go for it....

 

OK here we go...

HELP!

I've posted this as a Thread in the ASUS section but I wanted to cast the widest net possible! I need Sager/Clevo people to help me.

It's down to these two. I am sick to death of researching on this forum.

Please tell me which one to buy. Please help me make my decision.

ASUS M70VM-C1 for $2599AU

http://p4laptops.com.au/order-m70vm3.htm

PRICE INCLUDES: Asus M70VM-C1. 17" WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Gloss Display, Intel Core 2 Duo Montevina T9400 2.5Ghz CPU, 4GB DDR2 800 RAM, Nvidia 9600M 512MB Dedicated VRAM (DX10.1) Graphics, 500G (250G*2) SATA HDD, BLURAY READER/DVDRW Dual Layer Super Multi, Vista Home Premium, 802.11A/B/G/N, 1.3MP Webcam (swivel) 10/100/1000 Network, Fax Modem, 8 Cell battery, 4x USB2.0, 1x Firewire, 1x HDMI, 1x E-SATA, 8-in-1/1x Express Card Slot, Black, 2YR Global Asus Warranty, Free Carry Bag, Free Optical Mouse, MS Office Ready. (60 Day Trial)

or

Clevo/Sager M570TU/NP5796 for $3099

http://p4laptops.com.au/order-m57ru-special.htm

PRICE INCLUDES: Metabox M570TU, Intel Montevina T9400 2.53Ghz 1066 FSB 6MB Cache CPU, 4GB DDR3 1066Mhz RAM, 17" WUXGA Glossy Display, 8x DVD-RW Dual Layer, 320GB 7200RPM SATA HDD, NVidia 9800M GT 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM, 2.0 Megapixel Camera, Bluetooth V2, Basic Bag, Fingerprint Reader, WIFI 802.11 GN, No Operating System.


They both have the form factor I want which is

17 inch WUXGA
numberpad on keyboard

They both have the same CPU's and the same amount of RAM. Tey both have fingerprint reader, hdmi and e-sata and they both weigh about the same.

Pros and Cons

ASUS.

Pros

• dual hard drive bays
• CHEAPER
• bluray
• tv tuner
• swivelly camera
• comes with a mouse
• 2 years warranty
• looks great
• Splashtop
• It's ASUS
• virtually silent
• Peace of mind I am buying cheaper really well featured, solid build, good warranty.

Cons

• 9600M GS
• Will need to buy 64 bit OS as I want to go 64 bit as I think it only comes with 32 bit
• Can the 9600M GS cut it

Clevo/Sager

Pros

• 9800M GT
• Faster Ram
• 2 MP Camera
• Peace of mind that it can run any game for the next 2 years

Cons

• More Expensive
• Need to buy OS as well
• Unsure about looks - Orange stripe!???
• Only 1 year warranty
• Loud fans?
• Is it worth it?

I am completely totally and utterly confused between these two.

ASUS gives me the most fully featured laptop I have ever seen. My issue with it is the 9600M GS. Plus it's cheap!

Clevo gives me a 9800M GT but it's more expensive. Great for gaming and everything else but is it worth it. Will I play enough games on it to justify the better video card.



I rarely play games on my current laptop but I think that's primarily because it's only got a 7600GT and it's pretty crap for a lot of the games I want to play so I haven't really bothered. Plus it's Hard disk is pretty full and it's a pain to have to add/remove apps, other stuff to even install a game to try it out.

Plus I have a beast of a desktop where I do most of my gaming.

Can I game with the 9600M GS? I have asked that of many people on the forum and they all say yes. So I guess it can...why do I keep having doubts about it? Because I think for every good thing I read about it I read some negative as well.

For example from http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9600M-GS.9450.0.html

It says the 9600M GS is similar to an 8600GT

"The following values are based on the 8600M GT. As the core of the 9600M GS is similar (only slightly higher clocked), the following benchmarks should give a good impression on the gaming performance of the card.

Call of Juarez : 1280x800, DX10: 20 fps -> barely playable
Company of Heroes: 1440x900, high details-> playable (not completely fluent)
World in Conflict: 1024x768, medium details (DX9), Benchmark: 23 fps -> playable (DX 10 not playable)
F.E.A.R.: 1024x768, CPU max, GPU max: 24-40 fps -> well playable
Command and Conquer 3 (C&C 3): 1024x768, high details: 30 fps well playable
Supreme Commander: 1024x768, high details: 16-44 fps -> playable (large Multiplayer battles may need a faster GPU)
Colin McRae Dirt: 1024x768, high: 20 fps -> barely playable (reduce details)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: 1024x768, maximum quality: 18 fps not playable -> with reduced details playable
Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory: 1280x800 -> well playable
Oblivion: 1280x800, max details: 40 fps -> well playable
Half Life 2 - Episode 1: 1280x800: 70 fps -> well playable
Prey: 1280x800: 40 fps -> well playable
Anno 1701: 1024x768, high Details: 48 fps -> well playable
Doom 3: 1024x768, Details: Ultra: 67 fps -> well playable
Age of Empires 3: 1024x768, hohe Details (without footprints), Skirmish zu 8t: 30-40 fps -> well playable
Quake 3 Arena: 1024x768, max Details: 236.5 fps -> well playable"

Yes but those resolution are weak! And those games are OLD.

I want Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 looking great at 1650x1080!

I can afford either. I am frugal but the money is there.

If you had the money to buy either which would you get?

Hope you can help!

I am sick of the decision making process.

 

your decision is easy. if you want to game on your laptop get the m570tu. if you will not be gaming on your laptop get the asus as it satisfies all your other needs.

a 9600gs will not handle todays games and future games at high settings in high resolution it's that simple.