Well folks, I'm back to get another Sager - my 5660 has been very good to me this past year and I'm looking forward to purchasing another one. The goods:
Tech support interaction:
My first encounter with Sager's tech support was 1 week after purchasing my laptop. Just as I received this beauty, clevo started shipping their laptops with the wide angle screen. Sager agreed to upgrade me to this screen for $50, which I thought was a good deal. This went a little hairy (i'm chalking it up to me being the first request) as they actually downgraded my screen to a lesser model. Sager was very apologetic and paid for shipping both ways. When I received it the second time, I noticed they installed a WiFi antenna as a surprise. Although a little rocky, I was completely satisfied with their followup.
I've had nothing but good times at lanparties with one exception. Early on (probably just a couple of months after purchase) I was at a lanparty when my powersupply decided to melt on me. That kinda sucked, but Sager took care of me here too - pretty much hassle free.
Final (hopefully) interraction: I've just submitted an RMA request for two problems I've been having and want to get them cleared up before selling. The latch broke (I wish it was metal, not plastic), and the system won't power on when unplugged... i.e. the battery doesn't work properly. We'll see how this goes
Usability:
Again, LAN parties rocked because of this baby. I found myself going to LAN's far more frequently than when I had a big-rig. 5 minutes and 1 trip from the car for setup pretty much speaks for itself
. And of course, the all cringing teardown at 4am when you just want to go home is no more.
I was able to easily upgrade the RAM, and install a mini-pci WiFi card (thanks to Sager pre-installing the antenna).
For work, this setup has been a gem. I travel a lot - for periods of up to two weeks straight. With a good net connection, there were times I'd get up to grab a brew and forget I wasn't at home. It's been a nice little security blanket for those times.
Dual-monitor usage is about the only con I have in the usability department. For CRT's, it just plain sucks. The colors are all washed out and a little dim. However, I recently hooked up a Dell Ultrasharp LCD panel, and I saw none of that. I'm thinking maybe the VGA out is just better suited for LCD's?
The Wide Angle screen - simply amazing. 1 year later I still marvel at it, probably because I saw what it was originally installed with
. I've gotten so many compliments on it at LAN parties too. Any LCD purchase will have to have high-contrast and very wide angles in the future.
Overall, I am 110% satisfied with my purchase. There were a few bumps in the road, but they didn't amount to the extra grand I'd have paid for a Dell that wasn't as good.
So, here I am with 7 days left on my warranty feeling sad about having to say goodbye to an old friend
. But, not to despair - I'm looking forward to making a new friend with the 5680
Tech support interaction:
My first encounter with Sager's tech support was 1 week after purchasing my laptop. Just as I received this beauty, clevo started shipping their laptops with the wide angle screen. Sager agreed to upgrade me to this screen for $50, which I thought was a good deal. This went a little hairy (i'm chalking it up to me being the first request) as they actually downgraded my screen to a lesser model. Sager was very apologetic and paid for shipping both ways. When I received it the second time, I noticed they installed a WiFi antenna as a surprise. Although a little rocky, I was completely satisfied with their followup.
I've had nothing but good times at lanparties with one exception. Early on (probably just a couple of months after purchase) I was at a lanparty when my powersupply decided to melt on me. That kinda sucked, but Sager took care of me here too - pretty much hassle free.
Final (hopefully) interraction: I've just submitted an RMA request for two problems I've been having and want to get them cleared up before selling. The latch broke (I wish it was metal, not plastic), and the system won't power on when unplugged... i.e. the battery doesn't work properly. We'll see how this goes
Usability:
Again, LAN parties rocked because of this baby. I found myself going to LAN's far more frequently than when I had a big-rig. 5 minutes and 1 trip from the car for setup pretty much speaks for itself
. And of course, the all cringing teardown at 4am when you just want to go home is no more.I was able to easily upgrade the RAM, and install a mini-pci WiFi card (thanks to Sager pre-installing the antenna).
For work, this setup has been a gem. I travel a lot - for periods of up to two weeks straight. With a good net connection, there were times I'd get up to grab a brew and forget I wasn't at home. It's been a nice little security blanket for those times.
Dual-monitor usage is about the only con I have in the usability department. For CRT's, it just plain sucks. The colors are all washed out and a little dim. However, I recently hooked up a Dell Ultrasharp LCD panel, and I saw none of that. I'm thinking maybe the VGA out is just better suited for LCD's?
The Wide Angle screen - simply amazing. 1 year later I still marvel at it, probably because I saw what it was originally installed with
. I've gotten so many compliments on it at LAN parties too. Any LCD purchase will have to have high-contrast and very wide angles in the future.Overall, I am 110% satisfied with my purchase. There were a few bumps in the road, but they didn't amount to the extra grand I'd have paid for a Dell that wasn't as good.
So, here I am with 7 days left on my warranty feeling sad about having to say goodbye to an old friend
. But, not to despair - I'm looking forward to making a new friend with the 5680 
