9262 / D901C & 9800M GTX SLI question

I do not know exactly how SLI works. If I buy he 9262 with ONE 9800M GTX (when available), will I be able to buy a second 9800M GTX in say, half a year or so from now? Or do the cards have to be bought together? What is needed to make them function in SLI?

I am tempted on getting the 9800M GT SLI, instead of a single 9800M GTX. However, it will make upgrading to a 9800M GTX (or other future card set) less appealing. Is the 9800M GT even available in SLI, yet? What is the advantage of 1GB of vRAM over 512MB of vRAM?

 

- have the same cards (even if they were bought at separate times)
- have SLI cable to link the two cards (should come with the second card if you get it from a good vendor)
- update to drivers that has the SLI support.

Thats it.

 

You answered my question perfectly. I want to get the 9800M GTX so I can stay ahead of things without having to get rid of a video card when upgrading (i.e. upgrading to xxxx video card from the 9800M GT in SLI). The 9800M GTX should be a little better in performance.

I will be getting the 1920 x 1200 LCD, so I would assume that the 1 GB of vRAM would help loading textures. Correct?

 

Thats a lot of video memory... most games wont even take advantage of that... maybe future games with heavy/high-res textures would utilize that much.

... but having more shaders than the GT would help.

 

Do you know how to google?

 

apparently Google might have led him here with millions of results of "SLI notebooks"....

 

Also you might consider just a single 9800GTX the increase in performance from SLI is not worth it. IMHO, unless your rolling in money.

 

Do you know how to be helpful in a forum setting?

 

Googling wouldn't have done the OP much good in any case, 'cause nobody really "knows" how SLi works (partly 'cause sometimes it don't work too good ). I should know because I once spent a very frustrating day running through hundreds of useless google hits trying to find a decent semi-technical discussion of SLi.

This pic is probably the best way to conceptualize SLi:


Each player is a separate GPU, and the display screen is the single piano keyboard on which each GPU must play its assigned part(s), without getting in the way of the other, and both must do so in order to produce a single, coherent piece of music.

The only thing missing from the picture is an analogy for the rest of the system, which provides necessary support to the GPUs, but also imposes resource constraints and delays. The best way to visualize that aspect is to imagine a page-turner just outside of the frame of the picture, who must coordinate turning the pages of the sheet music for each player so that they can stay in time - only trouble is, the page-turner's got an itchy bum that he keeps scratching, which interferes with his ability to keep the pages turning smoothly.

 

Thanks for the help. I used the search engine on this website with 9800 GTX and SLI and did not find what I was looking for, so I decided to make my own topic. I don't plan on buying two 9800 GTX's at first. But, I want to know it is possible. I don't want to buy an SLI configuration of 9800 GT's, unless there is only a like 5% difference in performance between the two. But with the extra shaders and video memory, I still have hope.

 

I am sorry to post here,
but i can't find a place to post abt my concern

I am considering to buy a Malibal Series 9 model,
i have the same concern as baconcow...

as i could choose either a 9800M GTX 1GB or a Dual 9800M GT 512MB. But the later choice will cost me $150. So i wonder if the increase of performance will worth that amount of money.

My second concern is whether the Malibal's hardware could be upgraded by myself. Say i am going for a 9800M GTX now, and buy another 9800M GTX later, making them work in SLi mode. is it possible? can i buy the hardware from other place instead of buying from Malibal?

Thanks

 

SLI 9800M GT is certainly faster.

Yes and very easy.

You can buy parts from any clevo retailers, see Clevo Guide.

 

I'm thinking of going the 9800M GT SLI way. For only $150 more, it would be much cheaper than buying one 9800M GTX now and then spending even 500 more on another when the prices drop. By the time I get ready to buy another 9800M GTX, there may be a 9900 or some 10-series card out that may work in the D901C. Most people say the 8800 GTX is excellent in SLI... so if the 9800M GT is essentially the same card, with modified drivers, it would be a good deal as it is cheaper than the 8800 GTX SLI right now.

 

the 9262 may not currently support 9800m gtx in sli. there may be a motherboard revision or refresh for that.

 

This topic has answered all the question that's in my head... to know whether or not getting 9800m GTX... i don't think there is an answer yet.. we DON"T know or any information the NP 9262 is gone to support 9800m GTX... like what ARGH Said could be true, it could redesign the motherboard.. i am just waitting and see what will come out,,

 

Worry not, when the 9800GTX is release later this month, eventually there will be a Clevo with 9800GTX in SLI not too long after. Personally, I wouldn't buy a D901C at this point in time. I would wait for the SLI 9800GTX. Plus, the Q9650 Quad Core is out, so by the time the 9800GTX is release, the price of the Q9550 should drop to more reasonable range. Perhaps then, Clevo will update the chassis with HDMI and eSATA ports! Wouldn't that be sweet?

 

KillerNotebooks already has the Q9650 as a option for there Clevo D901C notebooks hopefully the GTX SLI is not too far behind.We can all dream.

 

HDMI might come in handy for me in the future. However, I have no plans to use Esata drives. I just can't see myself being able to afford the 9800 GTX SLI. I am pushing it enough buying a notebook for around $3,500 CAD, maybe even more.

 

Do you mean the D901C do not have a HDMI and eSATA port?
but i've check the Malibal Series 9 Specs, it do have a HDMI port (sorted under the interface). Also, that's not a misleading information as i have send email to them and they've confirmed.

 

That's correct. The Clevo D901C does NOT have a dedicated HDMI port. But you can use a DVI-HDMI adapter. It's cheap $15 bucks or so. You won't get audio though, and will need separate audio wires.

 

Who needs eSATA anyway when you have 3 HD's! The nice thing about the D901C is that it's very upgradeable. You can always wait for the release of the 9800GTX in SLI, buy one card and upgrade later when you have the fund.

 

The way SLI works is that when a GPU is doing a particular taks, the other one steps in and does the upcoming task , and when GPU1 is done, it can already skip to task 3, whereas GPU2 can skip to task 4 etc.
Basically , they're like 2 cars taking 8 people somewhere instead of 1 car doing 2 trips.
SLI DOES WORK, in some cases close to 100%.

 

Thanks Shyster1 and eleron911, I appreciate your positive responses. Instead of continuing to look all over the web (as I was), I wanted a response from this forum as I trust the expertise of such a collective group of notebook enthusiasts. It is not to say other sites are incorrect, I've just read information which contradicts itself about many topics, including video cards, SLI, HDD's, and more. Once again, much appreciated.

I keep hearing people saying to be patient and wait longer for an upgraded D901C. Eurocom told me today that Clevo is developing one with support for 5 HDD's. I know that when the 901C came out, it was much more expensive than it currently is. I like the price. I can get a 9800 GT SLI system (or single 9800 GTX) with a Q9450, 4GB of RAM, Windows Vista 64 bit, a 200 GB HDD 7.2k, a 320 GB HDD 5.4k all for around $3,500 (shipped, taxed, CAD). I like that. It sure beats building a Dell 1730 online for over 4k at similar specs.

Should I wait though... for a new motherboard, 9800 GTX SLI support (which I won't be able to afford at first), faster ram, etc? I don't really care about HDMI (I have a nice HD tv and an Xbox to use on it), a fingerprint reader, or eSata (3 HDD's is more than enough)? If they make a new (improved 901C) version, it might be much higher in cost at base.

 

There's no reason to wait. 5 hard drives? Not likely, unless two of them are external USB drives, which can be done already.

There won't be a new motherboard. In fact, the odds of there being another iteration or version of the D901C are very small. Why? Desktop Nehalems are just around the corner, so my money's on Clevo getting ready to prep the Nehalem-based successor to the D901C; however, I don't expect it to show up for sale for at least a year.

 

Do you think the Nahalem processors will run on the D901C motherboard? That would make me happy. I could buy what I want now and get that in the future. I am starting to learn further towards the 9800 GT SLI. The rumored specs for the 9800 GTX just do not seem to do the card justice. I know the numbers on notebookcheck.com probably have no basis, but there is stiill not a large difference over the 9800M GT (if they are real). Also, I don't think I want to spend an additional $800 for the 9800 GTX in SLI, and waiting a year for it to drop to the price of the 9800 GT SLI will defeat the purpose of this beast of a notebook now. I will see whether the processor cuts do occur, as rumored (evidence now showing up that they are coming soon). I would just end up either taking the extra savings and putting it towards a bigger harddrive (possibly the [email protected] with the [email protected]) or possibly upgrade (or switch) to the Q9550 (if the price is comparible to the Q9450).

Does anyone have any benchmarks for 8800 GTX in SLI (I searched and found SLI benchmarks for the 7950M GTX in SLI)? Considering the 8800 GTX is essentially the 9800 GTX, I wouldn't mind seeing what I could expect for a performance cap on graphics-intensive games like Crysis, etc.

By the way... what is "Rep Power" and how do you earn it?

Thanks again!

 

thanks, but i checked most of them just selling memory or batteries, I wonder which one do sell graphic card or other parts? for example Wi-Fi modules.

 

Here i found some benchmark test on the 8800M GTX SLI: Link

by the way, baconcow, which are u going to choose after reading so many information? Dual 9800M GT or single 9800M GTX??

Also, I would like to ask, what are the main use of the VRAM? (sorry, really a beginner in computer graphics)
say comparing 2 same model of video card, 8800M GTX, one with 256MB and one with 512MB.
Without doubt the 512MB will outperform the 256 one. But in what kind of situation could the 512 version benefit from the extra VRAM?

 

J@cky, Eurocom in Canada sells all the parts for the D901C/NP9262. They are a direct Clevo distributor, like Sager. To be honest, I am thinking of the Dual 9800 GT SLI because of the fact that they will be SO much cheaper than the 9800 GTX. If you think about it this way... (going off of the Eurocom catalog, for references: http://web.eurocom.com/EC/ecu_model_config1(1,188,0))

1 9800M GTX = $890 CAD
2 9800M GTX = $1780 CAD

1 9800M GT = $545 CAD
2 9800M GT = $1390 CAD (I think this should say $1090)

Either way, it can be seen that the GT is MUCH cheaper. When you think of what you are actually paying for the 9800M GTX in SLI, you think twice. Is the extra $690 worth it for a 1GB boost (which may not be beneficial in this system, according to others) and a 5-25% boost (approximation). I think the smartest choice (and Eurocom sales rep. told me this too) would be to choose the 9800M GT in SLI and then get a future series card such as a 9900 or 10000, etc... (he believes they will be compatible with the motherboard too. I think the 8800M GTX was such a large boost over previous cards and many people (myself included) want the 9900M GTX to provide the same boost. It may, but is it worth the extra $700 in the end? You could save that money and put it towards one card in the future. That's my idea. Dual 9800M GT's should be good for games this year and next (StarCraft II, Diablo III, and even Crysis-intensive games). We can always push the resolution down to 1680x1050 for games like Crysis if we need to.

This is me trying to convince myself to save the $700 off of an already-expensive computer. To save the money for future (and imminent) upgrades seems like the best idea, right now.

By the way, I just noticed that the upgrade prices on Eurocom are more expensive than if you were to buy the items WITH the notebook. Just use them for reference to see how much more expensive the 9800M GTX really is. A LOT of people are very happy with their dual 8800M GTX in SLI... I think we will be too. By themselves, the 8800M GTX / 9800M GT's seem to choke on some games. However, with the SLI, the 8800M GTX's seem to output nice results.

The notebookcheck results may be fake, but still... if they aren't, the results do not warrant the extra $700:

3DMark2006
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT: 9762
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX: 10138 (~3.8% higher)

Currently, I am sitting on the following configuration. This configuration all depends on the deal (match-pricing) that Eurocom will give me.

17" 1920x1200 glossy
Q9450 2.67 GHz Quad (unless the Q9550 drops to the price of the Q9450)
2x 512MB 9800M GT in SLI
200 GB HDD @ 7,200 RPM (for games, programs and my OS) & 320 GB HDD @ 5,400 RPM (for storage)
4 GB RAM
Windows Vista 64-bit


The 320 GB is the best bang for your buck with SATA II - 300 HDD's, for only an additional $120 ($5 cheaper than the 200 GB @ 7,200 RPM). I am not bothering with any HDD that is not SATA II - 300. Also, for storage, I do not need to worry about drive read speed as with in gaming and OS performance.

200GB @ 7,200 RPM = $125 = $0.63 / GB (cheapest SATA II - 300 HDD)
320GB @ 7,200 RPM = $200 = $0.63 / GB
320GB @ 5,400 RPM = $120 = $0.38 / GB (best deal, IMO)
500GB @ 5,400 RPM = $235 = $0.47 / GB

Other than that, I am pretty set on what I want. I am opting to not get the internal Bluetooth card as I do not think I will ever need it (as with the HDMI and eSata ports, which I will not need). External HDD's are good for backup, I would never use one for gaming.

What do you think, J@cky? Also, the 9800M GT in SLI is available very soon (if not already in some places). The 9800 GTX in SLI may take a while, who knows. As soon as I buy the computer (which will be between August 18-22nd, while I am in Ottawa and can go to the Eurocom showroom in person), I will let you know EXACTLY what I chose.

 

Thanks for sharing, baconcow, very detail!!

I think i will go for the 9800M GT SLi too, as many review said that it performs quite similar to 8800M GT SLi, which is really great. (rank highest on the NotebookCheck website)

But i am thinking to get it from Malibal as they are doing a 15% off promotion discount

with the following config, it'll cost me under $3k including shipping in the US

17" 1920x1200 glossy
Q6600
2x 512MB 9800M GT in SLI
320 GB HDD @ 5,400 RPM
4 GB RAM
Windows Vista 64-bit

What do you think?

 

Absolutely, positively, without a single, solitary doubt in the world....NO.

The reason being that Nehalem represents an entirely different type of system architecture; for example, all current (and almost all prior) PCs have used the so-called front side bus ("FSB") as the primary intrasystem communication bus.

Nehalem does not have an FSB, and cannot work with a system that does. This is one of the few questions about the future of computers that can be answered with certainty before the tech in question is actually released - for everything else, you'll never really know until it's actually released.

Do you see that little odd-looking, sort of pseudo 3D fleur de lis down at the bottom left hand side of each post, under the poster's avatar? You click on that icon when you want to add to the poster's reputation on the forum because the post they put up is worthy of respect. The more Rep Power you have, the more points you can add to a poster's reputation when you click on that link.

You build up Rep Power by...being a reputable person, obviously!

Don't we all wish. There's some sort of secret family recipe the system uses to compute Rep Power. As far as I can tell, it has some sort of relationship to how many reputation points you've earned and how many posts you've made; I don't know what, if anything else, goes into it - for all I know there could be a rep fairy somewheres.

 

Pssst...I think those are scales

 

Ok, if you say so; still looks like a bizarre, mutated fluer de lis to me!

 

Yeah, they are scales of justice.

What is the approximate release period for the Nehalem processors?

 

From Intel? Probably/maybe the end of this year, beginning of next year. As implemented in systems? Probably not until Aug/Sept of next year for desktop components. Notebook CPUs won't be released until Q3 of 2009, so I wouldn't expect notebooks (i.e., anything other than the successor to the D901C) to be out until the beginning/middle of 2010.

 

So than, buying the D901C now (by the end of August) is a safe bet? I don't mind components being outdated... I just don't want to buy the D901C to find that there is a D901D coming out in November/December. Then again, if the components are much superior on an iteration, the price would reflect that.

I guess I am still in the same dilemma... to get the single 9800M GTX or the dual 9800M GT SLI. I believe it was KillerNotebooks who mentioned that the 9800M GTX will have a great performance increase. I hope I am not misquoting.

If one 9800M GTX can decently handle games now, until I can afford 9800M GTX in SLI, I would go that route. I just know the 9800M GTX will eventually be in SLI and be superior, in some capacity, to the 9800M GT in SLI.

I know cost is the issue. However, what if there is a great increase in performance on notebooks that require a lot of texture rendering due to the higher (1920x1200) resolution? I'm trying to learn as much as possible, as I go along. Perhaps I am understanding this wrong. However, if the 9800M GTX were to come out and perform only marginally better than the 9800M GT, then I will kick myself for not having bought the 9800M GT sooner.

Shyster1, do you have any suggestion on what I should do, and reasoning?

Thanks again.

 

baconcow, i think you decision will base on when the 9800M GTX SLI will be available and how much to buy a single 9800M GTX later, for making it SLI by yourself.

Does anyone know how much will it cost to buy a single 9800M GTX 1GB?

 

Probably around 750$.

 

Yeah. They will cost about that now. But, if I do wait longer, I should be able to get one cheaper. The deciding detail will occur when I see it's performance comparable to the 9800M GT. If the card had very good performance (due to the extra vRAM), then I will definitely consider buying one now, and one later. I just won't be able to get the performance of having 2 9800M GT in SLI immediately. However, if the single 9800M GTX has a good enough performance, having it in SLI in the future will greatly extend the gaming life of my notebook.

I guess I wanted to know everything by the time I go to the store in Ottawa (on August 18th), but it doesn't look like that will be possible. I will be in Ottawa until the 24th, with Eurocom opened until Friday, 22nd. I'll see. If there are early benchmarks before the 18th (possible, with some information coming about the Q9650 earlier than release), then I might be able to make my decision than.

 

Thanks for sharing baconcow,

Is Clevo's distributor the only place i could get a stand alone mobile graphic card?? are there any other place, like pcworld, or something like that will sell laptop parts including Nvidia graphic cards? so i could have more choice later and compare the price of the 9800M GTX when it comes

btw, I do not understand why there are single 9800M GTX, but dont have SLI version yet. they are not just equipping 2 9800M GTX into it and link with a SLI cable? or there's something else i'll need to take care of? (sorry for the silly question, but i really hope someone would be kind enough to answer this, many thanks)

 

I believe that it is because the SLI drivers have not been developed yet or that the hardware may not be ready for the cards in SLI at this time. However, they are probably testing this setup as we speak. I am assuming that the 9800M GTX single card configuration works fine in the system but needs to be tweaked or prepared for upcoming release. Just a guess.

 

177.79 are awesome drivers, massive boost in performance, UT3 NO LONGER LAGS, and Crysis is smoother
8800M GTX SLI.

 

I've read your benchmark topics about those drivers. I like how efficient nVidia drivers can be at times. I remember when the 6800 GTX was the powerful video card in the desktop. nVidia Forceware drivers were the thing than. Also, many people used the modded drivers, as well.

 

As a newbie, may i ask wht's modded drivers?
are they drivers that are built by 3rd parties?

 

Assuming the discussions about the functioning of SLI are correct [the 2nd card lends only the GPU] and assuming that there are minor variations between any two Cards due to manufacturing and material impurity inclusions; then the placement of order the two Cards in a Laptop could determine the maximum overclocking level of an assembled SLI Laptop.

One of the two Cards will be slightly faster [memory or shader] than the other Card and needs to be placed in the "master" position for best overall performance... That said, only real power users need apply

 

Modded drivers are the drivers released by Nvidia, but are disassembled and optimized by other sources. Back when 169.29 was popular, I used the Omega modded drivers for SLI 8800GTS G92s. I did love the performance of those cards - even when paired with a weakish E6550 @ 3.15, they maxed Crysis and then some.

 

I used to use modded drivers on my 6600 GT

:O

back in the day when Oblivion was out... my card was destroyed by it

 

oic, so where could i found those modded drivers and how could I know which has a better performance than the original ones?

 

www.laptopvideo2go.com
http://www.tweakforce.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=14
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread206047.html


I do not know the full compatibility of these. I use the ones from www.laptopvideo2go.com

 

Thanks a lot for the information,
do i need to uninstall the original driver first before i install the modded driver??

btw, baconcow, I've chosen to go for exactly the same config as your 901C... i am waiting for its arrival, too!!!

 

Yes, you should always uninstall the old driver before installing the new driver.