9700m GS vs 9800 GTS... suffering again from my indecisiveness

ok let me start from the beginning. Notebook broke, and thats the end of that. Now im looking for that upgrade that i knew was inevitably going to happen. Now i kno this community has helped me out ALOT in the past and im not afraid to acknowledge that. SO all YOU Gamers and/or Tech guys... Plz Help me out...Again. Now i kno myself and the next the stage solve this is to get a rig that will keep me happy for the next couple of months even year or 2(if possible). Now here's my this is my Big Question! can this hold up or be a better choice than that... The big dilemma about all this is price and/or satisfaction. you see as you can clearly tell the ASUS does a fair share of hurting to that Gateway. Though it does hurt my wallet as well. my biggest thing is performance and price. Is it worth the Extra 500 bucks for 250gb of HHD space(dual, which really is a preference not a must), better Clock speed processor, 2 Gigs ram MORE for what the opposition has to say? the other MAJOR question is how much better is the 9800m GTS than the 9800m GS(both 512mb)? basically it will all narrow down to which one wins the battle! Video card and price or (ok) Video card and all the other perks... im Really stuck on this 1 guys... Plz help away

Thanks too Everyone in Advance for those that help...

Ps... I do game on the PC mostly and like playing things on High Settings... this means Unreal Tournament 3 and Frontlines on High... Also WOULD like to see crysis or even far cry on high or even skim high next to mid(I dont do well on low settings)...

 

The G71 will be much more future-proof and will only lag behind the 9800 GTS a bit, but not much. Check the Asus REviews and Owner Lounges Sub-section for more info.

 

Im sorry but my Thread was a HUGE Mistype.... ITs the 9800m GS VS 9800m GTS

 

I would go with the Gateway instantly. You can buy another Hard drive for only $110 at newegg.com that has 320GB and then you'll save $300, Because the Gateway has two hard drive bays. It is easy enough to install another Hard drive.

I think that having 6GB of RAM in the ASUS would be amazing, but I've never ran into issues with "only" 3GB. As for the processor, The 2.26 Core 2 Duo in the Gateway is very powerful, it won't be slow at all. It will annihilate the 1.66 GHz your using now (I'm sorry if that came off mean :/ ).

If you can go with the Asus and not put any finacial strain on yourself / your family it's a good bet, but the Gateway will play games better because of it's superior card, even though it's processor is a bit weaker.

You can also upgrade the processor in the Gateway if need be.

 

the asus price is ridicules for the spec, there are much better deals out there.
the 7811 included (some reported buying@1150 from BB ).

if you prefer asus over gateway, i would rather go with the asus g50vt-x1 though its a 15.6" the price/performance is much better than the asus you mentioned.

 

You can use the edit button.

As to your question, the 9800M GTS is better than the 9800M GS.

 

The 9800M GS is basically a downclocked 9800M GTS, so their performance difference won't be huge. It's probably in the range of the difference between a 9600M GT and a 9650M GT(i.e one is a higher clocked version of the other). In that regard, the 9800M GTS is still the better card if not by an astronomical margin.

That being said, the rest is really up to you. As others have said, for the "price/performance" ratio, the Gateway does very well whereas the extra 500$ you're putting into the Asus isn't really worth it unless you really need/want it.

- I doubt you'll run into trouble with 4Gb of RAM as a conventional computer user, the 64bit OS and 4Gb+ RAM is mostly for the mega-multitasker.

- The dual HDD is nice, but as Isend said, you can purchase another one for quite cheap so you'd save yourself quite some money with that.

- The CPU strength really won't be noticeable unless you plan on doing CPU intensive tasks(calculating applications, rendering programs etc.). In everyday use, just about any CPU works and for gaming, anything above 2.0GHz is fine and unless you hit those few CPU intensive games, you won't notice any improvement yield on the game side.

All in all, I'd vouch for the Gateway. I just don't see the benefit of the extra 500$ if not only for the build difference.

 

Yes. but Gateway is being a ***** and raising prices.

btw, 6GB RAM is very expensive, i think that's what is pushing the prices up

 

Wow... REALLY! Because i thot that Gateway only had a single harddrive and i right now i work best with a dual HHD... hmm thats Interesting... hows the hardware aspect of the Gateway? ive never had a gateways and i only stick to gaming/familiar brands yanno like HP and now ASUS or even(maybe a Dell)? Ive always heard mixed messages with gateway

 

I think the sticking points for value of the Asus are:

Comes with a Bag
Comes with a Logitech gaming mouse (I assume)
Comes with a 2 year parts and labor warranty
Comes with a 1 year accidental damage warranty.
Has more ram / hd space / faster CPU.

If these aren't the types of things you want to spend money on, then it probably isn't worth it for you to get the Asus.

My real wonder is: Is the gateway better than the Sager 5793?

 

>.> well your looking for a laptop that will last you the longest. What sounds better? This "2 Year ASUS GLOBAL Warranty, 24/7 Tech Support, 1 Year Accidental Damage Coverage & 2-Way Pre-Paid Overnight Shipping for Repairs"?
Or this, "Standard 1 year warranty"? Also with asus you get free tech support from xotic pc.

 

Now... this may not even be what you want, but here's an idea. I suggest this because I just did this myself and couldn't be happier.

Unless you specifically need the gaming performance to be portable -- ie, want to game out places, or want to game with an easily moved laptop at friends places, consider building a desktop (One in sig cost me $600 - 3dmark06 score of ~ 13,500) and then buying a netbook. Cheaper and performance is better anyway.

May not be the ideal solution for you, but you can build the desktop and buy a laptop and total cost will be well under $1500.

 

After a quick hop over to the gateway forums to see how their 7118fx's were doing, I am of the opinion that the money is either better spent with

a) the asus g71g-a1 or
b) the sager 5793

I'd rather have a computer with a reputation of not breaking than the opposite. Even if you do save 100-300 bucks.

 

Does gateway really have that much of a reputation to make a opposition over to the competitor? I want something that i can say i invested well in yanno... but at the same time i dont wanna go broke lol

 

Have you considered the possibility of my suggestion?

 

who need 6gb of ram.. MODERN games are even using lesser ram now (Crysis,Farcry2,Dead Space, etc)

 

No reason for 6GB of RAM. All they do is put in a 4GB stick and a 2GB stick. I bet 4GB DDR3 RAM will cost ~$50 a piece in 2 years. Look at the price of DDR 3 in the past year.

 

Check the Gateway forums. The 7811 has been shipping with a HORRIBLE screen, runs hot, and has an overall cheap build quality.

Personally, I'd select the 5793, with an upgrade to the T9400 CPU.

 

Great feedback guys... i appreciate the help. For Jlbrightbill, i dont conclude ur suggestion as pointless nore unhelpful but thats not really going to help me nore serve any purpose for my investment... its more of a gaming mobility issue with this 1 which is why i went with a laptop in the first place but. Dont get me wrong im sure ur idea will save someone out there thats in the same scenario as me. As like ive always said knowledge is key to a healthier tomorro. I had no idea that the gateway had an expandable bay to put in another HHD. If i had known that it would've made me think a little less(but knowing me i I would still be thinking of the possibilities of What IFs). So now that we've covered the needs/wants, it all comes down to brands! lol... (sorry guys ima hard 1 to plz even when the meal looks great ill still feel regret of the soup that got away) Gateway vs Asus... my instincts are more for Asus but what do You'll think???

 

Okay then, if it's just between the GW and the Asus, I vote for the Asus.

 

What about a Sager NP5793?

 

i don't know what you're talking about there, man. i have a gateway p6860fx (predecessor of 7811) and it is a nicely built laptop with a good screen.

 

Yeah the Gateway seems like a really nice computer, besides 8800m GTS is more future proof than 9700m GTS and faster too 64 SP´s. vs 48 SP´s.

 

There is minimal difference between the 9800 GS and GTS - take a look at this listing:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

Both have only 64 pixel shaders and a 530 vs 600 MHz core speed difference. So this should not really be a large determination. The main thing in question is whether it is worth $500 for a slightly bigger hard drive and 2 gb of ram, and a better warranty. ALso, Asus is definitely known as a better quality notebook than the gateway.

I'd consider the Sager posted above. Configured with the P8100, a 9800 GTS, 4 gb ddr3, and a 320 gb 7200 rpm drive it comes to just under $1400, and inluces a 3 year labour 1 year parts warranty with limited lifetime tech support through Xotic. I think Beric has the right idea here.

 

The difference between the 9800m GS and 9800m GTS is 12% clock speed.
That is it.

My 9800m GS OCs to GTS speed without issue other than heat buildup due to its 15" chassis. (73C idle, 78-79C loaded, 80-81C at GTS clocks)

Note over 80C I do not feel comfy for extended periods and I like OC'ing...
(and these 80C+ temps is more than likely WHY this is a GS instead of a GTS.)

Odds are in that 17" chassis the 9800m GS will EASILY clock the 12% up to GTS speeds. Note, you probably won't get as high OC'd as a real GTS...
(individual results will vary though)

 

I have the 7811 and had to return my first one to get a replacement. I really could not be happier with it!!! In the gateway forums, we've been able to fix nearly every issue anyone has. Build quality is fantastic IMO (i see no defects anyway). And aside from getting it to stock 9800m GTS settings i can OC the hell out of it and never breach 75*c under load! the sager uses old santa rose platform...you want future proofing montevina! everything want to upgrade is upgradable but the GPU basically. customer/tech support from gateway is sketchy, but you got a full live community right here and in the gateway sections ready and eager to help. never had a gateway before and never heard many good things about them till i got this lappy and now i love em' for it! get the gateway if you can find it at a BB now ppl are getting them for under $900. What a deal!!! i got mine $1450 then price matched it first time it went on sale for $1250

 

same here

thats just plain mis informative.

a few ppl get lemons and apparently the whole batch is bad, if that was the case they returned or sent it in, and not problems.

try finding a 6831/6860 on Ebay if you can, can be had between $700 and 800, and if you upgrade the CPU for $200 or so, you have a laptop that it equal to the 7811.

 

Thats the thing(I thank you for you're intelligent consideration) but i feel as if im not getting the right amount of Proccessing power as i should... 800mhz FSB is a lil too low for my likings and i would much more feel comfortable with a P type CPU than a T. Also if i do consider that 200gb HD space would it come with an expandable bay so that i can get a 2 or even a 320gb drive cheap? i do like some of the features that that sager brings... i honestly do but the amount that i would need to invest in it later or even as i get the latop would prolly come out a somewhat or more as the ASUS... I really dont kno what the best option would be?

But i do thank for eveyone's opinion

 

My mistake, I read the T8100 for the sager as a P8100. To be honest, I'm not that sure about the big difference in terms of speed - AFAIK it boils down to the multiplier on the CPU, which gives the T series a high clock speed which is what really counts here. I'm pretty certain that power consumption is not a big deal for you (e.g. not gaming on battery), so the higher draw of the t series than the P series (35 vs 25 W) is probably not an issue (more heat produced though). The cache levels are the same, and so are the architectures. Not sure how much the lower bus speed and the DDR2/vs ddr3 ram will impact ram performance though.

T8100:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLAP9

P8400:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLB3R

If you add the option of the t9300:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLAQG
the Sager is a beast that would be pretty close to the asus - 6 mb L2 cache at 2.5 GHz (800 MHz bus, same power draw of 35W TDP)
Adds $175 to the sager, brings the price to $1575 but still less than the asus with a bigger HD. 6 GB ram is completely unnecessary for you, and shouldn't even figure into the equation IMHO.

Otherwise bear in mind that you will be able to update the processor at a later point in time, although this is generally not very economically feasible.

Anyway, good luck, tough decision I know.

 

Aha I thought he meant 9700m GS and not 9800m GS as I know 9800m GS has 64 SP´s so no difference there except clock rates to the 8800m GTS.