NP5680 Review LAPTOP Magazine, 1/04

[Hammer]

Thought you would be interested in this review - note the battery life results.. .


SAGER 5680 REVIEW

LAPTOP MAGAZINE
JANUARY 2004

Configuration:
3.2 GHz P4
XP Home
1 GB SDRAM
60 GB HD
UXGA screen
802.11G
4-year warranty

Price: $2795

Test Results:
MobileMark Performance: N/A
Mobile Mark Response Time: N/A
DVD Battery Life: (wireless off/on): 4:00/3:45
3DMark2001SE: 10221
Wireless Performance Results (10MB file transfer)
Data Rate @ 5ft: 18.27 Mbps
Data rate @ 50 ft: 1.54 Mbps

Did you see the NP5680’s specs? Wondering where all that muscle comes from? It’s Intel’s 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor, which differs from earlier P4 chips not only in clock speed, but by virtue of its Hyper-Threading technology. It takes multitasking to a new level, allowing it to behave much like a dual-processor system. Without Hyper-Threading, processor-intensive background tasks such as image rendering can cause foreground operations to slow down and get choppy. The Sager NP5680, by contrast, multitasks as if the processes were handled by two separated systems.

The processor alone can’t be given full credit for this performance. The Sager NP5680 is aided by a whopping 1GB of 400-MHz RAM and a 60GB hard drive that spins considerably faster than those typically found in laptop systems. The result is a system that can handle not only everyday productivity apps with aplomb but also the most demanding full-motion games and video-editing software.

Games, in fact, make more demands on a system’s resources than just about any other type of software, especially when it comes to pumping pixels to the screen. That’s why laptops, even those with fine raw performance, haven’t held much appeal to the hardcore gamer market. The Sager NP5680 changes that perception.

GLORIOUS GRAPHICS

The system’s 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO can go toe-to-toe with today’s desktop graphics cards. It dynamically adjusts clock speed based on the demands of the application, juggling speed, heat, and power consumption to deliver the best performance, even overclocking the GPU when possible. The result is graphics performance that is imply stellar, both to the naked eye (which appreciates photorealistic textures rendered by the device) and in terms of benchmark performance (the Sager turned in an astonishing score of 10221).

Let’s not forget the screen. Running at a native resolution of 1600 x 1200, the 15-inch display presents crystal clear full-motion video from games and DVD movies. The screen’s viewing angle is unusually wide too, allowing a few people to enjoy a flick at the same time. When using a word processing app or writing e-mail, however, the screen’s high resolution results in tiny type. Users with less-than-perfect eyesight will want to play with the display settings to make things a bit more legible.

Our review system’s optical drive was a splendid combo unit capable of burning not only CDs but DVD-R and DVD-RW media. The drive occupies one of two modular bays, the second of which held a floppy drive. We’d be inclined to jettison that drive in favor of a second optical drive. Sager will also fill that space with a second battery or hard drive, or a six-in-one memory card reader. Or, you can buy them all and swap to suit your needs.

The system’s superb communications hardware suite consists of the requisite modem, a gigabit Ethernet adapter, and an 802.11g module. We just wish there was a hardware switch to turn wireless on and off more easily to save on battery life, which did a surprisingly good four hours in our DVD test.

Now that decent mainstream laptops can be had for under a grand, the notion of spending nearly three times that amount might be hard to embrace. But if you aren’t willing to settle for anything less than cutting-edge performance and features, that’s the price of admission. The Sager NP5680 delivers on the promise of its components and is highly recommended.


Sager NP5680 Summary:

Pros: Very fast performance, Hyper-Threading CPU, Fast wired and wireless communications

Cons: Skimpy on software, No hardware Wi-Fi on/off switch

Quick Take: One of the most powerful notebooks money can buy.

[myrkat]

So the con of this review is no hardware wifi on/off switch... to save 15 minutes of battery life? I say it's not a very good review - or at least not really examined in-depth. But a review is a review.

Some people actually still believe what's in print.

-myrkat

[infinity306]

Originally Posted by myrkat

So the con of this review is no hardware wifi on/off switch... to save 15 minutes of battery life? I say it's not a very good review - or at least not really examined in-depth. But a review is a review.

Some people actually still believe what's in print.

-myrkat

The 5680 isnt like the 8890? in where you can do fn-F7 to turn off the wireless? although it isnt documented on the keyboard.... although it is mentioned in the manual.... and anyway like 15 minutes is going to matter 1 way or the other in a dvd...

[litehedded]

where did that battery life come from?

[Hammer]

That was my question - where did the battery life measurement come from - they don't mention it, but maybe they were using the new mini-nuclear powered batteries that have recently come on the market.

[infinity306]

Originally Posted by Hammer

That was my question - where did the battery life measurement come from - they don't mention it, but maybe they were using the new mini-nuclear powered batteries that have recently come on the market.

they dont mention it but i imagnine they had a dual battery setup.... but still Adam only got 1 hour and 5 minutes on his review with 1 battery so 3:45/4:00 sounds a bit much even with 2 batteries...

[Bratag]

One has to imagine that its a dual battery setup - but yeah it does seem long - if Sager have a new battery and they are sending it for review but not for consumers I will be somewhat pissed off. And yes F-11 will turn off the wireless

[myrkat]

That is why I say it's not a GOOD review: not just the cheesy "cons" listed, but the questionable battery life. Most reviewers aren't. Meaning, they are basically bums looking for freebies, and not really the technical types to delve into the depths of the product(s) they review.

-myrkat

[AV8ing]

I'll bet dollars to dohnuts (mmmmm...dohnuts) that it wasn't a dvd they were using, but a cd with the DJ feature and the system shut down. Just a guess though.

[myrkat]

Donuts... doughnuts... but Dohnuts? Are those the Homer J. Simpson brand?

DOH!nuts...

-myrkat

[AV8ing]

Sorry, typo....should be d'oh!nuts! Thought I'd add a Duff with that as well.

[fiction1337]

Originally Posted by litehedded

where did that battery life come from?

They probably had a dual battery setup, with the brightness on the LCD screen to the lowest point possible, with no programs running whatsoever.

[jamesshuang]

So much for "DVD" time then...

[myrkat]

Originally Posted by litehedded

where did that battery life come from?

Probably from the Battery Mommy and Battery Daddy... see children, when two batteries have a strong love for one another...

-myrkat

(why I didn't think of this sooner...)

[Sousuke]

Still tho, if it only gets 1:05 with one battery, then (theoretically) it should get 2:10 with 2. Where did this extra 1.5-2 hrs come from? I wouldnt think the LCD brightness would do THAT much for the battery. Bah, i could be wrong, i still have a bit until my 5680 gets here