First, let me say thank you to everyone who posts on this board. It is because of this board alone that I cancelled my order for an Area-51m and ordered an 4750v. 
THE REVIEW
Ordering / PCToque.com:
I ordered online from PCTorque.com via credit card on Tuesday afternoon, and recieved my laptop on Friday afternoon. Talk about fast! I had 2 day shipping but still, that means they processed and made my computer within 24 hours and then shipped it. Customer service was very nice and answered all of my questions. There were no confusing menus or long lines... simply called and they picked up everytime.
Packaging:
The laptop was placed in a styrofoam brace which was then placed into a small box alongside the standard briefcase. The briefcase was filled with my cords and manual and installation/driver discs.
Standard Briefcase:
I would not bring my laptop anywhere in this briefcase. The padding is minimal and I keep thinking the handel is going to rip off. I am not sure if it is real leather or not, but either way definately buy the optional Targus backpack. I did, but I didnt recieve it with my laptop (im assuming PCTorque is shipping it in a different package....I'll call them on Monday).
Computer Design (not including screen):
The computer looks very slick I must admit. It is not a black but rather a charcoal / silverish color. Areas are stainless steel and the boarder is a slightly different collor than the keyboard and such which gives it a nice space age design. It is big but it is not thick at all which makes it fine. If you are used to working with a 15.4 inch screen (like I was) it may look huge but after 10 minutes on it you'll be wondering where you have been all your life without a laptop this wide.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is nice and springy and feels nice to the fingers. The CTRL and Function keys have been switched which makes it much easier for gaming (we'll discuss gaming in depth later).
Screen:
I believe it was mayaman who said he needed 3 buckets for drool... I needed at least 4 or 5. Before turning the computer on I kept trying to imagine what it would look like... I had read many reviews on the screen but no matter what one reads it is impossible to understand how amazing this screen really is without seeing one in person. Everything is crystal crystal clear. The blacks are jet black and the whites are, err, jet white? This screen is amazing. No light leakage. I havent really searched for dead pixels, because frankly I dont want to spend time trying to find something that Ill be aggravated about if I do find, but as of now from just standard usage I havent been able to find any.
Sound:
I have seen all too many reviews that say the sound is decent or so-so. I feel that the sound is really, really good. It is important to change it to 6-speaker output and raise the master volume in that program as well as the normal sound properties master. The sound gets pretty loud... not really really loud but loud enough that, even if I were playing a game, I would only put my sound up about 3/4s of the way otherwise my eardrums will hurt.
Fan Sound:
People complain too much. Download powernow! and while doing light tasks the fan wont really be on, and when it is on full blast chances are your gaming or whatever so your sound is up, in which case you wont really hear it. And even if you do it shouldn't bother you...
Camera:
The camera is okay. A lot of light is needed but if you do have it then the camera is actually pretty high res and the software included makes it very easy to make movies and take pictures.
Gaming:
Holy ****! Before buying this computer I figured just from everyone elses review that maybe, just maybe, I would be able to play everything on medium at a medium resolution. Right? Way way wrong. Call of Duty and Battlefield: Vietnam both played at MAXIMUM resolution (1400x1050)(1600 x 1200 works also but part of the screen will get cut off) with EVERYTHING on the highest or ultra settings (includes dynamic lighting, shadows, textures, and full sound settings, etc) without ANY lag. I have not run any frames per second test but there is no need as there is no jittering and everything runs perfectly and smoothly even when there are a lot of people on the screen. True, these games are a year or more old, but the fact that it can run these perfectly says a lot about the power of this computer.
Over clocking:
I see no need for me to overclock because there is no application that this laptop can't handle. (maybe if I were trying to play doom 3....)
Heat:
Hot Hot Hot! Right now with just iTunes and Internet explorer and powernow and mobilemeter running I have a Temperature of 42 and a Harddrive temp of 46. I have found that when playing games my temps go up during the first 10 minutes and then stays there no matter how long I play... Just how hot do they get, you ask? Last night I exited all programs and played Battlefield: Vietnam for 2 hours. After 15 minutes my temperature was around 76 and HDD at 51 and they stayed +/- 2 for the entire two hours, meaning the hottest my computer got was 78 and 53. By my calculations, 53 degress C is about 111 degress F. Yes, having something 111 degress underneath your left wrist is hot, but it was not unbareable. I did not need to use a sock or anything... ironically enough I found myself using proper posture and wrist placement in my attempts not to get burned. hilarious. Today I played the same game for two hours, temperature was around 72 +/- 2, and HDD was around 50. So as you can see there was some variation but in general games cause my machine to be in 72-78 degress and HDD from 49-52.
Overall:
I can't recommend this laptop enough especially if gaming is a large part of one's decision in buying a new machine. Yes, the new 9860 is out but it is very thick and heavy and the battery life is very short. GO with the 4750, you wont regret it. ANy comments or questions please ask away.
- GRANT01, proud owner of a Sager 4750v[/size][/size]
THE REVIEW
Ordering / PCToque.com:
I ordered online from PCTorque.com via credit card on Tuesday afternoon, and recieved my laptop on Friday afternoon. Talk about fast! I had 2 day shipping but still, that means they processed and made my computer within 24 hours and then shipped it. Customer service was very nice and answered all of my questions. There were no confusing menus or long lines... simply called and they picked up everytime.
Packaging:
The laptop was placed in a styrofoam brace which was then placed into a small box alongside the standard briefcase. The briefcase was filled with my cords and manual and installation/driver discs.
Standard Briefcase:
I would not bring my laptop anywhere in this briefcase. The padding is minimal and I keep thinking the handel is going to rip off. I am not sure if it is real leather or not, but either way definately buy the optional Targus backpack. I did, but I didnt recieve it with my laptop (im assuming PCTorque is shipping it in a different package....I'll call them on Monday).
Computer Design (not including screen):
The computer looks very slick I must admit. It is not a black but rather a charcoal / silverish color. Areas are stainless steel and the boarder is a slightly different collor than the keyboard and such which gives it a nice space age design. It is big but it is not thick at all which makes it fine. If you are used to working with a 15.4 inch screen (like I was) it may look huge but after 10 minutes on it you'll be wondering where you have been all your life without a laptop this wide.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is nice and springy and feels nice to the fingers. The CTRL and Function keys have been switched which makes it much easier for gaming (we'll discuss gaming in depth later).
Screen:
I believe it was mayaman who said he needed 3 buckets for drool... I needed at least 4 or 5. Before turning the computer on I kept trying to imagine what it would look like... I had read many reviews on the screen but no matter what one reads it is impossible to understand how amazing this screen really is without seeing one in person. Everything is crystal crystal clear. The blacks are jet black and the whites are, err, jet white? This screen is amazing. No light leakage. I havent really searched for dead pixels, because frankly I dont want to spend time trying to find something that Ill be aggravated about if I do find, but as of now from just standard usage I havent been able to find any.
Sound:
I have seen all too many reviews that say the sound is decent or so-so. I feel that the sound is really, really good. It is important to change it to 6-speaker output and raise the master volume in that program as well as the normal sound properties master. The sound gets pretty loud... not really really loud but loud enough that, even if I were playing a game, I would only put my sound up about 3/4s of the way otherwise my eardrums will hurt.
Fan Sound:
People complain too much. Download powernow! and while doing light tasks the fan wont really be on, and when it is on full blast chances are your gaming or whatever so your sound is up, in which case you wont really hear it. And even if you do it shouldn't bother you...
Camera:
The camera is okay. A lot of light is needed but if you do have it then the camera is actually pretty high res and the software included makes it very easy to make movies and take pictures.
Gaming:
Holy ****! Before buying this computer I figured just from everyone elses review that maybe, just maybe, I would be able to play everything on medium at a medium resolution. Right? Way way wrong. Call of Duty and Battlefield: Vietnam both played at MAXIMUM resolution (1400x1050)(1600 x 1200 works also but part of the screen will get cut off) with EVERYTHING on the highest or ultra settings (includes dynamic lighting, shadows, textures, and full sound settings, etc) without ANY lag. I have not run any frames per second test but there is no need as there is no jittering and everything runs perfectly and smoothly even when there are a lot of people on the screen. True, these games are a year or more old, but the fact that it can run these perfectly says a lot about the power of this computer.
Over clocking:
I see no need for me to overclock because there is no application that this laptop can't handle. (maybe if I were trying to play doom 3....)
Heat:
Hot Hot Hot! Right now with just iTunes and Internet explorer and powernow and mobilemeter running I have a Temperature of 42 and a Harddrive temp of 46. I have found that when playing games my temps go up during the first 10 minutes and then stays there no matter how long I play... Just how hot do they get, you ask? Last night I exited all programs and played Battlefield: Vietnam for 2 hours. After 15 minutes my temperature was around 76 and HDD at 51 and they stayed +/- 2 for the entire two hours, meaning the hottest my computer got was 78 and 53. By my calculations, 53 degress C is about 111 degress F. Yes, having something 111 degress underneath your left wrist is hot, but it was not unbareable. I did not need to use a sock or anything... ironically enough I found myself using proper posture and wrist placement in my attempts not to get burned. hilarious. Today I played the same game for two hours, temperature was around 72 +/- 2, and HDD was around 50. So as you can see there was some variation but in general games cause my machine to be in 72-78 degress and HDD from 49-52.
Overall:
I can't recommend this laptop enough especially if gaming is a large part of one's decision in buying a new machine. Yes, the new 9860 is out but it is very thick and heavy and the battery life is very short. GO with the 4750, you wont regret it. ANy comments or questions please ask away.
- GRANT01, proud owner of a Sager 4750v[/size][/size]
