Ready to buy someone look at build?

[Xfactor56]

Ok, so after a week of playing around, I am down to a couple of builds. Justin, I am hoping you could take a look and see if you suggest any changes on both builds and if one in particular stands out as the 'better' option. Thanks in advance for any input. Both are approx $1400, and I just realized that the Asus has the Vista 32. I assume I should upgrade to 64? Sorry for the long post, but I just want to be sure I am doing the right thing... Thanks

General Questions

1) What is your budget? below $1500

2) What size notebook would you prefer
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?no

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? mostly gaming while travelling. temp replacement for desktop.

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk? taking it to a location then leaving it. not tons of travel.

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? wow, cod4, cs:source

8) How many hours of battery life do you need? meh, can always buy new battery

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person? no

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
have never used anything but xp, but willing to upgrade at this point

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen? w

12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer? (more details below)
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non glossy screen? (Read below on differences) either

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? no

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last? hopefully awhile...

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 500GB? 200-320

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive? dvd is ok

ASUS M50VM-B1 (http://www.xoticpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=2441%7B161%7D1411%7B7 6%7D646%7B187%7D1416%7B94%7D1903%7B92%7D2451%7B88% 7D2453%7B186%7D734%7B93%7D1645%7B112%7D656%7B98%7D 1799%7B96%7D1471%7B168%7D1453%7B116%7D1416%7B117%7 D1915%7B120%7D703%7B110%7D1729%7B169%7D1449%7B119% 7D1678%7B100%7D734%7B164%7D1441%7B107%7D689%7B106% 7D1691%7B121%7D694%7B108%7D710%7B109%7D711%7B170%7 D1591%7B173%7D1904%7B167%7D1452%7B103%7D1920%7B113 %7D1413%7B111%7D1414%7B69%7D1775)
- !! FREE !! UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code FREESHIP in Checkout)
- 15.4" WXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1440x900)
- None Standard
- ASUS Zero Bright Dot (ZBD) Pixel Guarantee
- -Intel® T9400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 35 watt - ASUS Default Processor
- 1,024MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9600M GS DDR2 DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory -
- Standard Finish
- - Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti 8X DVDRW Drive w/ Software
- - 320GB SATA 150 5400RPM Hard Drive - Asus Default Hard Drive
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 8-in-1 Card Reader: MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
- None Standard
- Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Asus USB Optical Mouse
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's - ENS
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty, 24/7 Tech Support, 1 Year Accidental Damage Coverage & 2-Way Pre-Paid Overnight Shipping for Repairs

Sager NP2096 Custom Laptop (Built on the Compal JHL90) PRE ORDER (http://www.xoticpc.com/product_info.php?products_id=2409%7B76%7D650%7B187 %7D1757%7B94%7D1074%7B92%7D2423%7B88%7D2410%7B186% 7D734%7B93%7D2044%7B193%7D657%7B112%7D656%7B98%7D1 295%7B96%7D786%7B168%7D1453%7B116%7D1416%7B117%7D8 90%7B120%7D703%7B110%7D2426%7B169%7D1449%7B119%7D1 898%7B100%7D734%7B164%7D1441%7B107%7D1539%7B106%7D 1688%7B121%7D1532%7B108%7D710%7B109%7D711%7B170%7D 1591%7B173%7D1175%7B103%7D1889%7B113%7D1413%7B111% 7D1414%7B69%7D1513)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050) `
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® T9400 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 35 watt
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9600M GT DDR2 DX10
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 1 Year Parts & Labor, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support

[Justin_W@XoticPC]

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook? mostly gaming while traveling. temp replacement for desktop.

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games? wow, cod4, cs:source

With this said i would most recommend the Sager np2096. This notebook will give you better gaming performance as the video card is better, also the hard drive will be faster and the WLan card is the newest. The higher resolution screen on the 2096 is highly sought after by gamers. Gamers don't really enjoy playing on a small 1440x900 resolution screen. Hope this helps your decision making process :)

With the release of SP1 on vista, the 32bit version will recognize all 4gb of memory, but can only utilize around 3 gb of memory. To utilize all 4gb of memory you will need to go with the 64 bit vista.

[Anewbus]

Well, ultimately the decision is yours. If either one of these machines fit your needs now and a few years to come, then you'll be good with either one.

If you want my opinion:
On the Asus I would add the Artic Thermal compound which would bring the total to $1392.92. The compound is an extra measure of heat safety to your system especially since you will be gaming. Lappys do get hot!

The Asus does have free shipping, a mouse, a case, an 8-in-1 card reader and 1GB mem on the vid card.

However, considering the Sager 2096:

It comes with the Artic compound
The screen res is higher than the Asus
The battery life is also be a bit longer. (depends on what your doing).

The only thing is you pay for shipping ($37 approx) and I see your sticking with the 1 year warranty.
Total on Sager $1423.13 with shipping, making the Asus only $30 less.

My personal preference is the Sager, but that's just me. If your not too concerned, the one year warranty will do as you still get the lifetime tech support anyway. Personally I would have opted for the three year at $139 more but that would put you over $1500. ($1562.13 to be exact). However, again, that's just me.

What I have given you is "my take" on your question. It's only my opinion. I would double check with Justin or anyone "in the know" at XoticPC to really settle on a machine you want.

[OregonCoastGamer]

The NP2096 is the more powerful of the two. Only reason to buy the ASUS over the NP2096 is the warranty and zero bright pixel guarantee. It will be your decision in the end, but I would push for the NP2096 myself. Also for future upgrades.

[Anewbus]

Just my opinion, but one other option would be to save up $139 more and go for the 3 year warranty on the 2096. However, often times that is much easier said than done. I should know, it took me 2 years to save up for my lappy. :) No matter which machine, you'll be fine with XoticPC doing the build and standing behind it.

[Xfactor56]

kk, it is done. I just put the order in for the 2096 and went ahead with the 3 year warranty. $139 over two years seemed like a reasonable investment. Thanks again for all your help. The support you all provided was awesome. I am so glad a found this website.
Thanks

[Anewbus]

Congrats on ordering your lappy! Yes, if your spending $1300 on a laptop, the 3 year warranty is worth the investment just for peace of mind alone, along with anything else. A laptop is a laptop, we are talking electronics and you know how electronics are, but XoticPC has the best laptops for the money and its their warranties and support that make the difference and puts them head and shoulders over anyone else. That's why I ordered mine. The support will continue from XoticPC and everyone here on the forums for the life of your lappy! You can't get this kind of backing and support from BestBuy, CircuitCity, Dell or any of the "big brand names" either.