Alienware 13 vs Sager NP7338: Best 13" for Elec Engineering Grad School (Matlab), some Photoshop

[jeffx4]

Would like your opinion on laptop to get me through Electrical Engineering Grad school(lots of Matlab) and some Photoshop on the side

■Each is ~$1,500

Spec Comparison:

[urlExt=http/www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-13/pd?oc=dkcwe03h&model_id=alienware-13#overrides=dkcwe03h:760~QHD;8~256SSD] Alienware 13rice: [/urlExt]
~$1,500
-OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit
-CPU: i5-4210U (Dual-Core, 3MB Cache, up to 2.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
-GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M with 2GB GDDR5
-Display: 13 inch QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS-Panel 400-nits Display with Touch Technology
-RAM: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz (2x 8GB)
-SSD: 256GB M.2
-Wireless Network: Killer 1525 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
-Usage: Matlab(a lot), Photshop(a little). This would be used for Electrical Engineering Grad School
-Real World Battery Life Estimation: ~6 hrs


[urlExt=http/www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP7338] Sager NP7338:[/urlExt]
-Price: ~$1,500
-OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit
-CPU: i7-4810MQ Processor ( Quad-core, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.80GHz)
-GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M with 2GB GDDR5
-Display: 13.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Wide Viewing Angle in Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080)
-RAM: 16GB Kingston HyperX CL9 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 2 X 8GB Sticks
-SSD: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO Series SATA3
-Wireless Network: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 AC Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Module
-Usage: Matlab(a lot), Photshop(a little). This would be used for Electrical Engineering Grad School
-Real World Battery Life Estimation: ~5 hrs

 

[dasulman]

the sager easily

 

[jeffx4]

the sager easily

Thanks dasulman. As I was typing out the comparison it became more and more clear the Sager specs were better than the Alienware. The hangups I have are:

• 
  Sager uses high end components but uses cheap materials to put them all together. (ie plastics and lesser screen)
  Alienware marketing may have infected me a little because it has more of a cool factor
  Alienware screen is really nice. Fills the entire color gamut with a high resolution. Don't care about touchscreen.

 

[dasulman]

check out notebookcheck and search for the clevo models, they always score well in reviews. a metal finish is often far from the best.

 

[jeffx4]

check out notebookcheck and search for the clevo models, they always score well in reviews. a metal finish is often far from the best.

Will do, thank you.