Hello,
I have been following this thread for a while and bought this model (5320) from ISTNC in December. Several other people at my company also bought laptops at the same time, from Alienware, Samsung, Toshiba and Dell.
Here is my experience with this model:
1. The sound of the machine itself is loud, not as bad as some of the Alienware hogs, but definitely worse than the other brands I mentioned. In fact, compared to the Dell Inspiron 6000s or even the 6400s, this model sounds like a leaf blower. I recently switched to one of the Dell 6400s and it is amazing how quiet it is.
2. Besides the sound, this machine is definitely not a laptop. It gets very hot. Even sitting on my kitchen table it heats up to the point where I fear to use it. I bought a big cooling stand for it with fans, and that is really nice to tote around (please note the sarcasm) and replaces the leaf blower sound with more of a motorcycle type emanation. That is awesome. Again, this is not a problem with the Dell machines.
3. The little chirping sound with the headphones plugged in is annoying for sure. I don't do this a whole lot, though...
4. The battery life is horrible. I travel on airplanes fairly regularly. It was amazing to me recently when I took a Dell with me the difference in battery life. Whenever I took my Sager I would turn down the display, shut off the NIC and Wireless and try to just do word processing and I would have an hour or two with either battery that I have for it. A few weeks ago I went to Tokyo and had a Dell (I think a 620, but I am not sure?) loaner with me. It had an extended battery pack, which I know makes a big difference, but the battery lasted for 6 1/2 hours. The Dell also dialed down all of my settings for me automatically when I turned it on.
5. Finally, I want to talk about the vaunted 'power' of the processing and speed, graphics, blah, blah, of the Sager. For hardcore gamers there may be some subtle differences that I do not understand or notice between this model and the Dells or Samsungs, but for me I am able to run multiple VMware machines on either system, with no noticeable difference. I can play Star Wars Battlefront 2 on either one (comparing this Sager with a Dell 6400) with no problem or lag. Tell me why I paid $3,200 bucks for this when my buddy bought a Dell that is better and had enough in his $3200 budget left over to build a pretty wicked Shuttle system?
Luckily for me I work in a department where laptops can be shifted around a bit. I am not a Dell (or Wal-mart type) monopoly supporter. I would love to buy something else, if the quality is there. That was one reason I bought a Sager. But it will not happen again. I will recommend that anyone looking for laptops looks at Dell first and then everywhere else.
So, for those of you who:
a. Travel
b. Are annoyed by loud machines
c. Do not have a lot of money to waste on a bad decision
d. Want something that can be set on your lap while you work or be used unplugged for long periods of time
Do not buy this model.
I have been following this thread for a while and bought this model (5320) from ISTNC in December. Several other people at my company also bought laptops at the same time, from Alienware, Samsung, Toshiba and Dell.
Here is my experience with this model:
1. The sound of the machine itself is loud, not as bad as some of the Alienware hogs, but definitely worse than the other brands I mentioned. In fact, compared to the Dell Inspiron 6000s or even the 6400s, this model sounds like a leaf blower. I recently switched to one of the Dell 6400s and it is amazing how quiet it is.
2. Besides the sound, this machine is definitely not a laptop. It gets very hot. Even sitting on my kitchen table it heats up to the point where I fear to use it. I bought a big cooling stand for it with fans, and that is really nice to tote around (please note the sarcasm) and replaces the leaf blower sound with more of a motorcycle type emanation. That is awesome. Again, this is not a problem with the Dell machines.
3. The little chirping sound with the headphones plugged in is annoying for sure. I don't do this a whole lot, though...
4. The battery life is horrible. I travel on airplanes fairly regularly. It was amazing to me recently when I took a Dell with me the difference in battery life. Whenever I took my Sager I would turn down the display, shut off the NIC and Wireless and try to just do word processing and I would have an hour or two with either battery that I have for it. A few weeks ago I went to Tokyo and had a Dell (I think a 620, but I am not sure?) loaner with me. It had an extended battery pack, which I know makes a big difference, but the battery lasted for 6 1/2 hours. The Dell also dialed down all of my settings for me automatically when I turned it on.
5. Finally, I want to talk about the vaunted 'power' of the processing and speed, graphics, blah, blah, of the Sager. For hardcore gamers there may be some subtle differences that I do not understand or notice between this model and the Dells or Samsungs, but for me I am able to run multiple VMware machines on either system, with no noticeable difference. I can play Star Wars Battlefront 2 on either one (comparing this Sager with a Dell 6400) with no problem or lag. Tell me why I paid $3,200 bucks for this when my buddy bought a Dell that is better and had enough in his $3200 budget left over to build a pretty wicked Shuttle system?
Luckily for me I work in a department where laptops can be shifted around a bit. I am not a Dell (or Wal-mart type) monopoly supporter. I would love to buy something else, if the quality is there. That was one reason I bought a Sager. But it will not happen again. I will recommend that anyone looking for laptops looks at Dell first and then everywhere else.
So, for those of you who:
a. Travel
b. Are annoyed by loud machines
c. Do not have a lot of money to waste on a bad decision
d. Want something that can be set on your lap while you work or be used unplugged for long periods of time
Do not buy this model.
