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dell 8600 or sager 5680

post #1 of 26
8/22/03 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
ok, here's the deal. my mind is almost made up on the sager 5680. but then today i hear about the dell 8600. here r the pros and cons (for me) for each notebook when compared to each other.

dell 8600 pros: pentium m, and probably less noisy, lighter and cooler than the 5680. dell brand name vs less known sager. battery life.

cons: absolutely hate 16:9 screens (in general). dvd+r format not supported by my dvd player.

sager pros: regular 4:3 lcd, dvd-r format, processor is fast.

cons: heard they get pretty toasty and noisy. no battery life. a bit heavy and big. sager less known.

video cards r about the same so not an issue. i would be plugged in mostly but would need a few hrs battery life occasionally. would mostly use it for gaming (want it to at least run doom 3 at minimum setting), digital editing, internet, and work which will not be too taxing on the processor.

would like to get some opinions. thanks

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post #2 of 26
8/22/03 at 9:10am
uh oh..another comparison thread

please keep the flaming and name calling to urself

anyway..to answer ur question...it would really be up to ur preference. yes sager is a lesser known company, only because they don't do any marketing, which keeps their notebook costs down. as for battery life...if u were to play games on battery...expect to cut battery life down by 50% or more. if the dell 8600 is about the same as the 8500 then battery life would be around 3 hours...while the sager will be around 2. i haven't really heard about the noisy part of sager..but yeah..they do get quite warm and they r heavy, 12lbs vs the dells 7lbs. i was considering to purchase the 8500 earlier this summer but found sager instead. the pentium m is a good chip, a 1.7 ghz processor is said to be just as fast as a 2.4 p4. i actually wanted a 16:9 ratio screen so i would be able to watch dvds in their native habitat...however i thought to myself...how often would i watch dvds on my notebook when i have a 65" hdtv in the family room ....anyway the 8890 features hyperthreading which will improve cpu utilization...especially if u do a lot of digital editing/photoshop stuff, not sure if the dell machine will have this. so basically i think it boils down to how much u r willing to spend...and which features u think u will need.
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post #3 of 26
8/22/03 at 11:41am
It really boils down to what you need to do with the computer and where you'll be using it. The cons of the Sager are basically non-existant (for you) if the system isn't going to class with you where an AC adapter isn't available (battery life is less than 1/2 that of the Dell, unless you go with the dual battery setup, where it's still less but not as much).

The 'less known' thing shouldn't be an issue -- but taking care of your warrenty is very different. Dell will show up at your door, but with Sager you'll have to ship that thing (insured mind you) everytime something goes wrong. Shipping tends to range between 30-50 bucks each time in my experience.

If you want super CPU speed and hate 16x9 ratio, I think the Sager is an obvious pick.
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post #4 of 26
8/22/03 at 7:45pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the info guys. actually with dell, doesnt one have to send the laptop in too, unless u get in-home service. and about the 16:9 screen. im also rarely going to play dvd's on it and i heard games and other content would look crappy on it. depends on ones usage though. also i think with the dell, u can upgrda the video crad but not the processor, as with the sager.
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post #5 of 26
8/22/03 at 7:53pm

sager

sager less known? how bout clevo, previous alienware, velocity micro pc, voodoo pc, all MUCH more high end that ANY dell...not exactly so unknown...also, i havent heard about the noisy issue in the new laptops...can anybody llink me to that? Cuz i heard that they were quiet.
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post #6 of 26
8/22/03 at 10:47pm
Quote:
Originally posted by chemicalali
also i think with the dell, u can upgrda the video crad but not the processor, as with the sager.
Actually, I think you can. I know for sure that you can on the Compaq x1000 (same Compal ODM as Dell M60/D800/i8500).
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post #7 of 26
8/23/03 at 5:16am
u won't be able to upgrade the video card in the sager...cuz its most likely going to be soldered in. alienware has the update feature. as for dell i don't know yet.
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post #8 of 26
8/23/03 at 6:24am
Thread Starter 
i mistyped, dell does have an upgrade on the video card but not on the cpu. unless u change the motherboard too. thats confirmed. for sager its the opposite. u can change the cpu but not the video card.
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post #9 of 26
8/23/03 at 9:38pm
People ... The new video cards are all upgradeable ... ati flexfit ... no soldering
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post #10 of 26
8/23/03 at 10:06pm
You can change the CPU in the Dell. The MOBO in the 8600 is probably the same as the D800/M60. You can look up the service manuals on Dell.com to verify that you can indeed change the CPU. It's just a bit difficult locating an upgrade processor. If you order one from Dell it will cost you some big $$$.

Dell Service Manual
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post #11 of 26
8/24/03 at 1:22am
It's not neccessarily a GOOD thing that Dell is well-known...Their customer support is horrible, while PCTorque's appears to be awesome.
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post #12 of 26
8/25/03 at 4:32am
dell 8600 specs seen from pc gamer (specs copied directly):

Intel Pentium M 1.70ghz
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
15.4" Wide-Aspect Ultrasharp UXGA TFT Display
512MB DDR PC2700 SDRAM
80GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
24x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
128MB DDR NVIDIA GeForceFX Go5650 Graphics
Front-Mounted Stereo Speakers for a Complete Multimedia Experience
72Whr Li-Ion Battery with ExpressCharge Technology (9 cell)
Internal Fax Modem and NIC Included
Intel PRO 2100 802.11b Mini-PCI Wireless Card
WordPerfect Productivity Pack with Quicken New User Edition
6 Months of America Online Membership Included
1-Yr Limited Warranty, 1-Yr Mail-In Service

Price as configured: $2599
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post #13 of 26
8/25/03 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
i spoke to dell customer service. usually they either dont know or dont give out info. about new products but they did tell me it should be available in a week or 2. still deciding between the dell or the sager.


where in pc gamer did u get the specs on the dell. couldnt find it on the site.
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post #14 of 26
8/25/03 at 11:38am

DELL - the secret is out!

Dell owners are resorting to rubber bands to keep their boxes going.
Quote:
Wait till you get your 8500, then decide whether you want to try the fixes. I suspect you will already have the "foam fix" on the right side. Try others, including the application of small pieces of elastic band...
See: Dell Inspiron forum.

Pleeeeease shoot me or give me a Sager to put me out of my misery.
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post #15 of 26
8/25/03 at 12:15pm

geforce 5650

Finaly found some info on the differance between the fx 5600 and the 5650. It seems that only the clock was increased from 275 mhz to 325 mhz. Sounds pretty nice

Here is a link:
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache...n&ie=UTF-8</a>

It's in French so you can use systran or bablefish to translate it.
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post #16 of 26
8/25/03 at 12:49pm
From all the data I have seen a 1.7 = P4 M - not a desktop P4. Not a flame - just a correction.


Quote:
Originally posted by Jebus
uh oh..another comparison thread

please keep the flaming and name calling to urself

anyway..to answer ur question...it would really be up to ur preference. yes sager is a lesser known company, only because they don't do any marketing, which keeps their notebook costs down. as for battery life...if u were to play games on battery...expect to cut battery life down by 50% or more. if the dell 8600 is about the same as the 8500 then battery life would be around 3 hours...while the sager will be around 2. i haven't really heard about the noisy part of sager..but yeah..they do get quite warm and they r heavy, 12lbs vs the dells 7lbs. i was considering to purchase the 8500 earlier this summer but found sager instead. the pentium m is a good chip, a 1.7 ghz processor is said to be just as fast as a 2.4 p4. i actually wanted a 16:9 ratio screen so i would be able to watch dvds in their native habitat...however i thought to myself...how often would i watch dvds on my notebook when i have a 65" hdtv in the family room ....anyway the 8890 features hyperthreading which will improve cpu utilization...especially if u do a lot of digital editing/photoshop stuff, not sure if the dell machine will have this. so basically i think it boils down to how much u r willing to spend...and which features u think u will need.
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post #17 of 26
8/25/03 at 3:31pm
i thought i said the 1.7 was a pentium m?
"the pentium m is a good chip, a 1.7 ghz processor is said to be just as fast as a 2.4 p4."

i also posted the initial specs of the 8600 above. its in the october issue of pcgamer pages 56-57. it'll be right before the "so you wanna be a wargamer?" article.
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post #18 of 26
8/25/03 at 3:53pm
You do NOT want an inspiron 8xxx series until they 100% iron out the keyboard issue. The entire laptop ****ing bends and shakes and you type on it, not to mention it sounds like hail stones on a tin roof. A buddy of mine has an inspiron 8500, and I'd take a black and white 33mhz compaq laptop over it.

Worst build quality I've EVER seen in a laptop. EVER.
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post #19 of 26
8/25/03 at 3:57pm
Dont confuse the Pentium M with the Pentium 4 M. The Pentium M (or the wrongly named centrino chip - centrino is the entire HW setup not the chip) Is a low energy fast cache chip. The Pentium 4 M is a pentium 4 that has been customized for mobile use. This customization to get better battery life greatly lowers the speed of the chip and as such should not be compared to a Pentium 4 desktop chip.

This is why sagers get such truly crap battery life in part - they use a standard desktop chip which gives massive speed - but chews up juice faster than a P4M or a PM.



Quote:
Originally posted by Jebus
i thought i said the 1.7 was a pentium m?
"the pentium m is a good chip, a 1.7 ghz processor is said to be just as fast as a 2.4 p4."

i also posted the initial specs of the 8600 above. its in the october issue of pcgamer pages 56-57. it'll be right before the "so you wanna be a wargamer?" article.
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post #20 of 26
8/25/03 at 10:23pm

Dell 8600

I don't know about Dell's customer service besides the forums they have. I like the idea of a pentium-m with a DX9 graphics card. In a year to 2, these sagers and alienwares will all be using true portable chips. If dell fixes the keyboard issue on this new laptop, I think it will be a very cool machine. The pentium-m is very powerful and people are often misled because of the stated ghz. Intel's next pentium-m will blow away a desktop pentium 4 as the new pentium-m will go up to 2.6 ghz by late next year and have a 2 meg L2 cache. It is also going to get a new motherboard that supports 533 mhz by middle of next year. It really is the way to go with notebooks. True power and true mobility; in a year or 2 you won't see anymore desktop replacements(meaning not desktop processor in a laptop). That will be the ideal time for a lappy. Hopefully, the new 8600 will be up on dell's site soon as it is definitely worth looking at.


Sean R.
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