Sager NP8660 Review

by Charles P. Jefferies

The Sager NP8660 claims to be the world's fastest 15.4-inch gaming notebook. It is based on the new Intel Centrino 2 platform and features a top-of-the-line 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9800M-GT graphics card.

Before we start the review, I would like to give a special thanks to Donald Stratton of PowerNotebooks.com for sending us this evaluation unit.

Our Sager NP8660 has the following specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 (2.53GHz/6MB L2/1066MHz FSB/25W TDP)


• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit


• 15.4-inch WSXGA+ glossy display


• Intel PM45 + ICH9M chipset


• 4GB DDR3-1066 RAM


• 4GB Intel Turbo Memory 2.0


• Nvidia GeForce 9800M-GT w/ 512MB GDDR3 video memory


• 320GB 7200RPM Seagate SATA II hard drive


• Dual-layer 8X DVD burner


• 7-in-1 memory card reader


• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5300 + Bluetooth wireless


• 8-cell Li-ion battery

This configuration goes for a shade over $2,350 on PowerNotebooks.com. The NP8660 starts at $1,742 as of writing.

Items worth noting in our configuration are the DDR3 memory and Intel Turbo Memory 2.0. Both come as part of the new Intel Centrino 2 codename "Montevina" platform. Details on the Turbo Memory 2.0 can be found in this article.

Reasons to Buy

The NP8660 is aimed squarely at gamers. The 15.4-inch chassis is part of its main appeal; all other notebooks using the GeForce 9800M-GT use a 17-inch chassis. A 15.4-inch notebook is considerably more portable.

Design

The NP8660 looks solid and business-like. Its chassis is nearly all black, save for a silver trim piece around the border of the lid and base of the notebook. The NP8660 has a traditional squared-off design: there are no fancy design curves on this notebook as there are on typical multimedia consumer notebooks.

The back of the lid and around the keyboard is covered in black brushed aluminum, which both looks and feels of high quality. There are only two places on the NP8660 where glossy plastic can be found: a thin strip bordering the keyboard, and a thin trim piece going around the far outside of the inside lid. Again, this notebook is business-like and foregoes flashy design elements. The look is solid and smart, and is refreshing to see considering the all-glossy surfaces trend in the traditional consumer market.

Build Quality

This machine is very well-built. The palmrest area does not flex unless considerable pressure is used - the same goes for the back of the lid. The base of the notebook resists twisting, which shows this notebook has a strong internal frame. The display hinges are sturdy and hold the display in place nicely - there is little screen wobble. The lid also resists twisting as well. Only by using a lot of pressure could I get ripples to appear on the screen. The lid stays closed without hinges.

The plastic used on the bottom of the notebook is thick and solid. All of the visible parts used in the NP8660's construction fit together tightly with even spacing; there are no unusual gaps or unevenness. The solidness of this design is remarkable.

Overall, I am more than impressed with the build quality and design of this notebook. This squared-off, solid beast is built to last. Its build quality is on par with high-end business notebooks.

Screen

The NP8660 is available with two different resolutions: WSXGA+ (1680x1050) and WUXGA (1920x1200); ours has the former. The screen is glossy though not overly so; the glossy finish on this display is not as reflective as other glossy screens I have used. Brightness is more than adequate and contrast is sharp. The display suffers from some sparkle, though it is mostly hidden. Head-on, this display looks more like a matte display than a glossy one.

Viewing angles are about average for an LCD. Looking at the display from either side does not result in any significant image changes, though from above the display washes out somewhat and from below, the display darkens. I noticed no ghosting while gaming with this display.

On the whole, the end user is sure to be happy with the WSXGA+ glossy display. Games and movies look great, and the sharp contrast makes it easy to read text.

Speakers

These speakers are about the same as typical notebook speakers. They have basically no bass and too much treble. I found the upper range of these speakers to be harsh.

The headphone jack is crystal clear and has no static. The best way to enjoy audio with this notebook as with most notebooks is through external speakers or headphones.

Heat & Noise

This is an area where the NP8660 shines. The engineers of this notebook designed a cooling system that is both quiet and effective.

The NP8660 has a single large fan that outputs air through a massive vent in the back of the notebook. At idle, the fan noise is basically non-existent. During benchmark runs, the single fan spools up and is audible, but most of the sound produced comes from air exiting the back vent. There is little motor noise.

Component temperatures remained reasonable under stress. The following temperatures were recorded while running a stressful PCMark Vantage benchmark (it takes about an hour and a half to run):

When I first heard of this notebook, I was skeptical about the single-fan cooling system. However after putting this system through its paces, I no longer have any doubts. The extra thickness of this notebook (relative to other 15.4-inch notebooks) helps with heat dissipation. The hard drive runs a bit warm, however it is well under specification (note that the Seagate 320GB 7200RPM drive in our test unit is rated for 60 degrees Celsius).

The processor in this notebook is rated for 105 degrees Celsius, yet only reaches 64 degrees Celsius under full load - most impressive. The GeForce 9800M-GT has a refreshingly cool high temperature of 69 degrees. Many notebooks with Nvidia graphics cards reach well into the 80-90 degrees Celsius range.

The NP8660 uses the best processor and graphics card cooling solution I have seen in a 15.4-inch notebook.

Keyboard

The NP8660 has a full-size keyboard with a standard layout; all keys are in their expected positions. The keys have shallower key presses than I am used to seeing on a notebook keyboard, so the tactile feedback could be improved. However, this does not detract from the usability of the keyboard. It is flex-free and easy to use. I would have no problem using this keyboard everyday.

Touchpad

The touchpad is small and basic. It has a matte surface, which is easy to track on whether your fingers are moist or dry. The two buttons are quiet. In between the two buttons is the biometric fingerprint reader. I have no complaints about this touchpad.

Input & Output Ports

All descriptions are done from left to right.

Left Side:

Only the optical drive on this side

Right Side:

7-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot, 2x USB, RJ-45 LAN jack, RJ-11 phone jack

Back:

Vent, DVI-out, HDMI-out, combined eSATA/USB, USB, power jack, security lock slot

Front:

Headphone-out, microphone-in, S/PDIF-out, mini-IEEE 1394 (mini Firewire), LED indicator lights

Wireless

The Sager NP8660 comes standard with the top-of-the-line Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5300. It supports 802.11a/b/g/draft-n standards, and has five antennas. I had no trouble connecting to a variety of different wireless g networks. Signal strength was excellent.

The NP8660 also comes standard with built-in Bluetooth V2.0+EDR.

Battery Life

The eight-cell battery pack provided about two hours of battery life during my testing, with the screen at 1/3 brightness and while surfing the Internet. This battery life is lower than a typical 15.4-inch gaming notebook, which achieve around two and a half hours with a six-cell battery. Note that the video card in the NP8660 is at least twice as powerful, if not more than in the typical 15.4-inch gaming notebook. The 9800M-GT video card in the NP8660 no doubt increases power consumption. In the end, battery life is acceptable for this notebook considering the powerful components inside.

Operating System & Software

The NP8660 comes with no operating system as the base option; our version has Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit (32-bit version also included). Windows XP and other versions of Windows Vista are also available. There is a minimal amount of software pre-installed. The software includes webcam software, Nero Home Essentials SE, CyberLink PowerDVD, a security software package for the fingerprint reader, and Intel Turbo Memory management software.

Customer Support

All Sager computers are backed with lifetime technical support. Sager's support website has a variety of tech support options, including driver downloads.

Through PowerNotebooks.com, customers are provided with domestic 24/7 tech support. I have used PowerNotebooks' technical support line several times, and the technicians are very good at their jobs. I was always able to get my questions answered.

Conclusion

The Sager NP8660 is an excellent high-performance notebook. It is as powerful as most 17-inch gaming notebooks, yet sits in a 15.4-inch chassis. The build quality is outstanding. The input devices and screen of are good quality, and the battery life is reasonable for a notebook with this kind of power. The hallmark of this system is its stellar cooling system, which does its job quietly and efficiently. Users of this notebook will not have to worry about it overheating, because it will not.

It is my pleasure to give the Sager NP8660 my full recommendation for a portable powerhouse and gaming machine.

Pros:

• Top-of-the-line performance


• Excellent build quality


• Solid input devices


• Good screen


• Outstanding cooling system


• Decent battery life


• Input/output port variety

Cons:

• Keyboard could have more tactile feedback


• WSXGA+ screen not quite as clear as those on other 15.4-inch notebooks


• Thicker/heavier than a typical 15.4-inch notebook

Sager NP8660 Performance and Benchmarks

 

cant see it.....

 

I've been waiting so long for an official review!
it confirms my thoughts so I will go for it
thanks for the review.

 

Nice review, but you forgot to mention the burning sensation of the wrist.

I think the biggest problem I had with the 8660, was the inconsistency between units.

 

Nice review.
The first picture in the "Input\Ouput" section seems wrong.
It is the picture of the right side. (I know, picky, picky , picky)

 

How does the 9800M GT compare to the 9800M GTS? I'm also not too impressed about the battery life, then again, you did say that was 2 hours with you "testing" it as in benchmarking, right?

 

He didn't mention that the powerbrick is bigger than a normal 15" lappy and it has a fan inside of it.

 

Thanks for the great review. Will the 9800M GTS be considerably hotter than the GT?

 

GTS is about 1% weaker and supposed to be a lot cooler!

Some of them dont!also,you need lots of energy for 9800gt and staff!


.......

Another excellent review Chaz!if not difficult,can u post a picture of it next/on your DV5t?

 

@Chaz:

Another solid review; any thoughts on the heat problems that some owners were experiencing?

 

GTS is weaker? Link? Are you sure that's not a typo? GTS>GT in terms of power almost always...but I could be wrong

 

i heard that in clevo forum!also,in desktops GT>GTS

 

Chaz... your left side pic is wrong... you put 2 right side pics

else, great review!

 

In the mobile arena the 9800GT is indeed faster then the 9800GTS. GTS has 64 stream processors and GT has 96.

 

9800M GTS = 64 shaders
9800M GT = 96 shaders

about 10-15% performance [real life gaming] difference overall.

nice review BTW Chaz.

 

The power brick has a fan inside of it!??!?!

 

some of them have a fan-and i honestly dont know why are people reacting so badly on that

 

I'm not reacting badly to it... I'm just surprised. Never thought of a fan being in a power brick, but it DOES make sense with how big these power bricks are having to become, after all, they are the power supply.... every desktop PSU has a fan

 

This thing weighs 7.1 lbs.. Wowzers. I still want one, the best video performance in the smallest package makes it super appealing.

 

Thanks for the great comments.

The power supply is not significantly larger than a typical 15.4-inch power supply. The one I have does indeed have a fan inside; I didn't notice it until someone mentioned it in this thread. I have never heard any noises coming from the supply itself, and it never got that hot. I wouldn't even worry about it.

At any rate, attached are requested pictures of the HP Pavilion dv5t vs. the Sager NP8660, and both of them with a boatload of other laptops.

 

Chaz,

these pics are awesome...can we get some more with the Clevo stacked and beside each one?

 

I took that picture a week ago when I had all those laptops - unfortunately I only have the HP and the Clevo right now.

I'm supposed to get an ASUS laptop to review this week though, a G50V. If I get that before I send the Sager back, I will take some pictures though I can't make any guarantees.

Let me know if you want any additional specific pictures of the dv5t vs. NP8660.

 

Chaz,

My laptop purchase decision is coming down to the NP8660 and the Asus G50v. When (if) you get them both, could you take pics of them side by side, stacked etc... that would make me weep tears of gratefulness.

but for now can you take these pics of the DV5T and the Sager
1) on a level plane pics from behind and in front while the laptops are side by side (how much thicker is the Sager to the DV5T?).
2) picture from top of the DV5T stacked on the Sager (how much wider is the Sager?).
3) powerbricks side by side and stacked.
4) the underside of both laptops side by side.


This would be so helpful because I know what the DV5T looks like from BestBuy but I have no real sense of the Sager's size.

 

Thank you very much for pictures Chaz!has anyone noticed how good does 8660 look near those flashy laptops?

 

Tnx for the very nice and solid review!
Since you are not mentioning it, I guess you did not had the HDD overheating problems the some ppl metnioned, but can you comment on them?

 

Chaz,can you also post a picture to compare screens of 8660 and your dv5t(same res as i remember?)

 

I took off the bottom panel on the notebook and noticed that there are no perforations above the hard drive . . . and that the hard drive is actually in the center of the notebook behind the video card.

Based on my own experience, I still believe the temperatures are fine (within a few degrees of the max, + or -). The majority of the time they are under 55*C; the temperature does not stay at ~60*C for long.

My old Sager NP5320 had a hot-running hard drive, that often went over its limits. The NP8660's does not go over its limits as often as my NP5320's does. My Sager is still running strong three years after purchase, with the same hot hard drive.

Would you like fries with that?

Kidding of course, the pictures are attached. My apologies for the less-than-ideal lighting conditions. I tried to outline the edges of the notebooks by putting them in front of a curtained window.

The dv5t is not as deep as the NP8660; the NP8660 is thicker. The powerbrick difference is not as big as it looks. Note that the dv5t's adapter is smaller than most 15.4" notebook adapters. I'd say the NP8660's is about 1/3 bigger than the usual adapter. It's not a burden to carry around.

More pics in next post.

 

More pictures (only 6 can be uploaded per post).

That wouldn't turn out in a pictures methinks, but the dv5t's is clearer. They are both nice screens, I would not have any problems having either on my notebook.
The contrast level is roughly the same, and the brightness is slightly in the HP's favor. The Sager has slightly better viewing angles, though my HP's aren't that great since it has the glassview "Infinity" display.

 

yeah,i guess you are right.what do you think,is WSXGA a better choice for this machine then WUXGA?

 

Chaz,

Two words buddy: Above & Beyond!
...my eyes are glossy but no tears yet.

+1 to rep

 

how is dv5t heat compared to sager

 

Glad I could help.

The dv5t runs hotter in all areas for sure; the GPU runs much warmer (85-90*C). No doubt that the NP8660 is the cooler-running machine.

The HP dv5t isn't a comparable notebook to the NP8660, I don't want to give people that impression. The dv5 is in many electronic stores, so it is a useful size reference to those looking at an NP8660 purchase. Hope that helps . . .

 

How do these compare between the two

1) Keyboard flex
2) Palmrest flex
3) the touchpad feel
4) touchpad buttons, I find the Dv5t buttons to be responsive.

 

Tnx for the answer! You have just put Clevo back in my short list!

 

1) No keyboard flex on either notebook.
2) Difficult to say. You have to use significantly harder than normal pressure to get either to flex visibly. The HP is a bit more solid under the palmrests though that doesn't mean better build quality . . . it's just thinner and there is less space.
3, 4) The Sager's is more practical. It has a matte surface, and not a glossy one like the HP's. They're both equally functional. The buttons are more defined on the HP.

Let me know if you would like further clarification, I'm happy to field more questions.

 

No, the food chain is GT, GTS, GTX for desktop parts. Why this this reversed for laptops is just stupid. I am still wondering why they didn't put a X4500 in there, it would really help with the battery on the thing.

 

Chaz, did you have a chance to use the Silent Mode?
... to see how much batterylife the system has on that mode.

Nvidia did do a weird change-up by changing the order.

As it stands, here is the order of high-end (256-bit memory interface) Geforce 9 M cards:
- 9700M GTS .... 48 shaders
- 9800M GTS .... 64 shaders
- 9800M GT ...... 96 shaders
- 9800M GTX .... 112 shaders

 

Interesting you call that outstanding cooling. That 57C for the HDD is concerning. It is really close to that Seagate's maximum operating temp and beyond that of several other major drives. The rest of the temps are also not GREAT either but considering the size of the notebook they're not surprising or unreasonable. Personally, I wouldn't call it outstanding.

I wonder how a NC2000 would help..

 

my two Seagate HDDs are stacked and float around 55-57 during usage.

been fine for over a year now with those HDDs.

I am using a Zalman ZM-NC200 as well.

 

It's "in there" -- as part of Montevina. But Sager didn't choose to employ the same switching ability when not gaming that, say, Sony's have had for some time.

At some point in the future, this feature omission has to appear under "Cons:".

 

Is it a coincidence that these are all hot Seagate drives?
I have never owned one so I can't tell but would a Travelstar for instance run cooler?

Chaz, do you remember what the ambient temperature was when testing?
I hope temp measurements weren't during a cool day...
Thanks very much btw for the review, although it makes me somewhat restless, knowing it will be while before I can purchase it.

 

Great review! The HDD temp looks great. One question, did you install the updated Vista driver for the HDD controller? The old driver's been fingered as a major cause of the HDD running hot.

 

Oh! Wow! Almost makes me want to get one and not wait until Oct. 14th for a new MBP (hopefully). But it seems a bit thick (it should with all the high-end stuff). Nice review BTW.

 

hey chaz
is 2.5 hrs is the amount that you get from stealth mode?? this model is montelavina base so it should have stealth mode option??

 

Thanks again for the great comments.

I did not try that mode.

Note that I specified what parts of the cooling system were outstanding:

The GPU temperatures are actually outstanding, considering that the Alienware m15x has the same card (8800M-GTX = 9800M-GT) and gets into the 80*C range, and most other notebooks I have tested recently have similar temps as the m15x.
The CPU temperatures are excellent as well, especially considering the CPUs are rated for 105*C. They are well under that limit.

The hard drive cooling could be improved, but as I noted, it's not dangerous and I wouldn't worry about it if I were purchasing this machine.

Ambient temperature was about 75*F. I tested the notebook in an 80*F environment as well, it performed the same.

I actually reported 2.0 hours, not 2.5, for regular usage. Silent mode I did not test (Stealth Mode is what Alienware has on the m15x).

 

Chaz - great review.

I'm about to pull the trigger - I need a workstation class 15.4" notebook. I've narrowed it down to the NP8660 and the FORCE 3551 Built on MSI-1651 from XoticPC. Can you comment on which way you'd go? I realize the SAGER is the better performer, but the MSI has numeric keypad, slightly lighter, better battery performance. I'm not a gamer, but I use CAD lots for my work. Also Photshop, Illustrator some.

Have you seen a 1651 first hand? How's build quality? Is it a solid chasis?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,
David

 

The MSI looks pretty nice... very bang for the buck.

If you are not doing much gaming or heavy 3D, then go for the MSI.

 

Hi David - thanks for the compliment.

I haven't tested that model so I am not able to comment on it. We have an MSI forum here - perhaps there are some user impressions posted in there.

 

Do you expect to take a look at it any time soon?

Thanks again,
David

 

May I suggest you write the weight of the system with every review you write? Thanks!