Ok, well I’ve had my 4080 about a week now and I love it. 
Since this forum and its members have been such a wonderful resource for making my laptop buying decision and for technical issues I felt it only appropriate that I give a little review at this time.
Now, I have to preface this review with the statement that I am a biologist and not a PC gamer or computer guru. I have, however, worked with computers since about the age of 10 (Tandy TRS 80 was my first) and do know my way around a computer. With that said bear in mind that my primary use is for analysis of biological data, PERL, IDL, and word processing/internet work.
BTW – the best review of the 4080 was done by ibs and can be found here http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=12053
When I started looking for a laptop nearly 3 months ago I wanted something portable with a lot of power and storage capacity, and a good screen. The 4080 fits my needs perfectly. Several people thought if would be too heavy, but I found the weight to be no problem. I tote it around campus to lecture halls and in the field for research. So far I haven’t had any problems with the weight.
The other thing I’ve seen people complain about is the battery life. Yeah, its short compared to some of the “mobile” models from Dell, HP, & Toshiba, but this isn’t too much of a problem for me. I suspect it may be more of a problem on long flights back to the mainland and to South America where I do much of my research (btw I’m I live in Hawaii). So far, when just doing word processing/internet searches etc in the air conditioned lab or lecture hall I get about 75min of run time. In the field, where it is considerably warmer, I get about 50min.
The screen is gorgeous
without a single dead or stuck pixel. It is even nicer than I imagined. The pics really don’t do it justice. I haven’t seen any of the glossy screens offered by other companies, but this one is great. It makes everything very crisp and clear, which cuts down on eye strain. I have played a few games just to see how they compare to my desk top and both DF2 and Halo run better than they do on my desktop. My students totally flip over it when I bring it to class. Most of them use Dells or HP, and they haven’t seen a Sager before.
The only real complaint I have is the heat. I expected it to get hot because of the power in such a cramped space, but at times it can be uncomfortable. The fan doesn’t really seem that loud to me, although several people on the forum have stated they think it is a bit loud. I’ve used it in class for lectures and it is hardly noticeable.
Oh, and just for those of you that are gamers and want some numbers
3DMark 2001 – 9730
3DMark 03 – 2925
What else, well I ordered on a Thursday and received my tracking number the same day I received my laptop (the following Monday). Very strange I thought, but I’m not complaining. Luckily there was someone home to take delivery.
The laptop was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. I didn’t have a single problem installing Win XP and loading all the drivers. Everything is perfect so far. If I have any problems I’ll keep you posted.
In the end I’d have to say that I highly recommend the 4080 to anyone looking for a portable laptop with the power to handle just about anything. I run Bayesian and Likelihood analyses on this system and it is lightning fast. These are typically processor intensive applications that can really tax a computer similar to the demands of high end gaming.
Lastly, I have to say the ultimate decision maker for me was talking with the people at PCT and reading the rave reviews of their customer service. I’d feel confidant in recommending PCT to anyone. Thanks Adam et al.
Well, here’s a link to some pics.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~khayes/sager/sager_4080.htm
Mahalo to all for your help and the nanas for a great screen.
Aloha -Ken
Since this forum and its members have been such a wonderful resource for making my laptop buying decision and for technical issues I felt it only appropriate that I give a little review at this time.Now, I have to preface this review with the statement that I am a biologist and not a PC gamer or computer guru. I have, however, worked with computers since about the age of 10 (Tandy TRS 80 was my first) and do know my way around a computer. With that said bear in mind that my primary use is for analysis of biological data, PERL, IDL, and word processing/internet work.
BTW – the best review of the 4080 was done by ibs and can be found here http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=12053
When I started looking for a laptop nearly 3 months ago I wanted something portable with a lot of power and storage capacity, and a good screen. The 4080 fits my needs perfectly. Several people thought if would be too heavy, but I found the weight to be no problem. I tote it around campus to lecture halls and in the field for research. So far I haven’t had any problems with the weight.
The other thing I’ve seen people complain about is the battery life. Yeah, its short compared to some of the “mobile” models from Dell, HP, & Toshiba, but this isn’t too much of a problem for me. I suspect it may be more of a problem on long flights back to the mainland and to South America where I do much of my research (btw I’m I live in Hawaii). So far, when just doing word processing/internet searches etc in the air conditioned lab or lecture hall I get about 75min of run time. In the field, where it is considerably warmer, I get about 50min.
The screen is gorgeous
without a single dead or stuck pixel. It is even nicer than I imagined. The pics really don’t do it justice. I haven’t seen any of the glossy screens offered by other companies, but this one is great. It makes everything very crisp and clear, which cuts down on eye strain. I have played a few games just to see how they compare to my desk top and both DF2 and Halo run better than they do on my desktop. My students totally flip over it when I bring it to class. Most of them use Dells or HP, and they haven’t seen a Sager before.The only real complaint I have is the heat. I expected it to get hot because of the power in such a cramped space, but at times it can be uncomfortable. The fan doesn’t really seem that loud to me, although several people on the forum have stated they think it is a bit loud. I’ve used it in class for lectures and it is hardly noticeable.
Oh, and just for those of you that are gamers and want some numbers
3DMark 2001 – 9730
3DMark 03 – 2925
What else, well I ordered on a Thursday and received my tracking number the same day I received my laptop (the following Monday). Very strange I thought, but I’m not complaining. Luckily there was someone home to take delivery.
The laptop was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. I didn’t have a single problem installing Win XP and loading all the drivers. Everything is perfect so far. If I have any problems I’ll keep you posted.
In the end I’d have to say that I highly recommend the 4080 to anyone looking for a portable laptop with the power to handle just about anything. I run Bayesian and Likelihood analyses on this system and it is lightning fast. These are typically processor intensive applications that can really tax a computer similar to the demands of high end gaming.
Lastly, I have to say the ultimate decision maker for me was talking with the people at PCT and reading the rave reviews of their customer service. I’d feel confidant in recommending PCT to anyone. Thanks Adam et al.
Well, here’s a link to some pics.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~khayes/sager/sager_4080.htm
Mahalo to all for your help and the nanas for a great screen.
Aloha -Ken
