two quick z96j questions

does it have the same grainyness problem as the s96j? and will it boot with a merom with the current shipping bios?

 

yes it will boot with merom, but in the trials (i think engadet did, they had battery life issues) the graininess is visible, as with all x1600 based laptops.
it's not very noticible unless your on a page like comcast.net where there is alot of the same color in block. in games it's almost nonexistenet

 

where can I find the latest z96j bios (like the one Anandtech got a hold of). can I use the latest s96j bios on the intel site?

and also what do you guys think will be better, a 5k rpm HDD with 2 gigs of ram of a 7k HDD with 1 gig of ram? how much slower are notebook HDD's then desktops?

 

There is an updated BIOS with merom support. Intel took it off their website last I checked, but g2p ( www.geared2play.com) has it available for download. Eddie managed to get a copy before it disappeared.

Graininess exists on ALL X1600 BASED LAPTOPS.

Well what are you planning on doing with the laptop? Everything about a computer depends on the needs of the user. That's why the BoA models exist. Customization. Unless you are going to need the ram, get the 7200 rpm hard disk. I've got on in both my recent laptops, and the performance is quite noticeable. One thing I can't stand about most retail laptops is that they come with cheap 4200 rpm hard disks, or if you are lucky a 5400 rpm hdd. Those just don't cut it for me.

 

Gentechpc put up the bios in an image so you can burn it, boot it, and update it. He explains and has link in post #6:
http://www.notebookforums.com/post2319684.html#post2319684

 

so I can use the s96j bios for the z96j?

 

I wouldn't. Unless you are planning on using a merom right this moment, and you couldn't get a hold of the Z96J version.

Messing with a BIOS is a risky thing. You never want to make it more complicated than it has to be, especially if you've never flashed one before. If you flash something incompatible on, or mess something up, there are only two ways to fix it. And neither are easy. The first is to find someone with a piece of hardware designed to flash rom chips. These are incredibly hard to find. The other is to RMA your unit and get a replaced motherboard or bios rom.

I've heard from certain resellers that they will void your warranty for flashing the BIOS rom without their permission and a good reason.

Basically, unless you absolutely have to, don't install the S96J version. The current Z96J version will support the Merom, but not fully. It will work, but it will not clock down properly and thus will tend to run hotter and lower your battery life.

 

well couldn't find a merom cheap enough so I ended up with this

z96j with
2.13ghz core duo
1x1gb g.skill ddr2 667
100gb 7200rpm hitachi travelstar
dvd-rw

all for just $1260

 

You should have gotten a cheap T2300 or T2400 like I did, so you can buy a merom when the price drops. But still, that's not a bad price you paid for what you got. I suppose you didn't get extended warranty or extras though? Probably no OS too if you got that for that price.

 

I got the t2600 for $220. almost got a t2500 for $170 but someone beat me to it. i could have gotten a t2300 for $130 but I wanted something a little faster

 

Ah lol, eBay?

Wait 4-6 months and the merom prices will probably be slashed.

 

well its for my dad and I've already made him wait a year he is not a patient person either. i don't think he would be interested in upgrading either

 

the new bios does not detect the yomahs correctly. Only update if you plan to replace with merom

 

Haha! That's the first time I've heard that! You should put that on your site by the download(if you haven't already).