Sager NP2096 Owners Lounge

You can now buy the P8600 2.4GHz for the same price as the P8400 2.26GHz.

Intel is officially dropping their processor pricing, or introducing new faster processors for the same price as their "now" older processors, effective tomorrow.

P8700 at 2.53GHz is now the same price as the P8600 was.
T9550 at 2.66GHz is now the same price as the T9400 was.
P9600 at 2.66GHz is now the same price as the P9500 was (but they are not in the channel yet)
T9800 at 2.93GHz is now the same prices as the T9600 was.

 

I ordered my 2096 on 1/15 but got a call from Sager about the Intel price cuts. They called me to give me the choice to wait over the weekend and get a p8600 for the same price as the P8400 I had selected. Also i am getting the 500 Gb drive for $45 less than it was on the 15th. That's pretty good CS if you ask me

 

Hey everyone, I've got a big problem with my friend's brand new (just arrived today) NP2096 and installing XP32. It was running, but I screwed up the installation (the C: drive wasn't the C: drive. oops). Anyways, I re-formatted, but now once the formatting is complete, every single time when it's copying the setup files, it bluescreens. This doesn't make any sense! It was up and running! Need help!!

The Bios version is 1.10, and no I do not see an option to disable AHCI, or whatever it is. This is a dire emergency!

Edit: The stop error is 0x0000008E.

 

use boatable cd (hiren boot cd) and delete partition c: and then recreate it again by partition magic or any other prog.
probably happened with you cause you bought it without os installation....

 

We resolved the problem. Turns out both RAM modules gave up the ghost. It was very fortunate that I had an extra module of DDR2-800 SODIMM laying around. We were successful in installing windows and such. The RMA process for the 2 RAM modules that came with the system is underway.

Now with that aside, I'd just like to say that the NP2096 is a very capable machine. We had Rainbow Six Vegas 2 going at 1280x800 with everything on except we left anti-aliasing off. It looked incredible. The framerate never skipped a beat (never had Fraps loaded; we were too ansy to get playing). Needless to say, we're both happy campers.

 

Thats good would you say that the computer is worth it compared to other laptops? Because im starting to gain intrest in this laptop.

 

definitely a nice laptop
only thing i dont like is the placement of the usb ports.
all 3 are on the right side

 

Compared to what he could have purchased locally for around the same budget (~1500 CAD), this laptop puts those machines to shame. I mean it is mind blowing for the price. Build quality is solid, it's extremely easy (in comparison to my NP9262) to swap out RAM modules. It only takes disconnecting the battery, and undoing just 1 screw.

It performs great, he was running AutoCAD 2009 flawlessly (the reason he bought it, really), and it even made use of the 9600M GT's 3D capabilities (Anisotropy, Anti-aliasing, etc), which we were both impressed by. Sager even included a plug for the brick so it can be charged/used in a european socket. Very nice.

Edit: In regards to the USB port placement, it's really not all that bad. You just need a little more desk space on the right side if you're right handed in order to use the mouse more effectively. We didn't have that much space (it was on a small coffee table), so it did get annoying a few times. But other than that, it's great.

 

great so that adds more to the laptops im interested in buying when i save enough money thats is

 

Hey guys quick question, is this RAM compatible for this laptop?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=345195

Thanks.

 

Yup, that will work.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Good morning all. Just signed up on this forum. I have a NP2096 on order. Its for my son when he goes to College later this year. I figure I'll get it now and he can figure out how to use it and get the bugs out of it before he actually needs it. First time with a laptop.

Just wanted to know about accessories for this laptop. Will be needing a bag/carrying case that has very good protection. (Drop wise) anything on the market? Best Buy or somewhere there-a-bouts?

Also a stupid question. Since this laptop does not have a printer, will I have to install printer drivers for every possible printer that this laptop can connect to? I really don't know what will be available at College. Will i have to find out what the College has, or what he will actually be allowed to use and then find 64 bit drivers?

2 more things before I forget.

There is something called "decrapifier". A utility for removing junk software (adds, trials, AOL) from laptops. Will I need it?

Also, I have no idea what to expect software wise when the laptop arrives. Will it have a full Vista DVD or a rescue disk? Will I need to download all the drivers from SAGERS website for this laptop and burn them to a CD as backup?

 

@ marmaduke
yes it comes with drivers cd......
don't think it comes with junk software .....
other q. like printer......accessories do it by yourself....its normal like pc doesnt have anything special!!!

 

Something interesting to note - I'm not sure what's going on but my temperatures got insanely cool recently. I'm using the new 181.22 drivers, which did drop my temps when I installed them a few days ago but not this significantly. This change in temperature occurred after I partitioned my hard drive without doing a clean install. I'm not sure if there's any relation though.

 

If I read this right, you're using the Nvidia drivers for a standard video card instead of the laptop drivers. Excuse my ignorance...I thought this was a no-no. Current laptop drivers from Nvidia are 179.28

 

Nope, that's the standard for gaming laptops, everyone uses modded desktop drivers, I'm using 185.20

 

Yeah the current drivers that are provided by Nvidia and the laptop manufacturer are generally outdated but the advantage is that they're usually stable. Most laptop users that have dedicated Nvidia GPUs get their drivers from laptopvideo2go.com, which provides modded drivers of their desktop counterparts. These drivers generally offer much better performance, but there is a slight trade off in stability, though if you find the proper drivers then you will get both performance and stability - you just have to test some of them out to see what works best with your system.

 

Speaking of which...

Any recommendations as far as gpu drivers that have proven to be stable and offer better performance than stock drivers from Sager???

And I'm not looking for "Well you should try some and see if they work with the games you play"

I want to know if any of you guys are using any new~ish drivers that haven't given you ANY problems!

Thanks

 

The 181.22 drivers come HIGHLY recommended. However, I have not played any games besides KOTOR so maybe this is not a good indication, but these drivers are top notch as far as system stability is concerned. They haven't given me ANY problems upon resuming from sleep mode, while 90% of drivers out there make me restart my system.

 

I just benched these drivers with 3DMark06,

178.24 - 4070
180.70 - 3979
181.22 - 3974

...don't those scores look kind of low?

 

Windows 7 work fine with me 2x faster than vista but with 1x slower os installation and drivers........

 

What do you guys think of this configuration, to be used for:
- work (lots of multitasking with MS Office / Citrix windows)
- video editing (transferring from my Sony DVC camcorder, editing, and burning to DVD)
- playing some RTS games like Battle for Middle Earth, etc.


SAGER NP2096
- PROCESSOR: 45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 / 3MB L2 Cache, 2.40GHz, 1066MHz FSB
- MEMORY: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 2 X 2048MB
- VIDEO CARD: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT Graphics with 512MB DDR2 Video Memory
- LCD: Display: 15.4" WXGA LCD with Super Glossy Surface (1280X800)
- HARD DRIVE: 320GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
- OPTICAL DRIVE: 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
- WIRELESS CARD: Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
- SOUND OPTIONS: n/a
included extras ... Internal Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR Module, Fingerprint Reader
Price: $1,018 (before any discounts)

 

@ MrPresident
Thanks for your input! I might just start using 181.22

@Matthew
2 things. First, (I don't know much about video editing, but...) if you are doing processor intensive applications such as converting media files, decompressing, etc. it might be a good idea to get a processor that has 6MB cache and a higher clock speed, if you can spend the money. And second, I HIGHLY recommend you upgrade the screen, and I think most of the guys who post here will agree.
Hope that helps!

 

Thanks for the advise, Amaracuracuf. I'll look at the options for increasing the CPU and the screen ...

 

You will absolutely need more retail space for video editing and multi-tasking. You will be thankful.

 

Hehe...you mean "screen real estate"...not retail space.

 

I have mixed opinions on the 1680x1050 screen.

The good: it's beautiful. I think it's the absolute perfect resolution for a notebook this size.

The bad: the gpu in this system is not strong enough to play most games at native resolution. I can handle 1440x900 fairly well, and anything below that is easy, but hard do anything above that on new or semi-new games. It doesn't look too bad, but sometimes I do wish I had gotten the 1280x800 for gaming purposes.

But for anything not gaming, I couldn't imagine having such little room to work with.



Question: I see that the resellers are now selling this laptop with "Arctic Silver 5 High Performance Thermal Compound". For those of us who bought this laptop back in August, did we get some as well? If not, is it worth getting it?

 

Sager has always used Arctic Silver 5 on the NP2096

 

hey guys I have a problem with my sager 2092.

I bought last summer and was able to play all the new games with no problem.

but in the last two weeks I found that whenever I play any new games that demand the graphic card to work a lot, it over heats to 95+ within 10 minutes and eventually the laptop shuts down.

I also dont feel the air from the fan on the left side that much. the air coming from that side used to be really strong but now it's very weak.

I tried to see what my fan speed is set up with rivatuner but the fan tab isn't there (maybe because I installed new graphic drivers?)

it could also be that the fan has too much dust on it, what should I do if that is the case? do I have to open up my laptop to clean it? is it easy?

 

Can someone explain what they mean by native resolution? Couple posts up a guy is talking about running a game at different resolutions. Is there a resolution that is optimal for some screens? Or is it based on video card? Kind of confused...

 

I just got my 2096 from Xoticpc and I think I might have gotten a lemon. Whenever I pick the laptop up I lose video on the screen. I just opened it today...like 10 minutes ago and noticed it during install. It's like there is a loose connection or something. Anyone experience this?

 

Your LCD screen might have a loose connection to the main board. If you're comfortable with opening up your laptop, I'd remove the LCD cover by taking out the 6 screws on the perimeter of the LCD cover. Then take a look at the very bottom of the screen - you should see whether or not the connector is plugged in well.

 

I was just saying it's not easy to run newer games at 1680x1050 on this laptop. You'll probably have to run it at 1440x900 or maybe even 1280x800 if you want high settings. If you do get the WSXGA+ screen, then your native resolution is 1680x1050, so running games at lower setting will usually result in lowered quality ( though really depends on the game, some games it's hardly noticeable, while others it can be bothersome). But I usually play at 1440x900 and it looks very good in most games.

 

I'm so excited.

I just ordered my NP2096 from PowerNotebooks this morning. (hurrah for unexpectedly large tax returns)
I also ordered a notebook case and notebook cooler from Newegg.

This is the first notebook I've ever bought new, so this is a big day for me.
I'm used to building my own desktop PC's, which makes this a first in that regard as well.

I'll mostly be using it to play games (World of Warcraft, Civilization IV, Fallout III, etc.), browse the internet and maybe watch a movie or two.

As to the purpose of this post: is there anything you Sager experts can tell me that I should watch out for, be careful of or should otherwise know about this particular machine? Anything I need to know in regards to drivers or applications or little quirks or oddities that might help smooth the transition from my clunky old desktop to my shiny new notebook?

 

Gendou you will love the NP2096. My son bought one at the end of the year. After I had a chance to play with his machine I was totally impressed and ended up ordering one for myself. You can play WoW, COD, and Crysis without problems. Don't install AVG antivirus on Vista 64 or you will have problems. I found the Avast 64 bit AV program is a suitable substitute. Overall the machine is well built and performs amazingly well for a Laptop in this price range. On my machine I am currently triple booting Vista64, Win XP, and Ubuntu 8.10 x86. I runs all of these OSes without problems. I had to install XP inorder to support several VPN clients that will not run on Vista 64. I think you will be very pleased with the machine!!!!!

 

you got the exact same setup as me except for the HD
it runs great, i followed This Guide and decreased my shut down time by about 15 seconds and increased my start up time by about 10
the top is a fingerprint magnet so watch out for that it also tends to get scratched easily.
i don't find a cooler necessary when i game (i just prop the front end up about 4 inches) and it seems to run just fine.

 

This is interesting to me. I use AVG Free 8 and love it.
According to the AVG site, AVG Free 8 supports Vista 64... but you're saying there are problems? Can you elaborate or point me to a website for this?

I've used Avast in the past, but not recently.
Maybe I need to start getting used to it again.

 

I don't know, I've been using AVG Free for 5 months and it's been working fine for me on Vista 64.

 

Well as far as AVG goes I have always been a big advocate and used it exclusively. However, when my son first got his 2096 with vista 64 one of the first things I did was install the most current version on AVG. Then something very strange happened... we tried to download some other files and we would get the normal progress dialog showing the progress of the download. The download would complete then Poof no file to be found. Thes behavior was replicated with several different files and sites. We unistalled AVG and everything worked properly again. I went to the AVG site and the free version does not list Vista 64 as supported. However the paid version does support Vista 64. This was my experience. Your mileage may vary.

Check this out http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12546_102-0.html?forumID=133&threadID=307253&messageID=2849468

 

AVG work fine with windows 7 32bit

 

will i be welcomed here if mine is not Sager but the same JHL90? =)

 

me prostar but still compal jhl90

 

While I am sure you will be welcomed here, you will also get a very warm welcome over in the Compal section since what you have is the Compal JHL90.

What brand is on yours?

 

Sorry if this has already been brought up but this thread is huge...

Does anyone notice that if you type fast the keyboard misses keys sometimes? I type really fast and this thing is slowing me down to a crawl because it is constantly missing keys. I know I am not physically missing the keys because on my previous keyboard I could haul and only on this one does it do it. Very annoying.

 

It's PCSpecialist. I just didn't see such a thread in compal forum =)

Mine is working just fine. i'm not very fast at typing, but not very slow either, and i like this keyboard a lot compared to my other laptop

 

If you use the Search feature in the Compal section you will find 29 threads discussing the JHL90. See http://forum.notebookreview.com/search.php?searchid=3581881

 

Ordered my NP2096. Looking at coolers now, I see the Zalman NC1000 and NC2000 seem like the best bet. Searching this thread, I saw that the NC1000 appears to be big enough for the NP2096, although it does hang over by about 1/2" on each side. Does anyone else have opinions on which one would be best for the NP2096? Do you think the extra cost of the NC2000 is worth it? Also... do these work when holding the notebook in my lap? For example, do they add too much weight? Can you position your legs not to block the airflow, or do you need a flat surface underneath between it and your lap? Thanks.

 

Funny you bring it up, my nc2000 just came in today, and so far I'm blown away by its performance. My GPU used to idle around 60-65...now its around 50. I gamed for an hour and my temps didn't go over 79, while before after 10 minutes my temps used to reach 90-95 and the game would start lagging. I still think I have a heating issue because this started happening only recently, and will get it checked out, but as for the cooler, the nc2000 is awesome.

...also should mention I got it for around $50 including shipping on ebay, so look for deals on there.

 

ok i have a doubt now

is the sager np2096 made by clevo or compal?