Solved! Sager NP7280 vs Sager NP8170

[scotta]

Hello,
How different is the Sager NP8170 with i7 2820QM + gtx 485M ... vs ... Sager NP7280 with i7 950 + gtx 485M?

One has a desktop processor (Bloomfield), the other a mobile processor (Sandy Bridge Mobile).

Are they even close??

Uses are CPU Intensive, + Gaming

 

[WR2]

Considering one is a desktop CPU and the other a mobile CPU they're not all that far apart.
Here is a Passmark CPU benchmark score comparsion between the
desktop Core i7 950 @ 3.07GHz = 6347
and
mobile Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00Ghz = 5821

 

[WR2]

Different CPUs in this benchmark but it gives you an idea why the two CPUs might not be so far off as you'd expect.

from the article: Intel’s Sandy Bridge i7-2820QM: Upheaval in the Mobile Landscape

 

[scotta]

This is sorta what I thought, that they were pretty close. I want to make sure that I'm not thinking crazy.

And, thanks for putting those links up, for sure. I appreciate it greatly. As this is coming from a Tom's Hardware Addict, then I'm bookmarking it.

Another link I found which I thought was pretty good was this one here.
http/www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

Here's another question ....

My PC budget and this thread has now steered me towards the Sager NP8170, now I have this question:

Will I expect to be able to upgrade the video card?
Will I expect to be able to upgrade the CPU?

 

[Maziar]

Depends.
Currently the max video card supported is GTX 485M and the max CPU supported is the i7 2920XM.

 

[Fadekyn]

From what I understood between Toms site and notebookcheck you can expect better battery life also. Nothing spectacular, but still an increase. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was a combo of efficiency and easier switching between the integrated and dedicated.

The killer part IMO is that the 2630 is much cheaper than the 920 still. Something ridiculous like $400-$500 cheaper.

 

[sea_eng1979]

The 2630 is about the same price as the NP7280's desktop chips (920, or the 950 which would be the chip to buy in a Sager NP7280 between the two).

It is clear now that if you've got $2,500.00 or so to spend, then the NP8170 is a better buy than the NP7280.

The big question is ... when will the 2630's be available again?

 

[Maziar]

I think they'll be available at the end of April.