9380-S Concerns

Whelp, just got the 9380-S in the mail. Here's my opinion about it:

CONS:
- Keyboard light system doesn't automatically turn back on when you close and open the lid on a lesser admin account. It doesn't start when the computer starts either. You have to do it manually unlike when on an admin account.

- Fans have a temporary boost sometimes when you aren't doing anything strenuous.

- Can no longer use Nvidia 314.22 drivers.

- Limited options with the keyboard lightshow.

- Webcam software is terrible.

- Webcam quality is terrible.

- Playing Blu-Ray is a pain because it didn't come with a software player that could actually play blu-ray movies.

- Basche's 3rd limit break on FFXII on PCSX is still slow. Faster than on the Toshiba, but still slow. That 9570 Sager, it is fast on there. Difference is that the 9570 has a desktop 6 core processor and this machine just has a laptop processor 4930MX (which is currently the highest laptop processor).

- Monitor doesn't seem to have lightboost.

- Lack of option for a keyboard protector.

- Not much of a Black Friday/Holiday Sale. It's actually the same exact Sale that is had all year round. Price Match doesn't even work because nobody else sells the same exact machines as XoticPC and I couldn't get a discount on an SSD that I found cheaper elsewhere. Only real discount I could get is the one from the Carbon Fiber skin.

- Msata SSDs are worthless at this time for being a ripoff. Normal SSDs and HDDs look safer and easier to handle than Msata.

- Lack of BIOS options.

- Can feel the carbon fiber scraping against my finger when I used the fingerprint reader.

- Fingerprint reader doesn't auto pop-up whenever I put in passwords (it did that on the HPDV6)

- Too many screws to take things apart. Could have had more clip lockons or something. HDDs are difficult to put back in for there are no straps on the hdd holdsters.


PROS:
+ 3DVision is now fast even at Max settings (excluding AA on some games).

+ Every real PC game is excellent.

+ Carbon Fiber is excellent.


This doesn't mean that I don't like it. But for the cash paid, these things could have been better considering cheaper laptops get most of the software stuff on point.

 

There are hardly any screws to get into the machine compared to most models.

Same goes for bios options.

Msata is just as fast as normal drives if you buy the right one (and weighs less)

The 9570 makes a lit of sacrifices to get that 6 core cpu.

The latest beta drivers shoukd work just fine.

 

I took out 1 screw for the hdd outside panel and 6 more to take out the hdd and plate that holds the hdd. The plate didn't have a ribbon to pull on it making it difficult to reinsert let alone remove because of fear of bending the connector.

Msata's are too expensive and they look like exposed circuit boards. I'm scared to even touch them because they look so delicate.

Some rare games and emus have problems with the directx 11 where the screen with sporatically zoom in and out because of the different codings of these newer drivers.

Sacrifices like what? I'm kinda interested in what is in store for both of them come febuary. I wonder if intel are releasing new processors as well along with the new graphics cards that nvidia are doing.

 

It's important to screw down mobile HDDs to reduce virbration, most use 4 screws + 1 or 2 to hold in the caddy.

You need to shop around but for instance crucial have a 10% markup on mSATA (the chips are more expensive as they are more expensive to produce), while you have a perception on mSATA cards they are no more sensitive than any other electronic component (and usually only require one screw so bonus for you).

2kgs of metal, an extra power brick and half the battery life lol.

 

Crucial 480GB M500 mSATA Internal SSD CT480M500SSD3 B&H Photo

Dat price! Just no. Hence my words "at this time".

 

That is only $20 more than the same drive in the SATA version, at that store. $279 versus $299.

 

Edit...

(Removed suggestions)

Please don't be rude, and you might get more help. (This is based on responses in two other threads...)

 

Next time get a desktop

 

I'm glad you think a useless post helped me in the first place lol. How about you stop baiting. This is why I talked the way I did in the first place. Cause and effect. I've said nothing rude in THIS thread anyway. Unless you're talking about when I said "just, no." If so, that was actually a joke. You'd see that it was considering the sentences that followed. Context. But you'd never know that right sense you're playing the following role just to try to fit in with the 'in' crowd right. I'd have to commend you for your effort though. Your post would have been sensible, if and only if, help was ever provided in the first place
And follow your own advice. You expected something from your showing off of "snipping" a post like you are providing a great justice to bringing drama from elsewhere into somewhere it doesn't belong. You are no type of 'hero'. Especially by basically saying, Nah nah Ne Boo Boo.....

9570 has a desktop processor. That was what I was trying to compare to. That is why I signed up. So I was 'trying' to get 'a desktop'. But lack of info had me thinking wrong information and I would have gotten 'the desktop' if my questions were actually answered properly. But I think I may be okay when the 880m comes out so I might just keep this. Most of the gripes aren't that bad. I mean there are a lot of cons than pros but the pros have more weight to them. I just hope that the hardware format doesn't change and that I'll always be able to upgrade when I need to. But the 8 core processor coming in july looks so tempting. That's what still has me in debate mode honestly. I don't know if there will be an 8core laptop version as well as the desktop version.
I forgot to say as a pro that the Matte screen looks gorgeous.

 

Is there any reason you must use a laptop? Yes there's the P50WM/9570 but for $4000 you can get a 4930K + 2x desktop 780 and much better future-proofing down the road. There's no guarantee the 880M will work with the current laptops, and there's no guarantee the hardware format won't change.

If you don't have to use a laptop, then I think a desktop is much better suited for your purposes.

 

Well since emulation is a slow process. I think just having a laptop will be okay. I just don't find logic in discarding all the games I bought in the past just to buy it again just because they can't figure out BC. I use to have a desktop but logging it around was a pain when I went over friends houses to have personal fighting game tourneys. So many cords and was heavy and most of the time, certain ppl's monitors couldn't fit with my cord. Now since we've all grown up and disbanded and we no longer have those, it's just much easier to manage and less space consumed. The 9570 is actually around the same price as this one when getting the most of the same internals. Around $3600 something. 780s got 3gb of gddr5. 6 altogether with sli. Laptops are about to get the 880s. That's 8gbs in one card so whoever gets that probably won't even need sli for a while. The one in this one now is 4gb.

The 780 for desktops range from 500 - 720. The desktop processor you mentioned is around 580. Not much of a price difference from the laptop items. But for the laptop items, you conserve energy while getting close to the same performances (but still below) and you have the portability. That's true that it isn't guaranteed, but it would be a bad move for them not to be considering this laptop isn't that old yet. Alot of consumers would probably be pissed. I see some cheap powerful desktop setups as low as under 2000. But i've also seen some that are around 6000. The desktop vs laptop comparison is similar to the box tvs vs the flats. Flats were higher because of the image quality and the box tvs were cheaper because they weren't selling as well as the newer tech. Or another comparison would be those highly efficient cars that saves tons of gas compared to the original cars. All in all, for me, it was too much clutter and laptops are much easier to handle.

 

It's true the gap between mainstream desktop and laptop CPUs are closing, but at the very high end, a desktop CPU will run circles around a laptop CPU.

Graphics cards are where the main bottleneck is at. My 780M SLI setup can barely catch up with a single desktop 780, while costing (more than) twice as much. So the performance isn't anywhere near close. 780M SLI will run about 220W at stock speeds, which is very close to the 250W TDP of the desktop 780. The key difference of course is the portability, but for that you pay a heavy premium.

Anyway, my point was that if portability wasn't a factor (and that's a big IF), desktops will always give you a bigger bang for your buck.

 

Be sure that Nvidia is overcharging like mad on their high-end laptop cards.