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Which seems like the better buy between these MSI and Sager laptops?

JDK

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How are you doing? I'm looking to buy a new laptop and could use your opinion on which one these two machines seems like the better of the two.

Just for some quick background info. The laptop will be used daily to run Google Chrome with an average of 6-10 tabs open at a time, Photoshop CS6 with several large files being worked on (sometimes files that are multiple gigs), Media Monkey media player, Microsoft Word, FilaZilla, IrfanView, Tweetdock and a few other programs that I believe don't require much memory. I'm not a "big" gamer, but that's not saying I don't play a game here and there (Age of Empire, Company of Heroes, Black OPS). It will be used to edit photos and graphics in Photoshop, 85% of which are for web use and not print. Being able to deal with heat issues is something that's big in my book since I've always had problems with laptops overheating. I also need Photoshop to run smoothly with little to no lag. I've always had issue with lag in photshop, where I would wait for PS to initialize the type tool or where I would try and drag things across the screen and they would only move part way before stopping and starting again after a few seconds.

It's been suggested before that I go with a Quadro or Firepro or 7970m GPU, and said that they would make Photoshop run more efficiently, but since I'm not ruling out games entirely, I don't know if that's the wisest idea. Thoughts on that?

All that being said, here's the two machines I put together. If you could please take a look at the specs and let me know which you feel is the better buy for my needs, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you see anything I could change to improve the performance for my needs, please, don't hesitate to suggest a recommendation. Take note though, these two machines are pretty much at my budget level. I could maybe spend $100-$200 more.

MSI GT70 0NE-452US
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- FREE!!! - FIREFALL Exclusive BETA Key w/ Purchase! [limited time offer / while supplies last]
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (SKU - X1R551)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- XOTIC PC Professional Monitor Color Calibration (Will add to Production Time) (Operating System is required) (XPC Service)
- 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – X2X317)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 w/ Optimus™ Technology (SKU - X3R708)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-444P] (Dual Channel Memory (4x4GB SODIMMS)) – Default
- Standard Laptop Finish
- Standard White Logo Backlight
- mSATA Option: Operating System Installed [Default] w/ mSATA(s) selected below
- 128GB Solid State Drive mSATA - [ In Primary Hard Drive Bay ]
- No mSATA SSD
- 1,000GB (1TB) 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default (SKU - X5R353)
- 6X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive (SKU – X7R562)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1202 + Bluetooth 4.0 (Dual Band) (SKU – X8R117)
- No Network Accessory
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Stock MSI SteelSeries™ Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- Windows 7 Home Premium - 64-Bit (Supports up to 16GB of RAM)
- Keep factory installed operating system
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 2 Year MSI US/Canada Parts & Labor 1 Year Global Warranty w/ Lifetime Tech Support
+ 1 Year Accidental Damage Warranty (Requires Registration within 30 Days from Ship Date) (SKU - M9R301)
- No Certificate & Binder
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based telephone technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- Standard Production Time
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Xotic PC Gear

Sager NP9370 - Gaming Laptop (Clevo P370EM)
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- SAGER Winter Sale!!! - $50 OFF When you spend $1350.00* or more per system! (*excludes non-sager parts, accessories, shipping, & taxes)
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (Will add 4-7 business days to build time) (SKU - X1R552)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- XOTIC PC Professional Monitor Color Calibration (Operating System is required) (XPC Service - requires shipment to XOTIC PC: will add to build time)
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 [User Upgradeable] (SKU - S3R707)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 16GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (4 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4T822P)
- Sager Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- 128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD - Preconfigured as an OS Drive ( Operating System – Drive C: ) - [ETA: 4/1]
- 1,000GB [1TB] 5400RPM [Serial-ATA II 3GB/s] (SKU - S5R353)
- None Standard
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 6x Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Special! (SKU - S7P557)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth™ v3.0 (SKU - S8R110)
- No Network Accessory
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included (Supports up to 16GB of RAM)) + MS Office Starter 2010
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- - No Microsoft OFFICE Software
- No Software Bundle
- Sager 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty w/ Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Customer Support (SKU - S9R220)
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based telephone technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- Standard Production Time
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Xotic PC Gear
I've never owned anything aside from a store bought Dell or HP. I've heard great things about both Sager and MSI and was told that one of these brands would be the way to go for my needs. Just not sure which of the two are better.

I've never owned anything aside from a store bought Dell or HP. I've heard great things about both Sager and MSI and was told that one of these brands would be the way to go for my needs. Just not sure which of the two are better.
 
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i would stick to the big brands like dell/HP/Acer they are much easier to get parts for if anything ever goes wrong.

msi/sagem/asus are very difficult to get parts for and hard to find information on because if their rarity.

its like buying a car you don't get a ford because its the best you get it because its common and has lots parts available.
 
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i would stick to the big brands like dell/HP/Acer they are much easier to get parts for if anything ever goes wrong.

Dont buy a Dell. I'd go for the MSI.
 
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the sager has an upgradeable cpu and gpu socket, so if you plan on upgrading one of those in the future, the sager is a good choice...

but..

if you don't plan any upgrades, the MSI is good choice, and they have good after sales services too (well at least in my country, lol)...
 

AsRock

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Dont buy a Dell. I'd go for the MSI.

Why not a DELL ?, i could say that about MSI as i have nothing but terrible experiences with there mobo's lol. At least say your reasons.

Ours after 3 years is still going strong.. Although you might want to keep their none dell techs away as the last one wanted to use a whole tube of thermal paste.
 

brandonwh64

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I have had good customer service with sager so I would tend to go with them over MSI. MSI's RMA service is a joke. It took over a month to get a motherboard back from RMA. GRRR
 

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just the fact that the GPU and CPU are upgradable would make me lean towards the Sager, that and i know they are a great laptop maker.
 
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Why not a DELL ?, i could say that about MSI as i have nothing but terrible experiences with there mobo's lol. At least say your reasons.

Ours after 3 years is still going strong.. Although you might want to keep their none dell techs away as the last one wanted to use a whole tube of thermal paste.

Over here Dell are like apple, they charge you a fee to have their name on the hardware, and everything they sell tends to be largely more expensive for an identical laptop/desktop. Dell UK customer service is also a joke, and nobody ever hopes for them to achieve anything.
 

AsRock

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Over here Dell are like apple, they charge you a fee to have their name on the hardware, and everything they sell tends to be largely more expensive for an identical laptop/desktop. Dell UK customer service is also a joke, and nobody ever hopes for them to achieve anything.

O please you pay for a name of most things.. I never had a DELL in the UK for the 30 years i lived there but here in the US you get them send a tech they bee at your door in a day or so..BUT because they suck in the UK don't mean they do every were how ever i do feel like they are getting worse as they seem to not use there own techs any more.

UK''s a ripp off anyways 1 of the reasons i left.
 
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just the fact that the GPU and CPU are upgradable would make me lean towards the Sager, that and i know they are a great laptop maker.

the sager has an upgradeable cpu and gpu socket, so if you plan on upgrading one of those in the future, the sager is a good choice...

but..

if you don't plan any upgrades, the MSI is good choice, and they have good after sales services too (well at least in my country, lol)...

Both laptops have the same CPU and GPU, so aren't both upgradeable?:confused:
 
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Possibly one uses sockets, while the other has CPU & GPU soldered to the mainboard...

At any rate, I'd personally go for a Lenovo.
 

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Both laptops have the same CPU and GPU, so aren't both upgradeable?

im pretty sure the Sager has a MXM nodule for the GFX and i suppose both COULD take a cpu upgrade, but it would depend on what the MSI supports CPU wise.
 
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both are mxm
this is the msi

 

JDK

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So it looks like Sager is in the lead here.

I don't plan on upgrading to tell you the truth. If anything, I would probably just buy a new computer. Computers are tax write-offs for me, so it's worth my wild to buy a new one every couple years.
 
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