*Official*P-7811 FX Info Thread

COD 4 Ran fine for me with everything maxed out @ native resolution. Dont remember the FPS, but then again..it ran smoothe as silk so didnt care.

 

Others have answered gaming question... Battery life is up to 3 hours depending on what you are doing, but vista keeps hitting the hard drive for various reasons, so they are always consuming juice and shortening battery life. You cannot turn off discreet graphics. However, it does throttle down when you don't need to horsepower (gaming). This reduces power consumption of the GPU and greatly reduces the heat generated by the GPU so the fan doesn't run as much, which also reduces power consumption.

 

Has anyone tried adjusting the fan settings on the GPU? I know you can do it on desktop cards but I'm not sure what you can do on this laptop. I was thinking of underclocking the GPU a few percent and then adjusting the fans so they didn't come on as fast.

That intermittent wheeeeewww wheeeeewwww of the GPU fan drives me crazy, and I'll bet it's just because Vista runs 3-D desktop, making the GPU operate in 3-D fan speed mode all the time instead of 2-D.

Oh, another question- has anyone been able to remove the GPU heatsink and Arctic Silver it? I don't see how just from looking at it.

 

fan setting is not adjustable.
E-wracked redid his gpu, he said it was a waste of time.

 

Thanks Royk. E-w, did you have to pull the whole case apart to do that? I've Arctic Silver otw for the CPU so if it's not too much more trouble, I'll just do it anyways to have it done.

 

I went to the bestbuy site and they've taken down the 7811.
Is there a chance it will pop back up or is it gone for good now.
I was going to get it but couldn't decide lol.

Any chance it will come up cheaper haha?

I guess I'll go to the 7081 then.

 

it's still there....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8892825&st=7811&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1211587727985

 

No shipping though.

 

This is off topic but i didn't want to start a new thread and i don't mean to stir up trouble... but i saw dook is banned, what did he do?

PM me if this is against forum rules and i'll delete it. Thanks!

Edit: haha apparently typing "forum rules" is a link to the forum rules =) don't see anything in there about inquiring why someone was banned...

 

This has probably been answered before but, I want to upgrade the hard drives and was wondering where I could find 2 200GB 7200rpm hard drives that fit the 7811. Thanks.

 

Like these? at newegg.com or these at TigerDirect

 

Yeah those are them. Just have one or two more questions. Which one would be better to buy? Does one of them run cooler then the other? Im comparing the 2 on Newegg, the Seagate and the Toshiba. Thanks once again.

 

Good question. The Seagate is what comes in the 7811FX. I have no experience with Toshiba drives. Read the reviews. Also if you check out the Tom's Hardware comparisson, you won't find those specific drives, but you will the 160GB versions of those product lines.

Personally, I got a pair of Seagate 320GB Momentus 7200.3 and they do just fine.

 

So besides price and size what would be the differences between getting a 200GB or a 320GB? Im kind of looking for heat issues. Does one create more heat than the other? Sorry for all the questions.

EDIT: I just looked at the toms hardware link and compared the Seagate Momentus 7200.3 vs Seagate Momentus 7200.2 and it looked as if although the 7200.3 is bigger it draws less power. Would this lead to less heat from the HD's? Just trying to get a feel on how these things sort of work.

 

That is the theory. I would also point out that the power draw is in an idle state (most of your time is spent in this state). Unfortunately, Tom's didn't do a thermal study. That's really dissappointing since the tools are readily available (HWMonitor, for instance). Unfortunately, once I RAIDed my drives, HWMonitor quit displaying their temperature. So I can only say that subjectively, my 320GB 7200.3s run cooler than the 200GB 7200.2 they replaced.

And if you look at performance, the 320GB 7200.3 kick some serious booty.

 

Yeah I im liking the 7200.3 a lot. I think thats what im going to go with, thanks for the help!

 

I just bought a P-7811 FX from Best Buy. The Best Buy website listed them only available via their online sales, I forget the term that they used but it implied that you could only get them from there. As it turned out I was able to purchase one of two (one was new, the other an open box) after an employee searched inventory at another store. Once I got home, I looked back on the website and there are now no more to be found.

What happens now if my laptop goes belly up?

Also, I read all of the reviews (which now have promptly disappeared since the item is no longer for sale) and many of the users mentioned making a restore cd and having the os re-installed with the intent of not installing some of the junkware that came with it.

My other question is what is not necessary and what will actually slow down the system? I hear Norton 360 is junk, is that true? The Geek Squad there seems to like Kaspersky (sp?) is that a good one to use?

Sorry but I'm a newbie when it comes to this stuff. I'll date myself by saying that I used a 386 in college... back then, I heard computers were going to do some pretty cool things.

 

LOL

Norton is intrusive and I hate it. AVG free is OK or Avast or Avira.

It's quite clean comparatively so removing the few pieces of "junk" is not burdensome. If you are new, installing fresh will be more difficult than removing the software. No hurry, you can remove as you get time. They don't really hurt anything.

Make the restore CD and Driver CD anyway in case of emergency.

I use SpywareBlaster and Spybot's immunization. Nothing runs but websites are quickly compared to a filter list created by these programs. Helps avoid troubled sites. I think it helps.

 

You mean this? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=7811&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1211587727985

If it happens in the first 14 days, take it in for an exchange or refund. If you didn't purchase the extended warranty, then if something happens over the next year, you send it in to Gateway.

Start->All programs->Gateway brings up a utility that allows you to create a Drivers and Applications CD or DVD and/or a set of Recovery CDs or DVDs. The laptop also comes with a Windows Vista Install DVD. So, you can do a fresh install from the Vista DVD and then install the drivers and just the applications you want from the Drivers and Apps DVD/CDs, or you can do a complete reload of the pre-installed OS and apps from the Recovery DVDs/CDs.

Only the OS is necessary. I did a fresh install from the Vista Install DVD and it recognized most of the hardware and installed drivers good enough to make things work. Norton 360 is not junk. It is a bit more intrusive and cumbersome than some would like. In another thread, several folks expressed their satisfaction with Avast and Avira and there were some that used Kaspersky. I use Avast! Most of the preload stuff just sits in the background and consumes space but no CPU resource until actually used.

Oh they've been saying computers were going to do some pretty neat things since back in the 8088 days, too. But there really hasn't been anything new since Visicalc.

 

I heard that the 7811 is being discontinued, and if this is true, is there going to be a replacement out someday?

 

that is an interesting question. Gateway is no longer stocking it. Stores have what they have and when it's gone they cannot order anymore. It is an outlet item on the BB website. BUT, newegg.com has the P-7801u, which is pretty much the same thing with a larger hard drive and double the video RAM. IDK how long it will be available, and Gateway does not list it on their website.

 

I wonder why are they discontinuing such a great notebook. I try to research but found nothing. Only thing i can think of, may be they didn't made much profit, since they sold the 7811 at such low (perfect) price.

 

because they maybe coming out with a newer and better laptop for gaming but with multi function for the everyday stuff..............

 

Quick question, where is the graphics card located? Right below the GoW sticker? Just wondering as im trying to find a good location for my laptop on my cooler.

 

I believe the graphics card is on the left rear, by the double USB port, with the fan blowing out sideways. The other one with the fan blowing to the rear is the CPU.

 

Although I need to add that the sticker area gets really hot because of the hard drive. I got a 3-fan cooler and placed it so the CPU, GPU and hard drive area each get hit with a fan blowing up into the vents. Works great.

 

One of the things I have noticed (and it was a concern of mine) is that the hard drive area does not get as warm now that I have RAIDed the hard drives.

 

Greetings, picked up one of the 7811's this weekend, price was just to good to pass up. One of the BBY's had them on clearance for $750 + tax. I have a lot to learn and looks like there is quite abit of good information here. So far I have only had the time to turn it on once, but hope to play with it more later in the week.

 

Wow man thats a steal, good buy! I picked my up about a week ago for $1240 with tax included. Also wootage if you dont mind, where did you get that cooler, sounds like a good one.

 

Hi guys and Gals..Noob here. PLEASE help me understand 2 things.

1. What forceware driver should I be using.

2. Why do my games not play at high res when using my battery.

Thanks for your help!

 

Hello,

I am very new to this site and this laptop as I just bought the Gateway P-7811FX from a local Best Buy on clearance, I have been reading alot of negative posts on the model and was considering taking it back, I have never heard of it before and simply bought it for the clearance price. Is it a good unit<?

 

Where did you hear that?

 

It is a wonderful laptop. If you have a bad screen, take it back. Otherwise just enjoy it.

See this http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4148453&postcount=697

 

For every positive complement about this laptop, there's 50-100 negative complaints.

 

No laptop is perfect, not at $1250 anyway. The reason you find so many with questions or issues is because people without issues or questions don't go looking for answers and don't post. While you will find many here who have had issues, notice that most of us have resolved those issues and have stuck with it. It has a very loyal following. I'm very impressed with what Gateway has put into this laptop for the price I've paid. You can pay a lot more and still get a lot less.

 

Just put it through hell the frist 14 days and make sure everything works fine. that way you can take advantage of BB's return policy if there is something wrong with it...

 

I've been playing Spore/FarCry2/Fallout 3 with zero issues, granted I have it setup to where the GPU can breath better.

 

How is spore in the space stage anyway... I kinda got sick of having to build/customize everything my self and the gameplay seemed a bit limited up to that point... I would almost say if they amped up the graphics of warcraft I it would be a better RTS... but like i said i stopped right as i took off for space...

 

I was just checking on something at the gateway support site and they removed the link to "Gateway P7000 Series Notebooks" from their Support Documents web site. Here is the link to those documents for the 7811 -> http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/2008/GodzillaFX/1015641R/1015641Rnv.shtml

 

Haven't gotten that far. Too busy with Fallout 3 I'll let you know though when I get there

Good fine!

 

Is the mic really crappy on these things or do i need a driver for it or something?

 

Mic works fine, you might want to update to the latest driver though. I webcam frequently with my friend and everything is clear to her.

 

I bought the P7811FX (P2877) on 11-12-08 from BB for $753.99. I have read, and agree that prices from store to store vary drastically. I have done the bios update to 9c.12 and had to reload audio drivers . Upgraded the video drivers to 180.44 . All this because of these postings.

Thanks To all

I have a question concerning the display. I noticed a
white streak on the left side. The kind that you can only see on a black screen off axis. I read something about this in one of the posts. Should I bring it back? Should I send it in to Gateway for repair? The store I bought it from only had a display model left. I am open for subjections. I have already loaded Microsoft office and some other software packages on. Thanks

 

You mean a white area, when you look the screen from an angle, like 170 degrees? And on black surface?

 

For some reason, lately my fans have been on ALL the time yet my temps hover around 42-44 whether they are on or not. I don't know if there is a fan toggle on the laptop or a way to shut them up when I don't need it but they constantly keep turning on.

 

You can try rubbing the screen in that area with a lint free cloth. But, do you see it when you are right in front of the screen? If not, how is it going to affect you? If it doesn't affect you, don't worry about it. It may dissappear over time. If it does get worse, you have a 1yr manufacturers warantee. You got a steal on this laptop. You'd be hard pressed to find a complete desktop & monitor with these specs at that price. Don't take it back.

 

Thanks for your thoughts fiziks . I am leaning toward keeping it. But I will be keeping a close eye on the screen. The white streak is in the lcd itself not on the glass in front of it. It is kind of strange, but you really can't see it looking directly at it. and it is most apprant when it is booting up and when there is a black screen. I have 14 days to descide whether to take the extended warranty or not. I am not useally a big fan of these programs but under these circumstances I may go for either the accidental coverage or the extended

Thanks for your reply
Bellylayer

 

I am not implying that the artifact is a smudge on the screen. In fact, take a clean lint cloth and rub anywhere on the screen and you may see a momentary streak of white caused by the inner surface of the outer layer of the screen making contact with the inner surface of the back plane. in some systems, these two surfaces remained stuck together and some people have had success getting rid of the streaks by rubbing the affected area of the screen. When I first got my screen, I could very easily create these white or pale streaks, but it's harder to do now.

There was also a default background that some models shipped with that appeared to have white patches. This turned out to be a feint image in the background that was close enough to the background color that it was only noticed at extreme angles (when viewing the screen at extreme angles, colors appear to shift or reverse, making some things easier to see). It doesn't sound like this is your problem, but you never know.

 

I'm trying to find a place that still has this laptop. Anyone know of a place where I can still buy it?

 

ebay, and MAYBE some bestbuys