DV9500t

Hello,

I have been browsing these forums for a few days and decided to make an account to ask a question. I have looked all over and cannot find any sort of benchmark or real world gaming fps screens of the dv9500t. I recently ordered one, but now hoping that I made the right decision because it is only equiped with a 8600m GS. Other important system stats include 2gig rams and core 2 duo @ 2.0. I have also read on these forums that the 8600 gs in the HP is underclocked compared to stock Nvidia clock times. I am very pleased with everything in my new laptop except for the graphics card, will this limit my gaming experience significantly? I will be playing Wow and CS:S, which I am sure this system will handle with ease, but in a years time, will I be able to even play newer games. Can this laptop even handle F.E.A.R. at decent speeds?

 

It depends on the resolution and settings you play it at. Wow and CS:S should run without a hitch on high settings. I play fear on cpu high and gpu high and I get a smooth frame rate most of the time. Mine, though, is clocked at stock settings, but I think you should be ok to play wow and CS:S. Fear might be a different story. Best way is to benchmark it yourself, since you've already ordered one...

 

Regardless, you will be able to run all current games at comfortable settings. If the performance of the 8600M-GS at stock isn't enough for you then you can try overclocking.

I was able to run FEAR at great settings on a Go7600, see this laptop review here:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3060&review=Compal
The 8600M > Go7600.

When did you order the dv9500t? Can you still cancel? If you complete the FAQ in the What Should I Buy forum we can help you find a better notebook for gaming. If you are stuck with the dv9500t I don't think you will be disappointed though.

 

Ok, I went ahead and filled out the faq.

1) What is your budget?
No more than $1800 after tax, so about $1600 before.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
17"

3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Doesn't really matter, although I don't particularly like the look of dells

5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Besides school work, a good bit of gaming

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
It will mostly stay in one spot

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
WoW, CS:S, F.E.A.R, Oblivion, Supreme Commander, SCII When it's out. I would also like my sytem to be DX10 capable.

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Not as important to me

9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No, I do not mind

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
I like XP, but since I want DX10, may as well get Vista

Screen Specifics

11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Probably Widescreen
12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Not sure, one with a higher resolution, at least 1600x1050 I would imagine

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Not as important

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes, a little. I can't see myself with a boxy, ugly, notebook

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Buying now, and wan't it to last a few years. At least 3.

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
Probably around 80GB would be nice

17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Dual Layer DVD/CD burner.

 

With all those games and 80gb, you'll probably have like 40gb of space left, haha. I'd suggest at least 100 or 120

 

you can probably use the hp $200 off coupon(the one where you have to spend at least 999, its somewhere on this site) and customize the dv9500t and get a better gpu, if they offer it.

 

The dv9500t is probably your only choice if you want a 17". If you are willing to go with a 15.4" then take a look at the Sager NP2090 (Compal IFL90), there is a lot of discussion on it in our Compal and Sager forums. It has a 512MB 8600M-GT option.