Which laptop

[xentio]

Ok, I enjoy gaming. I am looking for a good gaming laptop, for a fairly good price. I have narrowed it down to two choices, here are the important specs:

xps m1530-$1824
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
Speed: 320GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Note that the above comes with a 3 year warranty, plus theft and spill protection.

Sager NP2092-$1399

Processor: 45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.50GHz, 800MHz FSB
Video & Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT Graphics with 512MB DDR2 Video Memory
Operating System: Genuine MS Windows® VISTA Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 X 2048MB
Primary Hard Disk Drive: 200GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
Optical Drive: 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Wireless Network Card: Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth Module
Intel Robson Technology: Intel 1GB TurboMemory Module[+$35.00]
Primary Battery: Smart Li-ION Battery Pack (9 Cells)
Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office Ready with Free 60-Day Trial

Warranty: Sager 3 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty with Three-Day Shipping Both Ways Paid

You will notice that the sager is not only cheaper, but has a 512mb 8600m, whereas the dell has only 256mb. How much affect should this have on intensive gameplay such a COD 4 and Crysis (I know its hopeful, but maybe i can run it on min settings).

THIS IS MY MAIN QUESTION:
You will also notice that the sager does not have a free fall sensor. How important is that? If my laptop falls without it, will the hard disk die? This and the above are the two main points I need to know, as they will essentially decide which laptop I buy. Thank in advance.

 

[voyagerfan99]

I'd go with the XPS because Sager is not a great company.

 

[The_Other_One]

I could be wrong but I honestly doubt the extra VRAM would make any difference. Still, that Sager may be the better one of the two assuming they fulfill any warranty issues you may have. Aside from that, though, either laptop should be fine/much the same.

*Edit*

Beat me Well I don't know much about the company personally, but I'm not too fond of Dell myself ;P

 

[hermeslyre]

The extra 256mb VRAM will help with Crysis, I would think. Crysis has got some hella large textures, the extra buffer space might allow you to choose a higher texture setting while keeping the FPS smooth. The GPU itself will be lacking in the shader - muscle department, limiting your overall settings, like you mentioned. Having a similar card, I can say you can manage CoD4 medium-high with alright FPS.

Free-fall protection: I know it's a good thing, but I'm not initiated in it's realistic capabilities or such. Just from the general buzz, It will attempt to protect the HDD in case of sudden movement or something.

 

[N3crosis]

You might just want to save a bit more and get the 8800M GTX then you will surely be able to run Crysis.

 

[Sir Travis D]

Sager is a GREAT laptop company. It is also better for the price, the sager is.