Help deciding between these two

MisterClean

MisterClean

2[H]4U
Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Messages
3,075
So I leave for China near the end of Augsut, for 6 months of work. After that, I'll be spending 6 months to a year in Brazil. So since I'll be away from home, and my main gaming pc, I've decided to buy a gaming laptop. I'll need something to do on the plane flights, and to kill time when it's raining or I don't feel like going out.

I've been doing some research, and I think I've found what I am looking for, but I can't decide between these 2 machines. Of course, if there is a better deal out there, then i am open to it.

I'm looking for the most power/speed I can get for under 2k, the less the better, of course. The size is 15.6, because thats the size of my work laptop, (won't need a sperate case) and at the hotel I'll have a 32" tv to connect to. So here are the 2 I'm trying to decide between:

Sager NP8250-S (Clevo P157SM)
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- 15.6" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Sager Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (SKU - S1R303)
- FREE! - 30 Day No Dead Pixel Warranty
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – SPU201)
- FREE! - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 [User Upgradeable] (SKU – SGC304)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 16GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4S822AP)
- Sager Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No Laptop Laser-Sketch™
- 128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD - Preconfigured as an OS Drive ( Operating System – Drive C: )
- 750GB 7200RPM [Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache] - Default (SKU - S5T306)
- None Standard
- 6x Blu-Ray Reader / 8x DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive (SKU - S7R558)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- No Bluetooth Standard
- Sager - Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1202 + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (Dual Band) (SKU – S8S008)
- No Network Accessory
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External 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 Redline Boost
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers (Windows 7 & 8) + Utility Software Only
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- - No Microsoft OFFICE Software
- No Software Bundle
- No Global Anti-Theft Protection
- LIFETIME Ltd Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Telephone Support (Labor through XPC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Parts Warranty Repairs (SKU - X9R009)
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based telephone technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- Standard Production Time
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No XOTIC PC Gear
Click to expand...

Total: $1929

FORCE / MSI 16F4 (54-018) 780M (MSI GT60 Barebones)
- SUMMER SAVINGS - SAVE $50.00 (My order is over $1500.00, excludes taxes and shipping)
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- FREE!!! - FIREFALL Exclusive BETA Key w/ Purchase! [limited time offer / while supplies last]
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Anti-Glare Matte Type Screen (SKU - X1R354)
- FREE!!! - 30 Day "No Dead Pixel" Guarantee! - ($35.00 Value!) (Limited Time Only / XPC Service)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) - IN STOCK! (SKU – X2X913)
- FREE!!! - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 780M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 w/ Optimus™ Technology
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-422P] (Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB SODIMMS)) – Default
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No Laptop Laser-Sketch™
- Independant Confirguration of mSATA's in Primary HDD Bay (If selecting mSATA Options these will replace primary hard drive with mSATA’s selected below)
- 128GB Crucial Solid State mSATA III
- No mSATA SSD - [ mSATA Caddy = 2 x mSATA In Primary Hard Drive ] (if selected, no primary hard drive below)
- No mSATA SSD - [ MSI Super RAID 2 mSATA Caddy = 3 x mSATA In Primary Hard Drive ] (if selected, no primary hard drive below)
- ON SALE! - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R304)
- No Second Hard Drive (Primary Hard Drive Required When Adding a Secondary Hard Drive) (SKU - X6R953)
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 6X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive (SKU - X7R552)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Dual Band Wireless-N 1202 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth 4.0 | Up to 300Mbps (2x2) - Default (SKU – X8R117)
- No Network Accessory
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Stock - BLUE Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- No Global Anti-Theft Protection
- 1 Year Complete Care Warranty - 1 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty (SKU - X9R000)
- Standard Production Time
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No XOTIC PC Gear
Click to expand...

Total: $1958

Which would you choose, and why? I was considering just ordering the MSI without any HDDs, and picking up an ssd and hdd for cheaper on newegg or amazon. That may save a few bucks? Also, build time is an issue, I need to it be here for me to install OS and games on before August 15th. So for that reason, the Sager may be a better idea since it's basically off the shelf. Plan on ordering this weekend.

Anyway, help is appreciated.
 
More ram in the first one but otherwise identical machines. I would go with the MSI because I prefer the build quality of the MSI frames.
 
How does performance for price look? Is the build quality of the sager really that bad?


EDIT: After looking at details a bit more, I think I'm going to go for the Sager. It has more ram, and a better screen for less money. The MSI would be another 300 or 400 dollars to comparable. Also looking at the photos, I like the looks of the Sager/Clevo design more. It's not as plastic-y and is more understated. Also, the Clevo I believe has upgradeable graphics, the GT60 does not.

So two more questions: Any reason not to buy the Clevo? And, Bigfoot networks killer 1202, or Intel Dual Band AC7260? They're the same price.
 
Last edited:
Eh. Until you actually see the screens side by side you wont know just based on specs. IMHO, the point is moot. Ram costs nothing these days and to get another 8 gigs wont set you back that much if you honestly even need it. The graphics can be upgraded in the GT60.

For the average user the network card you choose is irrelevant. The only benefit to the Bigfoot is it uses an Atheros chip which is a lot easier to setup in linux. I got the Intel because it supports WIDI.
 
well, I've watched a few unboxing videos.

I really prefer the looks of the Clevo to the MSI. However, I think I may wind up with the MSI. Here are the reasons why, please correct me if I'm wrong on any of these:

In the reviews I have read, the reviewers talk about how good the screen is (stock, not 95% gamut). I don't really hear anyone say anything about the stock clevo screen.

Another difference is audio quality. I don't plan on buying a usb DAC (just one more piece to carry/break/lose), so I want something with good audio quality to match my nice headphones. Apparently MSI does a better job than the Clevo machines.

The MSI keyboard is steelseries, and supposedly very nice to type/game on. Clevo has had keyboard issues in the past based on a few reviews I've read. They are supposed to have moved to chiclet style keys on their new models, but I haven't seen anything confirming it.

Lastly it seems the MSI has more upgradeability/tweakability. Reading the notebookreviews forums, there are several different tweaked bios' running around for the MSI, and not really anything for the Clevo. Also, just going by the HDD options presented on the order screen, the MSI has more room for extra hard drives.

The Clevo has some plusses too, but I don't think they outweigh the MSI. The Clevo has 2 fans comapred to the MSI's one. Reviews say the single fan on the MSI is plenty, even if it can be a little loud. The Clevo has more ports, and I think a card reader. I've never used a card reader in my life. The MSI has multi monitor support (hdmi + VGA + dp).

So really it comes down to this:

Clevo
+Better looks
+More ports
+Better cooling?
+Slightly cheaper

MSI
+Better keyboard
+More tweakability
+More storage options
+Better screen?
+Better sound
+Multi-monitor support
+Build quality


So that's what I've got. Any other thoughts?
 
If you are a tweaker, go msi for sure. There is more to get out of it than the sager.

Consider the gt60 retail machine as it comes standard with a 2 year local and 1 year international warranty.
 
from what I can tell, most resellers offer the 2/1 warranty with the msi. Now the question I guess, is who to buy from? Had xoticpc in mind, but their prices aren't the best. If I didn't care about the special service (driver cds, no bloatware extra tech support, ICDiamond paste job, etc). I could order on Amazon Prime and have it here in 2 days.
 
The 2/1 warranty is through MSI themselves who have service centres around the world which is why I suggested it.
 
Use froogle.com to find the best price and then ship to a place where you wont be charged tax OR get it on ebay from someone offering a good price for no tax and 6 months interest free payments.
 
Just watch it is from an actual shop so you can claim warranty.
 
MisterClean said:
Another difference is audio quality. I don't plan on buying a usb DAC (just one more piece to carry/break/lose), so I want something with good audio quality to match my nice headphones. Apparently MSI does a better job than the Clevo machines.
Click to expand...

I remember reading, i think, the msi's headphone out is amplified.
 
I think I'll be ordering from gentechPC tomorrow morning. They do free shipping and repaste for free
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top