Need some advice for work/play laptop.

A

aglarang

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Feb 28, 2006
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Ok, I am soon to replace my current laptop and was starting my search for the machine for me. My current laptop is growing too small in terms of harddrive, memory and video performance. The first two are much easily corrected than the last. The sum is pushing me towards a new machine.
My needs in a laptop basically cover the work I do and the games I play. I run some products that require a fairly fast processor and about 2 gig of ram to be able to run them at a reasonable speed (dev tools, app servers, portals, DBs, etc..). Secondly, I am also an avid gamer, so the video option is important to me. I am not that interested in small and light (though, I would love it, I know it will not happen with my requirements) and I do like the widescreen formats.
So, to replace my HP zd7000 (3.06 P4, 1gb ram, 60gb hd, geForce go 5600-256) I would like a machine that has
17" wide screen,
2gb ram
100gb hd
GeForce 7800 gtx (I am most inflexible on this requirement).

I dont know that I have a real opinion yet on the mobile or desktop chips from Intel or AMD. I typically am an AMD buyer for all the desktops that I build, but for laptops, I am mroe flexible between brands. But whether the mobile chips can give me the power I need is the question.

Basically, I am trying to answer a couple of questions for myself, whether the processor choice is that important in my decision making process as long as it is something recent and fairly fast.
And secondly which company to go from.
I have evaluated Sager, ABS, Alienware, Dell, HP, and M-Tech seriously. I am tempted to go Sager right now with a nice Athlon64x2 over the Dell XPS machines with the Pentiums. I have not been a fan of Dells Quality control on their laptops over the years. I dont know if they have improved recently or not. I probably will not get an Alienware because I will be using it at customer sites and it needs to look somewhat professional or at least not stand out as guady.
I did look at a system from ABS that was cheaper and lighter than the Sager, but it used a mobile pentium instead of a desktop chip.

So, I gave you $3000 and said, go buy a laptop with a GeForce 7800GTX, 2 gb of ram and a 100gb drive with good processing power from a company that is reliable for quality and service, what would you buy?
Thanks.

For those that will say "ZOMG, why dont you get a l337 Shuttle and carry that. I cant understand why anyone would game on a laptop!!" This is not a desktop replacement and will be carried around for more than the occasional lan party. I fly about 35 weeks a year to customers and carrying around a SFF pc is a ludicrous suggestion for me.
 
you just missed the Dell XPS 170 with 7800GTX Go for 1349 shipped :eek: But I think you can still get one for 1700$. Sager also has a Pentium M and 7800GTX Go barebone laptop, but it will be a bit more vs a simular speced Dell.
 
alright...

the thing that is really holding you back for options is the processor. there aren't enough companies out there who use desktop processors, sager seems to be about it for quality.

if you want to do dual core, you are going to have to take a hit at the video card, the e1705 i think it is, inspiron 9400 from dell, has a 7800 go. it will still handle all games that are out and will give you the benefit of dual core processing with the programs you use.

something you NEED to do: since you want 2gb of memory, configure a laptop with the lowest and cheapest available, and buy the 2gb from somewhere like newegg and install yourself. i just configured a sager for shits and giggles, and they wanted $280 to go from 512mb to 2gb. to put this terrible deal into perspective for you, i own a dell inspiron 9300. i paid $140 shipped for 2 gigs of DDR2 533mhz laptop memory from newegg, which is about as top of the line as you can get for laptop memory. upgrading memory is painless also, trust me, you can do it.

my suggestion for you: if you want EVERYTHING, sager has EVERYTHING you want, but when i priced one out that had 17 inch lcd with 1900x1200 reso, the 100gb hd, 2 gb of memory, it came out to be 3049, and that was with the 1 year warranty. to me, you seem like you would be a warranty kind of guy. you could swing the deal if you took the crappy 512mb it is originally configured with, buy your OWN memory to upgrade, and then use the money you saved to upgrade the memory and slide into home plate at 3000.

i am not a dell !!!!!!, but i love my i9300. i say you buy an inspiron 9400/e1705 i think it is. the benefits are PRICE (use coupons from www.fatwallet.com and save HUNDEDS of dollars), dual core processor, tried and true customer support (even worldwide, i am in germany and they still serve me here!). you can deck one out with the nicest LCD, a faster larger HD, all of that, and it will be MUCH cheaper. the ONLY downfall is that it will not have a 7800gtx, but a vanilla 7800 go.

to be honest, i think you would benefit most from the dual core processor...but that is just me.

i am sorry this is so sloppy, it is late here in germany!
 
Ok first off theres no way you got 2 gigs of ram for that cheap. Thats almost as cheap as some desktop 2 gig sets and since when is sodimm cheaper then regular ram?
Its possible to pay that much for 1 stick of 1 gig yea but not that much for 2 gigs.... Sagers price is pretty competative when you look at dell theirs cost $100's more...

And also what Vengance_01 said about Dell being cheaper is false. Unless your using bad arse rebates you cant beat the price oa the sager with a similar setup. The Dell will cost a bunch more and it wont even stand a chance unless you drop stuff like warranty.

but as most of the guys said go for a Sager... I recommend the 5720 which is one of the best gaming laptops right now and will fit your needs. Check out http://www.pctorque.com as their a popular Texan based company. Very fast and reliable!!!
 
Goran said:
Ok first off theres no way you got 2 gigs of ram for that cheap. Thats almost as cheap as some desktop 2 gig sets and since when is sodimm cheaper then regular ram?
Its possible to pay that much for 1 stick of 1 gig yea but not that much for 2 gigs.... Sagers price is pretty competative when you look at dell theirs cost $100's more...

And also what Vengance_01 said about Dell being cheaper is false. Unless your using bad arse rebates you cant beat the price oa the sager with a similar setup. The Dell will cost a bunch more and it wont even stand a chance unless you drop stuff like warranty.

but as most of the guys said go for a Sager... I recommend the 5720 which is one of the best gaming laptops right now and will fit your needs. Check out http://www.pctorque.com as their a popular Texan based company. Very fast and reliable!!!
Click to expand...
Umm I beg to differ.

Right now 1700 gets you this from Dell. No rebates anything.

PM 2.0GHZ
1GB
60GB 7200RPM HD
17 UWXGA 1900-1200 resolution
DVD Burner
9 cell battery XP Home with SP2 or Media Center
7800GTX Go
1 year standard warrenty
Free shipping.

Sager you can get this: for 1838$
PM 1.73GHZ
512MB ram 1 stick
40GB 5400RPM Drive
17"UXGA 1680x1050
DVD/CR-RW Combo not a DVD Burner
1 year standard warrenty

So before you go shooting your mouth off, please do your HW. I have heard bad things about Dell but also about Sager/PCTorque so don't try and pull that crap either.
 
Well I guess your right about Dell being a bit cheaper but in the end it'll cost more ;) Not to mention what kind of "support" your buying. And what kind of pre-loaded bloatware your buying. Yea we can all reformat but hey why reformat when you can get a clean install out of the box and save you some time?

I wasent trying to bash your original post but making a similar setup form both sites isnt going to cut it. Although in the end its really about opinion. Its just like choosing between the Sager 5720 and the exact same pc from ABS Mayhem for thousands more.

To the original poster I reccomend he go to an actual notebook website: www.notebookforums.com to get some better opinions. But in the end the weaker Sager would score better then the Dell =\ I pulled crap out of my ass I guess

For the original poster if he wants an indepth review of both a Dell and Sager 5720 side by side: http://www.rockforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2603
 
Goran said:
Ok first off theres no way you got 2 gigs of ram for that cheap. Thats almost as cheap as some desktop 2 gig sets and since when is sodimm cheaper then regular ram?
Its possible to pay that much for 1 stick of 1 gig yea but not that much for 2 gigs.... Sagers price is pretty competative when you look at dell theirs cost $100's more...

And also what Vengance_01 said about Dell being cheaper is false. Unless your using bad arse rebates you cant beat the price oa the sager with a similar setup. The Dell will cost a bunch more and it wont even stand a chance unless you drop stuff like warranty.

but as most of the guys said go for a Sager... I recommend the 5720 which is one of the best gaming laptops right now and will fit your needs. Check out http://www.pctorque.com as their a popular Texan based company. Very fast and reliable!!!
Click to expand...


i appreciate your opinion on the situation, but you are VERY wrong. before you put BAD info out, do some research. i bought TWO GIGS (2x1024mb sticks) of DDR2 533mhz Gskill brand memory for my 9300 for $140 SHIPPED. No rebates, AND it was more expensive to ship because of me living in germany and using APO.

the reason dell is MUCH cheaper is because of their coupons. i bought my 9300 for $1250 maxed out (1gb of ram instead of 2gb). The original cost was $2001, i used a $750 off coupon. Unless you suck at using the internet, dell has big coupons like that all over the place. DELL IS MUCH CHEAPER BECAUSE OF COUPONS.

you do not know enough about dell to bash them, so dont.

customer service is great. the only real bad thing is the bloatware, but anyone who is INTO computers knows that you format your hard drives, partition, and install windows when it arrives ANYWAYS...
 
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