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XPS vs 8790... it begins

post #1 of 57
2/13/04 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
Jeeze, which to order???

As far as I can tell,

On the Dell's side is the UWXGA+ screen, and the upgradable graphics.

On the Sager's side is the larger 17" widescreen (but it's not UWXGA+), the built-in webcam and the TV tuner.

Both look to run about the same price.
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post #2 of 57
2/13/04 at 3:37pm
Thread Starter 
He he, just saw an identical thread in Sager General. My bad.
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post #3 of 57
2/13/04 at 3:40pm
sager also has twice as much video ram, and how about the sound side of things...sagers can output 5.1 right? what about the dells audio output? i know one thing, the fact with the dell i could get some service in canada was going to be a big plus, but looking at the cost if it, sager is once again looking like the way to go.
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post #4 of 57
2/13/04 at 4:32pm
But the XPS has the M12 down the line where as the sager does not just a freindly reminder
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post #5 of 57
2/13/04 at 4:57pm
You also can't overstate the far superior WUXGA screen on the XPS. It's a HUGE advantage over the 8790's WXGA.
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post #6 of 57
2/13/04 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jswriter
You also can't overstate the far superior WUXGA screen on the XPS. It's a HUGE advantage over the 8790's WXGA.
I brought this up in the sager thread, response times are important. According to the XPS manual, the LCD has 20ms rise (max), 35 ms fall (max) for response times. That isn't the greatest for gaming and probably a deal killer for me. Do you know what the response time will be for the 8790?
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post #7 of 57
2/13/04 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DELL-Machina
But the XPS has the M12 down the line where as the sager does not just a freindly reminder
Sure it does...just spend a grand for Sager's "upgrade" option.
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post #8 of 57
2/13/04 at 8:27pm
Does the Dell have dual-channel RAM?

Also, I'll take the hit on the larger screen. I like vertical height, so I'd almost rather have a 16.1 vs a 17" wide. A 15.4" wide just seems too cramped, but hey- that's me.

As for the M12 not being in the Sager, I wouldn't count that out. Sager offers their upgrade programs, so you'd be getting a new mb as well, not just a video card. Sure, it's going to cost ~$700, but IMO, that's much better than upgrading *just* a vcard. But then again, if that's all that one wants replaced, it is a bit much. Depends on what you want out of a machine, I guess. For me, I want my laptop to last as long as possible, so the upgradeable mb/vcard/RAM is a better deal than a vcard-only deal.

As for which to order... just a matter of taste and what you want I plan on the 8790, personally. But anyone that orders a Dell instead, hey- more power to 'em Enough trouble in the world today w/o getting grumpy @ other ppl just because they don't have the same name-brand computer.
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post #9 of 57
2/13/04 at 8:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xenolith
I brought this up in the sager thread, response times are important. According to the XPS manual, the LCD has 20ms rise (max), 35 ms fall (max) for response times. That isn't the greatest for gaming and probably a deal killer for me. Do you know what the response time will be for the 8790?
From my understanding, the 8790's LCD response time is also 35 ms, but I could be wrong.

I'm running lots of intensive games on my 8600's WUXGA, which is the same LCD as offered on the XPS. I've not noticed any ghosting, color problems, or anything unpleasant. The just-released UT2004 demo is spectacular on my 8600 in 1920x1200 widescreen mode.
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post #10 of 57
2/13/04 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
The Dell does have dual channel RAM.

I agree that the 15.4" 'wide' might seem cramped. I'm playing on both a 15" (Insp8200) and a 17" wide (Sager 4780), and am concerned about the loss of screen real-estate. In fact, it's pretty much my only real concern about the XPS.

I guess I'll have to try some gaming on my Insp 8600 and see how it feels.
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post #11 of 57
2/14/04 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IntgrSpin
The Dell does have dual channel RAM.

I agree that the 15.4" 'wide' might seem cramped. I'm playing on both a 15" (Insp8200) and a 17" wide (Sager 4780), and am concerned about the loss of screen real-estate. In fact, it's pretty much my only real concern about the XPS.

I guess I'll have to try some gaming on my Insp 8600 and see how it feels.
The only way I'd choose the 8790 over the XPS is if it were available with a WUXGA screen. I love the 15.4" WUXGA on my 8600.
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post #12 of 57
2/14/04 at 5:01am
Well, one less Dude wth a SAGER. Phew, that was close.
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post #13 of 57
2/14/04 at 5:49am
The one thing I cannot get over is the looks of the XPS. The 8790 looks so much better to me. The XPS looks like you will need a fork lift to move it across the room. We know the price of the XPS, anyone want to take a guess on an 8790 configured the same?
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post #14 of 57
2/14/04 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by citgo566
The one thing I cannot get over is the looks of the XPS. The 8790 looks so much better to me. The XPS looks like you will need a fork lift to move it across the room. We know the price of the XPS, anyone want to take a guess on an 8790 configured the same?
Can't argue with that one. The 8790 is one of the best looking notebooks I've ever seen. Only the Area-51m and Powerbook G4 can compete in the looks department.
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post #15 of 57
2/14/04 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MARQUISDARQUIS
Well, one less Dude wth a SAGER. Phew, that was close.
Yeah, your Sager empire is safe...for now.
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post #16 of 57
2/14/04 at 12:38pm
I think the Sager 8790 AND the XPS are hideous monsters. Regarding upgrades for gamers the single most important option is the videocard its how my Inspiron 8100 last so long jumping from geforce2 32mb to geforce4 440 to radeon 9000 to quadro 700 it was fun tormenting my friend who bought a new laptop every 6-7 months. The M12 at most will cost 300 dollars at MOST could be 250 or 230 who knows but unless 700 isnt worth it for a new motherboard. What i do like is the cpu and ram trade in with the motherboard it makes sager unique if you already own a sager you cant argue the deal they offer but if your looking for something to chew on get the XPS despite its hideous new look.
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post #17 of 57
2/14/04 at 12:54pm
Thread Starter 
I think it's hysterical how "looks" are suddenly important to Sager users.

Remember when we were comparing the 8890 to the a51-m?

D-M,

I'm not too impressed with the Sager CPU/Motherboard trade-in. With Dell, we can call Dell Spare Parts and they'll send us whatever we have the part number for.

The 8790 has more attached 'toys'. But, the XPS will have a much higher resale value (Just because it's a Dell) if you like to buy a new machine every 18 months.
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post #18 of 57
2/14/04 at 1:11pm
Very good point then again ima Dell fanboy if no one has noticed
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post #19 of 57
2/14/04 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not. I just go for whatever fits my needs best.

BTW, I just saw a preview of the XPS version2, due out Q4 2004;

http://www.dantiques.com/computers/osborne/osborne1.htm

Lookin good!
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post #20 of 57
2/14/04 at 1:20pm
The thing that makes me stay away from Dell is their website.

When I first go to Dell, it makes me pick whether I am a business or home. Why do I need to make this choice? Is it the same laptop? Are they going to try and pack in different ISP options or software crap depending on whether I am home or business? The vastness of options for crap makes me uncertain of whether I am getting exactly what I want from Dell, so since I don't get certainty, I won't put in my CC.

I have to go through at least three pages of bloatware options, and superficial crap that I don't want like extended warranties and such. All 'NO, no productivity software' etc choices are not the default, which they should be. IMHO most people do NOT want this bloatware on their PC, but would rather install the stuff they use, like Flash, Visual Studio, or BF 1942, not some free crap Dell pushed on them that sits in the tray eating away you CPU resources.

Dell does not have a 'No OS' option. If Dell would do like pctorque, and let me just select the hardware options and not have to uncheck the 'free isp AOL' ****, I might consider, but they are crap crap crap and more crap...
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