285M Upgradable ??

Hi guys I was thinking of buying a NP8690 with the Nvidia 285M, I noticed it says user upgradable. So am I write in saying that if and when a new card comes out lets call it 485M I would be able to just remove the old one and put in the new one with little to no hassle ?

The only reason I ask is because I noticed that the 5870 is coming out which wipes the floor with the 285M. So when Nvidia produce something that beats the 5870 I would like to be able to have it if you know what I mean.

Many thanks in advance.

 

As long as the new card is mxm III type b then it should work AFAIK. However, there are no guarantees so take what you get and hope for the best.

 

Thanks for the quick reply, would you recommend waiting until March to see what comes out ? Or is it a high chance that they will be III type b.

Secondly should I buy a higher model to secure I dont have upgrade problems?

 

CeBit is not to far away and announcements may come out then. At the moment everyone is really speculating as to what's going to happen. AFAIK this type is newer so it should be good for awhile but nothing is guaranteed so it's anybody's guess as to what will come out and what format.

I've been told that Sagers/Clevo are the best shot at getting something that is easy to upgrade and has a decent shot of supporting future cards. However, nothing is set in stone so I can't say "get this and it'll be ok". Best way to think about it is to use the new car analogy. As soon as you drive it off the lot it's lost a lot of value.

 

As long as Nvidia (or ATi) maintain the MXM III Type B Spec for their mobile cards, you should be able to upgrade to the next newer card(s). The newer cards are always very expensive, however.

Even if you wait until CeBit in March, the new models shown there usually aren't released until a few months later. How long are you willing to wait?

Yes, a newer model usually = better chance of being able to upgrade. All depends on Intel's road maps, Nvidia's road maps, etc.

 

I only believe in waiting if you are certain something you want is coming out and that it will be arriving in a reasonable length of time. I have a W860CU / G860 on the way in the next few days and that will be shipping with a single GTX285M. I am sure I won't be worrying about whether a better card is coming out or not while I am enjoying the purchase.

If I was 100% certain a better card would be coming out and when, then that would maybe be different. At least MXM 3.0B gives you a good chance of future upgrades though.

 

Thanks guys ! your all on form with your answers. I think im going to buy a NP8690. I means its not like the 285M is a bad card.

 

Keep in mind, though, the Clevo BIOS might not support new models. I gather that the historical pattern is that a new Clevo model will be able to support the graphics cards from one generation into the future. With the W860CU, that is the GTX380m and HD5870. Often in that time, either the MXM format changes or the BIOS can no longer handle newer cards. Also, you will be limited in heat. Newer, better cards put out newer, warmer heat, and your cooling might not be sufficient for the GTX485m.

So don't keep your expectations super-high. Just consider it a pleasant bonus when you get to the point that you can upgrade

 

100%. You need a BIOS update for the new hardware (GPU) to be "handed" to the OS correctly.
As for the heat, the 285 is unlikely to run cooler than the 5870. And the cooling systems provided by Clevo have some reserves.
But I'd wait for the CeBit to know more before making a decision.

 

Regarding the cooling system, at least with the G860 / W860CU, you are no longer limited to a single fan sharing two heatsinks (Nexus / NP8662). Surely this fact alone increases the chance of future updates.

 

Perhaps rumors, but the 5870 may soon become an option, and it should be cooler than the 285M. However, it isn't much faster, maybe by 10%.

 

It apparently overclocks like a champ though! guys at Xotic PC got an extra 900 points in a bechmark. Im guessing that good lol ?

 

Just as a quick note, so noone gets confused, the GPU socket is actually MXM 3.0 Type B. The Type III MXM socket actually belongs to the 1.3/2.0/2.1 versions.