Sager NP2096 Owners Lounge

@ Paladin44 ... does "Power Notebooks" ship outside USA?

A General Q to Sager or Power Notebooks or XoticPC ...

Q: How come "PC Torque" website indicates they are providing the 2096 with Intel 5300 vs 5100? Is that possible? Or they just haven't bother to update their data/info!?!?

Thanks,
G!

 

Hi TheSane ... read the following, especially 2nd URL ... but the short answer is "802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b" ... so you should be A-OK!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11#802.11b

http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless80211/a/aa80211standard.htm

G!

 

OMG! You just made my day, gonwk! I added a +1 to your rep for your answer. Thanks so much!!!

 

Thanks & You are welcome TheSane ... wish I was in San Diego now ... bet it is great weather!

G!

 

PNB does not ship internationally, just US.
Sager and Xotic ship internationally.
Forget about PC Torque, go with something safe which everyone knows.

 

Hi eleron,

Thanks for the heads up on who ships outside USA.

Yeah, I am with you XoticPC or Power Notebook for me all the way! Better Safe than Sorry!

G!

 

Nobody has the 2096?
Was hoping to see some brief reviews by today T_t;

 

My main issue with the 2096 is that...its really really ugly. Also some people have been posting saying that it doesn't have HDMI output, but the XoticPC site (and PNB) clearly says it does. I'm a little confused.

 

i have another question: how about the GPU 9600MGT will it overheats like the previous 8series?
Anyone recieves sager2096? It will be appreciated if reviews were written with some photos Looking forward to it!

 

The 9600 should not overheat because it is not the same core as 8series, but it too new to be sure of anything.

 

Whether it is ugly or elegant looking is really up to the eyes of the beholder isn't it?

Yes, it has HDMI. Just look at the picture of the left side...it is right there.

 

No, I'm sorry, that a very ugly notebook

sorry guys

 

From pics it does seem rather bland and/or ugly but i'm optimistic that it'll look better then the photos and personally I only care if a laptop is too flashy looking, that's what bugs me the most.

 

Can anyone explain the different production phases? Also, how can you find out what phase you are in? Right now my order says pending but no phase. Thanks for any info!

 

Your vendor will be able to explain their "phase" program best.

 

I ordered directly from Sager online, so I'm guessing they don't use the phase system? Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Hi Someguy ... Here is the picture of the HDMI ...

As they say A Picture is Worth Thousands Words!

G!

 

Hi LHogue ... I have feeling that when you actually see the laptop in person your feeling will change and find it to be really nice ... becuase when my cousin was getting his 2092 .. he went thru the same feeling, looking at the pictures he was not sure if the thing was nice looking ...

G!

 

Dudeness, have you compared your pricing from sager to Powernotebooks or xoticpc? You usually can save around a hundred, sometimes more, bucks by going with one of them. Not to mention the customer service that you get with them is WAY better.

 

why 9 cell battery why? looks so ugly and to buy 6 cell is around 100 bucks more

 

No, unfortunately I had already ordered by the time I found this forum. Thanks for the tip anyways though.

 

I received an email today that my laptop has shipped!!!!!!! It is on schedule to arrive on Friday, the 8th. I will be on vacation thursday and friday though so expect some info about the new laptop on saturday. I can't wait to get it.

 

Nice! how long were you in the "phase two" process I've been in phase two for almost 3 days and was wondering how long i can expect it to be.

 

i didn't have phases. I ordered from powernotebooks and they sent me a tracking number the day after it shipped. I just had an estimated time when I ordered. They told me that it would ship on the 3rd. No idea what the phases mean, but I'd guess if you were in phase three, like others, you will get it soon. I ordered on July 22nd.

 

I assume when a laptop is shipped it will require a signature when it gets to the door? I only ask because I also expect to be on vacation when mine arrives (if it gets here by then, knock on wood and fingers crossed).

 

They will just keep the package and try the next day. I think they try for four days and then you have to contact them to get it.

 

Hi all,

Technically, I should be posting this in the "What Notebook Should I Buy" board, but I thought you guys would know more about Sager notebooks than the others.

Basically, I'm currently trying to decide between this notebook and the Asus M50VM-A1 and the Asus F8VA-B1. They're basically the same price. With the Asus, I'm getting a slightly worse graphics card, but a better warranty and plus there are service stations for it near where I live. With the Sager, I'm getting a higher-resolution screen and a superior graphics card. The compromise is its blandness, as well as issues that I'll talk about below. If anyone has anything they'd like to say about these laptops in general, and which one would be better, that'd be great.

To recapitulate on my other thread at the other board:

My main concern with Sager is that despite Sager/Clevo's acclaimed popularity, it is still not as well-known, at least in my eyes, as Asus, Dell and whatnot. This leads me to be a bit superstitious on its build quality. At a glance, the P2096 really doesn't look like much at all - a standard black notebook with a standard keyboard. In fact if I didn't know any better (actually I don't) I would even go as far as saying that it is rather cheap-looking. On the other hand, Asus is more known and therefore trustworthy, at least in my eyes, and their M50VM notebook does look considerably better (see pics below). Now, I don't know enough about these brands or these notebooks to make a really educated evaluation of the actual quality of these laptops; please assist






The only concern that I have with the Sager is, essentially, its reliability, because I don't know too much about it, and the NP2096 laptop itself looks, incidentally, very "standard," despite its great specs. How can I be assured that the Sager laptops are just as good, if not better, than the Asus laptops, in terms of quality and customer support?

Also, does Sager have service centers in Canada? If it breaks, will I have to ship it to the states?

Lastly, will getting a notebook with some pretty new technology, like the Montevina platform and the GPU, warrant more risk in terms of system stability - basically, is it less reliable?

Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

Asus doesn't really got a reputaion of good quiality, if it was a brand like Sony, Dell or Lenovo which all I think has good quality I might understand your worries but it much be better to buy a brand that you don't know how the quality is than a brand that has bad quality
Well I have never own a sager but I have orderd 2096 and I choosed it over the HP 5dvt because of that the sager has a reputation of good quality. I agree on the looks though, the 2096 could be more attractive but it is not ugly just plain.

You never know with new technology but both the 9xxx GPU and the new CPU is more or less the same as earlier versions just made smaller. And eaven old tech could be faulty, just look at the 8xxx GPU:s (heat problem). And the most problem could be solved with software updates anyway.

 

I actually prefer the plain look to the "fancy" or "shiny" looks of other computers. The only thing I don't like about this computer is the location of the usb ports. That and the microphone/headphone location.

 

Plain-look = free theft deterrent "Hmm, should I steal the shiny new asus or the plain brown bag that looks a few years old..."

 

If I order a Sager NP2096 without an operating system, will it ship with Windows XP or Vista drivers?

 

It will ship with both VISTA and XP drivers

 

Thanks! Now is that from any vendor? (xoticpc or powernotebooks)?

 

If it has the Sager brand on it, it will come with both driver sets, regardless of where you buy it.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

wow thats awesome if it comes with drivers! i was going to go for a no OS because being a student i can get windows insanely cheap... i wouldnt mind dealing with finding drivers, but if sager delivers props to them.

 

Cool! Which type of drivers would that be: 32bit, 64bit, or both? If that's the case, then I can save some cash!

 

Vista drivers would be both, XP drivers would be 32bit.

 

Can I get some second opinions on the Asus (even though they are incredibly subject to bias... I am posting in the Sager/Clevo board after all)?

 

The specs and price on this laptop are so good but it just looks real bad. Why couldn't they make it look like the 8660.. That one looks real nice.

 

WengAndrew-

I suppose I can somewhat attest to Sager's build quality as I'm using a 5 year old Sager (8790) to type this. Basically the way I see it is: if money is a problem, which it almost always is, you have to sacrifice something. With Sagers you generally get internal power and an extremely plain external look. Most of the time it's plasticy but in my experience it's of the thicker variety.

Well that's my 2 cents

 

Has anyone got their 2096 yet? How are the keyboard and touchpad?

 

i'd have to agree to that. my NP2090, while a bit more affordable than the competitors for the same specs, arrived very plain looking. the external was not too bad and I do like the glossy finish but the internal was uninspiring and sort of cheap feeling because of the plastic.

but i'd have to add that i still do like my Sager and most of the more expensive 17 inch and newer 15.4 inch models use better materials.

 

i'm gonna buy this SAGER2096 from xoticpc i just have a few questions (i don't know anything about computers)

what's a memory card reader and which one should i get? there are 2 options:
internal 3-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS)
45-in-1 USB 2.0 card reader/writter for +49

what's the tv tuner for? and which one should i get? 4 options:
none standar
express card/USB digital tv tuner +79
external USB ATSC HDTV / Analog TV tuner with remote (TVT-6010) +85
external USB ATSC HDTV / Analog TV tuner with express card remote
(TVT-6010) +130

3 sound cards available i will use the laptop to play poker and some games like diablo 3, starcraft 2 and some MMORPGs i do enjoy listening to some good music also, just wondering if i would notice the upgrade or is it just for making movies and that kind of stuff?
Sound blaster compatible 3d audio-included
creative soundblaster x-fi surround 5.1 SB1090 5.1 channels 24-bit external USB sound card +99
creative labs sound blaster x-fi 7.1 xtreme audio notebook express card +119

Battery i don't think i should upgrade here but just in case
smart Li-ion battery (9-cell)
spare smart Li-ion battery (6-cell) +98
spare smart Li-ion battery (9-cell) +120

Docking station/port replicator no idea what this is but i guess i dont need it

should i get operating system? some said it's not necesary as you get it anyways you just have to install i would need 64 bit vista

any software worth getting?

and finally warranty i'm guessing just the 1 year standar



i know it's a lot but probably easy to answear also thanks a lot would really apreciate if you answear this =D

 

If you don't order any OS you wont get any OS... If you already got vista 64 you should not order any OS but if you don't it could be a good deal to order it with the computer.
All the extra stuff you have listed is external and you could buy them later on.

 

Is there any way to get the 2096 with a matte finish screen? Otherwise can any of the owners convince me that this "Glare Type" screen is not hard on the eyes? (I may be doing extensive programming sessions both indoors and outdoors)

 

I don't think you could get it matte. It should be ok if you look at it from the right angle but outdoors would prob not to be recomended. But diffirent manufactures has diffirent ammount of "glare" so you dont know until someone gets it and can tell you how bad it is.

 

Has any one got their np2096 delivered? I will have it replace my current laptop which lacks the real punch really. But I would prefer reading a review first before putting through my order. still a big investment. Does anyone know if I have to ship back to the US for service? Living in Canada and ordering from xotic pc

 

Since both XoticPC and Sager are located in the US, I would think so.

 

well am really fit to answer only one question, the battery
I wouldnt get it as the battery starting "dieing" as soon as its made, so the spare is really no good for a replacement if your current one dies. there is only one case which the spare is worth getting, thats only if you need 10 hours of battery life at a given time. which you should consider 2 9cells.

oh, if you are considering getting the 3 year warrenty, then the FORCE built 15.4 machine will be better (sry, forgot whats the model number is) as it comes with a ddr3 version of the 9600gt and It will cost the same with the extended warrenty