Safe to get 8800M GTX now?

Well, the big day has come for me, and I'm ordering my M15x tomorrow. I know Alienware released some fixes for the downclocking problems and there was a thread on it, but I didn't read through it all and I don't know if any conclusion was reached about the problems. So, some questions I have:

Has anyone put the latest BIOS fix through a stress-test? How did it go?

Does Alienware ship new laptops with the latest BIOS or do I have to get the fixes myself?

I plan to keep this laptop for at least four years, would high heat levels shorten the life-span of the computer by slowly damaging the internals?

So any information regarding the whole issue with the 8800M GTX and heat would be appreciated. I'm getting the Alienware M15x tomorrow be it with the 8700M GT or 8800M GTX, and I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision here.

Thanks in advance!

 

It's safe to get now. I don't know if they ship it with the x32RC1 BIOS though. I think they do, and if not it'll be in MyHive on their site.

 

I've heard that it is fine now so... go for it and enjoy!!!

 

1. it can max 99.9% of all pc games.
2. pc gaming is not moving that fast theese days, infact its actually slugish. i really cant see more than a couple games coming out that might be a bit of a challenge for the 8800.
3. its really not worth it waiting and being deprived of quality gaming.
4. you can always upgrade, but i doubt you will want to.

good luck!

EDIT: OH you where asking if its a reliable product. yes it is.

 

Awesome, I'm glad. 8800M GTX it is.

Alright, tomorrow I'm placing the order, it'll come out to hefty $2900 CDN, which is why I want to use this thing for the next four years. I've been in the market for a laptop since last summer, and I hope the M15x will be worth the wait

 

I think even the 8700M in SLI mode will be a 3-5 year Gamming Card!

 

At least a 2 year card setup.

 

I think 4 years is pushing it a little bit, I would say 3 years max with this card. Are you going to get a good warranty with it? I don't think the m15x has the SLi 8700M GT option.

 

the m15x can only support single cards. sli is not even possible with the m15x

 

I have no problems with it. I've monitored it with Riva Tuner during Crysis (2+ hours), 3D Mark Vantage tests and no downclock so it's definitely fixed now.

Also, it's never gone above 75 degrees. Maybe I don't solicite it enough but I've heard others have had higher temperatures.

 

Even if the 8800M GTX itself doesn't last you four years there's a good chance that you'll be able to upgrade to the 9-series equivalent when it comes out (don't expect it, of course, but there's a good chance)

 

If an improved cooling system ever comes, that would allow for overclocking the 8800 SAFELY, you would be able to squeeze another year of gaming in IMO.

 

I wouldn`t bet on it.
Is the 8800M GTX used in the m15x in the MXM factor?
And even if it is, there no bet on upgrading, so never buy a laptop assuming it`ll upgrade the GPU. It rarely is the case.

 

I don't think I'll need anything more powerful then the 8800M GTX for the next four years. I'm not really a power gamer, in fact the main reason I'm paying the $400 CDN to upgrade from the 8700M GT to the 8800M GTX is to make sure I'll be able to play Dawn of War 2, about the only PC game I'm anticipating. But with a 8800M I might get myself into PC gaming a bit more, as of now I only game on my PSP/360.

 

Well, in that case, the card will be able to play a lot of games, at least 2-3 years from now at decent details
You won`t be dissapointed with it.

 

Yes, it is MXM-IV/HE type. Also there's a higher chance because the clevo m860tu is advertised as 9-series compatible, and it is using that same form factor

 

Again, the M860TU is coming with a new platform, the Montevina, and that might have something to do with that rumour.
But, some resellers said the 9800M GTX would fit 8800M GTX capable hardware,so you might not be that far off.
It`s a question of hope now

 

Well, montevina has nothing to do with MXM compatibility. The only things Montevina could change in regards to the GPU are heat or card size, but if the card size is different then it's not an MXM-compatible card and that would defeat the purpose of MXM. Heat therefore is probably the only issue which remains a question mark for me.

But again, given the evidence out there I am optimistic of the m15x's chances (along with any laptop which is 8800M GTX compatible) but as everyone always says, never buy a laptop expecting to upgrade the card. Even if the 9800M/9900M/whatever-they'll-call-it GTX can't fit in the m15x, the 8800 will still be powerful for quite some time. Just look at the 7950, it is far from outdated

 

I know, I have a 7950GTX. But it`s somewhat less than half 8800MGTX. And the 9800MGTX will hardly be an upgrade over the 88M GTX.

 

Yeah, I doubt I will go for the 9-series cards even when they are available. If the rest of the computer holds up, I would probably wait for the 10-series, but that's being really optimistic

 

HA! I quite disagree... when the m9750 came out it was initially set up with a choice of 1 or 2 7950 GTX card setups... then they went with 8700s... and now they are talking about making the m9750 work with SLI with the 8800 cards. That's what AW tries to do with their computers... they try to make them upgradeable so that the customers can have a good computer as far into the future as the market allows. Just my $0.02.

 

didn't Chaz and many users already confirmed that there will be no GPU upgrade for m9750?

 

I don't keep up with the forums that often so it's quite possible. But I do know that it wouldn't take much to make it possible...

 

@Shoelace - There are no MXM 8800 cards that would fit into the M9750. The card that we were anticipating is a Radeon card but I haven't heard any info on it. Alienware would never go out of their way so that we could upgrade our M9750's. Then people would just buy them over the M17x's in some cases.

 

However, while the 7950/8700 have a different MXM standard than the 8800, the information out there today is that the 8800 is on the same MXM standard as the upcoming 9-series cards. That's where most of the optimism comes from in that regard.

 

I wish they would just standardize this MXM. Like on desktop boards. I think it woudl actually increase sales of laptops.

 

I don't think so, people which buy laptops usually don't think about upgrading, only a tiny minority.

 

Well, standardization is always a long process. At least NVIDIA finally stood up and even came up with the MXM idea, I remember the days of my old laptop where every graphics card came in different shapes and sizes (the graphics card in my old laptop was roughly the shape of a blocky snake )

 

Well I think alot of people that buy notebooks, always buy something mid to low. Majority of sales here. And low and behold only 2 years down the road they always say. Darn this thing is slow. I know alot of first time Laptop buyers that buy laptops and then move back to desktops. Simply becaus ethey become out dated so soon, and at least they can upgrade Desktops.

My friend owns a specialty computer shop. He says that his biggest complaint from potential laptop buyers. So many turn away and end up buying a desktop. IMO if manufacturers can some how meet on comon ground for certain items it would make the typical lifespan a bit longer. I am sure they wouldn't want that, simply because it will hurt sales. I strogly feel there would be a larger Laptop base, if things would be follow a more standardized format.

Think about it, if Nvidia made a standard format for laptops. They would dominate this market even more. Just like their desktop market.

 

You do know that laptops are catching up to desktop sales pretty darn fast anyway. I am willing to bet that even people, the average Joe, don't even buy desktops knowing they can even upgrade some parts. My point is, the average consumer which knows nothing about computers beyond how to use Windows, doesn't take into consideration upgradeability, whether it'd be a desktop or a notebook.

 

When you pay a premium, you start considering upgrades.
When you take the middle sector, you`re not too worried, you can change the laptop once ever 1 or 2 years.
But when you pay insane prices, you would at least like to be "lied to" that you`ll be able to upgrade. It`ll justify paying that much better for you
The 8800M GTX is the best there is right now in the mobile market,and the 9th series is just another step up from step #99 which is the 8th series...

 

It'd be really interesting to have some figures of the amount of laptops bought in certain price ranges. I would like to see how many people buy a laptop over 2500$.

 

Isn't the 9800m Built on the same design G92. The desktop form it isn't an upgrade from the 8800 GTX or Ultra's.

And I don't think Nvidia are doing a Chip shrink until the release of the GT200 chips. And from what I have read they will be manufacturing a 65 nm chip and a 55nm chip.

So unless the newer 9800m is built on that 55nm tech it's a useless upgrade anyways. Just my Opinion. I still score over 17k in 3dmark06 with 2 OC'ed 8800GTX's.

 

The thing is that the people who pay that much want to use it for many years.
When you buy a 1000$ laptop, you don`t mind changing it more often, since it`s power will eventually run out or will lag behind your needs.
I have 3 laptops atm , my HP NX9420,been using it for 2.5 years, and although it`s 99% perfect, it`s lacking the power I needed for gaming and more.
My Dell 1501 is used by my girlfriend for her projects and watching movies , etc.
While both the Dell and the HP put together don`t cost as much as my Sager, the Dell and HP are horribly slow when doing projects or extreme rendering, or Mathcad, Autocad and Field Analysis computing.
So I would never mind paying another 1k$ for a better one for my projects if I had too, and it would still not come close to my Sager in the overall performance,which is 1 year old.
Lesser price,better sales.
Probably less than 10% of the people buy laptops over 2000$ . But just because they`re a minority, it doesn`t make them less of a customer.

 

If they are a minority it does make them less of a customer because you want to cater to the largest consumer base possible. We are really a niche consumer base when it comes to powerful laptops and this is why we have XPS and Alienware and some others.

 

Yes eleron I see your point customers are customer. But one thread has already been closed due to the inevitabel Sager VS AW and price.

Let's not get this Thread closed. It has some usefull information for individuals to read.

Some people can afford the AW price, some can't. Other's just want the best bang for buck, and that is perfectly fine. Orther's want some bells and whistles. And can afford to have those. It all comes down to what you feel comfortable spending.

And sagers have their issues too. So let's not turn this into a flame AW thread or Chaz will shut it down. Please and Thank you.

 

Erm yeah, this thread is not anywhere near getting into an AW vs. Sager flame war. It's a perfectly fine thread.

 

Dude, for me the company name is irrelevant.And the thread is not about that,I hate those type of wars.
The 8800M GTX is a fine piece of hardware, but I`m hoping the 9800M GTX will have some real benefit over it, since it`s my upgrading need.
Glad to hear m15x uses the MXM type of 8800M GTX , so it might be able to use a 9800M GTX.

And one thing, if one of those 10% buys a laptop that costs 3000$ and keeps it for 3 years, it`s the same as a guy that buys 2 laptops of 1500$ every 1 year and a half or 3 laptops of 1000$ every year.
My money would be on the 3000$ customer, he`s more likely to want the best nest thing in the future, whereas the mainstream market customers want something affordable that works and that`s about it.

 

The question that currently exists is that it may be the "9900M" GTX which is the real upgrade (take a look at the desktop 9800 GTX, it isn't a fundamental increase over the 8800 GTX, so people think there is actually a 9900 coming)

 

Well, I placed my order today. Here it is:

Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Indigo
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB (buying my own memory)
System Drive: 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection

Total: $2,889.41 CDN

I still have to work out the details with them. I'll be financing the thing, I hope they don't put insurance any higher then 20% for me, I'll probably cancel the order if they do. *fingers crossed*

 

9800M GTX won't be a terribly good upgrade from the 8800M GTX, however the 9900M GTX should be. I wonder when that is going to come out.

 

Take a look here http://www.techfuzz.com/roadmaps/2008.aspx . The 9800M GTX should be as high as they go, same as the 8th series.
But the AMD 3870 x2 looks very promising.

 

We'll see what they do mobile-wise. It is almost guaranteed a 9900 GTX is coming to the desktop. Whether they go with the same thing for mobile cards, we'll see.

 

The 9900 GTX are coming to the desktop, I read a lot of articles about it.Let me see if I can find them again.
EDIT : here http://www.neoseeker.com/news/8022-nvidia-9900-gtx-priced-at-499-ati-hd4870-coming-late-june/
and http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-9900-200gt,5361.html

 

I read some where the other day that Nvidia won't be naming it the 9900 XXX.
It will be called GT200, and subsequent cards will be GT260 GT280 and so on.
Specs are still pretty mum at the moment. Some are sayig it will haev 64 ROP's and 1TFLOP. Crazy but nobody really knows just yet. Some good news is that Intel is upping the competition. Some not so friendly words have been tossed back and forth. So maybe with intel setting in Nvidia will pull out some big guns.

Here we go:

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7364&Itemid=1
http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7306&Itemid=34

 

The thing is, MXM actually IS a standard, but nearly no one properly implements it... Take a look @ http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/ (seems to be down atm) - Some notebooks can be upgraded other can't, sometimes the cards in laptops look like MXM-compatible but then they where modified a little bit

But I don't think a standardized slot would be the problem of consumer-upgradeable gfx cards inside laptops, its more the cooling system! The heat dissipation of a card and cooling power of a heatsink must be standardized also! And often a heatsink is designed for a specific card/system...

 

I agree with you there Crizzler. But what if the actual GPU silicon board was made to a specific dimension and spec. The Laptop manufacturer would only have to remanufacture the actual heatsink. You would also have to impose limit based upon the thermal dissapation of the heatsink.

So if you have a small PC that can only handle certain Wattage/Thermal dissapation then they wouldn't make a heatsink to match that laptop. I know it kinda defeats the prupose of standardization but it will enable High end machines to get a bit more shelf life out of them. Current cards still generate about the Same wattage as older cards. Some newer ones even less. And when GPU's finally make the jump to 45nm those temps will drop even further. I see it as perfectly plausible. If not by all manufacturers, maybe some. Even the cost of design and manufacturing can be shared by competing companies, to reduce manufacturing expenses. And hopefully those cost saving will trickle down.

 

Only time will tell I guess.

 

I do not say its completely impossible, but its not that easy as well! Furthermore another thing to consider, do manufaturers WANT their customers to be able to simply upgrade a product? Or do they rather want them to buy a completely new system? Think about it, if the industry wanted this possible then it would already have been done! At the moment it seems MXM is only a easy method for build-on-demand manufacturers like dell to be able to offer more than one card in their systems!

 

That's true, like someone suggest that upgradeability in laptops would lead to more sales. If that was true, how come companies haven't done that yet?