Good graphics cards + bad processor?

Well, i'm looking into the Alienware Aurora m9700,

if i choose this laptop, i'm gonna take 2 Nvidia 7900 GS (512MB) graphic cards in SLI, together with the best processor available in its options.

AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile ML44 2.4GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache


My question is, the processor look much weaker then the intel dual core???

And if i'm correct this is only one core? How will my performance ingame be?

 

It is a single core processor, a generation behind the current Turion X2s (which are beaten by Intel's Core 2 Duo).

 

Why don't they have the same configurations with the Intel Dual Core 2 then... sounds much more logical to me then to put a weaker processor inside.

 

It surprises me that they still offer a Socket 754 setup in such a high-end unit, as it is basically yesterday's technology. Not that it is bad, as it would still be a great machine, but the dual-core units have more advantages in terms of available tasking power (especially the C2Ds).

 

Do you know if there are any laptop makers that offer an SLI notebook with intel processors? Or maybe the Go 8600 will come in an SLI version soon?

 

More than likely they will have updated units in a few months, since Santa Rosa and nVidia DX10 GPUs are right around the corner.

 

Pretty soon you will be getting a whole new set of high end laptops offering C2D processors and SLI 8xxx series configs. For games like Supreme Commander and probably all future releases you really need a dual-core processor, especially for strategy games and physics based games. But you really have to think to yourself, "Am I going to play high end games at super high resolutions?" This is the only case where you will need SLI in notebooks. A computer like this, Sager NP5760 Force will be able to play new games at high settings very well, the 7950 GTX is the best mobile graphics card on the market and you can get a very powerful (2.33 ghz) core 2 duo processor with it. If you need a gaming notebook now, get this.

But if you are willing to wait a bit, this may be your best option. This will be one of the most powerful laptops on the market when it starts shipping, SLI 7950GTXs, desktop Core 2 Duo processors (up to 2.93 ghz), and 4gb of ram capability this thing will be ridiculous. Let's just hope its specs stay the same. Eventually it will be Go 8800 capable, so you might even want to wait for that.

I wouldn't bet too much on seeing 8600 SLI, considering that one 8800 would destroy two 8600s, its easier to just stick the 8800 then get two 8600s fitting in a notebook.

 

I think the last laptop you are talking about (the Sager one, with SLI) is a good choice. My question is, can i expect 8800 graphic cards in those notebooks before august?

Or should i just stop waiting (cause i'm already waiting for ages) and go with the sager with 7900 in SLI?

Tell me what to do!! ^^

 

Clevo has announced DX10 in SLI, but AFAIK they never commited to 8800 class in SLI.

 

To see core 2 duo and sli in notebook, you still got some waiting ahead of you. Most games today do not require duo core any ways. Just get the best system you could afford two 7900gs is much more powerful than 7950gtx. after overclocking you could almost hit 10000 in 3dmark06. the price to performance is much better than two 7950gtx.

 

This is correct, just notice the fact that a single core might not manage to utilize the both GPUs.And usually getting the top-of-line thing is always a bad idea[budget-wise].

 

Well, i bought myself (maybe a little hasty but i love the configuration) the Sager NP9260. Takes alot of money to get there.... but i got a good one now, and it better lasts a long time! ^^

P.S. Shipping costs to belgium are redicilously high

 

alienware has a core 2 duo + sli 17"er already on pre-order.

 

Why a single core processor? There's no option to upgrade to a dual core?

 

Not on the Alienware m9700, no. It's limited to the AMD Turion single-core processor, with no such upgrade to AMD's dual core offerings.

For an SLi, dual core notebook, one would have to wait for Alienware's m9750, which shall offer the video cards in SLi as well as the Intel Core 2 Duo.

 

No it is really not "much more powerful". A 7900gs (regular clock) gets about 3800 in 3dmark06. A 7950gtx gets about 5214 in 3dmark06. SLI 7900gs just doesn't seem worth it especially with a single core processor. The fact is dual-core processors ARE required by modern games (You seen Supreme Commander? S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?) Those perform MUCH better with dual-core.. I mean most benchmarks never include single-core processors for testing. Wonder why. Also, 7900gs, SLI, only gets around 5000, because you don't double the power with double the graphics card. 7950GTX SLI gets around 6800... no where NEAR 10000 (in 3dmark06). This doesn't even measure in game performance, and isn't as accurate, but I would bet SLI 7900gs is just not worth it.

 

With today's games that take advantage of dual-core, buying a non-dual core processor isn't a great idea with that much graphics power. You have to remember that the processor can also be a bottleneck. Usually, it's the graphics card, but in this case, the processor will drag you down.

I'd recommend any of the Core 2 Duo T7X00 series. They'd work well with high-end graphics cards.

 

To really ensure you don't have a problem/bottleneck, any dual core processor is desired.

 

Someone did test this some time ago. The CPU was in fact a bottle neck.

 

That's what I don't understand, it seems the ultra highend notebooks from botique sellers are all messed up somehow, I mean, it's pretty obvious that the C2D series is the most superior series of CPU on the market, somehow those botique sellers have the brilliant idea of offering stuff like Pentium 4 Extreme editions or AMD processors in their ultra highend systems.

 

They still haven't gotten around to replacing the old stuff.

 

It has been over a year now since the original Core Duos were released, how can they not have gotten around to replacing them? Besides, aren't highend gaming machines supposed to be at the peak of technology all the time, not lagging behind budget lines?

 

Technology in the mobile market changes very rapidly. The last year has brought on a lot of change. Replacing a processor in a notebook is a diffcult thig, if you consider the designing of a new motherboard, the testing phases, and then the implementation of such a motherboard into a notebook computer. This all takes time. On top of that, since these machines use the lastest technology, the majority will have high thermal outputs, and that will also need to be taken care off. Its not possible to take the coolig system that was designed for a particular generation, and simply clamp it to a new one.

 

Well, to be honest, tha m9700 was released with an old processor. I think.