Well I finally have taken the time to write up a small review of my Sager 8790C. To start off here is what I ordered:
Item Description Qty Unit Price Price
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
84 Sager 8790-C Notebook: 8790-C 1 $2437.62
$2437.62
1006 Display: 17" WSXGA+ LCD (WideScreen
1680 X 1050)
1134 Color: Standard Factory
956 Finish (custom color option only):
Regular low gloss finish
1032 Processor: P4 3.2GHZ Northwood CPU
1009 Video: 256MB ATI Radeon Mobility 9700
(M11)
849 RAM: 1024MB 400DDR Dual Channel
(2-512MB)
842 Main Hard Drive: 60GB 7200RPM
539 Media Drive: 8X DVD/24X10X24 CDRW
Combo Drive
1064 Bay 2 Hard Drive: Bracket for 2nd
hard drive
372 RAID: No
702 Keyboard Layout: USA
1025 TV Tuner/ Subwoofer/ Battery:
Subwoofer + 8 Cell battery
415 Floppy Drive (required to install
RAID): External 3.5" Floppy Drive
1010 Modem: 56K RJ11 Phone Modem
853 Network Card: 10/100/1000 NIC
494 Operating System: No Operating System
355 Case: Basic Black business case
372 Spare AC Power Adapter: No
372 Car adapter: No
372 Port Replicator: No
372 Spare Battery: No
1041 Wireless Network: Internal 802.11g
TURBO (108Mbps) wireless
372 Bluetooth: No
1028 Card Reader: Internal 7-in-1 Card
Reader
1029 Camera: Integrated Digital Video
Camera
372 Software Bundle: No
372 Office Software: No
356 Warranty: 1 year warranty, lifetime
tech support
1019 Repair Transit Coverage: 1 Year
Shipping Coverage to Sager (US
only)
372 Export Coverage: No
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Subtotal
$2437.62
UPS 2nd Day Air
$66.29
Total
$2503.91
So I ordered a pretty "mild setup" as far as 8790's go. I ordered from PCTorque, and they were awesome. They were really fast with responding to emails and keeping me updated on the status of my notebook. Thanks again guys! I definitely recommend PCTorque if you are looking for a Sager.
So on to the review:
I purchased this 8790 with the intent to do CAD work, primarily with programs like AutoCAD 2004, and Solidworks. I also do some renderings in Bryce5 and use Photoshop every once in awhile. My biggest worries involved the ATI vid card and it's OpenGL support and its ability to handle CAD programs. Being an engineering student, I need this notebook to be able to handle these programs because my grades rely on it. So with that out of the way:
1.) First Impressions:
I opened up the box and was taken back by this behemoth! This thing is mammoth and definitely commands attention. I was also surprised by its weight. Its heavy, but also feels solid. I love how this thing looks; I feel it has a professional look to it and doesn't look gaudy at all.
Score: A
2.) Build quality:
Very very solid. The screen creaks alittle bit when you open it up, but that is to be expected of something that is plastic and as big as this 17" widescreen. I'm impressed with the keyboard. It is incredibly solid, no flexing, and is really quiet even when typing a mile-a-minute.
Score: A
3.) Display:
NO DEAD OR STUCK PIXELS!!!!!!!
This thing is beautiful. I cannot believe how clear it is. This resolution is perfect for me, I cannot complain about it at all. Having all of this real estate on the screen is great when using CAD programs. I can fit layouts on the screen that would require alot fo scrolling on other displays. Also, this is my first widescreen, and I am never going back to 4:3. I really was missing out all this time! I thought it would be hard to get used to, but it is like second nature now.
Score: A++
4.) Performance:
The P4 3.2C is a very capable processor for the work I make it go through. Not a hiccup from it at all, and hyperthreading is great to have on certain apps. 1 gig of RAM is perfect for this setup. I have been able to run AutoCAD, Solidworks, Bryce, IE, Opera, Photoshop, Winamp all at the same time and it didn't even noticably slow down. Simply amazing. The 60gig 7200rpm HD is well worth the money. Apps load very quickly and there is no lag at all.
Score: A
5.) Vid card:
I thought the ATI couldn't handle the CAD programs, but it has worked perfectly. I can 3D rotate completely rendered objects that have alot of intersections with out a stutter or pause. I really was wrong about this card, its a beast. I love it. DVD playback is great also, and I have done very little gaming on it yet, and it has done that perfectly. UT2k4 looks awesome on this laptop!
Score: A
6.) Noise and heat:
It honestly isn't as loud as I thought it would be. The fans are on all the time, but they never really get above the first or second "level" For kicks I hit Fn+F10 to hear the fans go full tilt, and man that was loud. Real loud. It was fun to watch the temp on MobileMeter drop a few degrees to the point where the air coming out of the vents was cool. The palm rests get alittle warm, especially the one over the hard drive. It's not too bad, it will be nice in the winter though; free hand warmer. My processor runs anywhere between 38.0C to 46.0C Even during CAD stuff it still never got to warm, I guess Sager's cooling system works rather well. To me all of this is expected considering that it uses almost all desktop stuff inside of it.
Score: A-
7.) Other thoughts:
I cannot thank you guys and gals enough for talking me into getting this notebook. Special thanks to G-Omaha for answering alot of my questions in previous threads, and thanks to Amir for showing us that wonderful Vanguard case that I just had to get. At first I was set on the HP ZD7000 because of it's cheaper price, and Nvidia vid card. I had been eyeing the 8790 for some time but had trouble justifying the cost. Then a friend of mine and I were talking about notebooks and he mentioned that he wanted to get a Sager. I was surprised that someone else actually knew what a Sager was, but he is also a Electrical and Computer Science Engineer so it is sorta not surprising. He talked about Sager's quality, and that you are paying for quality and performance. So the 8790 was quickly back in the running. Then I posted on the forums and was amazed by all of the help, and was impressed with everyone's comments about PCTorque and their customer service, so then I was sold. I'm not looking back. This is the best notebook period. I like the exclusivity, power, style, and performance of this machine. I'll never buy a desktop again. My previous notebook was an old Dell Inspiron 4100 with a P3-M @ 1ghz, 512mb RAM, 10gb HD, and the orginal Radeon Mobility. It's only saving grace was that it was very portable and lightweight. Problem was I left it plugged in all the time, and rarely traveled with it. I needed a desktop replacement. It had a 14.1" SXGA+ display that was very clear and held up very well, but it wasn't enough. This Sager is the complete opposite. I'm so happy with my purchase. I don't care that I don't have the fastest setup in the world, but I do know that this is my notebook, it works very well, and most of all it makes me happy!
Thanks again everyone! Thanks for reading this rather long babble about my new 8790. Hopefully this will convert some people into Sager followers, especially people looking to use this for CAD/ 3d design work. I'm hooked on Sager forever now. Thanks again everyone, your all the best!
Item Description Qty Unit Price Price
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
84 Sager 8790-C Notebook: 8790-C 1 $2437.62
$2437.62
1006 Display: 17" WSXGA+ LCD (WideScreen
1680 X 1050)
1134 Color: Standard Factory
956 Finish (custom color option only):
Regular low gloss finish
1032 Processor: P4 3.2GHZ Northwood CPU
1009 Video: 256MB ATI Radeon Mobility 9700
(M11)
849 RAM: 1024MB 400DDR Dual Channel
(2-512MB)
842 Main Hard Drive: 60GB 7200RPM
539 Media Drive: 8X DVD/24X10X24 CDRW
Combo Drive
1064 Bay 2 Hard Drive: Bracket for 2nd
hard drive
372 RAID: No
702 Keyboard Layout: USA
1025 TV Tuner/ Subwoofer/ Battery:
Subwoofer + 8 Cell battery
415 Floppy Drive (required to install
RAID): External 3.5" Floppy Drive
1010 Modem: 56K RJ11 Phone Modem
853 Network Card: 10/100/1000 NIC
494 Operating System: No Operating System
355 Case: Basic Black business case
372 Spare AC Power Adapter: No
372 Car adapter: No
372 Port Replicator: No
372 Spare Battery: No
1041 Wireless Network: Internal 802.11g
TURBO (108Mbps) wireless
372 Bluetooth: No
1028 Card Reader: Internal 7-in-1 Card
Reader
1029 Camera: Integrated Digital Video
Camera
372 Software Bundle: No
372 Office Software: No
356 Warranty: 1 year warranty, lifetime
tech support
1019 Repair Transit Coverage: 1 Year
Shipping Coverage to Sager (US
only)
372 Export Coverage: No
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Subtotal
$2437.62
UPS 2nd Day Air
$66.29
Total
$2503.91
So I ordered a pretty "mild setup" as far as 8790's go. I ordered from PCTorque, and they were awesome. They were really fast with responding to emails and keeping me updated on the status of my notebook. Thanks again guys! I definitely recommend PCTorque if you are looking for a Sager.
So on to the review:
I purchased this 8790 with the intent to do CAD work, primarily with programs like AutoCAD 2004, and Solidworks. I also do some renderings in Bryce5 and use Photoshop every once in awhile. My biggest worries involved the ATI vid card and it's OpenGL support and its ability to handle CAD programs. Being an engineering student, I need this notebook to be able to handle these programs because my grades rely on it. So with that out of the way:
1.) First Impressions:
I opened up the box and was taken back by this behemoth! This thing is mammoth and definitely commands attention. I was also surprised by its weight. Its heavy, but also feels solid. I love how this thing looks; I feel it has a professional look to it and doesn't look gaudy at all.
Score: A
2.) Build quality:
Very very solid. The screen creaks alittle bit when you open it up, but that is to be expected of something that is plastic and as big as this 17" widescreen. I'm impressed with the keyboard. It is incredibly solid, no flexing, and is really quiet even when typing a mile-a-minute.
Score: A
3.) Display:
NO DEAD OR STUCK PIXELS!!!!!!!
This thing is beautiful. I cannot believe how clear it is. This resolution is perfect for me, I cannot complain about it at all. Having all of this real estate on the screen is great when using CAD programs. I can fit layouts on the screen that would require alot fo scrolling on other displays. Also, this is my first widescreen, and I am never going back to 4:3. I really was missing out all this time! I thought it would be hard to get used to, but it is like second nature now.Score: A++
4.) Performance:
The P4 3.2C is a very capable processor for the work I make it go through. Not a hiccup from it at all, and hyperthreading is great to have on certain apps. 1 gig of RAM is perfect for this setup. I have been able to run AutoCAD, Solidworks, Bryce, IE, Opera, Photoshop, Winamp all at the same time and it didn't even noticably slow down. Simply amazing. The 60gig 7200rpm HD is well worth the money. Apps load very quickly and there is no lag at all.
Score: A
5.) Vid card:
I thought the ATI couldn't handle the CAD programs, but it has worked perfectly. I can 3D rotate completely rendered objects that have alot of intersections with out a stutter or pause. I really was wrong about this card, its a beast. I love it. DVD playback is great also, and I have done very little gaming on it yet, and it has done that perfectly. UT2k4 looks awesome on this laptop!
Score: A
6.) Noise and heat:
It honestly isn't as loud as I thought it would be. The fans are on all the time, but they never really get above the first or second "level" For kicks I hit Fn+F10 to hear the fans go full tilt, and man that was loud. Real loud. It was fun to watch the temp on MobileMeter drop a few degrees to the point where the air coming out of the vents was cool. The palm rests get alittle warm, especially the one over the hard drive. It's not too bad, it will be nice in the winter though; free hand warmer. My processor runs anywhere between 38.0C to 46.0C Even during CAD stuff it still never got to warm, I guess Sager's cooling system works rather well. To me all of this is expected considering that it uses almost all desktop stuff inside of it.
Score: A-
7.) Other thoughts:
I cannot thank you guys and gals enough for talking me into getting this notebook. Special thanks to G-Omaha for answering alot of my questions in previous threads, and thanks to Amir for showing us that wonderful Vanguard case that I just had to get. At first I was set on the HP ZD7000 because of it's cheaper price, and Nvidia vid card. I had been eyeing the 8790 for some time but had trouble justifying the cost. Then a friend of mine and I were talking about notebooks and he mentioned that he wanted to get a Sager. I was surprised that someone else actually knew what a Sager was, but he is also a Electrical and Computer Science Engineer so it is sorta not surprising. He talked about Sager's quality, and that you are paying for quality and performance. So the 8790 was quickly back in the running. Then I posted on the forums and was amazed by all of the help, and was impressed with everyone's comments about PCTorque and their customer service, so then I was sold. I'm not looking back. This is the best notebook period. I like the exclusivity, power, style, and performance of this machine. I'll never buy a desktop again. My previous notebook was an old Dell Inspiron 4100 with a P3-M @ 1ghz, 512mb RAM, 10gb HD, and the orginal Radeon Mobility. It's only saving grace was that it was very portable and lightweight. Problem was I left it plugged in all the time, and rarely traveled with it. I needed a desktop replacement. It had a 14.1" SXGA+ display that was very clear and held up very well, but it wasn't enough. This Sager is the complete opposite. I'm so happy with my purchase. I don't care that I don't have the fastest setup in the world, but I do know that this is my notebook, it works very well, and most of all it makes me happy!
Thanks again everyone! Thanks for reading this rather long babble about my new 8790. Hopefully this will convert some people into Sager followers, especially people looking to use this for CAD/ 3d design work. I'm hooked on Sager forever now. Thanks again everyone, your all the best!
