P-7805u

So all G94 core cards with 1GB of vram are 512mb of unused memory chips just hanging out for fun now? All 55nm 9800M GTS parts come with 1GB of vram and all 65nm parts include 512mb. The desktop 9600 series are based on the same core and similarly sold with up to 1GB of vram. Until I see some proof that the bus width x 2 is how much vram you can use I find the argument laughable.

 

How can I view the recovery partition? Sorry for the dumb question.

 

Uh, I forget where exactly its at in vista, you might just be able to type it in the search bar "logical disk manager" is what you're looking for, in XP its under administrative tools, computer management in the control panel. The recovery partition is hidden and you can't view its contents unless you assign it a drive letter, but you can verify its there and its size via that tool, and if you want make it visible by assigning a drive letter, though generally id advise against it.

 

Do I have to reinstall Windows to preform Raid0?
Does the 2nd HD have to be the same brand/serial as the 1st?
Where can I buy one at a good price?

 

You can copy your partition onto an external hard drive if you install the raid drivers before you copy it and then just copy it back onto the raid array once its set up. The 2nd hard drive should ideally be the same capacity and rotational speed at least, but really its optimal to just use 2 matching disks.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=HD-WD32BET&c=pw
best price i see on pricewatch, might be deals out there better though.

 

Yes, you will need to do a full reinstall, and yes you need the same HD to make a good Raid 0 setup. You can buy your HD here;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280

 

Theres no real reason it HAS to be, but frankly if you get a 7200rpm 320gb drive you aren't saving any real money to get another brand, so why would you? In RAID0 your always limited by the slower drive, with a matching pair you're garunteed they react the same way and at the same speed so one isnt dragging the other down. If they both have different weaknesses (say one has a faster access time but a slower read speed) then you're losing out on both drives as they have to wait for the other drive's "trade off".

 

Ah ... thanks! It is the same in Vista. It shows the recovery partition as being 10GB and the main drive as being 288 for a total of 298GB. The drive is advertised as 320GB so I get it loses the 22 GB when partitioned.

 

Hmm, last question... do you all think a notebook cooler is more important or a 2nd HD for Raid0? I only got money to one or the other.

Will a notebook cooler extend the life on my laptop? I have it on ALOT (like over 24 hours a times) I don't do much gaming but watch lots of videos in high quality and DVDs. (Game around 1-2 hours sometimes)

I already have a cheap mini 2 fan cooler (no brand) for it. It's exactly like this one, but I don't know if it'll do the job: http://cgi.ebay.com/Laptop-Notebook-Cooling-Pad-Fans-Cooler-USB-HUB-Reader_W0QQitemZ230317045600QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item230317045600&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

 

Anyone try adding the following sound card to this system?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102025

I'd like to use this as my "stereo system" at home. I was thinking about paring that sound card up with Logitech Z-2300 speakers. Thoughts?

 

OK.............

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3602/sponsored_feature_ram_vram_and_.php?page=3

 

From what I can tell, the memory bus size (64 bit, 128 bit, 256 bit etc) affects the total bandwidth for access to the memory. It doesn't seem like it limits how much memory a GPU can address (or if it does... the limit is far greater than 1gb) I guess the "limitation" comes when a GPU cannot possibly process enough information to utilize all the VRAM it has access to. The 2 x # of bits idea seems totally off to me though. I'm going to keep researching this to see what I can figure out though.

From Wikipedia...
As of 2007, advanced personal computers and graphics cards use even more combined buses than dual-channel, and combine four (e.g. Mac Pro), five (e.g. nVidia 8800GTS), six (e.g. nVidia 8800GTX) or more sets of 64-bit memory modules and buses to reach 256-bit, 320-bit, 384-bit or greater total memory bandwidth. In this sort of multi-channel configuration, memory must be broken out so that there is a 64-bit wide chip or module for each channel. So for a 256-bit wide 4GB configuration with DDR2 modules one must have 4 1GB modules since each is only capable of 64-bits.

 

I would get the 2nd HD , I have a cheap Walmart rack already

 

I haven't tried it, but I don't really see how it has any better audio quality than the jacks built into the laptop to be honest with you, its just plain old analog audio in and out, and it probably interfaces over the usb portion of the expresscard if I had to guess.

 

Generally the VRAM stores rendered frames and textures, 1GB is a bit overkill at 1920x1200 but you can use more than 512mb at that resolution. And yeah, the 256 is the bus width, I really doubt that there's a magic limitation that is 2x bus width of megaBYTES when its rated in megaBITS. It just affects how big a chunk of data can be moved across the pipe per clock.

 

If that were true than how does the Radeon 4870 1GB (256 bit) in some cases out perform the 4870 512Mb (256 bit)? Same clocks and architecture but more ram. Does not help with everything but some games show good improvements, especially with higher resolutions and more AA and AF. I chose this example because the cards are identical except Vram amount.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3415&p=7

 

I'm trying to digest this stuff too. Here's more for the gray matter:
http://www.overclock.net/faqs/48653-info-common-misconception-about-video-ram.html

 

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...on-your-pre-installed-windows-vista-computer/
- this one appears to be the "easy" way glancing through it

the more traditional method:
http://www.tweakvista.com/articles/39206/how-to-dual-boot-xp-and-vista/

You definately want to make your restore disks and preferably get your hands on a Vista retail disk just in case (version doesn't matter you just need it to fix the boot loader, XP will over write it but the first link appears to include a program that can fix it back to the vista loader from within XP)

 

Lol guys I'm not worried about proving anyone wrong or arguing with anyone.

I'm new to this gateway thread (Been with Sager and Clevo for awhile).
And you can ask any of the experts there and they'll tell you 256bit cards (AT THIS MOMENT, meaning the 9800M GTS fits in this category) isn't going to use that other 512MB. Only benefit you're going to get from it is for games like GTAIV that limit you, and with GTAIV when you have a 512MB card it limits your settings to not go over that. The way to get around that is a commandline.txt saying -norestrictions which will allow you to use however much Vram you want to (Yes that means you can "set" a 512MB card to "use" 1000MB Vram in GTAIV) Where as the 1GB card is already read as 1000MB so you don't have to go through the commandline.txt.
Other than that. There is no use for the other 512MB in these cards and if you bench a 512MB 9800M GTS vs a 1GB 9800M GTS I bet you'll have the same benchmarks (if the whole system is the same except the cards).

But, I don't really care. Everyone has their opinion. Yay 1GB..

 

Well, we can easily check that one out. Any 7811fx scores out there of 3dmark06 run at 1920x1200?

 

My 1gb is bigger than yours (512), lol, who cares, talk about something cool

 

like somebody posted here before... MrPresident from the Sager forum downloaded and ran 3dmark06 on BBY's "show" 7805 model... he ran it and got a score of 8709... I ran my stock 7811 using 3dmark06 and got a score of 8739... so my conclusion is that they are close to being similar.

(my GPU is overclocked @ E-wrecked's recommended data and i got 9601 for that)

 

Gateway P-7811 FX (2.26GHz Intel P8400, NVIDIA 9800M GTS 512MB) 9,355 3DMarks

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4614

 

Awh but the 7805 has double the Vram as you! why'd you score higher?!?!

 

Whats ya'lls normal temperatures for HD/GPU/CPU when all you're doing is a little chatting/downloading/web surfing?

 

because my laptop loves me lol

 

3dmark06 default resolution is 1280x1024 IIRC... 1GB of vram will have no affect at that resolution. If we can find an owner of both with 3dmark06 pro we might be able to settle this.

 

1920x1200 anyone?

Edit: Yup, like Big Mike just said...

 

pay for my 3dmark06 pro and I might do it... LOL

 

Currently mines at
ACPI

TZS0: 44C
TZs1: 44C

Cpu

Core0: 22C
Core1: 17C

GPU

GPU Core 48C

Harddrive

HDD: 44C

 

Guys guys guys.. Your right.. 1GB Vram is useful.
There, settled.

Next subject.

So tomorrow is my 14th day of purchase. Does that mean today was the last day to get an extended warranty or tomorrow is?

 

I was just wondering. What do you guys think the lifespan of use of one of these desktop replacements is? I figure there will be something fairly better in a year and much better in 18 months. Do you think that is about right?

I was discussing warranties with a friend and he made a good point that while smaller notebooks tend to live on as 'couchtops' for internet browsing or 'car computers' etc, but due to their size desktop replacements are not as useful in their obsolesence.

That being said, do you guys mostly upgrade your laptops after 18 months?

 

I seriously doubt they wouldn't sell you a warranty tomorrow, hell they'd probably let you return/rebuy the thing to sell you one, they make fat commissions on the ESPs from what I've heard.

 

Depends on your personal preferences really.
I know people that buy a new laptop every 6months, some once every year, some once every 4years.
All comes down to how your laptop is in the lineup in 18months, If it still runs the games at your preferred settings, than why upgrade? If it doesn't, than why not upgrade?

 

Thanks. Still wondering if the warranty is worth it. I mean even if you dropped it and the screen broke. You could take the CPU, GPU, Motherboard, Battery, PSU, HDD etc , and sell it all separately and get almost 1000 lol

 

semigamer, if you purchase you laptop through either Mastercard or Visa, they have a FREE extended warranty plan for you (1 yr Gateway + 1 yr MC/ Visa)... save your $$ and keep it in your pocket

 

Valid point your friend makes. For me personally I mainly bought this thing for its screen resolution to run 2d autocad, which it should still be more than capable of for at least a couple years. I may try and work it out to sell it right before it dives off the cliff of obsolescence though, you can do alright if you buy it, use it for a year or so and get rid of it before everything in the laptop DTR segment smokes it too badly. That said my first laptop was a ZE4145 that i paid around 1500 for, sold for 200 6 months ago. I traded a gaming desktop for a DV6609WM that I had for maybe 3 months, got a G50-104NR to replace, then sold both because I decided I wanted something with more horsepower. I wanted a 15" notebook but this was a deal that couldn't be passed up.

 

Thanks, but I bought it cash.
Also I'm talking Accidental warranty

 

Yep, or spend $150 and get another 17 wuxga screen off of ebay. I believe the Dell XPS screens work. The only thing that would kill this would be if the mobo or gpu (the gpu is soldered on) fried.

 

If you don't forsee it being likely to take a spill I'd skip it, I think someone said the good waranty is like 350 bucks, by the time you add that and parting the thing out you're probably half way to a new much better laptop anyways. Plus I personally can't get down with the "oops i broke it tee-hee" upgrade plan.

 

check with squaretrade... I heard that they're quite good with their warranty prices

 

lol...I agree completely. I imagine some of these guys bringing their laptops back to BB in a dripping bag with a story that it fell out the window, then down a flight of stairs into a kiddie pool full of orange juice.

 

Does this include a Bank of America Visa?

 

Thanks, yeah I don't see any reason that it'd take a spill (knock on wood lol) since I use it mostly with two hands on it. Able to catch it at all times. So guessing I should be alright. (I hope lol)
What do you guys think the resell value of this will be if its in good condition (Mine has the LG WUXGA) in about a year?

 

It depends on what is out there then, but sadly I would say about half of what you paid.

 

Haha, hey don't forget the little kids that picked it up in the kiddie pool of orange juice and played frisby with this 9pound+ thing.

 

my auo is bright and clear no leak or any funny thinks ofter few hrs of COD4