Solved! How is Sager?

[tsuki2000]

I'm currently looking at the NP8130 (or something similar if Sager has new machines by the end of the summer when I would be ordering) for use with college (going back or a second degree -- I've heard that this model can get 2-3 hours of battery life which would be fine for a class or two) and for mobile gaming (I use my desktop as my main gaming machine, but I go to my friends' houses often so I need a gaming laptop for that).

I've had both Dell and Gateway in the past and wasn't very impressed with build quality. My budget will be in the $1500 area.

Would Sager be a good way to go?

 

[WR2]

Best source to figure if Sager is a good match for you is probably other Sager owners.
"Official" Sager NP8130/Clevo P151HM1 Owners Lounge
It's a lot to wade through but you're getting ready to spend a lot of money.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Sager is made by Clevo .... See my post on laptop ODM's and options here:

http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/66730-35-reqiurement-mechanical-electrical-civil-engineering-software

The Optimus power saving stuff might be attractive but the 540M is a bit light for gaming. The 560M is due this summer tho and is a substantially better performer.

Here's the various cards results in 3D mark 06

485M - 19,465 ($495 more than a 460M)
6970M - 17,041
470M - 16,509 ($200 more than a 460M)
480M - 15,394
560M - 13,919
6950M - 13,719
285M - 12,989
5870M - 12,863
460M - 12,855
skipped a few
540M - 7,989

This Clevo P170HM will cost ya $1,569 from ProStar, customized as below:

17.3" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED Backlit Glare Type Display
Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor, 2.0 GHz, 6MB Smart Cache
8GB, PC3-10600/1333Mhz DDR3 - 2 x 4GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M w/1.5GB GDDR5
320 GB/7200rpm GB SATA-300 (SATA II 3GB/s)
8X Max. DVD±R/RW Writer/Reader / 4X Max. +DL Super-Mulit Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit
8 Cells Lithium-Ion Battery Pack 76.96WH
Integrated 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth V3.0 Combo
1 Year Premium Parts Warranty + 3 Year Labor
# Built-In Fingerprint Reader
# Built-In Gigabit Ethernet LAN
# Built-In 9-IN-1 Flash Memory Reader(MMC/RSMMC/MS/MS Pro/MS DUO/SD/Mini-SD/SDHC/SDXC)
# 1 IEEE-1394a Fire Wire
# 2 USB 2.0 Ports
# 2 USB 3.0 Ports
# 1 eSATA Port
# 1 HDMI Output
# 1 DVI-I Port
# 1 CATV Port
# 1 Kensington Lock Port
# Built-in Microphone, 4 Speakers and 1 Sub-Woofer
# 4 Audio Jacks for Headphone, Microphone-In, S/PDIF-Out, and Line-In
# 100/240V Autoswitch AC Adapter
# Standard Carrying Case with Strap

http/www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=productdetail&model=P170HM

Should be about the same from Sager, and all the other US Clevo dealers.

Find one here:

http/forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/91510-clevo-guide-v2-0-faq-reseller-info.html

 

[spidy]

Best source to figure if Sager is a good match for you is probably other Sager owners.
"Official" Sager NP8130/Clevo P151HM1 Owners Lounge
It's a lot to wade through but you're getting ready to spend a lot of money.

That's similar to the motto of the long gone car company Packard, "Ask the man who owns one" and it's still true. best way to figure out of their a good brand is to find owners, and check reviews.