Is there a single gpu in a 15' that beats up my 8800m sli setup?

Hi guys,
After 3 years of GREAT service I start feeling that my 17 ' is too heavy to carry around (I've been travelling extensively);
With 2011 so close I would like to buy the very best 15' laptop out there, budget is 2500 euro;
My questions are:
1) will I be able to improve simoultanely weight but especially performance (below my setup)?
2)which product could suit my needs? How much time I need to wait to have sandy bridge and a single GPU that clearly (25% increase is for me a CLEAR increase) beats up my 8800m gtx sli setup?
3)I am only looking at CLEVO, shoul I look also somewhere else?

Thanks a lot for your professional advise.

Regards
Oscar

 

Wait 2 weeks for CES. That's when next gen everything is going to be announced.

 

1) High end 15 inch systems are still about 9lbs... I don't know what your 17incher weighs though. I think there are single GPU options which beat your SLI (I don't think my 260m does but according to some benchmarks I've seen there are a couple of options) Not to forget that you will get DX11 support.

2) The Alienware revisions are expected to be announced at CES, which will be at the beginning of January. I think they will be in stores soon after the announcement. They should beat your system clearly, especially since you got a decent budget .

3) Look at 2) ^^

 

You should definitely look at others. MSI for example makes high performance 15" with much better battery life and thinner than Clevo does, but performance is the same.

In 2011, MSI likely will have something else similar to the GX660 with has i7 and HD5870M with about 2.5 hours of battery for $1,400. That's what I would get, whatever 2011 revision MSI has for their 15" notebook. So while MSI's GX660 has the longest battery life and the thinnest 15" notebook with HD5870M, it's cooling system is also among the best. From user experiences, the 5870M runs under 70C in gaming, very awesome.

 

@italian.madness - 1)definitely weight...you're using a XPS 1730 correct?...and performance should also show improvement. 2)wait shouldn't be long. 3)See Below

@Ziddy - MSI GX660 is a 16" chassis with a 15.6" screen. It's wider, longer, and thicker than the Clevo W860CU. You are correct about battery life though since Clevo only includes a 3-cell while MSI has a 9-cell.

From what's been seen so far the new MSI GX680 is sporting the HD6870M which more likely than not is a rebranded Mob. HD5870.

Not exactly sure what Clevo will be using for an AMD GPU but their 15.6" should continue to offer a 470M(or 570M) as an option....which is a little faster than the Mob. HD5870

Finally, as for AW my personal hunch is that the leaked M17x-r3 photos are really a new M15x and the photo of the HD6900M benchmark is for a single GPU.

 

ASUS G53JW?
MSI GX640?
MSI GX660?

P.S. Allcaps dammit.

Edit:

Yeah, I've been waiting for a desktop-GTX-460-class performance from a single mobile GPU and the new M15x/M17x-R3 seems to have the right card for the job.

 

I would write off the G53JW. I have the G73JH and compared to other gaming 17" notebooks it's reasonably sized since it's sloped, the front being .5" high. But compared to say other slimmer 17" like HP Envy 17" or MBP 17" it's HUGE.

The G53JW is barely smaller than the G73jh. For a 15" notebook it's almost the same size as a HP Envy 17", possibly bigger.

2,500 Euro, I'd say wait and see what Alienware has. And then compare to MSi and get whichever you want. Alienware 15" I hear has decent battery life also and they do look fantastic!

 

I would hold off on the Alienware for now til you see a lot of info on it and get some actual EULA's with the computer in their hands. There are 2 things most people don't always think about with AW's brand new products:

1-They almost always have decent issues with them for the first few months of release.

2-Stealth Mode- especially on the 15" AW's, I couldn't game or use anything intensive at all without being plugged in because stealth mode severely throttles both the gpu and cpu back while on battery and you can't turn it off on anything but the M17x.

 

Heh, I'm never going to play games when not plugged in again. I tried Mass Effect 2 once (no throttling) - the computer lasted for 35 minutes and the battery was really hot when I was done.

 

Any notebook with a I7-920xm or 940xm and a 5870 should be pretty powerful. I think some folks in the Alienware forums score over 17k in 3dmark06, granted 3dmark06 is old. Good Luck, Stevenx

 

There are some computers that can play on battery with decent life, just no powerhouse laptops like what you're looking for. Honestly unless you have to have the portability if you're looking for amazing power I'd just build a desktop. If you're set on a laptop I'd look at Alienware, Sager/Clevo and that's about it. I would definitely stay away from Asus.

 

I don't think OP asked to game on battery. Not a good idea or very reasonable anyhow for a power gaming notebook 15-17".

 

True, but even CPU intensive tasks are slowed to a snails pace on the AW m15x. I saw too many people buy the M15x only to be surprised that it slowed down so bad on battery so I wanted to make sure he knew that specifically as someone mentioned the AW before I said a thing. Some people have even reported stuttering when web browsing when stealth mode engages, the AW 15/17 are pretty much a semi-portable desktop not a laptop.

 

True, but can be resolved with some settings and especially ThrottleStop

I dare to say that's true for every laptop with such specs...

 

As an update...the new Clevo Santech started selling now has an 8-cell battery.

 

Is that a clevo w860cu? damn I so want to change my 3 cell to a 8 cell.

 

It's the successor to the W860CU, and looks like a brand new chassis:



But, that doesn't mean the 8 cell battery won't be compatible with the W860CU. There's no pictures of the bottom yet, so it's hard to say.

We'll find out at CES.

 

That looks sleek.

15" with dual drive bays? (hopes)

 

It looks like the smaller version of W870CU design, especially the hinge.

 

Thanks guys, I think that the new one (as santech is advertising) with new SB cpu running at 2,5 plus the upcoming?! gtx 485 which should be faster than my dual 8800m could be the best option paired with the new 8cell battery. But I wonder if the new ATi (as someone stated) could reach a better performance (i am referring to the 6970m) than a 485, but no answer is yet the correct one as both cards still needs to be tested; I hope to I'll be able to have a new baby in march hopefully, this forum is a GREAT resource so thank you all!

 

If a GTX "485M" has a TDP low enough to be put in a 15.6" chassis as thin as that one looks then the HD6970M will beat it.

 

I doubt it's thin, clevo laptops usually have a big bottom, it's just the angle of the shot that gives the illusion that it's thin.

 

If you wait 10 days you'll have a lot of surface information on the new SB laptops which will have better options to fit you. If you wait 30 days, you'll likely have a lot of testing on those notebooks to find out exactly what fits you.

I suspect a M15x/M14x (should the rumour be true) might be good, but there will be tons of other options in that size area for you to pick what suits you. I would highly suggest you give it just a few weeks.

 

It's thin compared to the thickness they had to add to the already larger 17.3" W880cu for it to house the 100W GTX 480M. So if there is a GTX 485M in that chassis it's probably not a 100W card, in which case the HD6970M will be faster.