Sager NP8150 Review

I recently received my Sager 8150 from XoticPC and I wanted to give my thoughts on it.

- Keyboard: Coming from a Thinkpad, I've very spoiled and fairly disappointed with Sager's. While there is no flex when typing it does have a hollow feel when typing. Not a huge deal, I just wish it was better.

- AMD 6990m: WOW! I'm incredibly impressed with this card and it's performance. I can play BF3 on Ultra and get decent frame rates (30ish). I throttle it down some so get up closer to 50.

- XoticPC: I called with some pre-sale questions, Brett was very knowledgeable and helpful. Build and delivery time was good. Verifying my NBR status for the discount was straight forward and easy.

Trackpad: In my research I read some complaints about the rubberized trackpad but it works just fine for me. I do wish the buttons had raised nubs like my Thinkpad - no big deal. The fingerprint reader works well and the software is nice.

Audio: When using headphones, it sounds great. Playing music thru the speakers leave some to be desired. About the same as I'd expect from most laptops although I've heard good things about those with Beats Audio. Again, not a big deal. A note on the headphone port: Since it's on the right side of the laptop, it sometimes interferes with my mouse cord when gaming. Pretty annoying and a bad design choice in my opinion.

WIFI: I opted for the Intel 6230. The driver supplied by Sager resulted in poor network performance - Copying a 250Mb file from a wired PC took 15 minutes. Once I installed a driver Intel's website the same copy took less then 1 minute.

Display: I went with the default "LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen" and I'm very happy with it. The picture is bright and colors a vivid. I don't have any issues with glare. It arrived with 0 dead pixels.

Heat: I upgraded to the IC Diamond compound. After playing BF3 for two hours my CPU and GPU temps were only 15 degrees above idle. Both the thermal upgrade and the great fan system deserve the credit. The fan noise is noticeable but not bad.

MISC: The power brick is huge. The camera is just OK. Built-in microphone works well enough for Skype. Weight is what I expected. I don't lug it around much so I don't mind.


Specs of what I bought:
Sager NP8150
Intel Core i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD6990 2048MB
8GB - DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (4 SODIMMS)
500GB 7200RPM (Replaced with 160GB SSD)

 

Thank you very much for this review.

Would you mind please elaborating? How does the keyboard feel hollow? Do the keys not offer much resistance? I'm considering a Sager and I want to know what I should expect.

Thanks!

 

The keys themselves feel fine it's more the base of the keyboard. As you type you can feel a vibration from the base like it's very thin plastic - it probably is. Unless you rank keyboard feel extremely high I wouldn't let it put you off from considering Sager.

 

I just ordered the exact same setup as you, so thanks for the review! I'm pumped about the 6990m and you can't beat the 100 bucks off of that gpu.

How's the fan noise?

 

You can definitely hear it while gaming but not bad at all. When not gaming, the laptop is damn near silent. Congrats on you 8150, I think you'll love it.

 

Thanks for the info! I'm definitely looking forward to it.

 

Thanks for the review, always nice with information from different users

 

My friend just got a new dv6 with beats audio, granted it was the 15.6 without subwoofer but it sounded no better than my previous gateway p7805u laptop, very 'chinsey' sounding, I've come to terms that laptop speakers are not going to be very pleasing for the time being..

 

you sure it isn't because of the optical drive? That's where my "hollow" feeling seems to originate from, which makes sense...

 

I replaced the optical drive with a hard drive. Besides, the hollow feeling is also on the left hand side. I do wonder if it's possible to removed the keyboard and strengthen the underside somehow.

 

Roxshot,

I am thinking about buying the NP8150 as well. I'm also looking at XoticPC's Force 16F2, which seems like cheaper price / better overall value. I was wondering how glare-y the screen is? Like, if you are sitting with the laptop in front of you, can you see your reflection on the screen? They have an option to "upgrade" the screen to matte-type for $30, just wondering if you think it's worth it.

 

No idea if this applies to the 16F2 but I bought the "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) screen with my NP8150 and it is amazing. I have had several Sagers in the past with the standard glossy screen, the "matte" screen is far superior.

I hope this helps some.

 

I'm not sure I understand how it interferes with your mouse cord, but you might want to try one of these: Razer Mouse Bungee.

 

If you get a 6990M configuration, you can break the $1500 plane without much effort. At $1500, Sager's $100 off $1500 kicks in. Some resellers also have further discounts. I know XoticPC lists an extra $50 off $1500 for NBR members. Therefore, that $1500 set-up with a flagship GPU just became $1350.

A 16F2 configuration, matched component for component but with a GTX 580M, will run $1500-$1550. Tell me which one is the better value again?

As for glare, yes, the glossy screen will have that from any bright source of light. But, I find that pretty manageable indoors as the higher brightness settings have no problem overpowering/hiding most of the glare. If outdoor use is an expected thing for you, then I'd go matte. Some folks have much lower tolerance for glare while others aren't quite as finicky, so go to Best Buy (or some computer retailer) and find out which group you fall in.

 

The glare is as a normal glare type screen. If you are worried about directly reflections you'll see it on this as you would any glare type. You can see your reflection if you look for it. If you think it will be an issue getting a matte screen will be your best solution. There is a $30 option as you mentioned or the 95% matte gamut available on it as well.

 

The glare is only noticeable when I have the window behind me open. It has not been a problem for me at all.

 

This has been done, let me redirect you.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/634198-p150hm-keyboard-rattling.html

Check some of the later posts by HeavenCry, I believe he solved the problem

 

I use my Sager on a lap board (knee board?) in the living room most of the time.