Which Notebook Would Perform Better?

I'm kind of in a conundrum on which setup I should buy in order to get the best/maximum performance in the newest games out there. Would the first or the second setup outperform the other?

Setup 1 (CPU Dominant)
Intel Core i7 960 Processor (3.20GHz)
6GB [2GB x 3] 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Mobility DDR3 1GB NVIDIA GTX280m

Setup 2 (GPU Dominant) [Updated to Q9000 from P9700]
Intel Core 2 Duo Q9000 Quad-Core Processor (2.0GHz)
4GB [2GB x 2] 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
(2) Mobility DDR3 1GB NVIDIA GTX280m in SLI mode

 

I would go with the second. The P9700 is more then enough for most games out there. The GTX280m SLI is a nice boost to performance.

 

The 2nd one by a long shot.

 

... it isn't close: the 2nd one.

 

Haha. Thanks, guys.

 

Price of each?

I would be tempted to go with the 1st, probably run cooler. But for gaming, go for the 2nd

 

Both of the prices are hovering just at $2,600. It'd definitely be for gaming, as I'm hoping to max out the settings in most games out there.

 

Nice thing about the second is that it's a hell of a lot easier (and cheaper) to toss in more RAM than it is to replace a processor or graphics card.

 

While I will most likely be going with the second setup, I do have another question regarding its CPU. Would I be better off performance-wise for gaming going with a Q9000 or sticking with the P9700?

Also, this may seem like a ridiculous question, but can one later upgrade the CPU of a notebook after a CPU is installed and can a laptop CPU be overclocked with relative ease? I know certain parts cannot be upgraded, and other than a bit of recent research, I don't know too much about laptop.

 

Check out this thread - comparison of P9700 and Q9000.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=415786

Depending on what notebook you get, some you can update CPU and/or GPU at a later date.

edit: whoa, 4000 posts!

 

Thanks a lot for your comparison thread! I hadn't managed to find that earlier.

As far as the specific laptop goes, I'm looking at the Sager NP9850.

 

The second one will perform better, and it will last longer. Plus, not sure, you may be able to upgrade the CPU, but I'm not familiar with Sagers. srry

 

On average though, you'd probably get more use from the quad-core config. All the multi-tasking and processor intense apps you can run with it, and one GPU is more than adequate these days.

 

Most (if not all) Sagers you can update CPU and GPU. I plan on updating to a more powerful quad core in the future (maybe two years) and whatever the most powerful GPU is out there. Unfortunately right now it's only the GTX 280m, but I'm hoping for a higher clocked or modified version that will work in that MXM slot.

 

I'm betting the i7 laptop is the NP9280, huh?

Definitely the second with SLI would be better for gaming, however, if you were doing lot's of encoding and CPU heavy tasks, then the i7 would excel in those areas. Also in CPU dependent games like GTA IV, the difference between SLI and no SLI would be negligible when it comes to cards that powerful. You'd only need the second if you needed the extra VRAM for higher textures and draw distance.

Purely for gaming, the NP9850 is better.

 

You can upgrade to a QX9300. That's the absolute best you can do with that chipset and socket.

 

The first one in my opinion.. With Windows 7 and WRAP , the CPU can actually boost your framerates...also if it is sager NP9280 , it will be way more powerful in daily tasks and can actually keep up with the second one in most games.. especially since many games aren't SLI optimised.. P9700 is quite a weak CPU for a gaming laptop, try getting a Q9000 at least.. however my bet is with the Core i7 Sager NP9280.. CPU can be upgraded when new core i9 when they come out or the GPU can be upgraded easily.. you choice in the end..

 

I go with the second, has plentynough cpu processing power, 2 gpu's will make it fly.

 

CPU is gonna be crap.. don't regret it..

 

Right now, I'm definitely favoring the second setup with the SLI GTX 280s and the Q9000, because as far as I understand, the SLI setup will get me much better performance than the i7 and a single GTX 280 would.

Exactly how much of a difference would the be between a Q9000 and an i7 960 in gaming performance?

 

grrr... no it's not. see here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=415786

Q9000 is no better than P9700 in gaming performance.

If you're gonna go quad, you then definitely need something better than Q9000.

P9700 is more than adequate. But if you're worried about having the latest technology, then go with the i7 setup.

 

Sean doesn't know what he's talking about. In most games, they will be GPU limited and hence you won't see any difference in performance in gaming. Only in CPU limited games such as RTS games (Supreme Commander) or GTA IV that the i7 will see an improvement.