quick Sager laptop questions

[Charlie46227]

OK. So I'm getting ready to order the following Sager. No heavy gaming, but some video editing/conversion of files to DVD format? I want the better screen, but I'm wondering:

1) if I really need the P8600 (+$55) vs P8400 (is there much difference at all ?),
2) 4gig of ram instead of 2 (and if I got the 3mb now would it benefit me now and be cheaper down the road by buying another 2 gig stick to replace the 1 gig stick or would they need to be paired to get the benefit?)
3) Better to go with the 7200 SATA II 300 with 16 MB cache or a 5400 SATA II 300 with 8 MB cache. I'm not worried about the difference in storage capacity, but performance. The 7200 is 200 gig, the 5400 320 gig if that comes into play. I would think the 5400 would run cooler? 4)Does any of this affect battery use significantly?
5) I've checked with XoticPC and also Powernotebooks. Very close on price, so is one significantly better (customer service, speed of delivery etc.) than the other? Anyone else I should be considering? Sager themselves are the same in price (minus the discount) but my thinking is I'd have a big advocate backing me if I had a problem.


Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90) PRE ORDER Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90) PRE ORDER
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050) `
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8600 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.40GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9600M GT DDR2 DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 200GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 1 Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support
$1,359.00

 

[lostandwandering]

1) The only difference is a 140mhz increase on the clock speed. Both run on the 1066mhz FSB and both have 3mb of L2 cache. $55 isn't too bad of a price for the upgrade, so it's really up to you.

2) a 2gb stick on newegg will cost you around $40, so it's saving you $20. If you really need to penny pinch, I suggest you get the single 2048mb stick with the laptop and buy a second one from newegg and install yourself. Otherwise just get the 4gb upgrade now.

3)Personally, I like the performance of my 7200rpm HDD. I don't find that it runs all that hot or uses up too much battery life. My vote would be for the faster drive if storage space isn't an issue.

4) I ordered mine from Sager and didn't have a problem except when they didn't have the 7950GTX's in stock and tried to convince me that the Quadro version "would be just as good". Ha, good one!

 

[Charlie46227]

Thanks for the input. Probably order tomorrow. Though I'm not worried about the $20 savings via buying from NewEgg, I'm not all that sure the extra memory will be needed. So I'll go with 2 gig to start and see how things go first. probably will keep the 8600. Is that something I could upgrade down the road? (I'm not at all familiar with laptops.)

 

[theworminator]

The graphics card is one of the harder components to upgrade on a laptop (going from RAM, HDD, CPU, GPU) so I wouldn't bet on upgrading it. Buy what you think you'll need for the laptop's life span in terms of graphical power, you'll have an easier time upgrading the other stuff if needed.

 

[lostandwandering]

Yes, it is possible to upgrade the CPU in pretty much all laptops. Some are easier than others, but it's doable.

*When I first started to type this, I thought you were talking graphics until I saw that the 9600mGT was the only option. Man I need sleep

edit: it appears Worm made the same mistake I did. I'm pretty sure he meant the P8600 CPU.

 

[Charlie46227]

Since Sager uses desktop CPUs (right?) maybe not so hard? Thing is, I have no idea under what conditions I would need an upgrade and if I upgraded now it would be to a T9400. So, is that a major upgrade or should I ask, under what conditions would it make a big enough difference to warrant an additional $75 over the 8600?

Sorry if these are ignorant questions; just trying to get the best bang for my money. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

 

[cjl]

Well, not all Sagers use desktop CPUs.

That one, for example, uses the P9600. That's a laptop model. Any CPU model not starting in Q, E, or X is a laptop model, and some (but not all) X models are laptop models. The X9000 and X9100 for example are both laptop CPUs.

 

[Charlie46227]

Thanks. One last question(s). If I purchased the 4 gig ram, do they normally use 'matched' ram or does that even come into play anymore? Should I call and ask? (or did it ever really make a difference?) Also, if I hold off, get a 2 gig now and 2 gig later, should I be concerned much about brand, either matching what I have or 'generics' in general?

Again, TIA

 

[lostandwandering]

Thanks. One last question(s). If I purchased the 4 gig ram, do they normally use 'matched' ram or does that even come into play anymore? Should I call and ask? (or did it ever really make a difference?) Also, if I hold off, get a 2 gig now and 2 gig later, should I be concerned much about brand, either matching what I have or 'generics' in general?

Again, TIA

What do you mean by matched RAM? Do you mean a 2gb stick with a 2gb stick? The answer to that is yes since laptops only come with 2 slots for RAM.

 

[Charlie46227]

No, I was referring to the idea that if you have two sticks that are otherwise equal, one may actually be a bit slower than the other even though they are the same 'nominal' speed (and passed the 'standard', one to the high end of the standard, the other to the lower end), thus slowing down comparatively. Kind of like using a slow speed stick and a faster one, where the fastest speed attainable is the slow stick speed. It used to be that you could buy a pair together that were actually tested individually (rather than 'batch' tested) to match each other's actual speed (supposedly to the higher end of the standard). I don' t know that it actually mattered back then either and maybe it was just a marketing tool, but they were sold.

 

[theworminator]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Um...I guess they'll matter if you're going to try overclocking it, otherwise I'm guessing that the performance drop due to one stick being slightly slower won't be really noticeable. Of course, you could drop the cash to get them, but it's not needed. (Lostandwandering, you'll still find RAM sold like that, though not always advertised as so. A lot of the top of the line RAM kits, the best of the D9GMH and so on, are matched so they can overclock the best.)

About the brand, generally you don't need to worry, but getting the different brands will sometimes cause odd problems, depending on the ram and the motherboard (from anecdotes told to me).