Thinking of M1730...

Hi all,

I am in the market for a new laptop. Budget is around $4500. My fiance will be using it around the house for some gaming (Sims.. stuff like that).. photoshop..browsing. I will be using it when I am on vacation for gaming...new stuff and old stuff...

I have been set on getting the Sager 9262 but am having second thoughts. The benchmarks I have been reading on the 9262 with SLI are not that impressive. Obviously the Dell is much more sexy than the Sager which is a small factor but not huge. The only thing holding me back from getting the Dell is the fact that it is not a quad. I plan on using this laptop for as long as possible. I was hoping 3-5 years but the more I am reading it seems like the more realistic idea is using it for 3 years or so and then selling and upgrading... it sounds like after 3 years it will probably be pretty outdated. I have several questions..

First my likely config..

X9000
SLI 8800
2x200 7200
4gb ram
CD/RW
HD Audio

1. Quad Vs Dual... a few games are starting to use quad and im sure in 1-2 more years several will be using it. Quad is also better for multitasking (which my fiance does quite a bit..) im just worried in a couple years im going to regret having a dual and not a quad. Im also wondering how much of a difference you guys think in a couple years having quad vs dual in games that support quad would make a difference.

2. Will this have any value to sell in 3 years or so?

3. HD Audio... what the heck is this? The Sager comes with a soundblaster that I believe supports 7.1 I have some surround sound speakers that I would like to use when gaming. Does this support 5.1 or 7.1? And what is the difference between this and sound blaster audigy software for $25 more?

4. SLI 8800... any realistic chance this is going to be upgradable to the 9800 series? I know it's likely a longshot but if the cards are similar size any guesses if Dell allows an upgrade?

5. SLI 8800... is my expectation of this laptop lasting as is for 3 years or so realistic? I would be fine if 3 years from now I could still play the latest games at low/medium settings.

6. Im guessing that from what I have read that Quad chips aren't coming in the Dells until later this Fall. If this is true that's not an option as I need the laptop soon.

7. Overclocking.. obviously Dell states the chip can clock to 3.4. Is overclocking difficult? I have average cpu know-how and have neve overclocked before. Is this safe and does it void the warranty? I don't want to overheat the system and ruin it. Also would overclocking provide much if any performance increase?

Thanks for any input..

 

First my likely config..

X9000
SLI 8800
2x200 7200
4gb ram
CD/RW
HD Audio

1. Quad Vs Dual... a few games are starting to use quad and im sure in 1-2 more years several will be using it. Quad is also better for multitasking (which my fiance does quite a bit..) im just worried in a couple years im going to regret having a dual and not a quad. Im also wondering how much of a difference you guys think in a couple years having quad vs dual in games that support quad would make a difference.

Quad core will pick up, but how long it will take is anyones guess. IMO its nothing you need to worry about just yet. The beauty of this laptop is that you can upgrade components without having to replace the entire mainboard. If you want to replace the CPU, as long as the new one is a socket P, it will fit fine, and hopefully Dell will release BIOs updates along the way....

However, also remember that in a few years Dell will have a newer 'beast', so whether they continue to provide updates for this one is yet to be seen...

2. Will this have any value to sell in 3 years or so?

I would say so. Its a very high spec. In 3 years or so, there will obviously be faster notebooks around, but the M1730 will hold value IMO. It may not be £1k or anything, but will be more then usual laptops hold, much more.

3. HD Audio... what the heck is this? The Sager comes with a soundblaster that I believe supports 7.1 I have some surround sound speakers that I would like to use when gaming. Does this support 5.1 or 7.1? And what is the difference between this and sound blaster audigy software for $25 more?

Not got a clue. I know that the extra sound blaster stuff is just software - its not a hardware upgrade.

4. SLI 8800... any realistic chance this is going to be upgradable to the 9800 series? I know it's likely a longshot but if the cards are similar size any guesses if Dell allows an upgrade?

Im hoping so, although not confirmed. As I said, the laptop is easily upgradable, so it would be in Dell's best interests to release an upgrade for it, as it means more money for them.
Whether they do or not is anyone's guess.

5. SLI 8800... is my expectation of this laptop lasting as is for 3 years or so realistic? I would be fine if 3 years from now I could still play the latest games at low/medium settings.

I think thats realistic. I also intend to keep mine for 3 years, and in that time I still think we would easily be able to play the current games at medium/low settings.

6. Im guessing that from what I have read that Quad chips aren't coming in the Dells until later this Fall. If this is true that's not an option as I need the laptop soon.

7. Overclocking.. obviously Dell states the chip can clock to 3.4. Is overclocking difficult? I have average cpu know-how and have neve overclocked before. Is this safe and does it void the warranty? I don't want to overheat the system and ruin it. Also would overclocking provide much if any performance increase?

Its a BIOs setting. You simply go into the BIOs, and it will have set speeds for your CPU - 2.8, 3.0, 3.2 and 3.4. You just choose one, then exit the BIOs and save settings, and thats it - overclocked CPU! It really is that simple.
Bear in mind, when overclocked to 3.4 the fans stay on at full speed permanently.


In the meantime, check out my videos below for a better inside into the laptop, and how easy it is to open and work with/upgrade.

 

I have been eyeyballing this computer as well. With a student discount, the following configuration comes in at just over 3 grand, which is more than I'd like to spend, but I realize that a higher performance comes at a premium:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)
Genuine Windows® XP Professional - English
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
NVIDIA®SLI™Dual GeForce®8700MGT with 512MB GDDR3 Memory

I currently have an Inspiron 9200 that I've had for three years; the screen flickers every once in a while (not completely black, but to about the same brightness as when you unplug the power supply) so I'm afraid that might be going out, and I think I'd like a higher-performance computer in general. Video editing and gaming are the two intensive things I do on the computer, and what I have now is adequate for the most part (Battlefield 2 runs fine for the most part on Medium), but I'd like to start playing some more computer games. I've been a console gamer all my life so besides video editing, I've never had a need for a high-performance machine. I don't take my computer to class - I use it as a desktop replacement that can be easily taken between school and home, etc.

Do you notice anything I should reconsider regarding the specs I've given?

Also, I've got a question about processor speed - is the difference between 2.5 and 2.6 GHz enough to warrant the extra cost? A small improvement is not enough for me to pay the extra money.

After reading the review on this website, I became a little concerned about the heat issue. Obviously I will have to make more of an effort to make sure the vents are clean, etc. - but is overheating something I should be concerned about? I turn my computer on when I wake up, at about 8AM, and shut it off when I go to bed around midnight or so - would that still be safe to do with this computer?

That brings me to my next question - power usage. Not sure if you guys will be able to answer this or not, but I'll ask anyway. Up until now, the housing I've been living in during school has utilities included, and at home, I don't need to pay for electricity. How costly is this thing to run? Assuming it's turned on for 14 hours a day and used intensively (gaming, editing) 5 or so hours per week, I didn't think it would make much of a difference - but then again, it uses quite a bit more power than the one I have now.

Finally, is XP still a good choice? I don't know exactly what the effects on performance are when using Vista (I haven't heard good things), but if I'm going to pay a premium price for an upgrade from my current computer, I don't want that upgrade to go to running the OS. I'd like to stick with XP (hopefully it will still be available when I have the money for a new computer), but I'd reconsider if upgrading to Vista now was a good idea.

Thanks for your help!

 

Get the 8800's not the 8700's.

 

What about the new mobile Quad chips this fall? I have read that they are socket p... is it possible we would be able to swap out a X9000 for a quad chip possibly? What is Dell's history here.. do the older 1730's (1720 and stuff I think) support the ability to upgrade to a X9000? I just wonder if Dell will really support these in the current 1730 or try and make everyone upgrade to a new version of the 1730. I suppose the fact that the Dell "may" have upgrade capibility is better than the Sager which has none. It would be really sweet if the M1730 could upgrade to the 9800's as IMO the GPU here is what would limit the lifespan of the laptop before the chip.


Edit: actually looks like the 1720 is an inspiron model. Anyways, how long has the M1730 been out? Im really curious as to anyones thinking on if this has the potential to support a quad upgrade and if the M1730 is going to stick around for a while.

 

*bump* would like to hear any more thoughts on the possibility of the quad in the 1730 and the 9800's..

 

Out of my price range .

 

Save up more then.

Getting 8700 defeats the purpose of getting this "beast"

Check Craigslist for good face to face deals also. You will be suprised how often good deals come by in your area.