Sager NP-5320 Review (pics, specs)

byCharles P. Jefferies, Pennsylvania USA

Overview

I am guessing that when you saw the name Sager, you thought "Boutique" and "Gaming". Well, that would be correct! Sager is a company that produces high-performance notebooks for applications such as mobile gaming, video editing, and advanced business applications. They have been in business since 1985 -- 20 years is quite a long time for a computer company. Each notebook they produce is tested for 96 hours straight, in two separate testing facilities, to ensure that the notebook you get is reliable and of the highest quality. They also offer some of the best warranties in the business.

The notebook I am reviewing for you today is the Sager NP-5320. This is a gaming notebook, featuring a high-resolution widescreen display, a fast processor, and a top shelf graphics card. Much of the review will focus primarily on performance, since that is what this notebook is all about.

Sager NP-5320 angle view (view larger image)

I custom configured my machine Sager NP-5320with the following:

• Intel Pentium M 750
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• 1024MB (512MB x 2) DDR2 533MHz Dual-channel RAM
• 80GB 5400RPM Serial ATA Samsung Spinpoint HDD
• ATI Mobility Radeon X700, 256MB dedicated GDDR2
• 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) TFT display
• Intel PRO Wireless 2915
• Intel 915PM Express Chipset
• 8-cell Li-Ion battery
• 24X CDRW/DVD drive (upgraded to a Sony DWD-56A DVDRW aftermarket) -- modular.
• Integrated digital video camera
• Intel High-Definition Audio (Azalia interface)
• 4-in-1 Media card reader

Top side view of Sager NP-5320 (view larger image)

Reasons for Buying

I was in the market for a high-performance gaming notebook. There were several key features I desired:

• Attractive design
• Fast graphics card with at least 128MB VRAM
• Reliable cooling system
• Mobile processor (not DTR) for less heat
• Under $1,650

With these in mind, I had a few choices of notebooks -- below are the ones I considered:

• Asus Z70VA
• Asus Z71V
• Sager NP-3380
• Sager NP-5320

It was quite a difficult decision between these four candidates. The Asus Z70VA is one of the best widescreen notebooks on the market and included everything I wanted. So, why didn't I get the Z70VA? Well, let's take into consideration my budget. With the specs I wanted, it was just too expensive for me to justify, especially when the Sager 5320 was over $250 less with the same components. Even taking the options down a notch, it still did not offer as many features per dollar as the Sager. I had also looked at the Z71V, but I wasn't too pleased with its case design, and I'm not really an NVIDIA person. It too was more than the Sager 5320 when similarly configured.

Now down to the last two candidates, why did I choose the NP-5320 over the NP-3880? For starters, the case design was much more attractive and clean'. It also featured twice the video memory, plus a DVI-D port, which would be great to hook up to my 46" HDTV. These features won me over.

The final cost of my notebook including shipping came out the $1,621.

Where purchased

I had my notebook custom configured by PowerNotebooks. A few factors led to my decision. First of all, their rating on Reseller Ratings is unsurpassed -- 9.99 for lifetime out of almost 1000 reviews. I was extremely impressed. What impressed me even more was the ordering process itself. My sales representative, Donald Stratton, was very well mannered, friendly, and responded to my emails very swiftly. The notebook was easy to configure and purchase.

After I ordered, I received an email detailing my order, and when it was slated to ship. They said four days to build -- and four days it was, right on the mark. I was sent a tracking number for my package via email. I followed it all the way to my door.

Packaging was excellent, with the notebook being well protected in a sturdy box and surrounded by plenty of insulation.

I would wholeheartedly recommend PowerNotebooks if you are interested in a great notebook for an even better price, along with unsurpassed customer service.

Build and Design

Build quality on this notebook is excellent. High quality plastic is used for construction, and feels very solid. There is no flex anywhere, and the screen, being as large as it is at 15.4", flexes very little for its size. The only flex evident results from twisting the screen from side to side. Pushing in from the back has no impact -- it does not budge, even when applying pressure in the center of the display panel. To test and see how rigid it truly was, I placed my cat on the display lid, and it barely moved. She weighs nine pounds!

The chassis has no flex either, due to the solid frame of the notebook. The hinges for the display hold it in place very securely, and are securely anchored to the notebook's chassis.

This notebook is a bit heavy at 7.5lbs, but it is certainly respectable for a desktop replacement as powerful as this one.

Lid and back side view of Sager (view larger image)

Screen

The display used on this notebook is a high-resolution Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array Plus (WSXGA+) screen. It spans 1,680 pixels horizontally and 1,050 pixels vertically, resulting in a large amount of screen real estate.

As for the display itself, the contrast is very good, about the same level as my desktop's 17" Samsung. However, even though it is bright enough for my usage, I think it could be a few nits brighter -- the display isn't dim, but I can tell it would benefit from an increased brightness level.

The panel has a refresh rate of 60Hz, and has very little to no ghosting during games.

Movies, games, and photos look splendid. The higher resolution really comes in handy for viewing large photos, and when using two windows side by side.

Viewing angles are very good, and the picture still looks good from either side of the display. From the top and bottom the colors are distorted slightly (the vertical viewing angle is not as good as horizontal, which is typical), but is still very good for an LCD display.

Screen view (view larger image)

At the top of the LCD display is an integrated digital VGA video camera.

VGA video cam on top of notebook screen

It records good video and is useful if you like to videoconference on the road. Colors are well saturated.

Leftside profile view (view larger image)

Speakers and Sound Quality

This notebook features two of the best speakers I have ever had on a notebook. If I was blindfolded, and made to listen to these speakers playing games or music, I would have told you that they belonged to a desktop. They are not tinny in the least, and project music very well. What's really interesting is the speaker setup itself. At the back of the notebook and on either side lie the twin speakers, and also feature openings on the top -- so, you have music projecting to the side of the notebook and toward you -- this gives the sound depth, and the virtual surround sound in games and movies is quite amazing -- you'd think that a jet flying by on the screen or a missile whizzing by your head actually went behind you. Another interesting feature is the speakers themselves reside about a half-inch inside the notebook -- this gives the sound depth as well.

The Intel High Definition Audio controls the sound. It can handle up to eight channels in 32-bit quality. There is a noticeable difference versus the traditional AC'97 codec. Even MP3's sound different. Games sound similar, but there is much more depth to the sound, and the special effects are much improved.

As for the headphone jack quality, it leaves me somewhat disappointed. There is a slight hiss, which can be disruptive while listening to classical music. However, most of the time you cannot hear it -- most music and games drown it out.

The High Definition audio control panel. Equalizer works very well!

Processor and Performance

I configured my notebook with the Intel Pentium M 750 processor, operating at 1.86GHz, with a 2MB Level 2 cache and a 533MHz Front Side Bus.

Performance is excellent -- the notebook is very responsive, and I have yet to experience a lockup or slow down while gaming or running multiple applications.

The processor is coupled with the Intel 915PM chipset and 1024MB of DDR2 533MHz memory. The DDR2 memory is manufactured by Transcend.

At 266MHz (internal), it has timings of 4.0-4-4-11. Having a CAS latency of 4.0 is high compared to DDR, but is the norm for DDR2. Since I have two 512MB modules, it runs in dual-channel mode. Below are a few benchmarks regarding the memory:

• Read: 3018MB/s bandwidth
• Write: 762MB/s
• Latency: 108.5ns

I am impressed by the read bandwidth, but the write rate leaves me a bit disappointed. I thought it might be closer to 900MB/s. This due in part to the Pentium M's external memory controller, which limits memory bandwidth by a good amount.

Below are the SuperPI benchmarks -- SuperPI forces the processor to calculate digits of PI. "M" stands for million digits.

• 512k digits: 16 seconds
• 1M: 41s
• 2M: 1 minute 43s
• 4M: 3m 27s

Below are the hard drive benchmarks generated by HDTune 2.10

HDTune results (view larger image)

Scores for the Samsung Spinpoint SATA hard drive are fairly average, not particularly high nor low. However, notice the low CPU usage -- that's due to the Serial ATA hard drive. It requires less CPU utilization to be accessed, and another advantage with SATA is that it consumes slightly less power.

An extensive amount of benchmarks were run on this machine using the programs 3DMark05, 3DMark03, PCMark04, Far Cry, Counter Strike and Half Life 2. To see the full set of results please click here: Full benchmark and gaming results for Sager NP-5320

Keyboard and Touchpad

Touchpad: The Sager NP-5320 has the best touchpad I have ever used. It has a soft, slightly rubberized texture, making it a pleasure to use. Elantech manufactures the touchpad. I like the software associated with it. Along the right side, it features a scroll bar, which comes in handy when you are web surfing or reading a document. The buttons are made out of brushed aluminum, giving the touchpad a smart look.

Touchpad closeup (view larger image)

Keyboard: This keyboard is definitely an improvement over other laptop's keyboards I have used. It has a slightly longer keystroke and is firmer. There is absolutely no flex. I can type as hard as I want, and the keyboard does not sag or flex anywhere, even in the center and at the corners. The keys are easy to push down, yet firm enough that if you accidentally brush a key with your finger it does not register. None of the surrounding keys move when a key is pressed. The noise made when pressing a key down is pleasant -- a solid' sound, if you will. For comparison purposes, I had a friend bring over their ThinkPad so I could compare this. The ThinkPad I typed on was an R40. Compared to the ThinkPad, this notebook has larger keys, and about the same keystroke distance. Keys are more somewhat more difficult to press down, and also make a louder sound. This keyboard is firmer as well.

On the front of the keyboard is a very cool looking LCD display. All the status lights on this notebook are displayed on this, including the keyboard lights. Also featured on the LCD display are a clock (nice for games), a battery meter, and a wireless indicator. On either side of the LCD display are media buttons for the DJ. You can actually play music CDs when the notebook is off. Just hit "on" and you have yourself a CD player! Also conveniently located along the front are volume control buttons. It's nice to be able to control the volume without using the mouse. That's a feature I always like to see on a notebook.

Keyboard and touchpad, notice themedia buttons along the front(view larger image)

Input and Output Ports

Being a desktop replacement class notebook, many different output ports you would not normally see on a notebook are featured. Let's take a look.

The back of the notebook:

From left to right: Heat exhaust, line in jack, SPDIF, 2x USB 2.0, DVI-D, CATV jack (only enabled with TV Tuner option), 56k modem, Gigabit Ethernet, S-Video, AC power jack, serial port.(view larger image)

DVI-D is a very nice feature if you have a digital LCD. I'm not quite sure why a serial port is included, but I imagine it would be convenient if you had older devices. Note that there is no conventional analog VGA port on this notebook -- however, it is not a problem, because a DVI > VGA adapter is included.

The right side:

From left to right: Headphone jack, microphone port, PC Card slot (top), 4-in-1 media reader (SC, MMC, Sony MS, Sony MS Pro), 4-pin IEEE 1394 (Firewire), 2x USB 2.0, Kensington lock slot, speaker, intake vent. (view larger image)

I found the media reader to be one of the better ones I have used, because when you insert the media card, it doesn't go all the way in -- this makes it much easier to retrieve. About half of the card sticks out. In the picture, the media reader is filled with a rubber "dummy" card, so it keeps the dust out. Nice touch.

The left side:

Only a speaker (left) and the modular bay are located on this side. The modular bay can accept an optical drive (shown), a second 6-cell battery, or another hard drive (ATA only). (view larger image)

Here are a few more pictures of the notebook so you can get a closer look:

(view larger image)

(view larger image)

(view larger image)

Wireless

My notebook came standard with the Intel PRO 2915 WLAN card. It features the traditional B and G bands, as well as the less common A band. Both A and G connect at 54Mbps, but their operating frequencies differ. G operates at 2.4GHz, and A at 5GHz. In a crowded area, one might experience interference with the 2.4GHz band, so operating at the A band has its advantages if the router supports it. A band also uses less power and is faster, but the disadvantage is that it has shorter range.

I did not have any problems connecting to my wireless router in my house, nor to the ones we have at the office. I connected to both WEP and WAP encrypted networks without issue.

Battery

With the main 8-cell Li-Ion battery pack, Sager says three to four hours of life. This is, of course, while idle. Nobody just leaves his or her notebook on battery while it does nothing, so I decided that it would be more useful if I clocked the battery life while surfing the web. I managed two hours and twenty-four minutes while surfing the Internet, with the wireless card on -- I was using it half the time -- the other half I was plugged into an Ethernet cable. The battery life is quite good in my opinion, especially considering that this is a gaming notebook. The Pentium M processor was a major factor leading to the excellent battery life. The ATI PowerPlay technology worked well, keeping the GPU's power consumption down. I would expect to add another hour and a half to two hours (give or take) with the second modular six-cell battery.

The AC adapter for this machine supplies 90W of power and is average sized. It's not a brick by any means. This adapter is heavier than a normal AC adapter.

Heat and Noise

This is one of the most important areas of a gaming notebook -- the cooling solution. If you look at the side view of the notebook, you'll see how it gradually gets thicker toward the back. That is a very clever design feature, because all of the heat-producing components are located toward the rear, and the more space available, the more places the heat has to go.

There are two fans in the notebook -- one in the middle, which forces air into the notebook, and another, which is much larger and expels the heat out through the back.

Above is the bottom of the notebook. Notice the numerous perforations designed to release heat so it does not build up. (view larger image)

Aboveis the main fan of the notebook. (view larger image)

I opened the bottom panels of the notebook to get a peek inside. The front-center compartment houses the mini-PCI WLAN card. To the left of it is the slot for the optional TV tuner, and to the right is the slot for the optional Bluetooth card. Above these compartments lie the hard drive on the left and the two RAM stickson the right. (view larger image)

Under the back panel of the notebook resides the modular Radeon X700 GPU, located on the left. It features ATI AXIOM technology, meaning the card is swappable. Notice the high-quality copper heatsinks. On the right lies the CPU (covered by the heatsink). (view larger image)

The cooling solution Sager elected to employ in this notebook works quite well. The GPU receives ample cooling due to its quality copper heatsinks, and the processor's heat is whisked away by the large main fan. On the flip side, the keyboard is warm but not uncomfortable. It is actually pleasant on chilly days! Above the keyboard, below the display, the plastic can get quite warm (the GPU being directly underneath), but it doesn't affect anything so I don't view it as a problem.

At idle, the notebook's fan is barely audible. Due to the fan's large diameter, it does not need to spin at a high RPM to expel heat, thus keeping the noise level down. The fan rarely spools up to a higher speed, expect during gaming and other processor intensive applications. At its maximum speed, the fan is audible, but it is not very loud. It sounds like a muted "whir". There is no whine. Compared to other notebooks I've had, this is fairly quiet. The second fan is not audible.

As for the hard drive, it is very quiet, and there are no clicking' noises when data is accessed/written. Previous Samsung hard drives I've used were noisy and hot, but they have really been improved recently. Samsung's SATA hard drives feature fluid dynamic bearings, leading to a quieter and much smoother operation. Also, Samsung's patented NoiseGuard and SilentSeek technology further reduce level of noise.

Operating System and Software

Ordering an operating system with this notebook is optional. I like not being forced to buy an operating system with the notebook, because if you have an extra copy of Windows XP (or whatever you want to put on it), then you can save yourself some money. Because an OS is optional, there is no "Designed for Windows" sticker present.

I ordered the notebook with Windows XP Home Edition. It and all the drivers came installed and ready to go upon delivery. There was a very small but highly usable software package included -- Nero OEM and WinDVD 5. Both work very well.

All of the restore CDs and the OS CD were included.

Customer Service/ Support

I am extremely pleased with the wonderful customer service -- PowerNotebooks made everything easy and answered all my questions. I would definitely go back to them.

I haven't had to contact technical support yet, because the notebook is working flawlessly. However, I have heard many good things about PowerNotebook's support. Sager also has is supposed to have excellent support.

One really nice feature about this notebook's warranty is that Sager covers it with a 72-hour repair turnaround guarantee -- standard. Lifetime technical support comes standard as well -- many manufacturers only offer technical support for the duration of the warranty, but Sager offers technical support for the life of the notebook -- very nice!

Conclusion

On the whole, this is the best notebook I ever had the pleasure of owning. The Sager NP-5320 excels at high-end 3D applications, doesn't run that hot, and still manages decent battery life. It features numerous little features that you would not find on an ordinary notebook, and packs a serious punch where it counts the most. This is one notebook that lives up to its potential and accomplishes what it was meant to do. I wholeheartedly recommend this computer to the mobile gamer willing to venture off the beaten path and own a truly spectacular notebook.

Pros:

• Fast Pentium M processor
• Highly capable Radeon X700 graphics card
• High resolution display
• Nice keyboard and touchpad
• Great build quality
• Awesome speakers and sound
• DVI port, LCD display
• Integrated video camera
• Serial ATA hard drive and DDR2 memory
• Modular Bay
• Decent battery life
• Relatively quiet
• Beautiful appearance
• Nice cooling solution
• Good warranty

Cons:

• Screen could be a big brighter
• Average hard drive speed
• A little on the heavy side

Pricing and Availability:

Please check the PowerNotebooks.com website for current pricing on this notebook: http://www.powernotebooks.com/category.php?catId=26#id1037

 

Great review Chaz. Thanks for this. I don't know why, but as I read it everything sounds impressive -- great on the benchmarks, price is reasonable -- but the coolest thing is that LCD panel with the time on the front. I want that on my notebook. Fujitsu offers those LCD displays on many of their notebooks, I loved having it, but there was no backlight and so is impossible to read, plus it's at the back and not front of the notebook so it's hard to see. I suppose you don't really buy a $1,500+ notebook so it can tell you the time though -- just thought it was a nice extra.

 

Chaz -- That was probably the best review I've read on these forums. Great job!! Your 5320 looks a lot better than the stock photos seen on reseller sites. I especially like how slim it looks. From the left/right sides, the "wedge" shape of the notebook looks a lot sleeker than what the stock photos suggest. Very nice looking notebook.

Congrats on this fantastic review!

 

I agree with the other posters, this is an awesome review! I thought I had pretty much decided on getting an Asus Z70VA but after reading this I'm not so sure. The 5320 is apparently only a pound heavier than the Z70VA, is better looking and has tons more features for the same price or less. Thank you so much for posting this, otherwise I would have never even heard of it!

With all the goodies that the 5320 has, I'm wondering if Windows Media Center might be a better fit than WinXP for an operating system. Any thoughts on that?

 

This is indeed a fantastic review. Bravo, Chaz!

I like how you emphasized your perspective: a gamer who wanted some mobility, but knew you were getting a DTR. Knowing that perspective, it gives the reader a context to put your praise into. Reviews that say, "this is the greatest notebook ever" or "this notebook sucks" without explaining WHO the notebook is great/sucks for... useless.

This review is very, very useful.

The torch goes to Mr. 24 now! Since the 5720 is almost the exact same chassis, only a little wider, I can't wait to see how your review compares to this, Jack. With a higher-powered graphics solution (7800GTX), will this be too hot? Did Clevo engineer a better cooling solution into that extra few inches, making the 5720 thermal experience just as pleasant?

Can't wait to find out! (I'm sure Jack can't, either, because that means he has his new beast.)

 

Thanks for the complimtents - They are much appreciated!

Yes - the LCD is a great option! It really comes in handy during games, when you can't see the regular Windows time. It looks especially cool when the laptop is on and the lid is closed.

Ucat - Windows Media Center is just a version of XP with numerous little add-ons, a lot of them visual. It's nice if you like to watch TV and use it as a media hub.

Slappy - the Go7800 has the same power requirements as the Go6800, so the heat won't be bad. Also, in a 17", there is a lot of places for the heat to go, so that also helps with heat disssapation.

 

Good work Chaz. But idk if I could live with that digital clock...maybe it looks better in pers and at night, or during gaming i understand as well.
@ucathinker-yes, ms mce will be a more enjoyable os.

 

Yup, I'm definitely feeling the heat about my 5720. It still looks like Friday 11/04 is the date I'll receive it. What I'll probably do is post some pictures right away, so people can at least get a look at it. I'll spend a few days writing a review and then post it with more pics. I'll try to do as well as Chaz did for his 5320... won't be easy, though.

 

I have got to say that is probably the best review I've seen for the NP5320. One little thing I would like to ask is the sound...On Notebook Forums there has been complaints about the sound being bad. 3 people have already claimed that there is a cricket noise in the headphones like once every 2 seconds when one uses the headphones. Seeing how you touched on the sound, but didn't go in detail about the headphone usage, I would like to know if you have this problem or not. (Some say you have to turn up the sound with the headphones to hear it...dunno)
Maybe ur hiss is the same as the cricket noise.

PS. There isn't anything wrong with the built in speakers right?

Other complaints can be found here: http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=111537&page=4

Quoted from notebookforums "Bizarre cricket noise in headphones is as yet unresolvable."
"I've been paying attention to the cricket chirps too. It looks like it might be in time with the hard drive spinning. The little HDD light was on every time the chirps started on mine. So maybe its some kind of electronic interference from the hard drive?"

 

Yeah - there's an annoying little noise like you mentioned unfortunatley. The headphone jack is directly next to the hard drive so I think that may be the case.

The built in speakers have no problems, I use them all the time - really impressive sound.
:centrino:

 

Chaz, could you try using a pair of USB headphones and see if that makes a difference with the noise problem? Purely in the interests of science, of course.

 

Ah - I don't have a pair of USB headphones unfortunately. Although I can tell you that you probably wouldn't hear any interference if you used USB.

Chaz

 

Very impressive review and a notebook which is impressive no less!

I suppose that the basic features are standard nowadays, but the X700 and the 8-channel audio is really a high end by laptop standards, and the built-in camera is just a fantastic feature to have. I'd much rather have it that the stupid ThinkLight bulb they put on Thinkpads.

Now if only they put a trackpoint on it...

 

Woof! Mega-dittos on the extensive review! Nice piece of (a lot of) work. Niiiiiice lappie too. Congrats.

 

Is there a reason to buy this machine from anyone other than Sager? The prices are exactly the same when I compared Sager to powernotebooks.com.

 

Yes.

Sager doesn't have the same high reputation for customer support as pctorque or powernotebooks, for one. Many resellers offer a discount on some upgrades, and pctorque has a lower base-price on the -V model, I believe. PCTorque also has a significant discount on the extended warranties.

Some resellers also offer options that Sager does not, such as brand-name RAM or use of Arctic Silver compound on the heat solutions.

 

I bought my forthcoming Sager 5720 from DiscountLaptops.com. I also bought a Sager 3790 from them about a year and a half ago. They're great with top-notch customer service.

 

Has anyone outside the US bought Sager notebooks from PCtorque or Powernotebooks ?

 

Get urs from pctorque because they give u an extra discount plus their service is great. I think pctorque ships overseas....but i think u have to pay for it

 

Hey Chaz!
Great Review, i live the little cd player part and the video camera and the clock. Great review and good luck with it!

 

For anyone who wants to know about other games this notebook can run...

-Star Wars BattleFront 2: I can run it at maximum settings at 1280x768 quite comfortably. 1680x1050 is somewhat playable, but you have to scale down the settings to medium. It looks better at 1280x768 with maximum, that is what I run it at.

-BattleField 2: I am able to run this at "High", 1400x1050 resolution very well, without AA/AF. Uses a lot of RAM though (system), I ran out and I have 1GB (upgrading soon).

-CS:S: I ran a few additional tests - I tried 1280x768, 16X AF, 4X AA - smooth as can be in all areas. I averaged around 47FPS. It looks better at native 1680x1050 resolution though, so that is what I recommend running at.

I'll be testing out F.E.A.R. soon enough, I just got it and it has 5 CD's o) so it will take a while to install...

 

Nice Review Chaz,
You mentioned in one thread that you have the option of putting an internal digital tv tuner in it at a later time.
What is the difference of the digital tuner as compared to the ATI, etc one usually see?
Can you tell more about it..

 

Sure - basically, it's a module that goes into the bottom of the laptop - easy to install. It's a dual digital tuner - record one show and watch another. In the back of the laptop, you can see in the pictures that it has a CATV jack - that's where you would plug in the cable or whatever.

It's a $110 option. That's all I really know about it. I might invest in it if I start wanting to record TV shows.

 

not if your roomate in your dorm buys you the directores cut dvd edition for no reason at all, my roomate kicks ass

 

Heh.

Hey - here are my F.E.A.R. results.

The best setting and resolution I found is "800x600", all settings set to "Maximum", 4X Antistrophic Filtering, Soft Shadows = off, Anti-ailasing = off.

You can bump the settings to XGA, but then you have to scale down the settings to medium/medium high. In my opinion, it looks better at SVGA on maximum.

 

hey Chaz (or anyone) i have a question...

first of all i did a "which should i buy" thread and stated that my budget was $1500 or less... well.... a few hundred more will buy me happiness i think, but i have to keep it under $2000

which brings me to the Sager section...... im really diggin the 256mb ATI option

im wondering if it would be better to get the minimum (or none if possible) amount of ram available and buy the high end OCZ or Corsair from newegg or wherever...

what would it take (# of pins etc)

 

I got 1GB of memory with mine but upgraded to 2 aftermarket one month later . . .1GB just isn't enough for hardcore gaming these days. If I had to do it again, I would have just went with the minimum and gotten 2GB aftermarket. It is cheaper.

OCZ is great memory - I've been using it since November, flawless operation. Highly recommended.

The Sager 5320 takes DDR2-533, 200-pin SO-DIMM's. www.newegg.com is where I got 2 x 1GB of OCZ.

Crucial memory is also very good.

256MB X700 is awesome, really churns out the frames. Great for gaming, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for reading my review BTW.

 

very informative review

i bought 1gb of corsair xms for my pc because i read that the msi board i bought liked it. i wonder if anyone knows if this sager board prefers one over another.

i have another liquid cooled asus machine .... i know a little about pc's but i dont know anything about laptops. can you buy motherboards for them like you can for pc's or are you stuck with oem or what?

is there a battery that lasts longer available? i really dont know anything about these things

 

Corsair XMS? That's desktop memory, doesn't work in a laptop. Could you send a link to what you bought?

Nope, motherboards are specific to the laptop.

The standard battery in the 5320 lasts 2.5 hours, and you can get a modular bay battery (you swap the optical drive out and slide the battery in), which should boost the life another 1-1.5 hours.

 

by pc i meant desktop.

the help is much appreciated

 

is this what you bought?

 

That's the stuff. Works great.

 

Would you recommend that for my new Asus V6Va when it gets here? Unfortunately I'll have to get 2 as it comes with 2 512s installed. I'm not sure I'll have a need for those 512s then. Maybe I could put them in my PowerBook? It currently has 2 256's.

 

What sort of memory does the PowerBook take, not well versed on Apple's, sorry.

Any notebook taking DDR2-533, 200-pin memory would be able to use the OCZ stick.

Cheers

 

Ahh yeah. I think it's 400, not 533. I'll have to check when I get home.

 

Hey Chazman,

One question: What was your 3dmark 05 record with your laptop? 3200 or something?

Thanks,

Charlie-Peru

 

I hit 3290 last week with a 400:392 OC and using the Catalyst 6.4 driver suite. I have installed the Omega drivers (much better) since then and will be testing the score this week.

 

Might be interested in buying a NP5320, just wondering about some things.


1. How does the Ati x700 256mb gpu compare to the nvidia geforce go 6600 128mb?
2. Weight seems fine, since i had a 9lb notebook, lol. Whats your opinon on that?
3. Will these specs play BF2 at high settings? Because my **** laptop couldn't keep up with medium haha.
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) LCD w/ATi RADEON X700 PCI-e w/256 DDR
2.13GHz "Sonoma" Intel® Pentium® 770 Processor M w/2,048k L2 On-die Cache
2048 (2 SODIMMS) DDR2/533 Dual Channel Memory
60GB Ultra SATA/150 Hard Drive at 7,200 RPM
Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915ABG 802.11a/b/g LAN


4. How much noise would I hear from the laptop with this hardware?

Otherwise, the little things dont really bother me, like the hissing sounds that people are *****ing about haha and the keyboard. Im looking to keep it under 1900. Thanks! See ya around.

Im basically looking for a good gaming laptop that could be mobile (school haha) So with all the reviews i've read, I think this is the one. Im just wondering how it will play games in like a year, im worried much about that but more on BF2 and cs:s and if they will play without stuttering or lag, with the specifications I listed.

Any input would be great

 

1. X700 is faster overall (not really noticable), but the 256MB helps out the X700 in newer games like FEAR. It's good to have.

2. It's heavy for a 15.4" notebook, and a little bulky due to the odd shape, but I find it managable and fine for occasional trips.

3. Yes, that will play it at high. I play at 1280x960, High settings.

4. It's not that quiet of a laptop. At idle, barely noticable, but it is a bit loud at full tilt. Over the game sound though, it is mostly drowned out, same if you use headphones, but it is not a quiet fan.

Judging by the specs you have set up there, I would assume you're comfortable spending about $2,000. The 5320 is a great machine, but I would also consider others at that price point using newer technology. Completing the FAQ in the What Should I Buy forum will help us help you out.

Chaz

 

Thanks man,

The reason I was asking for the video card is because i've seen the geforce go 6600 128mb compete with the ati x700 256mb, just wanted to make sure I was getting moneys worth on my GPU.

I really have narrowed it down just to this laptop because so far nothing competes with it and its still under $1800. Only laptop I ever thought about with this one, was the 5720, alienware M5500. The 5720 was wayyyy out of my price range even with that kind of video card and specs that I wanted. Alienware..just heard more bad things then good, the phases just killed it for me, lost hope and I'm back to the sager god bless them! haha

Would you recommend buying an OS, or no? I have an OS but not sure if its used or something. If its used and I bought the np5320 without an OS and it didn't work...should I just go and find a torrent on another one? Or is this too risky and just buy the OS?

How long do you think this NP5320 wil stay in the gaming world if I bought it like this? Would it lag on future games? I will buy the extra 2gb, cause it really is needed.

And one more question...what program do you use for overclocking? I used Ati-tool for OC-ing and it worked find? Anything I should know about it, because it seems like you know a lot of info on this laptop would be great! Once again, thanks! Looking foward to buying it!

 

I'd get the OS - it's a little cheaper @ $70 for XPH versus buying it aftermarket - lowest XPH price aftermarket is about $90 + shp. Do not pirate software - that's illegal.

Not sure how long it would stay up to date, but considering that it can handle today's games at maximum settings and balanced resolution, it should last quite a while.

ATI Tray Tools is what I use, along with the Omega Drivers. Great combo, it works flawlessly. I get great performance increases out of overclocking. Make sure you buy a cooling pad if you plan on overclocking to stay safe.

Before you buy, take a look at the MSI-1039 with the Turion 64 and X1600 256MB, which is considerably faster than the X700 by about 25-35%. The release date on that model has been delayed, I don't know when it will actually be shipping. I'd imagine soon, given that it was originally supposed to come out in March.

 

I like the MSI-1039, will look into it and will get back with details, lots of options too!

How is the AMD turion function with battery life? Is it quiet? Is it like P4?

 

It's on par with the Pentium M in terms of performance. Battery life will depend on the notebook.

 

Ok looked at it and to tell you the truth...its lighter, It seems like the GPU is more powerful than the NP5320's and lots of customization.

I haven't looked into Turion processors so, based on your knowledge what would be a good build-up to about $1800-1850, what hardware would you choose to put in from Processor to ram etc.

Are these all barebone products? Or am I seeing things? I wouldn't want a barebone but a complete one

-can you explain barebones? what do they come with?

 

CUSTOM LAPTOP, MSI MS-1039 Turion™ Performance Laptop, 15.4" TFT WXGA, ATI® Mobility™ Radeon® X1600 256MB Graphics $1817.79 UPDATE $1817.79
# MICROSTAR, MS-1039 Turion™ Notebook Barebone, ATI® RX480M, 15.4" WXGA TFT, DVD±RW DL, ATI® Mobility™ Radeon® X1600 256MB Graphics
# AMD, Turion™ 64 MT-40 2.2GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 25W, 90nm, 754-pin lidless mPGA
# CRUCIAL, 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC-3200 DDR 400MHz CL3 SDRAM SODIMM, Non-ECC
# HITACHI, 60.0GB Travelstar E7K100, 7200-RPM, 8MB cache, 9.5mm, EIDE
# MICROSTAR, 8x Dual Layer DVD-RW Notebook Optical Drive (Included)
# CREATIVE, Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS, 7.1 channel, 24-bit 192KHz, PCMCIA
# TARGUS, PA075U Universal Mobile Docking Station, USB 2.0
# COOLER MASTER, NotePal Cooling System for Notebook / Laptop Computers, Aluminum
# MICROSOFT, Windows XP Home Edition
# WARRANTY, Assembled and Tested (1 Year Limited Parts, Lifetime Labor Warranty)


Is this somewhat ok? I like the laptop looks nice and light How are the specs for gaming?

How is it compared to this-

15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) LCD w/ATi RADEON X700 PCI-e w/256 DDR
2.13GHz "Sonoma" Intel® Pentium® 770 Processor M w/2,048k L2 On-die Cache
2048mb (2 SODIMMS) DDR2/533 Dual Channel Memory
60GB Ultra SATA/150 Hard Drive at 7,200 RPM
Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915ABG 802.11a/b/g LAN

 

The Turion and Pentium M will put up about the same gaming performance. Having 2GB of RAM means you can play anything out there, so that's a good idea. So is the 7200RPM drive - they have much quicker access time than 5400RPM drives, are load apps/games, faster, etc.

What really matters is the graphics card - here the X1600 256MB is pitted against the X700 256MB. Of the two, I highly recommend going with the X1600 because it is, as I previously stated, much faster (25-35%) faster than the X700. The X700 can handle anything at decent settings and resolution, but the X1600 is a newer and faster chip, and the difference is especially evident in the latest set of gaming titiles.

Just a note - I don't know how long you are willing to wait for a computer, but the Sager 5320 is expected to be updated (no word lately, I have not heard anything regarding a release date) with a Core Duo and X1600 hopefully soon. I'd say at least a month or so though.

Right now, I think your best bet is the MSI.

Chaz

 

Yeah, i have also heard that too. However the MSI is not yet out and that will have to wait haha. Life sucks when you have to wait, but it pays off. Thanks, I will probably be going with the x1600 with the newer 5320 or msi


Do you know how noisy the AMD w/ x1600 GPU gets? Or would you kindly guess

 

I've never used an MSI notebook before, but I would imagine that they wouldn't be louder than mine. See some other MSI reviews, such as this one of the 1029:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2617
That should let you know a bit of what to expect. For more information, feel free to drop by the MSI forum here and see what people say. There's quite a few threads on the -1039.

Chaz