Alienware 13 ($1100 model) vs Sager NP7339

[Daggerstrike]

Sager:
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np7339-clevo-w230sd-eta-03202015-p-8073.html

Alienware:
http/www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/alienware-13


I'm going to be a college student and I was looking for lightweight (<5 lb) laptops that are capable of running games and have decent battery life and I found these. Which of the two would be better? I'd be using it for gaming (CS:GO for sure and I'd like to play more modern games too), streaming, programming, web surfing, etc. The specs on the sager look better, but the review on notebookcheck said that the sager makes a LOT of noise and can get really hot. On the flip side, the processor on the alienware isn't all that great.


If the sager is the better choice, would it be worth it to get any of the following?:

SSD memory (Some of my friends said it's worth it, and others said no so I figured I would try to get opinions. Additionally, is there any difference between the Micron, Samsung, and Intel?)

IC Diamond Thermal Compound (is it that much better over the Stock OEM?)

Copper Cooling Upgrade

Sager NP7339 Spare Battery

Extra 8GB of RAM (16 total, but 16 isn't exactly necessary right? I've heard that 8 is plenty)


For the record, I am aware that the sager has no OS. If there is a better laptop for the same price range (<$1200) I'd love to hear suggestions. I saw the MSI ghost on newegg, but the battery life sounded absolutely terrible.


Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

[okcnaline]

I think the Sager is better. Mobile i7 CPUs usually have 4 cores (4 threads compared to ones in desktops) while the Alienware have 2. And 4 cores is always better than 2 cores and 2 emulated cores (threads are able to act as a core).

 

[Daggerstrike]

Thanks for the reply! I've been looking into the sager more and I like what I see. I have a few questions regarding customization though.


Do you think the extra $100 for SSD is worth it? I heard SSD is really good about loading times, but idk how well they actually perform. Any advice would be appreciated.


Is their anti-theft system worth the money or can I put some kind of gps in the laptop on my own (without voiding the warranty)? Since I'll be in college, I want some type of gps system in case my laptop gets lost or stolen.


Which level of warranty is best? I was looking at the $79 2-year sager one, but is it really worth the extra money if the base warranty is free?




Once again, thanks in advance. If anyone has arguments for the alienware 13 or another comp, I'd still love to hear it

 

[ragztem]

I have the Sager NP 7338 with a Crucial 512gb SSD as my only drive. First off, if you are going to get an ssd be ready to never look back again! You will also get frustrated with how slow your other HDD computers run! Night and Day!!!! As far as noise goes, if you are gaming the fans will ramp up to cool the laptop! THEY SHOULD! I even use the Fn+1 key to start fans at max while gaming. You have to keep it cool! You have a lot of power in a small package! To keep temps down while gaming I disable turbo boost on the cpu, run med to high settings and use vsync to cap the frame rate to 60. The laptop has a lot of power for just about anything you can throw at it, but you don't always have to prove it! Don"t bury yourself alive just to prove you can use a shovel! But in all honesty you have two different laptops in mind! If you are looking for battery life, portability, streaming, playing CSGO and light programming as a student, I would recommend a MacBook Air 13 2015 $999.00. Spend the extra $200.00 on upgrades for storage,ram or external hdd. Unless you are a professional you shouldn't need too much! As a student the macbook would be best for you! If you are a professional with plenty of spare time to game (because a great running gaming rig is mad addictive) the Sager is a great machine! The best thing about Sager is the easy plug in upgrades! 3 screws on the back, pop the lid and plug away! I updated my ram to 16gb and I have 2 more options for msata ssd storage. It's great to have the option for easy upgrade. You can even replace the screen with a credit card and a screwdriver! LOL!!! But like any other power intensive laptop they aren't the lightest ,the battery isn't the best and if you work hard you cool hard! If you lean towards the Sager contact Larry at LPC Digital. Great guy! Sager NP7339 with Win8 and 500gb SSD as primary is $1,250.00! Upgrade ram later through Newegg.