I'm now at the third location where I've tried to post this, and now I've finally got a working internet connection. Here it is, guys:
Sager NP3790 Review
Introduction
While I absolutely love the power, upgradeability, and flexibility of my desktop computer, it was just too bulky and noisy for college. I considered a small form factor PC with an LCD monitor, but ultimately decided that a laptop would be more fitting for my needs. I spent a month or so researching the top laptops from all of the big vendors. Processor power, a high-resolution screen, and portability were my highest priorities. After considering the Sager 4750, I finally decided to jump on the new 3790. My close friend had purchased a 3760 earlier, which is based on the same case, so I knew that I liked the size already. The WUXGA screen, 2.0GHz Dothan and optional 12-cell battery made the decision even easier.
Configuration
WUXGA (1920x1200) Screen
2.0GHz Pentium M Dothan
1024MB RAM
60GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
DVD-R/RW Combo Drive
Bluetooth, 6-cell battery, 12-cell battery, car adapter, Windows XP Pro
Appearance and Build Quality
As I mentioned earlier, a good friend of mine owns a 3760 so I was familiar with the chassis and the layout already. The laptop feels solid, and chassis flex is minimal. There are two 3/8” feet in the back of the laptop, two shorter feet up front, and six small cylindrical feet scattered along the bottom. These feet are necessary to allow the two fans on the bottom to breathe. I don’t find them annoying at all, but some people might. When closed, the laptop is approximately 1.8” tall in the back and 1.6” tall up front.
The left palm rest gets pleasantly warm, but not nearly enough to bother me while typing. The rest of the laptop’s surface is noticeably warm, but not hot by any means. Typing is comfortable, and I feel that I could easily get close to my normal 100+ WPM with only a few days of use.
Screen
The WUXGA screen is a 15.4” unit, with a 1920x1200 resolution. Some simple calculations show that the resolution is 144dpi. This is extremely high for a monitor. For comparison, full-size LCDs with this resolution are usually 23”. If you have marginal eyesight or prefer an easier to read screen I would suggest the WSXGA screen, which has a resolution of 1650x1050. Personally, I find the WUXGA to be perfect.
Of the 2,304,000 pixels, only two of them were bad. These two pixels are one on top of the other near a corner of the screen. At this resolution, dead pixels look more like specks of dust on the screen than anything.
The color and contrast of this screen are wonderful. I’ve used CRTs up until now, but I have no problems with this LCD screen. Black is very dark, with incredibly low amounts of light leakage. Response is very fast, with no noticeable motion blur. I’m a extremely happy with this screen.
Performance
The Pentium M 2.0GHz Dothan is an amazing processor. The system is very responsive and I don’t really miss the power of my desktop computer for most purposes. Of course, there’s always more power to be had with a Pentium 4 or Athlon 64, but I couldn’t justify the extra heat and greatly increased power consumption for a laptop computer. All of the games I have played, including Doom 3, are very playable.
Benchmarks:
3DMark03: 3230
AquaMark3: 26,180 (3,045 GFX and 9,331 CPU)
Doom3 TimeDemo1: 39fps (800x600, Medium Quality)
SuperPI 1M Digits: 41 seconds
Plays 1080p Windows Media Video HD clips fine with ZoomPlayer
More benchmarks to come.
Sound
The audio is okay by laptop standards, but I’ll be using my headphones for any real listening. I’ve got an Echo Indigo DJ PCMCIA sound card on the way, so I’ll have to compare the internal sound with the Indigo when it arrives.
Update: The Echo Indigo DJ just showed up, and the install went flawlessly. Unfortunately, my new headphones are coming all the way from Japan and won't be here for quite some time.
Battery Life
6-cell: 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes
12-cell: Assume 4 hours to 4 hours 40 minutes.
Sager NP3790 Review
Introduction
While I absolutely love the power, upgradeability, and flexibility of my desktop computer, it was just too bulky and noisy for college. I considered a small form factor PC with an LCD monitor, but ultimately decided that a laptop would be more fitting for my needs. I spent a month or so researching the top laptops from all of the big vendors. Processor power, a high-resolution screen, and portability were my highest priorities. After considering the Sager 4750, I finally decided to jump on the new 3790. My close friend had purchased a 3760 earlier, which is based on the same case, so I knew that I liked the size already. The WUXGA screen, 2.0GHz Dothan and optional 12-cell battery made the decision even easier.
Configuration
WUXGA (1920x1200) Screen
2.0GHz Pentium M Dothan
1024MB RAM
60GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
DVD-R/RW Combo Drive
Bluetooth, 6-cell battery, 12-cell battery, car adapter, Windows XP Pro
Appearance and Build Quality
As I mentioned earlier, a good friend of mine owns a 3760 so I was familiar with the chassis and the layout already. The laptop feels solid, and chassis flex is minimal. There are two 3/8” feet in the back of the laptop, two shorter feet up front, and six small cylindrical feet scattered along the bottom. These feet are necessary to allow the two fans on the bottom to breathe. I don’t find them annoying at all, but some people might. When closed, the laptop is approximately 1.8” tall in the back and 1.6” tall up front.
The left palm rest gets pleasantly warm, but not nearly enough to bother me while typing. The rest of the laptop’s surface is noticeably warm, but not hot by any means. Typing is comfortable, and I feel that I could easily get close to my normal 100+ WPM with only a few days of use.
Screen
The WUXGA screen is a 15.4” unit, with a 1920x1200 resolution. Some simple calculations show that the resolution is 144dpi. This is extremely high for a monitor. For comparison, full-size LCDs with this resolution are usually 23”. If you have marginal eyesight or prefer an easier to read screen I would suggest the WSXGA screen, which has a resolution of 1650x1050. Personally, I find the WUXGA to be perfect.
Of the 2,304,000 pixels, only two of them were bad. These two pixels are one on top of the other near a corner of the screen. At this resolution, dead pixels look more like specks of dust on the screen than anything.
The color and contrast of this screen are wonderful. I’ve used CRTs up until now, but I have no problems with this LCD screen. Black is very dark, with incredibly low amounts of light leakage. Response is very fast, with no noticeable motion blur. I’m a extremely happy with this screen.
Performance
The Pentium M 2.0GHz Dothan is an amazing processor. The system is very responsive and I don’t really miss the power of my desktop computer for most purposes. Of course, there’s always more power to be had with a Pentium 4 or Athlon 64, but I couldn’t justify the extra heat and greatly increased power consumption for a laptop computer. All of the games I have played, including Doom 3, are very playable.
Benchmarks:
3DMark03: 3230
AquaMark3: 26,180 (3,045 GFX and 9,331 CPU)
Doom3 TimeDemo1: 39fps (800x600, Medium Quality)
SuperPI 1M Digits: 41 seconds
Plays 1080p Windows Media Video HD clips fine with ZoomPlayer
More benchmarks to come.
Sound
The audio is okay by laptop standards, but I’ll be using my headphones for any real listening. I’ve got an Echo Indigo DJ PCMCIA sound card on the way, so I’ll have to compare the internal sound with the Indigo when it arrives.
Update: The Echo Indigo DJ just showed up, and the install went flawlessly. Unfortunately, my new headphones are coming all the way from Japan and won't be here for quite some time.
Battery Life
6-cell: 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes
12-cell: Assume 4 hours to 4 hours 40 minutes.
