Sager 8790 Overview
I can hear you asking now, "What do I get for $3000?" The short answer is: a lot of features and amazing performance. Let's look at some of the features:
As you can see the 8790 comes with the standard array of ports on the back including DVI and S-Video outputs. Uncommon inclusions are the TV Tuner on the right and the Media Card reader on the left. Both features we found to be very useful. The Media Card reader can read from seven (7) different types of media, so those with MP3 players and digital cameras will really use this device, which should be standard on other laptops but is not. Access times were quick and the devices appear as additional drives.
The TV Tuner can be used to receive TV signals from a simple antenna or incoming cable. A note on the usefulness of the TV Tuner, we received this laptop 5 days before the first of 4 hurricanes hit Florida this season. Power, including cable TV was out for a week and a half during the first storm and for days after each of the next ones. We used this laptop and a simple antenna ("Rabbit Ears") to receive all local broadcast channels on this laptop in crystal clear quality. To be exact, the picture was on the order of twice as good as my 27" Sony tube. Battery power is limited as with any laptop, but this is where a neighbor with a generator comes in handy. Of course business professionals will find this feature useful for watching TV from nearly any location they have a few moments to relax, with only an antenna. If you have access to cable you will receive all the same channels as any regular TV. Included with the laptop is a remote for the TV Tuner, if you choose to have that option installed. The remote works perfectly, and is another nice addition that this package brings. The use of the TV Tuner will significantly reduce your battery time if used without the AC adapter. More on the battery later.
All in all, these two options round out an otherwise already good package. They are obviously not necessary for all users, so money and battery consumption can be spared by some who don't select the options.
The 17" display is nothing short of flawless. Defined as a 17.0" Wide Viewing Angle WSXGA+ Active Matrix LCD with Super Clear Glossy Surface, it is truly beautiful. We have seen several laptops that employ the reduced glare technology that makes the surface slightly hazy, but the super clear glossy surface of the 8790 is excellent to look at, and text, movies, and games are much clearer than traditional screens, in our opinion. This is a subjective issue, but it seems to be the majority opinion of all Sager users.
Additional Sager Features
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