NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Sager & Clevo Notebook Forums › Sager & Clevo Notebooks › When Sager outperforms Dell 9300/XPS2
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

When Sager outperforms Dell 9300/XPS2

post #1 of 20
3/6/05 at 12:01am
Thread Starter 
I was just thinking, the last XPS was the best gaming laptop on the market until the Sager 9860 came out, and so I was wondering how long that actually took. I think this would give us a pretty good indication of when we might start seeing laptops that can compete with the 9300/XPS2. Does anyone know this information? Might be interesting as I am being tempted beyond belief by the power of the Dark Side (I'm so close to buying an XPS2). And while it is tempting, I'm not looking forward to getting tech support from someone who can barely speak English if anything goes wrong.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 20
3/6/05 at 12:34am
Hey, I think that the Sager Laptops are good, I actually like them better than the alienwares because of the price difference, however I had a Dell inspiron Xps the first one (Gave it back to get an Xps Gen2) I had a little trouble when I started and had great customer support. the person actually spoke english. The only time that I got someone that didn't know how to speak english was over the Christmas Vacation, I got this indian dude who didn't know what he was doing. ( however that was in the sales department)
One of the reasons why i Think that you should probably go the dell way is because of the 6800Ultra card, I don't know if you like the lights and stuff but the unit is fit for games as well as multimedia and productivity, What you would pay for a highend Alienware you can get a more powerful Dell for Cheeper, I'm not knocking alienware but you have to admit their prices are rediculas, The Sagers are also cool but I don't think that they will go the Pentium M route, they may stay with the desktop processors which is the cause of all the weight and bulk of the system.
Just my $0.02 good luck in deciding

Reply
Reply
post #3 of 20
3/6/05 at 12:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattboy
I was just thinking, the last XPS was the best gaming laptop on the market until the Sager 9860 came out, and so I was wondering how long that actually took. I think this would give us a pretty good indication of when we might start seeing laptops that can compete with the 9300/XPS2. Does anyone know this information? Might be interesting as I am being tempted beyond belief by the power of the Dark Side (I'm so close to buying an XPS2). And while it is tempting, I'm not looking forward to getting tech support from someone who can barely speak English if anything goes wrong.
Unless I cancel, I made the trip to the darkside with a 9300. Would have liked to have gone with a Sager, but the 7620 and 4480 are sort of disappointing. As to when Sager will come out with something equivelent or better than the XPS2...depends on what kind of deal Dell made with nVidia. Remember, the XPS had the MR9800 card and I never did see that in any other notebook.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 20
3/6/05 at 1:02am
Here were the GPU first ship dates from what I can best tell.

Both Dell and Sager had the 9600/9700 GPUs


ATI releases MR9800

Sager did not use this GPU

The Dell XPS with the MR9800 first major shipping date:
8-10-04


NVIDIA releases go 6800

The Sager 9860 with the 6800 first major shipping date:
11-10-04

The Dell 9300 with the 6800 first major shipping date:
Dell estimates 3-18-05 it will begin

ATI releases X800 DDR3

The Sager 9860 with the X800 first major shipping date:
1-29-05

Dell did not use this GPU


NVIDIA releases go 6800 DDR3

The Sager 9860 with the 6800 (DDR3) first major shipping date:
2-10-05

Dell did not use this GPU


NVIDIA releases go 6800 Ultra

The Sager 9860 with the 6800 Ultra first major shipping date:
Not yet announced

The Dell XPS2 with the 6800 Ultra first major shipping date:
Dell estimates 4-8-05 it will begin


So, I wouldn't say you could predict the future with that. I guess other things to consider between the two is Dell puts stuff up for pre-order from what I can tell around 6 weeks before they plan to ship (for big releases). Sager resellers put them up for ordering usually within two weeks of them expecting to ship.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 20
3/6/05 at 1:09am
Good point. In fact, as of the moment Dell doesn't out perform Sager in any present notebook that any consumer has.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 20
3/6/05 at 1:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam@PCTorque
NVIDIA releases go 6800

The Sager 9860 with the 6800 first major shipping date:
11-10-04

Dell did not use this GPU
Isn't the Go 6800 used in the 9300?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 20
3/6/05 at 1:17am
oh yea, they just added that. I built one and the ship date it said was 3-25-05 so I updated it with that.

You didn't list the specs of what your 9300 you ordered has. Make sure you guys write up some reviews
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 20
3/6/05 at 1:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam@PCTorque
oh yea, they just added that. I built one and the ship date it said was 3-25-05 so I updated it with that.

You didn't list the specs of what your 9300 you ordered has. Make sure you guys write up some reviews
I had one ordered and it had a ship date of 3/25 also, however within 12 hours of placing the order it had gone into testing. Unfortunately I needed to make a change to my order which resulted in the first order being cancelled. The new order I placed last night has a shipping date of 3/18.

I ordered the 9300 with the 2.0ghz CPU, 1gb memory, 60mb 7200rpm hard drive, WXGA+ screen, dvd burner, Intel 2200 wireless card and an extra 9-cell battery.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 20
3/6/05 at 2:02am
Just got these specs of Nvidias site comparing the ultra to the 6800 ddr2/ddr3

GeForce Go 6800 Ultra
Memory Interface 256-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GBps) Up to 35.2
Fill Rate (pixels/sec.) 5.4 billion
Vertices/Second 565 million
Memory Data Rate 700 MHz DDR1/DDR2
1100 MHz GDDR3
RAMDACs 400 MHz

GeForce Go 6800
Memory Interface 256-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GBps) Up to 35.2
Fill Rate (pixels/sec.) 3.6 billion
Vertices/Second 470 million
Memory Data Rate 700 MHz DDR/DDR2
1100 MHz GDDR3
RAMDACs 400 MHz

Looking at the memory data rates does this mean 2 versions of the 6800 ultra will be released? A DDR2 700MHZ and DDR3 1100MHZ? Similar to the two releaces of the standard 6800 Go?

By the way I already placed an order for a 9860 and am wondering if the 6800 Ultra is released or on pre-order during my 30-day trial could I return the notebook and have the new Ultra card put in (paying the upgrade difference of course). Or would I have to return the system and order another one with the Ultra?
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 20
3/6/05 at 2:41am
The one thing that seems to be a go for that XPS is the stylish-look. For me, I have seen very little laptop mods that don't void your warranty, and here is a cover that already has the lights for you.

But what I really like is the red. Is that a fan vent with LEDs inside it, or is it a PCMCIA device?

That aside, my GX7(8790) was an awesome system and even though I could have bought the XPS2 for much lower price than what I am getting the EX7(9860) for (due to government discounts), the performance and options available on the Clevo models are much better. If I am going to have a desktop replacement, then I want as much in it as I can.

Now.... we need to come up with some cool covers and lights.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 20
3/6/05 at 3:39am
Thread Starter 
Wow, so only about 3 months after the XPS we saw the 9860. Oh my gosh that picture looks SO FREAKIN AWESOME!!! *drool* I really hate the thought of lugging around a 17" laptop, but dang it's just so perfect. I'll probably buy one when the sales go to a 20% off coupon, then I can use my EPP and shave a cool $1000 from the price. I still wish I could give my business to PCTorque though, they have gone above the call of duty with their company and my hat is off to both Adam and Luke.

I still have a month before it comes out though, so we'll see what happens
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 20
3/6/05 at 4:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam@PCTorque
I guess other things to consider between the two is Dell puts stuff up for pre-order from what I can tell around 6 weeks before they plan to ship (for big releases). Sager resellers put them up for ordering usually within two weeks of them expecting to ship.
I know that Sager doesn't put stuff up, but Clevo has had the specs on their page for a very long time now, and so I don't think that this is entirely accurate. I guess this is another reason why I'm not too hopeful for anything great to come from Sager anytime soon. Don't get me wrong, the 4880 and the 7620 are nice, but I think they are just a bit too little, a bit too late.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 20
3/6/05 at 4:44pm
Just a random observation: Adam, if you just mildly hinted some information regarding the 6800 ultra's possible compatibility with the 9860 it might really help business. I know a lot of people would like to buy the 9860 over the XPS2 but the graphics card is holding them back. If you gave them a little something to chew on that might convince some of them to stay with the light side.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 20
3/6/05 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brick
Just a random observation: Adam, if you just mildly hinted some information regarding the 6800 ultra's possible compatibility with the 9860 it might really help business. I know a lot of people would like to buy the 9860 over the XPS2 but the graphics card is holding them back. If you gave them a little something to chew on that might convince some of them to stay with the light side.

I am positive that if he had any he would be sharing it

I would be EXTREMELY surprised if Dell did not cut an exclusive deal with nVidia on the Ultra; they did with ATI on the 9800 after all. Considering the Ultra is the cornerstone of the XPS 2 - in fact, it's the only real reason to get one over their similar 9300 aside from looks and a slightly faster/more expensive CPU option - and Dell sells more laptops than anybody, including Clevo/Sager.....I am sorry, but I will be extremely surprised if the Ultra hits for the 9860 any time soon, if ever. I think it's more likely you'll see another card, such as a new ATI, in the months ahead for the 9860. Waiting to see if the Ultra will be released in the next few weeks is a lot of wishful thinking, in my very humble opinion.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 20
3/6/05 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ixian
I am positive that if he had any he would be sharing it

I would be EXTREMELY surprised if Dell did not cut an exclusive deal with nVidia on the Ultra; they did with ATI on the 9800 after all. Considering the Ultra is the cornerstone of the XPS 2 - in fact, it's the only real reason to get one over their similar 9300 aside from looks and a slightly faster/more expensive CPU option - and Dell sells more laptops than anybody, including Clevo/Sager.....I am sorry, but I will be extremely surprised if the Ultra hits for the 9860 any time soon, if ever. I think it's more likely you'll see another card, such as a new ATI, in the months ahead for the 9860. Waiting to see if the Ultra will be released in the next few weeks is a lot of wishful thinking, in my very humble opinion.
Dell does not have exclusive rights on the Go 6800 Ultra, as a matter of fact it is in testing right now at Clevo, it just has not not got to OEMs like Sager as of yet for their phase of the testing process. The story of Dells famous exclusive rights on the MR9800 always seems to come when there is information released about a new product, strikes me odd how it didn't appear any OEMS worried about it, they were too busy prepping for PCI-e. Unfortunately we don't have much more information then that, Sager/Clevo has yet to let us down on offering the latest and the greatest and I don't see why we should doubt them now. Time will tell but I have no doubt that Sager will have official compatibility information well before Dell starts shipping these.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 20
3/6/05 at 7:45pm
Luke you are slipping on 2 fronts here. One giving any information on the Ultra seems to be a break in company policy. It seems to me that your company has taken the High road and tried to refrain from releaseing information before it si official so as not to look like the other companies who like to trade on Rumors. Dell for instance only shipped the XPS 2 months before the Sager shipped but in the world of rumor it looked more like half a year that Dell had the Gameing Laptop title because of thier policy of releasing info much in advance of it actually shipping. Unfortunatly people dont remember when things actually shipped but remember when they first heard about things like the XPS 2. It wont be out for a month but it already has been given the Title as leader in the notebook wars

And 2 you were up to 90 hours this week in WoW but are down to a Lowly 78. What are you doing with all this extra time you are not gaming in? Are you going to give us the Wussy excuse of sleep now?
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 20
3/6/05 at 8:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luke@PCTorque
Dell does not have exclusive rights on the Go 6800 Ultra, as a matter of fact it is in testing right now at Clevo, it just has not not got to OEMs like Sager as of yet for their phase of the testing process. The story of Dells famous exclusive rights on the MR9800 always seems to come when there is information released about a new product, strikes me odd how it didn't appear any OEMS worried about it, they were too busy prepping for PCI-e. Unfortunately we don't have much more information then that, Sager/Clevo has yet to let us down on offering the latest and the greatest and I don't see why we should doubt them now. Time will tell but I have no doubt that Sager will have official compatibility information well before Dell starts shipping these.

I am sure this post will get lots of Sager people excited and earn you a ton of questions. First I've heard of this from someone who should actually know; that's why I said "in my extremely humble opinion" .

It'll be nice for Sager if it does come on down, that's for sure. I am not anti-Sager, being a current 5680 owner (although sadly I jumped ship to the 9300 for my newest, that 35% off coupon was impossible to overlook) and I certainly hope they do continue to offer the best out there. One day I may return to them.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 20
3/6/05 at 9:17pm
Hehe....so, when they put a 6800 Ultra in the 9860 will it come with jumper cables to hook it directly to a car battery and a ceramic cooking surface for keeping a cup of coffee piping hot?
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 20
3/6/05 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johare
Hehe....so, when they put a 6800 Ultra in the 9860 will it come with jumper cables to hook it directly to a car battery and a ceramic cooking surface for keeping a cup of coffee piping hot?
Ha, I was thinking the same thing. That thing has got to be mighty hot in there with a desktop processor, and considering what it does to the XPS 2's battery life it probably is going to destroy the poor old cell in the 9860. Not that it won't be worth it for a lot of folks. Heck, I considered paying nearly a grand more (no 35% off coupon for the XPS 2 ) just to get it with the Dell.

At least Sager will be able to match the XPS 2 in performance, if not beat it. This area of the market needs competition otherwise prices are going to be insane.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 20
3/9/05 at 8:13pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I think that all Sager has to do is put a 6800 Ultra in one of it's pentium machines to top Dell's performance (Pentium 4 vs. Pentium M). That being said, it won't be that easy with all the heat/battery problems, but I'm willing to bet it will happen in the next month or so, then Sager will be on top performance wise (look at all the mods they had to do to get the X800s in).

I can't dispute the genius of putting a P-M with a high end graphics card though. I'll probably buy a Dell when a good discount/review comes out because I want the battery life.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Sager & Clevo Notebooks
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Sager & Clevo Notebook Forums › Sager & Clevo Notebooks › When Sager outperforms Dell 9300/XPS2