A few questions concerning the NP8170 (upgrades, components, resellers)

To start with, I'm quite sold on the NP8170 model, particularly due to it's ability to be upgraded.

I've been doing a bit of research here and around the web, and the future 6970m card looks incredibly appealing. However, given that I haven't seen a reliable release date for this card being included with prebuilt machines, I'm disinclined to wait. That said, I'd still like to be able to purchase this card in the future. Would it be reasonable to expect a reseller to sell an individual card for upgrade purposes down the road, and if so, are there any suggestions for those who have prior experience buying individual laptop components?

Second, I've been doing a bit of shopping around in terms of resellers. Everyone I've seen has had incredibly fair prices, but one stood out in particular due to free standard ground shipping, and an active $30 off coupon on the 8170: Pro-Star. Has anyone here had experience dealing with this reseller? I see somewhat mixed reviews. While many are exceedingly positive reviews, the few negatives coupled with my own lack of knowledge on the company makes me a little wary.

Any information would be very helpful on either of these topics. Thanks in advance for the time!

 

The NP8170 does have a user upgradeable graphics card. The only thing you'll have trouble with is finding the actual card for sale. Notebook graphics cards are much harder to find then the desktop version.

When the 6970M card does become available you should be able to get ahold of your reseller and get some pricing on upgrading the card or possibly purchasing the card by itself and installing it on your own. I know the Nvidia 480M was available as an upgrade kit so theres a good chance the 6970M will be available that way too. Guess we won't know for sure until the card has been released

 

Pro-star has a good reputation, although I don't know that I've seen a rep here at NBR.

One thing I've learned though from buying laptops is buy what you think you'll need, even if it is upgradeable. Chances are that there will be an option in the future, but there could always be stumbling blocks in testing, production, or otherwise that delay or cancel a particular component altogether.

I buy the laptop knowing there should be *SOMETHING* in the future to replace your existing GPU, but I wouldn't count on a specific card or timeframe until it's actually available.

 

That's very sound advice. My catch at the moment stems from budget issues. I'll be on a business trip here within the next month of so, and having a mobile machine to work with is a high priority. Once this trip is finished, I'd like to use it as a portable entertainment station as well, hence the future upgrade for the card. I'm not 100% set on the 6970M, but given the estimated price/performance ratio, it's certainly looking to be a sweet card!

I appreciate the advice given thus far, and will be taking everything into consideration.