The OFFICIAL Montevina / Centrino 2 Thread

http://www.laptopical.com/intel-plans-to-revamp-montevina-chip-this-spring-6509.html

Okay, so I guess the Montevinas are out, but the newer, faster ones are coming out in Spring. I can wait, but will Capellas (as you guys are telling, Q3 2009) be incorporated the moment they come out? I guess I can bring my current laptop into college and wait, but how does the above link compare with what's coming later? I definitely want a new laptop before I go into college though. Dell is coming out with new models in November from what I hear, but I guess they'll come out with these new Montevinas in April-May after they come out?

 

They will just add the updated processors in the spring to the newer models that should come out next month. So, you should probably wait until early summer to get your college notebook if you are starting next autumn.

 

Newer, faster Centrino 2 processors seem to be popping up already now though, not in Spring. The roadmap showed those processors should be available between 2008 Q4 and 2009 Q1 and on Sony Style europe ( http://www.sonystyle.eu) on web sites where they allow you to customize your models, like the UK Home one, you can already select the new P9600 processor for the Vaio Z series.

 

I definitely want to go with Dell though because Battery Life will be #1 issue. RAM will almost definitely be 3-4 GB (depending on OS, but I want Vista 32 Bit. So if I wait, CPU will be around 2.66 and 3.06 depending on how much money I spend. So I guess my current laptop will last me 2 years, and it went through 2 system crashes , so that's why I don't want to bring it into college because it's so risky.

 

I'm also waiting to see Dell's offerings, but I'm just saying, that those new processors will not take until Spring to be available. Even Dell should have them before March I'd hope... Hell, perhaps when Dell decides to refresh their XPS line in November, perhaps they'll include the new P8800 / P9600 processors as an option from the start. Oh well, who am I kidding?

 

I'm just not going to look at laptops until next year, too much to worry about! I might look at Dells models this November, but I want a much faster CPU (and hopefully better battery life since the CPUs get smaller), so I'll wait till next year for a good 13-15" laptop.

 

I don't really see Dell being an industry leader in battery life but you know the new macbooks can run vista but if you want to write a paper and need batterylife.

 

From the Intel refresh news article ---- "Intel will update its current Centrino 2 "Montevina" platform this spring with new chipsets and two new processors. April will see the launch of the GM47 chipset for high-end notebooks and the GL43 for entry-level."

A CPU upgrade on Dell laptops is as easy as popping out the old one and putting in a new one - I have done several and they are not too hard.

I wonder what the new chipset will bring to the mix and if it will be worth waiting for that in April - only 6 months now and with the way Dell are delaying I am feeling like waiting.

 

Dell is at least one of the very few manufacturers where you can get some notebooks with a decent battery life that can be extended with a bigger 9-cell battery.

The new Macbooks do indeed have a very low power consumption - running Mac OS X. But on Windows, the MBP is forced to run on its dedicated graphics and consumes 5 watts more on idle (tested by German computer magazine c't). This means that the smaller Macbook might also need 2-3 watts more which throws it back in the middle of its IGP competition - the only real advantage is the rare, but low-power LED-backlit display. The battery is also 20% smaller than Dell's 6-cell.

An additional problem could be the touchpad - of course you can't try this in stores, but any dual-boot review I read stated that the touchpad drivers for Windows are rather bad. I can imagine that's not so comfortable with a pointing device that almost entirely relies on Multitouch...

 

Yeah, but at the rate DEll moves........ the chips coming out in APRIL won't be in their computers until NEXT Christmas!

 

tbh, i was waiting for motevina, i cba to wait for at least late summer for the new chips from dell, for just a processor upgrade. this time it was processor, ram and graphics.
so i will buy once i can

 

Agreed. This wait is just getting stupid now.

 

Yeah, I don't get it. Old Dell would have had systems out in July before anyone else. Of course no one else is really doing anything interesting, just low end stuff where it might as well be the old chipset.

I still just want a 1730 with a 9800GTX, the new chipset, and mostly an LED backlit screen. Been waiting well over 8 months for that LED screen option

 

Just getting stupid now? It's been stupid for awhile now.

 

It's extremely frustrating when they are last to the market and we haven't even had a GOOD rumor about what the product will have. The studio XPS could be **** terrible and I'll end up ordering something else which is what is really eating at me.

 

Yeah, it's been stupid for MONTHS.

Yep :-/

 

Yeah, you wait and wait and finally they release it, your expectations are so high that there's a good chance you'll be disappointed.

To be honest, I think Dell was supposed to release at the very least the Studio XPS 13 last month, but something must have went wrong. Maybe a shortage of components, major design flaw that needed to be corrected and/or not enough capacity available at the Asian factories assigned to produce Dell's popular models. On a related note, I think it's ridiculous to wait a month or more for a notebook.

 

I got a thing from Alienware saying something is coming on the 4th.

What I'm worried about is that Alienware is going to take over Dell's high end (or even mid range) systems completely.

I also noticed the Studio 17 (at least the config I saw) no longer even offers a GPU. Which could mean new models are coming shortly-maybe with a better GPU (honestly the Studio 17 with it's LED backlight and Blu Ray and like a Geforce 9700GTS or better would be my ideal system).

I do *NOT* want Alienware, because:

• They're overpriced
• Their designs are terrible looking IMO
• Their build quality is garbage, from everything I've read (far worse than systems costing less than half the price).
• I've never heard ANYTHING good about their tech support, unlike Dell proper were there are good people working for them.

 

I'm with you. I would never buy a Alienware because they are way overpriced and to be honest I really don't like their designs.

 

Yeah, I would not buy an Alienware either. They just look so childish, all the crap that they put on them. And you can't get so much more for less.

 

Really when you look at what even Toshiba, or Asus, or Gateway give you for like 50 to 100% less...

With FAR better build quality from what I can tell :-/

Dang it. The Studio 17 does SEEM nice, so really, if they throw in a marginally decent GPU in there... It's already got Blu Ray and an LED backlight screen I want.

Just give me hopefully something better than a 32 processor GPU and I'll be happy. Even a 9600GT would be underwhelming, but sort of okay (if the system's cheap enough). I'm sick of all these 32 processor Nvidia notebook GPUs though.

 

Montevina Studio 1737 is already available in UK

I've been waiting for it for a couple of months here in US. Checking Dell US web page several time a day....

But in UK it is already available, see for yourself:
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/p...px/laptop_studio_17?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

BTW, the model number is Studio 1737

And there is support page for Studio 1737 at US Dell web site
http://support.dell.com/support/top...&component=-1&lang=-1&doclang=en&toggle=false

 

Nice find! Unfortunately it still only has the same crappy video. If they'd even just upgrade that to a Geforce 9600GT, which, granted, is an insanely boring GPU, I might bite

I was REALLY hoping they'd throw something better in there. Geez, I'd gladly pay for it!

At least this explains why the U.S. Studio 17 has options missing.

Oh well, the wait continues...

 

Dang, the "gaming notebooks" link in the U.S. is dead too. I'd love to believe it's because an update 1730 was about to come out, but somehow I think it's because they break their website a lot.

 

Studio 17 with MONTEVINA is up on US Dell Website.....but when you try to add your configuration to the cart, it tells you that you have to call an agent to order. There is even an option for an RGB 1920x1200 LED screen!!!

But, at least they're FINALLY available ..................... guess I need to call and cancel my Studio 15 now



link to the ordering page:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...=dhs&cs=19&kc=productdetails~laptop_studio_17

 

Still just have a Radeon 3650 though

 

Nice, but it's several hundred more than the Montevina Studio 15. The 15" laptops are the perfect size for me. Anything bigger and heavier is just too bulky for me.

Is there a noticeable difference in performance from the Montevina/Penryn combo versus a Santa Rosa w/ 800 MHz FSB?

 

I doubt you will find a huge difference in everyday activities. It's better to invest in a SSD and more RAM to see a noticeable difference. I used a P8600 Penryn on a Sony Z last night and it felt just about as fast as my XPS. Of course, there's tons of bloatware on the Z so that might have made a difference.