Mobile GPU Future Outlook

I recently ordered a NP9262 with a single 8800m GTX in it, so I am wondering what the future looks like as far as hardware compatability/upgradability for the MXM (at least I'm assuming the 9262 is MXM) platforms. I know a while back there was alot going around about different MXM versions, and upgradability being somewhat of a myth for practical purposes, but as alot of the talk has seemed to die down, I'm assuming that the furor has somewhat died down and things have standardized a little better. Is this assumption incorrect?

Basically, I'm trying to determine if I should be looking to save up for a new 8800m GTX by end of this year to max out my system, or if I will be safe holding off on a GPU upgrade till farther down the road. Anyone have any input?

 

MXM as an industry wide standard is as broken now as it's ever been. I'd only count on being able to upgrade to whatever GPU options are currently out there for your particular model Sager. Any future GPUs (9800m or whatever) probably won't work, or at least there's enough doubt that I wouldn't pin any hopes to it.

FWIW, there's a Sager forum here.

 

Yeah, I know, but I was kind of hoping that things would have standardized out some, and thus it wouldn't be a manufacturer specific question anymore, heh. I have no objection to it being moved there, if that's what people want.

 

Well, from what I've read on the forums, the jump from Go 7950GTX to 8800mGTX required a motherboard change, so I'm not sure that it's all that upgradeable really (or not conveniently at least).

Right now, the only thing MXM means (to me) is that the cards are modular: that is, they're not soldered to the motherboard and they can be removed.

 

The MXM-IV Clevo notebooks do not really need a motherboard upgrade to switch to 8800M GTX.

They just need to have a BIOS update.

However, the previous motherboard revision and the new 8800M GTX has a little issue (if you consider it one) with S3. The notebook won't wake up from S3 Power states (Standby/Sleep)... if you do not use those, then it won't matter.

 

Well, they offer 3 different cards (8800m, 8700m, Quadro) for the model, so either that means they have 2 or 3 different mobos for the model or that the cards fit the same form factor/slot. It would be interesting to know which way that goes (multiple mobos or different GPUs fit same mobo), but obviously, that fits more in the Clevo/Sager specific forum.

It is a little obnoxious that they can't standardize these things yet. It's not like notebooks are new technology. I realize they have to fit all the different form factors, but they don't force different custom designed HDDs or CPUs for every laptop line, it doesn't seem logical that they should still be forcing customized GPU solutions.

 

I'd say over the next year the 8800 is going to be the hot stuff unless ATI releases a mobile 3870.

1 to 2 years, we will be seeing another jump in performance akin to the 7950 to 8800. 2-4 years from now we will start seeing CPU/GPU integration reaching discrete graphics performance.

If you want to buy another 8800 for SLI, I'd say that's a decent idea as long as the price of the 8800 is less than 400 bucks at the time. Otherwise it starts to feel as if you should wait for the next tech.

Unless something drastic changes, we wont see modular mobile computing for at least 3 years.

 

Cool, thanks for the info, StormEffect. I guess I'll be waiting a little bit to get another 8800 then.