The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
← Previous pageNext page →

    Sager NP2096 Owners Lounge

    Discussion in 'Sager/Clevo Reviews & Owners' Lounges' started by gonwk, Jul 28, 2008.

  1. FloydTheBarber

    FloydTheBarber Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    157
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Regarding the placement of the Fn key: keep in mind that Sager isn't the only company that arranges the keys this way (Lenovo has the same arrangement, for example).

    And a question - what do you think would be faster: a P8600 processor with a 320GB 5400RPM hard drive, or a P9500 with a 160GB 5400RPM?
     
  2. philip99

    philip99 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    32
    Messages:
    51
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I feel the exact same way. my parents said i could get it by the end of august but now have decided to make me wait 2 more months! i have been researching new laptops since the end of june because i am so excited... they want to make sure that i "can prove to them i deserve it by doing good school work"! :mad:
     
  3. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    You may want to be more specific to your question:

    The processor is responsible for calculating speed

    And the hard drive is responsible for file reading/writing speed

    Therefore you can't really ask me which one of those combination is faster, unless you are asking which one has better score on a certain test...
     
  4. gonwk

    gonwk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    343
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Hi folks,

    Here are some good resources for taking care of your Battery in your new Laptops ...

    NOTEBOOK BATTERY GUIDE
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91846

    PANASONIC RECOMMENDATION TO MAXIMIZE YOUR BATTERY LIFE
    As you know Panasonic is one of the leaders in Lithium-Ion R&D and manufacturing and they have found 80% charge to be the best.
    http://panasonic.net/pavc/toughbook/business_mobile/long_battery_life/

    BATTERY UNIVERSITY
    And for the curious mind ...
    http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-14A.htm

    http://www.batteryuniversity.com/partone-12.htm

    Hope this is helpful!

    G! :)
     
  5. jesung

    jesung Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    If you call taxes "hidden" then yes there will be :p

    you only have to pay them tax (both pst and gst, I'm afraid :() if you chose express :)
     
  6. LHogue

    LHogue Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    47
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    so i've been playing around with mine for a few hours and it's so far so good with the exception of a few annoyances, while playing team fortress I truly understood the inconvenience of having the fn key and crtl in switched positions. You can't crouch!! and then when I tried to reach crtl I ended up missing and hitting the windows button, it is definitely going to take a while to adjust. Also an other problem that should be noted is where your wrist rests gets pretty hot while running a game. However overall i am pretty impressed.
     
  7. jesung

    jesung Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Yeah same. I kept pressing Fn instead of Ctrl :(
    The left side does get very warm when running full capacity. My gpu went up to 92 C while playing half life. O_O
     
  8. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Good thing NP8660 has a perfect Ctrl button position...
     
  9. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Wait... half life TWO? or just half life?

    Yea, i had a hellofa time choosing between the 8660 and the 2096.... but the battery life of the 2096 def. made the decision as i'm going to be using it for college...
     
  10. jesung

    jesung Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    sorry half life 2
     
  11. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    haha, yea, was gonna say.... that would be bad

    man... i'm thinking of all the old games i'm going to play on this thing... BF1942... Vietnam... Halo.... Call of Duty 2... endless amounts of starcraft... maybe morrowind....

    The beauty of not having a powerful computer.... can enjoy those great old games and forget about graphics
     
  12. Captain Picard

    Captain Picard Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hrmm...think I'm going to wait for more reviews and hopefully an nbr review before buying. The main reason I was leaning towards the np2096 over the dv5t is the dv5t's heat...but if it's that way for the np2096 too I'm not so sure.
     
  13. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    hmm... i hope the 2096 isnt too hot.... but i'll let u know next week :D
     
  14. blacknight7748

    blacknight7748 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Ok i'm looking at getting this Sager NP2096 with the following specs but want to know how it rates against the Gateway specs below it:

    - Display: 15.4" WXGA LCD with Super Glossy Surface (1280X800)
    - Processor: 45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P9500 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB[+$165.00]
    - Video & Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT Graphics with 512MB DDR2 Video Memory
    - Operating System: Genuine MS Windows® VISTA ULTIMATE 32/64-Bit Edition[+$80.00]
    - Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 2 X 2048MB[+$60.00]
    - Primary Hard Disk Drive: 320GB 5400rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive[+$60.00]
    - Optical Drive: 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
    - Wireless Network Card: Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
    - Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR Module
    - Primary Battery: Smart Li-ION Battery Pack (9 Cells)
    - Integrated Security Device: Fingerprint Reader
    - Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office Ready with Free 60-Day Trial
    - Warranty: Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty with Three-Day Shipping Both Ways Paid

    Gateway:
    Gateway P-173XL FX Edition Notebook PC
    Specifications
    Condition: New

    Operating Systems: Windows® Vista™ Ultimate

    Platform: Notebook PC

    Expansion Ports: 1 - Express Card Slot/54

    PS/2 Keyboard Connectors: N/A

    PS/2 Mouse Connectors: N/A

    Serial Communication Ports: N/A

    Parallel Ports: N/A

    USB Ports: 3

    FireWire Ports: 1

    Fast Infrared Ports (FIR): N/A

    LAN Ports: 1

    Modem Ports: 1

    Audio Out Jacks: 1

    Line In Jacks: N/A

    Microphone Jacks: 1

    VGA Ports: 1

    S-Video Connectors: N/A

    DVI Video: N/A

    Port Replicator/Connector: N/A

    Processor Brand: Intel

    Processor Class: Centrino Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300

    Processor Speed: 2.4GHz

    Processor FSB: 800MHz

    Processor Cache: 3MB

    Additional Technologies: Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology

    Memory Type: DDR2

    Memory Size: 4GB

    Memory Speed: PC2-5300

    Memory Slots (Total): 2

    Memory Slots (Available): 0

    Maximum Memory Supported: 4GB

    Capacity: 400GB (200GB x 2) RAID 0

    Optical Drive Type: Dual Layer DVD±RW/RAM with LabelFlash

    Supplemental Drive Type: Media Reader

    Capacity: 5

    Media Types: SecureDigital
    Memory Stick
    xD-Picture Card
    Memory Stick PRO
    Multi Media Card

    Audio Description: Integrated Audio

    Audio Chipset: Hi-Definition (HD) Audio Support

    Graphics Description: Dedicated Graphics

    GPU/VPU: NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800M GTS

    Video Memory: 512MB GDDR3 Video Memory

    Video Interface: HDMI, VGA

    Communications Description: Integrated LAN
    Integrated Modem
    Integrated Wireless LAN
    Integrated Bluetooth

    Interface Type: RJ-11 Phone Connector
    RJ-45 Ethernet Connector
    Bluetooth™
    802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Networking

    Data Transfer Rate: 56Kbps Modem
    10/100/1000Mbps Network
    Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, Up to 300 Mbps

    Protocols: V.92
    802.11b
    802.11a
    802.11g
    802.11n

    Width: 15.75", 400 mm

    Height: 1.3" - 1.7"
    33 - 43 mm

    Depth: 11.75"
    298 mm

    Weight: 9.2 lbs

    Mouse Type: Touch Pad

    Buttons: 2

    Scrolling Capability: Vertical Scroll Up/Down

    Keyboard Type: Fullsize with Numberpad

    Display Type: WUXGA Ultrabright TFT Active Matrix

    Viewable Screen Size: 17"

    Maximum Resolution: 1920 x 1200

    Battery Type: 9-Cell Lithium-ion

    Battery Life: N/A

    Trying to get a laptop before I deploy to Iraq so heats an issue as well. ... What do you guys/gals think?
     
  15. Senor Mortgage

    Senor Mortgage Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    146
    Messages:
    397
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    First of all the laptops are like comparing apples to oranges. Both are different in size, weight, portability etc...

    The Gateway will be more powerful unless you do serious CPU intensive tasks (video editing etc...). The 9600gt will be around the performance of a 8700 so the gateway graphics is significantly better along with the higher resolution. It comes down to how portable you need the system to be.
     
  16. blacknight7748

    blacknight7748 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I want to be able to have like MMO's like WoW... that Stargate one... COD4.. all of them running nice and smooth. But I also want to be able to do common Office items easily and not have a slow computer if I try to multi-task... I deploy in a month so thats why im trying to make the decision so rapidly between these two.
     
  17. omaryunus

    omaryunus Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    23
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I know that WoW and CoD4 will work great and as long as you have a dual core processor you can multi-task very easily... the 8800M GTS is better than the 9600GT plain and simple personally i chose the NP2096 because of the battery life and the size didnt wanna spend crazy amount on the m15x or the np8660 and this is i think still one of the stronger montevina systems out there second only to the np8660 (thats what i believe please correct me if i am wrong)
     
  18. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    depends on two things:
    1) what sort of settings you want to play COD4 on.... If u need to play it at maximum settings, go w/ the gateway... but the 2096 will still run cod4 on medium/high settings

    2) how portable you need to be.... if you'll always be plugged in then the gateway is fine... but if you want a smaller lighter laptop w/ more battery life, go w/ the NP2096

    Personally, I went w/ the NP2096 because i wanted some legitimate battery life and am not going to have all the time in the world to play games (college computer)


    off topic: what service are you in and what rate?


    EDIT: wholy crap OMARYUNUS... I ordered the same sager setup as you.... lol (cept i got the 250 gb drive)
     
  19. blacknight7748

    blacknight7748 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I see... well my laptop for what i'm gonna be using for will mainly be plugged in... so battery isnt an issue really.. So I might end up going with a Gateway hmmm alittle bit more on the price range but im BIG on video cards. And i'm in the Navy and i'm a Yeoman... so I tend to bring paperwork home with me to work on... thus the gaming and Office need lol.
     
  20. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    yea, seems more like the right comp for u

    or mb look into the Sager np8660


    oh, and hoorah fer the navy
    was worried u were gonna say army for a second
     
  21. blacknight7748

    blacknight7748 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    looked into that one... alittle higher priced for the make the gateway is... or i'd go for it.. and yea... Navy is far better then the Army..
     
  22. sphinx454

    sphinx454 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    36
    Messages:
    74
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I posted idle and gpu temps on page 18 of this thread.

    Also I put videos on youtube. just search "SagerNP2096" I have the only ones that are on there. There just isn't enough sager youtube vids. I show overviews and features.
     
  23. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    How did you measure the GPU temp? I thought you can only measure hard drive temp.
     
  24. gonwk

    gonwk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    343
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Hi blacknight,

    Senor Mortgage had a good suggestion/input ...

    If you are short on cash ... take Sager 2096. And if you are taking the 2096 then ...
    1) do you really need a P9500!?!?
    2) you might want to think about getting WSXGA+ screen.

    If you are a Serious Gamer ... shell out the extra $500 and take the Gateway ... that is if you want 17" screen and 10 lbs laptop is no issue to you!
    http://www.gateway.com/product_spec.php?product_recid=529668159

    But if you want 15.4" Hi-performance lappy then go with Sager NP8660 and just get teh bare minimum ... upgrade only 2 things get P8600 CPU and 320GB 5400RPM HDD ... stay with 2GB single RAM ... and you are about $1802 CASH ... and see if you can get the Student discount.

    G! :)
     
  25. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I am getting P8400 CPU because it's 40 dollars cheaper!!!
     
  26. gonwk

    gonwk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    343
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Sphinx ... dude you are using a different "Handle" on YouTube .... that threw me off ... you have 3 Videos there ... correct!?!?

    Here is the "Unbox" one ... to make life easier on folks, instead of googling it ...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHqJzkHf9bw

    G! :)
     
  27. gonwk

    gonwk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    343
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Hi YouDontNeed ... use HWMonitor 1.10 ... the best and easiest freeware to monitor CPU, GPU, and HDD Temps real-time ... no need to install is a non-intrusive .exe application.

    http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

    I run it in as soon as I turn my laptop on ...

    BTW ... if you are going to SAVE money don't pinch on the CPU ... get smaller HDD or less memory ... these you can easily change/upgrade yourself with no headaches ... but CPU is a little more work ... that is if you need MORE CPU power ... otherwise P8400 is a perfectly GOOD CPU.

    G! :)
     
  28. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    cool Thanks! I think I will upgrade my p8400 in like two years and buy a new cpu from newegg
     
  29. gonwk

    gonwk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    343
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Hi Sphinx ...

    I downloaded your 3 YouTube Videos ... I was just watching the "Unboxing" one ... the 2096 looks much better in Video than it's Picutres.

    But i was kind of disappointed with your YouTube video ... what ... no Background Music :D ... just kidding ;)

    THANKS A BUNCH for your troubles!

    G! :)
     
  30. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I only seen two videos from Sphinx, where is the third one? Please link it for me.
     
  31. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
  32. gonwk

    gonwk Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    343
    Messages:
    1,352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Devgru ... beat me to the punch! :D
     
  33. Amaracuracuf

    Amaracuracuf Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    61
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    lol i didnt wanna ask but since u already did; yeah sphinx! wheres the gaming video!?!?

    Awesome video review by the way, i Rep + u in one of you posts regarding that!
     
  34. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
  35. Captain Picard

    Captain Picard Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Can anyone comment on the amount of bloatware? If any?
     
  36. Elessar_Aragorn

    Elessar_Aragorn Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    6
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    no os = no bloatware
     
  37. someguyoverthere

    someguyoverthere Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    123
    Messages:
    401
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hey guys I was just wondering, where did you guys order your 2096's from and what's the status or your orders? Thanks.
     
  38. omaryunus

    omaryunus Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    23
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    @DEvgru

    haha yea its a pretty basic setup and i didnt go with the sager I went for the whitebook and making it myself :D seems to be a bit more fun adn save me close to 300 dolalrs since i had the OS ram and HDD already :D hopefully planning on dual booting Mac OSX and Vista Home premium 64-bit i know the mac OSX is hard to install but ive been using my mac for a while and well i like the video editing adn web site stuff :D and thanks for putting the videos together :D

    @Captain_Picard
    anyways yes if there is nothing on the hard drive there can be no bloatware

    @Sphinx
    thanks for the videos :D saw the video of the unboxing before you posted it here was wondering if that was you :p and havent had a chance to see the other two since i am stuck on dial up right now -_- i hate it soooo much anyways GOOD JOB!!
     
  39. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

    Reputations:
    13,989
    Messages:
    9,257
    Likes Received:
    5,842
    Trophy Points:
    681
    There is never any bloatware on a Sager laptop.

    If you order it with an OS, the OS, drivers, and ODD drive software is the only thing that is loaded.
     
  40. youdontneedtoknow

    youdontneedtoknow Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    616
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Do you think I should go with Linux/Xp pro or Linux/Vista 32 or Linux/Vista 64 or Mac/Vista or just Xp pro? I will be using it for general purposes, I thought maybe if I use linux I would play less games...
     
  41. FloydTheBarber

    FloydTheBarber Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    157
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    That sounds great. I really wasn't looking forward to removing all the crap that's preloaded on the average computer nowadays.
     
  42. jesung

    jesung Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    There were some software which I have no idea if it's a part of vista but there were a few software like Green Charger (which I love) and Cyberlink DVD Suite which is useful. It's not like other laptops that come with completely useless and annoying software that won't uninstall itself.

    If that's a part of vista, then my bad :p
     
  43. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Yea but the dvd suite and stuff is courtesy software... not adware, its legit full-licence software that Sager is nice enough to give us
     
  44. jesung

    jesung Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Yup. I was just trying to mention the software that didn't originally come with vista. I can't see why anyone wouldn't want it but who knows *shrug*
     
  45. vicariouscheese

    vicariouscheese Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    37
    Messages:
    159
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    ha this is a hard question! you need to know about all of these if you want to make a good choice...

    personally i will be running xp pro (for games, dont feel like dealing with vista yet) ubuntu (for general work) and gentoo (very minimal battery-saving install for on the road). ubuntu and gentoo are linux, in case you dont know any distros. the only thing for sure is if you want to use 4gigs+ of ram you need a 64bit operating system, as a 32bit system will only recognize about 3.25gigs of ram. otherwise i would stick with 32bit as there are some driver issues with 64bit.

    also installing mac on a pc may be difficult, simply because ive never heard of anyone doing so... and really unless you want some proprietary mac software i would suggest running linux and making it look like a mac if you all you want is the looks.
     
  46. Captain Picard

    Captain Picard Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    112
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    If anything goes wrong, the warranty is with sager...but you do all the talking and stuff through the reseller (such as powernotebooks)?
     
  47. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

    Reputations:
    13,989
    Messages:
    9,257
    Likes Received:
    5,842
    Trophy Points:
    681
    It is usually better to take advantage of the reseller's tech support, which is sometimes 24/7 instead of Sager's Monday through Friday West Coast Business hours.

    Then if it is found necessary to return it to Sager for warranty repair that will be arranged through them as well.
     
  48. Elite Cataphract

    Elite Cataphract Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    9
    Messages:
    511
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    It looks like there aren't any issues with the NP2096 so far.
    Are there any bad things that I should know about it?
     
  49. Devgru38

    Devgru38 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    27
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hmmm, should I get it with 32bit vista installed... or 64 bit?

    I'm not sure which they will install by default, but I can prob call them if they havent built mine already...
     
  50. Donald@Paladin44

    Donald@Paladin44 Retired

    Reputations:
    13,989
    Messages:
    9,257
    Likes Received:
    5,842
    Trophy Points:
    681
    64bit is always installed unless you request 32bit, but you will receive the media for both 32bit and 64bit, and the Product Key works for either version. You can only have one or the other installed at a time.

    If you request 32bit to be installed, you will only receive 32bit media.
     
← Previous pageNext page →