Sager NP5160 review

Sager NP5160 at my desk to show size

I am an freelance IT guy for local businesses focusing on Network consultation, web development, and graphic design. I am telling you this, because that is what this laptop is going to be used for. I have no intentions of playing games on it, even though I did run a test playing a game at max resolution and quality. I find this laptop great for my uses, but there are some downsides to the one I ordered.

Boxing

I had ordered this from Xoticpc delivered by UPS, but when it arrived the boxing was all marked Sager. The box was real rigid and the extra packaging made for safe transport. There was foam, and just was an A++ in packaging and shipping.

I imagine that Xoticpc never touched my laptop, but not for certain. With that being said, I would imagine that most buyers will receive their order in the same fashion as I did. I do know that Xoticpc will put on screens for you, so if you have a certain type of screen, probably matte, you will have to wait a little longer.

Tested Sager NP5160 specs

• 1 x Sager NP5160 / Clevo W150HN () = $1,324.00
• Wireless Network Intel® Advanced-N 6230 – 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth
• Memory Card Reader Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
• Primary Hard Drive ~ 120GB Intel 510 Series Solid State Drive (SSD2 Serial-ATA III)
• Optical Drive ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Software
• Exterior Finish Standard Finish
• Ram ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
• Graphics Video Card nVidia GT 540M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
• Thermal Compound Stock Thermal Compound-
• Processor -2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
• Dead Pixel Warranty Standard Dead Pixel Policy
• Display 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920×1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
• Warranty 3 Year Labor 1 Year Parts, Lifetime Sager Toll Free Tech Support
• (I used a Windows 7 Ultimate Key I had) Operating System No Operating System Standard – Drivers & Utility Software Only
• Mouse / Keyboard Accessories No External Keyboard or Mouse
• Fingerprint Reader Integrated Fingerprint Reader
• Port Replicator / Dock / Adapters No Dock/Hub/Adapter
• Sound Card Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio – Included
• Camera Built in 2.0 Megapixel

Benchmarks

Passmark's Performance Test benchmark results on a Sager np5160

I used Passmark’s Performance test. I only purchased 4GB of RAM. When I purchased the laptop I was going to skate by with using readyboost for a while and then upgrade the RAM in 6 months. What I didn’t know is that readyboost uses superfetch. I have disabled superfetch due to the SSD. I was disappointed though in the Memory Mark. It only has two slots so it will be an expensive upgrade now, and I am not so sure it will improve the score greatly.

Windows experience score

Tested for Heat

I saw some posts that this machine gets too hot. I agree that it gets hot when you play games on full res and max quality. I don’t game as much as I used to, and won’t on this laptop. However, there are people that will. I made this video to demonstrate that. Sorry for my excessive umms…

What I liked

I like this laptops many all in one features. The Nvidia optimus is really cool. I do notice that it switches seamlessly. The VGA and HDMI port is nice, and USB 3.0 is the icing on the cake.

Running my usual programs such as the Adobe CS5 master collection has no problems. Even in Adobe Premiere it keeps up. I do manually switch it to high performance when in Premiere, but use the UMA mode when in Photoshop. It renders filters fast which is usually the test for benchmarks. Sorry I haven’t timed it, and if someone wants me too just post a comment asking.

The battery life is good, but when in UMA(when it switches between video card and cpu automatically) the batter life is spuratic.

I also liked where I ordered this from, Xoticpc, where Hutsady helped me out. He was always reachable, and XoticPC claims that to be the standard. Never had the same rep via internet and phone from Dell/bestbuy/compusa, but I do with XoticPC!

What I didn’t Like

Sager np5160 glossy screen

The screen is real vivid and nice looking in the right conditions which is great. It is large desktop at 1080p, which is also awesome, but the screen is a stand-in for a mirror. I did get the glossy screen not realizing that it is the most reflective screen I have ever used. That is my only complaint, and just like the RAM, it is my fault. I prefer to see real colors when starting a design project from beginning to end, but I would do that on my tower and it’s IPS panel led monitors. This laptop is for mobility and showing clients presentations and editing it on the spot.

The image to your right is one I took of the screen with 50% brightness in an office environment.

Conclusion

I am happy that I bought this laptop. I wish that I would have ordered the matte screen, but do not regret waiting for the np5165 as many people are doing now. If I was a gamer I would spend the extra money and get the np5165, but I no longer game. If you have any particular question, please feel free to leave a comment. Thank you