So im getting a new laptop and im waiting for the sandy bridge laptops to come out. So far i've heard some decent ones from Asus (G53SW and G73SW) MSI (GT680R) and alienware (M17x R3)

Basically im looking for a sandy bridge with dual hard drives. the other specs are standard.

so my question is which is most reliable? I want it to last a reasonable amount of years with good service and warranty. Any opinions?

budget?

i guess u may want to stick to AW (Dell) or Asus when comes to warranty... Dell has on-site service while Asus has 2yrs of int'l warranty by default...

no comments on MSI... dun even know where to find their svc center in the 1st place...

If u dont care the price should go for.dell

get clevo p170hm upto i7 2920xm and gtx 485m if it filts your budget

the models you mentioned have gtx 460m max

for ultimate gaming get clevo x7200 with gtx 485m sli and upto core i7 990x desktop proc from xotic pc

yup, but warranty can be a headache with Sager...

Well.. Dell's service sure is good. Just get an Alienware with extended 3 years Premier Service & 3 Years Complete Cover

yeah i think i'd only get sager if i was going to the states. and alienware is hella expensive if i add the 3 years warranty. my budget can be about 8k. but i can get the asus and msi for much less right?

and i think the gtx460m is enough. i actually wouldnt mind the HD6850 or something like that. just want to know how trustworthy their products and services are and problems with the machine and whatnot

then get asus 2 year international warranty

Go for Sager meh...

if 8k then definately sager there is a user here called princej he offers 1 yr local wrty on sager

just get a x7200 with these specs the price is usd 2600 around rm 8k contact prince j he will give you a cheaper rate. This is a GTX 470m sli laptop.

Sager NP7280 / Clevo X7200
- 5% Student / Military / International Cash Discount + Accessory Bundles for Students - Up to 50% OFF!
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen (1920x1080)-
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ i7-950 (3.06-3.33GHz) 8MB L3 Cache, 4.8 GT/sec QPI, LGA 1366
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- SLi ENABLED DUAL (2) 1536MB PCI-Express nVIDIA GTX 470M's (3072MB Total) w/GDDR5 DX11 Video Cards (User Upgradeable) + Extra AC Adapter & Power Converter
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 6,144MB DDR3 1066MHz Memory (3 SODIMMS)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default
- None Standard -
- No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay (When adding Hard Drive, Optical Drive Is Not Included/Removed)
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay - When Selecting, The Hard Drive is sent in Optical Bay Caddy that will need Bezel Replaced from Optical Drive (When in use Optical Drive Must be Removed)
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Primary Smart Li-ION Battery Pack - Included
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based-

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Added on January 25, 2011, 9:46 pmor save some by getting this its usd 2050 around 6.2k with i7 2820qm+gtx 485m mind you gtx 460m sli = 1 gtx 485m

Sager NP8170 / Clevo P170HM
- 17.3" FHD LED Backlit 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1080)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- -2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GeForce GTX 485M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (User Upgradeable)
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 6,144MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default
- None Standard -
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- No Additional Hard Drive in ODD Bay - When Selecting, The Hard Drive is sent in Optical Bay Caddy that will need Bezel Replaced from Optical Drive (When in use Optical Drive Must be Removed)
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Back Up Software
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- None Standard--
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support

if you are really planning to spend 6k to 8k dont blow it on asus msi or alienware , sager has better build and best cooling plus sager is upgradable besides others use gtx 460m which will not be enuf a year later but with 470m sli or a single gtx 485m you can game 2yrs+ more

This post has been edited by Riddhy: Jan 25 2011, 09:46 PM

yeah, and 2 yrs later we re probably looking at DX13 already...

anyway, agree that Sager is one of the best, if not the best, when comes to quality, but Dell will smoke it in terms of warranty service as well...

my own choice would be Asus G53Sw... GTX 460M is good enuf for Full HD gaming for the next 1.5yr at least, and it's 15" which makes it smaller, while having 2 HDD bays for u to config...

MSI is good..

been using the GX660r since september/august till now no problem at all

anyway, regarding service centre, there's a few..one of it is MediaForte at LYP. Anyway, MSI Malaysia had also join this forum and we got support frm them, any issue regarding MSI products especially the laptop, can pm them. their lyn nick is, MSI-MY.

omg every brand has their own pros i still cant decide. sigh looks like i just have to make a decision and stick with it.
this one looks good.. i dont understand the hard drive spec. one hdd in with an empty space for one more?

and im going to australia for 4 years and only will be coming back once a year,what if i want anything replaced? would it be a problem?

that means u'll need to ship the laptop back...

my friend has a Sager NP8690, 720QM + GTX 285M... similar case as u... bought the laptop in Singapore, and then fly to Aus to study... the finger print reader went hay wire a few mths back, and called Mucro Asia (the importer) wat needs to be done... the reply: get the laptop back to them in Singapore so that they can replace it... he would be laptop-less for 3 weeks if he does that, and he would need to bear the shipping fees...

end up he dumped it to his brother when he's back in Singapore and got himself a Asus G73Jh instead...

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Added on January 26, 2011, 12:54 amanyway, if warranty is wat u re concerned abt, stick to Asus... they ve 2yrs int'l warranty by default, with the option of extending to 3yrs...

This post has been edited by astria: Jan 26 2011, 12:54 AM

depends on you bro sager also has service center in aus i am sure

for the spec you chose it has dual hdd bays plus you can add another hdd if you remove the optical drive i choose 320gb because hdd is cheap and always gets cheaper every month you can add a 750 gb hdd as well just add rm 100~150 more

Yes Sager has service centers in Australia. I am based in Australia as well and *had* a Sager (that I sold for a better one). Bought mine from the USA though, but I asked around in Australia (resellers), and they told me that it's possible to send them the laptop if needed, even if I did not buy the laptop from them.

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Jan 26 2011, 08:29 AM

so how would i go about getting a sager? i've only got about 14 days left here

14 days I don't think that's enough time if you're ordering from the States. Takes about half a week to assemble the parts, and probably another week to get to MY. Considering the insane amount of orders for all 3 new models of Sagers, the stock gets depleted and orders are delayed.

If you order from Mucro Asia (SG Sager reseller) quick enough, you might be able to get it in time, though.

I think most Sager resellers have a "Rush order" options but you have to pay more though.

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Jan 26 2011, 02:17 PM

Hows the battery life on your sager when not gaming? i think i've finally decided on the sager. hopefully i can get it fast enough.

is the IC diamond thermal compund advisable?

This post has been edited by LappieToppie16: Jan 26 2011, 03:21 PM

My previous Sager that I sold (NP8690) has only 1 hour without gaming. But the newer models, like on my sig on order (NP8150) and some of the ones suggested in this topic, sports at least 2-3 hours not gaming.

The IC Diamond is a good choice yes because its a pretty decent thermal compound.

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Jan 26 2011, 03:29 PM

if it's Mucro Asia that u re dealing with, u can try negotiate with them to send the laptop to Australia instead of Malaysia...

of course the cost of shipping is going to be higher if u do that... that's wat my friend did when he ordered the NP8690...

Oh no no no, don't do this. I mean, it's not a bad thing but...Malaysia is known for no tax on electronics, therefore you only pay for laptop and shipping, while to Australia you will have to pay the electronic tax + shipping + laptop.

Well I suggest you obtain it in MY, then bring the laptop as your personal item, so no tax in Australia. If you're unable to get it within 14 days then, maybe what Astria said can also be an option.

@this is a lamp how did you order from lpc digital?

i want to get a p170hm with 2720qm+gtx 470m with everything as base unit otherwise

well, there are always loopholes to avoid that...

declaring as RMA items is one of the most popular way...

Hmm, I had a talk with a user who is a sales representative of LPC Digital in notebookreview.com (find user called babyhemi). He put me through every step and answered my questions happily.

So, from him, he just did my order, then he mailed me the quotes along with their bank details. I did a foreign telegraphic transfer from online Maybank to them then voila! It was the same with XoticPC as well, except XoticPC was more organised and cleaner procedures.

Oh...didn't think about that !

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Jan 26 2011, 05:22 PM

anyway, if TS really want to do that, and the AU custom dun buy the RMA story, take note that goods above the value of AU$1000 is taxable, even if it's personal stuff...

well i can do foreign telegraphic transfer to him how much will maybank charge me for ftt for usd 1700 any idea?

how much shipping cost did he charge you from USA to MSIA/AU??

Maybank charge only RM10 or something, not much, just do a conversion of $1700 to RM.

And shipping was $149.50

Aiyo you think can reach in about a week or so? if not cant i get it from a reseller in Australia?

150 shipping? damn i thought at best a 100 bucks

final question is it dhl/fedex/ups are they or are you using? or the cheaper usps? 149 for shipping is too much

It won't come in a week. Not with the current models, because they are selling so fast that even Flash can't touch them. The factories are churning out less than the orders are.

As for Australia, yes you can get from a reseller there. There are a couple; Pioneer Computers (ridiculous prices imho), LogicalBlueOne (I recommend this one) , there's another one but I can't remember.

It may be so that it's $149 but you add up the total for my overall system, it just comes to RM5k with shipping.

It's an UPS Express Mail Insured; well that's what it says on the invoice.

The Australian ones are ridiculous. Dont bother buying from there unless on sale.

My G73JH with blu ray and hybrid HDD cost more than 3kAUD without discount. Unless you got it on sale, don't bother buying it in aus.

damn okay im ordering it now hopefully it'll reach here fast. mucro asia is trustworthy right? and how's the payment process?

Transfer the $$ to their Maybank account.

@refnulf did you order from mucro?

is the shipping free to msia? how much is the shipping to subang jaya selangor for Sager NP8170?

i configured

i7 2720qm+gtx470m+4gb ram+no hdd+everything same for RM 5.5k

it would be sweet if 5.5k include shipping

logicalblueone actually has NP8150 for 1900 AUD thats good right?

specs are
-Processor Intel® Core™ i7-2720Qm 2.2Ghz Quad Core
Processor (Sandy Bridge)
-RAM 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz System Memory
-Hard Drive 500GB 7200RPM, Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with
Double Layer Support
-Screen Size 15.6-inch FHD LED BACKLIT (1920x1080)
-Graphics Card nVidia Geforce GTX485M 2GB GDDR5 Dedicated
Graphics DX11
-Networking 802.11b/g/n WLAN, 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN,
Bluetooth

This post has been edited by LappieToppie16: Jan 28 2011, 12:10 AM

It's decently priced, that's why I suggested Logical Blue One. If you know you can't find the time to receive in Malaysia then buy from LBO.

Dear astria,
ACACIA-IT is our Authorized Service Provider and they have 22 branches in Malaysia. You can refer to the link below for the location and contact.
http://my.msi.com/msinewmap.html

Dear viruz019,
Thanks for your introduction. Just for clarification, MediaForte is actually our Disti. For Warranty purposes, the best is direct to ACACIA-IT as per above link.

This post has been edited by MSI-MY: Jan 28 2011, 10:09 AM

I cant get mucro asia on the phone.. how long would it be if i ordered with rush order??

There is no rush order.
The orders are in the queue.
Orders come from various vendors worldwide.

Clevo started shipping 8150 to vendors 1-2 weeks ago.
Clevo has been shipping 8170 to various vendors this week.
Many people are waiting in the queue.

Talk/PM to Mucro and see whether he/she can help you in "rush order" or not.
http://forum.lowyat.net/user/291920

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Yes, I ordered from Mucro. They've got several types of shipping:-

[attachmentid=2019710]

I went with DHL (1-3 days insured)

Btw, nice configuration

This post has been edited by refnulf: Jan 28 2011, 06:03 PM

So mucro doesnt get their new Sagers till at least early february so im not gonna be able to get it here. i'll have to get it in Aussie then! wish me luck!! lol

Why not take xtreme processor meh..

$ problem...

SB-i7-2630 is faster than any Nehalem-quad.
Look the performance difference of i7-2630, i7-2720 and i7-2920
Look at the % of performance gain.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-...rs.43714.0.html
i7-2720QM has the sweetest spot in price/performance.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: Jan 29 2011, 03:04 PM

Yep, i7-2920 is out of range. Way too much!

Gotta agree based on that i7-2720QM is worth the $$.. you need to pay much more for 2920XM and get just that "little" boost. Based on 3dmarkvantage CPU test.

This post has been edited by Eugene91: Jan 29 2011, 03:49 PM

Not only the little boost, 2920XM processors allow overclocking. But then again, most end users do not go that far towards the laptop use.

This post has been edited by This is a Lamp: Jan 29 2011, 04:49 PM

Just some additional info.
i7-2720QM is ranked No.15 in the world.
Whereas, i7-2630 is ranked No.51.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

No rank for i7-2820 & i7-2920 yet.
It could be in between No.10-14.

We have not seen mobile processors in such high rank in the history of microprocessor. SB microprocessors are monsters.

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Added on January 29, 2011, 5:44 pmYeap, this is what has been said.
It is still a hefty price for overclocking.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: Jan 29 2011, 05:44 PM

which have better ventilation? AW or Asus?

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1763566
Just to add on that there is this thermal compound thread.

From what I heard, AW