Options for a 15.6" 1080p Matte Laptop w/ Decent Video Card for < $1500

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Blazestorm

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So I'm looking at essentially a desktop replacement as I'll be spending a lot of time away from my desktop and I'll need a gaming-level video card to do my work (3D Game development :eek: ) ... Sadly the T500's 3650 isn't going to cut it for much longer.

My biggest issue is glossy screens, I really hate them... so whatever laptop it is, it must have a matte screen

So the first option I was looking at was the Sager NP-8130...

Core i7 2630QM
8GB Ram
500GB 7200rpm Drive
GTX 460m
1920 x 1080 matte screen

$1170 from XoticPC, might change a few things + add a better warranty but that's about it.

Are there any other options I might be missing? I looked at the new W520 but I don't think the Quadro 2000m is comparable for performance and it gets out of my budget range pretty quick. And anything with a glossy screen is also out (so Any of the newer Asus)
 
The Sager is nice. I currently have a NP2096, but just ordered a NP8170. You might find other options on the NP8150 and/or looking at other resellers than XoticPC. Other Sager/Clevo resellers: Malibal, Mythlogic, LPC Digital...

One other idea, you can replace the glossy LCD yourself. Generally speaking, the LCD is pretty easy to swap out. Unscrew ~10 screws, un-tape, disconnect cable, pop-out old, pop in new one, reconnect cable, tape/glue down, screw back in place. I think the good matte screens in the 15" range are like $120.
 
for the price sager seems like such a great deal.
just dont know much about them.
How are the screens?
 
zoobaby said:
The Sager is nice. I currently have a NP2096, but just ordered a NP8170. You might find other options on the NP8150 and/or looking at other resellers than XoticPC. Other Sager/Clevo resellers: Malibal, Mythlogic, LPC Digital...

One other idea, you can replace the glossy LCD yourself. Generally speaking, the LCD is pretty easy to swap out. Unscrew ~10 screws, un-tape, disconnect cable, pop-out old, pop in new one, reconnect cable, tape/glue down, screw back in place. I think the good matte screens in the 15" range are like $120.
Click to expand...

Well the NP8150 is nice, but it doesn't have an option for a Matte screen (except Xotic will do one for $190), the -S1 does have an option (for $30, assumed to be the same screen in the 8130) but it's also like $1500-1600... better video-card, but still not sure if it's worth it.

And I've replaced LCD's before, but I'd rather not do it on a brand new laptop if I don't have to :p

I'd rather spend less, and I think I'll probably just go with the NP8130

And I'm not sure on the screens, I'm not too picky in terms of color and stuff... as long as it isn't super grainy or super glossy.
 
Instead of spending $hundreds on a replacement LCD, why not just $30ish on a glare filter (similar to the screen protector on your smartphone) instead?
 
Just got my NP8130.

Best laptop I have ever owned. The only thing it is missing is a backlit keyboard.

GTX 460M overclocks nicely from 675MHz core, 1250MHz mem stock to over 800MHz core, 1500MHz mem. I get the same GPU score as a desktop 5830.

I would not have wanted the 8150 because glossy screens are terrible on notebooks and also the unit has a rubberized finish which is unpleasant. The 8130 has a matte AU Optronics screen and matte finish.

The 8130 and 8150 are identical internally BTW. The only reason why the 8130 doesn't have a GTX 485 or HD 6970M as GPU options is because it has a less powerful power brick. Users have put a GTX 485M into a 8130 with the 8150's power brick and it worked.
 
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Nice to know on the power-brick - 8150 thing... I was figuring it was something like that.

I think I will be ordering one then pretty soon. :D
 
Question for you then Spare-Flair

Can it fit a 12.5mm HDD? Just curious if I could stick a 1TB in there, along with a SSD in the DVD drive bay (with one of those caddys)
 
Spare-Flair said:
Just got my NP8130.

Best laptop I have ever owned. The only thing it is missing is a backlit keyboard.

GTX 460M overclocks nicely from 675MHz core, 1250MHz mem stock to over 800MHz core, 1500MHz mem. I get the same GPU score as a desktop 5830.

I would not have wanted the 8150 because glossy screens are terrible on notebooks and also the unit has a rubberized finish which is unpleasant. The 8130 has a matte AU Optronics screen and matte finish.

The 8130 and 8150 are identical internally BTW. The only reason why the 8130 doesn't have a GTX 485 or HD 6970M as GPU options is because it has a less powerful power brick. Users have put a GTX 485M into a 8130 with the 8150's power brick and it worked.
Click to expand...

Seems to me the 8150 has a matte option
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8150-clevo-p150hm-p-2972.html?wconfigure=yes
 
It does, but it's a $190 option... Granted it's a nicer screen but I don't care, I'm just programming on it.

Also found out the 8130 does not supporting 12.5mm drives internally, but you can find some ODD caddys that will fit 12.5mm drives...
 
Blazestorm said:
Also found out the 8130 does not supporting 12.5mm drives internally, but you can find some ODD caddys that will fit 12.5mm drives...
Click to expand...
A lot of laptops dont support 12.5mm, its not the standard (9.5mm), but at the end of the year samsung might have 1tb 9.5 drives, 750gb are pretty good though, specially the WD Scorpio Black 750gb.
 
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Blazestorm said:
It does, but it's a $190 option... Granted it's a nicer screen but I don't care, I'm just programming on it.

Also found out the 8130 does not supporting 12.5mm drives internally, but you can find some ODD caddys that will fit 12.5mm drives...
Click to expand...

The optical bay drive is useless on a modern laptop. How often do you use a disc? Get an external USB optical burner. Costs like $30.

Get an optical caddy and you can have two regular drives in this machine. You don't need a 12.5mm drive.

The primary bay is SATA 3 6gb/s while the optical drive is only SATA 2 3gb/s. Put an SSD in the primary bay and a storage drive in the optical bay.
 
Yep that was the plan, I'm already doing that in my T500 Thinkpad...

I just thought for in-the-future if I need it...
 
Blazestorm said:
Well the NP8150 is nice, but it doesn't have an option for a Matte screen (except Xotic will do one for $190), the -S1 does have an option (for $30, assumed to be the same screen in the 8130) but it's also like $1500-1600... better video-card, but still not sure if it's worth it.
Click to expand...


What is the difference between the NP8150 and the NP8150-S1?
 
-S1 was just another configuration, comes stock with the 6970 and a few other upgrades... 8150 is the more base configuration but can have stuff added to match the -S1

The one thing the base can't do is add the $30 Matte screen though. So you rather go with the 8130 or 8150-S1.

I'm going to be ordering the 8130... I don't feel like spending $200 just on a screen, and don't really need much more than a GTX460m, it's not meant to replace my desktop.
 
Blazestorm said:
-S1 was just another configuration, comes stock with the 6970 and a few other upgrades... 8150 is the more base configuration but can have stuff added to match the -S1

The one thing the base can't do is add the $30 Matte screen though. So you rather go with the 8130 or 8150-S1.

I'm going to be ordering the 8130... I don't feel like spending $200 just on a screen, and don't really need much more than a GTX460m, it's not meant to replace my desktop.
Click to expand...

The GTX 460M can be overclocked quite easily. It's about as fast as a desktop HD 5830 on a good OC.

It runs everything I throw at it at max or near max settings if I DON'T apply AA. With a 1080p screen that is only 15.6", you don't need AA as the pixel density is so high.

My only warning for this laptop is that it is not quiet. The card will idle at around 40° and the GPU fan is almost always on slightly. I usually play low-volume music to drown it out. The CPU fan is silent though.
 
RJtech will sell p151hm barebones without GPU for 599$
with 460m for 789$
I can get a 6970 for under 450$ ;)

There might be a sticker blocking your left GPU fan vent on these laptops... remove it for better GPU temps.

Also, for MSI see RKcomputer. They have a 460m sandy bridge barebones for the same price, but with a glossy screen (quite a different thing, but with identical specs to the clevo)

Remember guys, all of these laptops are user upgradeable to the 6970m. The heatsinks might be different or insufficient but there are always things you can do (285m heatsinks from w860cu will probably fit). I see the 6970m coming down in price soon ;)
 
niffcreature said:
RJtech will sell p151hm barebones without GPU for 599$
with 460m for 789$
I can get a 6970 for under 450$ ;)

There might be a sticker blocking your left GPU fan vent on these laptops... remove it for better GPU temps.

Also, for MSI see RKcomputer. They have a 460m sandy bridge barebones for the same price, but with a glossy screen (quite a different thing, but with identical specs to the clevo)

Remember guys, all of these laptops are user upgradeable to the 6970m. The heatsinks might be different or insufficient but there are always things you can do (285m heatsinks from w860cu will probably fit). I see the 6970m coming down in price soon ;)
Click to expand...

No, the difference is the power supply. The 6970/485M models had a bigger and more powerful powersupply than the 460M model.
 
niffcreature said:
RJtech will sell p151hm barebones without GPU for 599$
with 460m for 789$
I can get a 6970 for under 450$ ;)

There might be a sticker blocking your left GPU fan vent on these laptops... remove it for better GPU temps.

Also, for MSI see RKcomputer. They have a 460m sandy bridge barebones for the same price, but with a glossy screen (quite a different thing, but with identical specs to the clevo)

Remember guys, all of these laptops are user upgradeable to the 6970m. The heatsinks might be different or insufficient but there are always things you can do (285m heatsinks from w860cu will probably fit). I see the 6970m coming down in price soon ;)
Click to expand...

$800 for the 460m, then another $300+ for a quad-core and you're at $1,100 just like if you would have bought it new anyways, except you don't get 8gb ram, a 500gb drive, or wireless card.
 
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