Configuring my FL90 E: help me decide what to sacrifice!

I'm getting the FL90 E, and in order to balance the budget I can't have all the good stuff- what should I go for if I want to run games games games:


1) CPU: I am getting at least T7300 (2MHz) but should I get T7500 (2.2MHZ)? Cache is the same for both and I haven't seen any games requiring more than 2MHz on a SINGLE CPU so surely a dual core 2MHz should be plenty, right?

2) RAM: Is it worth paying the extra for 3Gb? I'm getting Vista so will at least get 2Gb but if there are definite performance gains from 3Gb it might be worth the price? (Oh and if 2GB: 1x2 or 2x1 for performance?)

Essentially I have to decide between RAM, CPU (and also HD size) to meet my budget: what combination gives the best performance?


And, if anyone could answer:

3) GPU: 8600M GT, but with 256MB not 512MB. I'm actually happy with this because apparently the 256 has GDDR3 but I'm wondering if it comes with Turbocache or Turbomemory, whatever it is called to "steal" RAM if required?



Thanks a lot!
PS: I'm buying this here: http://www.rizeon.com/rizeon_fl90e.php

 

The T7300 is the best bang for the buck. 2gb is all you need today. I configured mine with 1x2gb so I have an open slot for furture expansion.

The 256mb will turbocache up to 512mb.

 

1) If you're on a tight budget but still want to play games, cpu won't make a big difference. If i were you, i'd probably just go with the 1.8ghz T7100 or the T7300 at MOST. The graphics card is what really matters here.

2) DON'T OPT FOR A LOT OF RAM! Instead, get the cheapest option and buy 2 gigs of ram or more on newegg.com or the like and install it yourself (make sure you have a good screwdriver. I've "screwed up" 3 times already trying to get stripped screws out of the ram compartment of 3 different laptops). RAM is infinitely cheaper if you buy it separately, especially now that prices have dropped like mad. You should be able to find 2x1gb of ddr2 for 60-70 bucks.

3) Yes I believe the 8600m GT has turbocache.

 

You can actually get up to 1GB Turbo Cache providing you have 2GB ram...on the 256MB 8600M GT

stick with T7300 i'd say...best bang for your buck as they say....

2GB ram should be fine...but speaking to a friend of mine that has 3GB he said he could notice the difference.

Hard drive...hmm...I'm never worried about that too be honest...you can always get a small external one to keep things on that you dont use much.

 

The T7300 is the one I'd go for. It's the first step that has double the cache. Like the others said, in gaming you won't max out your CPU but I'd bet you would notice it while running multiple applications. Again, this isnt going to make a HUGE difference.

2GB of RAM should be okay for a long while. I would recommend one 2GB stick as it leaves a slot open for later. And honestly, buying it at newegg isnt the best idea. At powernotebooks, where I configured mine, it would have cost just as much to pick the lowest option and buy at newegg, rather than have them install it.

And as for the hard drive, if your budget allows, go for a 7200 RPM one. Contrary to popular belief, the 7200 rpms only use a SMALL amount more battery, and in some cases run just as quiet as their 5400 RPM counterparts. The 7200 would decrease loading times in games, and if you actually ran into needing a page file, would speed that up too. The space really is up to you, I bought the 160 GB, but that may be too much for what you need. My main PC right now has a 74 GB raptor, with a 250 GB storage. For just installing programs the 74GB is plenty, but backups and stuff I do run into needing the extra space.

 

Ha, thanks for the replies fellas, I really appreciate it & it probably saved me a few quid

T7300 and 1x2GB RAM it is.

Cheers!

 

Yep, that's a good choice. Do you already know what hard drive you choose?

 

No, I'm looking into it right now. Neither load speeds nor tons of storage space are primary concerns of mine, but I want to get the HD choice right as for instance a 160GB 5400rpm SATA is priced almost identically to a 100GB 7200rpm SATA- which one is actually faster? I don't know, especially since the seller doesn't specify which HD producer they're using (seagate, kingson or what) so I can't deduce what platter arrangement etc will be on my hard drive. Annoying, looks like they're getting a phone call tomorrow

Btw I only just learned that not only rpm but SIZE of a HD affect speed. Why cant things just be simple dang it? meh

 

hey I have a Rizeon FL90E...review of it in the other manufacturers thread...with pictures..

They use Seagate..they say it on the Why Buy Rizeon page...

I have a seagate momentus 7200.2 Gforce 160GB

7200rpm drives are faster so the 100GB 7200rpm will be faster than the 160GB 5400rpm

 

@ noustyle, thanks for the review mate. Actually saw the thread a couple of days ago.

I'll ponder my choice of HD- like I said above load speeds isn't really a concern of mine, but will HD speed affect things like in-game stuttering (not FPS but stuttering from frequent loading)? Up until one hour ago I thought stuttering was a low-RAM issue but now I'm not so sure

 

well 7200rpm drives have faster access times etc...check out the seagate website for all the drive specs...but i'm sure 7200rpm drives are always going to be faster.

 

Well at the moment, the hard drive is the slowest computer component today, with its dependence on RPMs. So, it'd be wise to get the highest RPM you can afford for things that'll require hard disk accessing (which is about everything). You'll probably notice a difference if you're coming from a 5400 RPM drive, and if you're coming from 7200 RPM drives on a desktop, I'm pretty sure you'll notice a slowdown as well.

 

Yessir, I understand a faster HD means faster data access, but, to take the example of computer games, a slower hard drive will mean increased loading times between levels etc, but will not mean lower fps. Is that not correct?

 

Correct

Also, some slower RPM drives are faster than high RPM drives. It has to do with the density of the information stored on it. The more info is packed on the same space, the more passes by the read/write head even at lower speeds.

 

get the biggest 7200rpm drive you can afford, hehe that seems to be the advice. i am considering the Rizeon IFL90 aswell and due to the cheapness of the laptop i wanted to max out everything like you too, i wanted 3gb ram and t7500. this thread seems to have calmed me down a bit to get the t7300 and only 2gb ram but i reckon i will spend that saving on a speedy fat HDD to get BF2 load times down so i can jump in the tank, hehehe

 

Well, I'm not so sure about that strategy when I saw some of the underside labels and what the panels contained. Apparently, one of the panels under the IFL-90 is for the hard drive, so it seems easy to upgrade later, much like RAM is.

 

Upgrading hard drives is typically not a big deal.

 

Everyone will tell you that the 7300 is the best bang for buck but I find it unnecessary. The T7100 is already so fast that there's really no way you could max it. CPUs today are just so fast that any upgrade to any other part of the system would increase performance more.

 

Thanks for the input. Likely I'll place the order tomorrow morning, so will have to decide on HD by then I def getting 160Gb, so likely I'll put in the 20quid or so extra and get a 7200rpm one;

Anybody know if a 7200 generates significantly more heat than a 5400? Ta

Btw if anyone's interested Rizeon yesterday started offering 250Gb 5400rpm's and 200Gb 7200's

 

I have the FL90E and a Seagate 7200.2 Gforce hard drive

I can't tell whether it really generates that much heat...after a few hours of use the palm rest will get a little warm, but not too much...the bottom heats up a little but thats where the CPU and GPU are so thats to be expected...I think seagate would have those figures of their site...

According to the operating and nonoperating stats on the seagate data sheets there seems to be no difference between the 7200rpm and 5400rpm drives...

 

Donsell
How can you use only one module? It is major performance loss as they operate in Dual DDR mode and by using only one the channel cuts by half.

 

guess he's planning to buy another 2gb stick on the cheap somewhere else

 

Fellas, noob software question coming up...ready for it?

Basically Rizeon offers 1 year Symantec Norton antivirus for 25quid. I'd be tempted but everyone who knows something about computers says Norton is the devil and there's lotsa good freeware like Avast. Whatcha think?

Should I go without buying the antivirus, download some freeware the first time I log on the internet and happy days ever after?

 

Dual channel is only a slight benefit. Here is a thread on it:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/archive/index.php?t-91315.html

 

...and 2x1 is slightly cheaper

 

i swear by AVG free antivirus it is pretty darn good and doesnt mess with your computer and best of all.. Its Free!!

edit: i normally use it with zone alarm free edition