Newbie to Sager and gaming laptops

[Richard22]

Okay I was toying with the idea of buying an XBOX but because I will be traveling and working overseas in different countries I don't want to lug a game machine and games around. I also have been reading so many Red Ring of Death issues that I'd rather spend more on something that works than savig money on something I may have to ship back to Microsoft 8 times in two years (there are XBOXers who have apparently).

I don't want to overspend here and that's the problem when I see the graphics cards - I have no idea what I need. The kinds of games I like are games like Knights of the Old Republic or XMEN legends. Not a big Halo fan though I like first person shooters. Of course Devil May Cry looks cool too.

Right now I have an HP DV 1040 computer with a shared graphics card. That was ok then (I knew it could not play games) but I had the original XBOX. This laptop was great because at the time it was light and very portable - and best of all I have used it everyday for 3 years of heavy use and it's been perfect (knock on wood). I'll keep it as my back-up since the resale would likely be atrocious.

I was looking at Apple because I liked the idea of the two platforms - Mac and Microsoft operating systems so I could learn MAC but the machines just seem SOOOO expensive for what they offer. And their primary advantages of video editing and photo applications are not really what I use it for.

Man I don't get why Apple has the partion hard drive thing for Microsoft but PC machines can't partition for MAC??

For the kinds of games I play would the 2090 be good enough? I could probably afford to upgrade this computer to its maximum - 4gig ram 200gig hard drive etc.

The model up seems to be the 5792 which has the bigger screen which is always nice since it would be a desktop replacement - but I'd need to be careful about what I could upgrade - I'd probably be able to upgrade the CPU, Ram and Hard drive and maybe the Screen.

I am not sure how best to go about it. Say $2K to $2,100 max but I'd like to stay around $1,500.00. I really want the skin thing - that's just fun.

Sorry for the long post first time post. Oh and why is Vista so bad? XP is what i have and it works well - doesn't crash - I had Windows 98SE and I never had problems with that machine - but I never really played games on them.

Any advice much appreciated.

[robamb2002]

Ok, here is my opinion. Take it or leave it. For what you seem to be discribing, it sounds like you are interested in "light gaming" with games that do not require dx10 (like crysis/bioshock/etc.) It sounds like you want portablility. The NP2090 seems to be a good pick for you. while it doesnt have the monster video cards offered in the more expensive machines, if you are playing only "older" games, Its card should be able to handle just fine. (Especially compared to your current shared card) NP2090 has a longer battery life than its larger counterparts and holds most of the other goodies you could get.

As for XP vs. Vista, XP is more stable at this time. Its been around longer and have most of the bugs worked out. Vista has crashed on me a few times since I got it, luckly never at a horrible moment. Vista is a resourse HOG! with nothing else running, vista eats almost a gig of memory, leaving little left of a 2 gig system. however XP will not recognize all 4 gb of memory if it is installed (due to the 32bit OS). also XP does not support dx10 so if a game requires it you will need to upgrade the OS

I guess a lengthy response is only appropreate for a lengthy question :wink:

[robamb2002]

One more thing DEFINATLY go with xoticpc! they are seriously the best bang for your buck... I spent a good 3 months researching laptops before deciding on them. I am very happy with the product I recieved and the price I got it for! (try getting a 512 mb video card in a brand name system for under $3000!)

[Aryantes]

gaming laptop on a budget is a very tough situation.

i'll agree with robamb2002, the 2090 would probably be a good solution for you.

It will game, but not the latest and greatest games. it has portability as well.

the 5792 and 9262 are pretty hardcore gaming machines.

getting the 5792 with the new 8800M gtx would probably be enough to blow your mind. it has some serious power and there will be no regret that your money was worth it after you play your first game.

I would run XP over Vista. I will also second the motion for xoticpc, excellent company and i've had an excellent experience with them.

(I opted for the 9262... went all out... its awesome)

[Justin@XoticPC]

Thanks for the feedback Aryantes and romamb2002 :)

I just wanted to add a couple things. It is not that you can not run some of the latest games such as Crysis, CoD4, WoW it is that you can not run them on higher settings. These cames will play just fine on the nVIDIA 8600GT.

You may not be able to max out the settings but you can increase them some and still have good game play. :)

One thing we add to every sale is our 24/7 Support. Should you have any problems night or day, we are here to service you. :)

[OregonCoastGamer]

If Sager offered a 15.4" laptop that supported the 8800M GTX, then I would recommend buying it- through Xotic PC that is. 15.4" will save you a ton of money as opposed to a 17", and is very portable. Also, I agree that the 8600M GT or 8700M GT would most likely meet your gaming demands (make sure the motherboard supports the 8800M GTX if you plan on upgrading in the future). Vista is still a fairly new OS, but being a first time user I think its "bugs" have been blown out proportion; frequent updates by the way. XP is the way to go if yor playing some what older games, 2004 and below, but so far I have hadvery few crashes on Vista and can cope with the annoying security. Overall though, I recommend going with a 15.4" notebook with a mid-range video card, and definitely buy from Xotic PC! I know some people have had problems with their laptops, but mine is running as clean as a whistle and has yet to let me down. Just on a side note, I had to stay after school today for practice and decided to pass the time (the hour that it took my mom to finish shopping and pick me up) by playing some Crysis. Well in short, by the time my mom came I had a group of people around me watching me blow the crap out of Koreans and aliens..... this laptop sure draws a whole lot of attention :roll: .

[Richard22]

Thanks everyone. I may have written badly. While I am traveling I will basically be taking the computer to a location and sitting it for a 6 months to a year at a time. So weight and batteries are not really an issue.

I think the 17 inch screens are tempting. I am looking at the Asus G2 which is a little more money but seems to already have some things standard that are a little better - like the 200gb 7200rpm drive - higher CPU, 3gig ram - better screen and a longer seemingly better warranty. And things I don't need like the fingerprint reader I also don't automatically pay for. The graphic card does not seem upgradeable. 8600GT 256 instead of the Sager 8700 GT 512.

I am also looking into a $1350.00 Gateway P6831FX which is less money but lower CPU speed but 8800 512 ram. Bigger hard drive but only 5400rpm(but it has room for a second hard drive, 3gig ram. Build quality on all the machines seems top rate.

I'm looking at a March or April purchase. And then I have these Mac guys at work badgering me about getting Mac. Uggh.

[Phil]

Go with the ASUS G2S-B2.

It is in the price range you are looking for...it has the accidental damage protection for free. A trip overseas can be brutal on a computer...I have friends that took an ASUS to Iraq and it worked great for them (bring lots of canned air for the dust). It has enough power to run most things out there...

It will be better than anything you find from HP, Dell, or the like.

And I agree I have had an outstanding experience from XoticPC...



Phil

[OregonCoastGamer]

I agree, ASUS would be a good alternative.

[Richard22]

Okay it's me again. The whole vista XP thing is confusing - people are saying that XP is better for gaming which makes me look at the Sager again. The Sager seems to have more upgrade options and I see that Xotic PC gives a 3 year warranty on labour.

The machine is $1500.00 starting and I have up to 2K leaving $500.00 in upgrades (I think the fan plate for $50.00 makes sense so ~$450 left). What are the most important things to upgrade from the base unit. Again RPGs are my main gaming thing but I like first person shooters(though not Halo) and I like Baseball games like MVP2005. But I want the thing to work and not be buggy. XP I have and it works and doesn't ever cause me problems. I don;t know what Vista is supposed to do that is an improvement - people say it works poorly for older games and takes up more space on the hard drive - what exactly is the advantage of the thing?

What would you do In order of what should be upgraded Ie (ram, Hard drive, CPU, etc) with the $450.00.

Also does that TV card doohicky mean that I can watch free TV??? I don't understand the difference between the two options. If I get free TV out of that I will buy it and won't count it toward the remaining $450.00 because I won't need to buy a TV.

I should note that I will also be buying two 500gig hard drives when I get back to Canada.

Sorry for the posts but this stuff advances so fast and I'm playing catch-up.

[OregonCoastGamer]

Most importat order in my opinion: GPU->CPU->RAM (HD size depends on how much space you need-Bigger screen resolution the better 8) ). I have never used the TV tuner, but i think it allows you to plug in a cable and watch/record TV on your computer. I don't believe it gives you free Cable TV :roll: .