Couple np8662 Config Questions

I really want an 8662, since it looks like it fits all my needs, but I'd like to keep it under my $1500 budget. I managed to configure one around $1450, but I had to cut some corners.

Sager NP8662 (Built on Clevo M860TU)
- 15.4" WSXGA+ "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1680x1050)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P8600 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.40GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- nVidia GeForce GTX 260M 1,024MB PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- No Video Adapter
- ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires Vista 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
- None Standard--
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- No Floppy Drive
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- None Standard*
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No External Keyboard or Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- None Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
$1427.84 cash discounted price

1. Is the P8600 really enough? I know games like Crysis and other FPSes are mostly GPU limited, but what if I want to play something like World in Conflict or Civilization type games? I also do some work with Photoshop and Finale (a music notation program). A lot of people with the M860TU that I see around the forums have a P9600, and I thought about upgrading to the T9550 since it's the same speed/cache and just a little hotter and more power-hungry than the 9600...but it pushes it a bit above $1500. I may be able to afford it, but I really don't want to unless it's a pretty big performance increase.

2. Are there any issues with Windows 7 64-bit on this laptop? I didn't add an OS because it was an extra $100, so I was either going to use my Vista 32-bit license or just install the Windows 7 RC.

3. I can (and kinda want to) upgrade the warranty to a full 3 year parts and labor warranty within the 90 day period that you can do that. Is it worth it, or is the standard 3 year labor/1 year parts warranty enough? I wouldn't even consider skimping on warranty on a Dell or something like that, but I've heard nothing but good about Sager's build quality.

4. Finally...are there still major delays in getting these? I know a lot of people have waited a month or more for theirs. My Dell's video card is dying and getting worse as time goes on, plus it's hard enough to wait a week or two for stuff like this, much less a month.

 

I can't answer questions 1 and 2 but if you get the 8660 from powernotebooks, you can get the same config with 3 years labor warranty. Its not parts but its something you can do under budget. And right now its taking about a month or so from order to reception I'd estimate to get one of these.

 

That's what Xotic PC offers as well, and it's in the configuration I posted. I just don't know if labor's really THAT big of a deal, since laptop parts are really pricey.

 

1. If you can afford it, I would recommend upgrading to the T9550. I almost got it but decided that since I will be using my NP8662 as my mobile pc, I would need all the help I could get in terms of battery life, hence why I spent extra and got the P9600. My Gateway came with a P8400, and I felt that the upgrade to the P9600 provided quite a bit of a performance boost. However, the P8600 is a decent enough processor that it should be fine.
2. I haven't heard of any Windows 7 issues yet, but many people who are planning on using it have yet to receive their laptops, so it hasn't really been tested out all that much. Personally, I'm not going to use the Windows 7 RC because of the hastle it will be once the full Windows 7 comes out (ie complete OS reinstall).
3. I have heard nothing but praise for Sager's (Clevo's) build quality, so I personally chose not to upgrade the warranty. It should be a pretty solid machine. Just keep in mind that the parts costs would be more than the labor costs if anything did go awry after the first year.
4. I ordered mine on April 30th and it was shipped today. That's a total of 10 business days, not too bad IMO. I have also heard that the NP8662's are becoming more readily available and that build times should begin to decrease sometime soon.

 

1. P8600 is a great processor. Gpu will probably be the bottleneck in most games. And I don't think Photoshop and Finale will need a better processor.
Just don't think you might save money if you upgrade later, cuz you won't
2. Dunno
3. I chose the 3 years warranty (labor and parts) because of the fact that gpu, cpu and mobo are too expensive to risk having to get on my own. But the Np8862s are well-built. Labor for me wasn't worth it, since I still have to ship the thing, while most of the parts I can replace myself (except like mobo).
4. I am from Canada, and I ordered from xoticpc the 27th of april and got it today (yay ). Delays aren't that bad now.

 

Yeah, I'm not so worried about Photoshop and Finale as much as I am stuff like RTSes and other CPU-intensive games. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that World in Conflict recommends a 2.5GHz C2D processor? How much of a performance difference is it between the P8600 and the T9550 anyway?

I may just bite the bullet and get Vista 64-bit preinstalled on it. It'll be $97 extra, so it's not THAT much over budget, and it'd save the hassle. On the flip side, if I DO wind up getting the T9550, I'll definitely either have to go with my 32-bit or Win7.

 

In regard to your Win7 question, you may want to check this thread. The earlier posts had to do with releases of Win7 before the RC on the NP8662, but the later ones seem to suggest most people not having any major issues with the Win7 RC.

 

Thanks for that link, can't believe I never noticed that thread before. So basically what I gather is that some of the drivers on the disc will work, but a lot of them I'll have to install through Windows and/or find them online and download them?

The other thing that's worrying me is the video drivers. It looks like nVidia barely supports Win7 right now, and some games suffer because of it (like the one post saying there were artifacts while playing Crysis).

 

Yea i didn't order an OS as well so i was planning on installing win 7. So more information on this would be great.

 

Wow, all you guys have the P9600. Kinda makes me want to reconsider my processor choice, since it seems to be the "standard" configuration.

 

Did you do the express shipping? Also when did you hit phase 2? I ordered a day after you that's why I'm curious

 

Hello,

as L4d_Gr00pie said, there is no BIG difference between P9600 and P8600 and you should be fine with it. So IMO , the upgrade isn't worth it,regarding the price.
If you plan to use 4 GB RAM you should consider a 64 bit OS as then you could get full use of your RAM

 

I ordered the p8700 for no particular reason other than it didn't cost much more. So far no problems. It runs Crysis just fine. I can add Quad in future if I so desire. I went with Vista 64 home premium.

 

The majority of people seem to go for the P9600, it depends what you will be doing with the laptop.

Some went with that processor out of misinformation, others did so because they thought it would (mistakenly) give better overall gaming performance than the Q9000 and some went with it due to the lower TDP. Others simply went with it because it was the cheapest option.

 

I'm planning on getting Windows 7 64-bit when it comes out anyway, so the 32-bit option would just be temporary.

That could be an option too. But the main thing that's attractive about the T9550 and P9600 is the L2 cache. The P8700 has the same L2 cache as the P8600 and is only .13 GHz faster, while the other two have double the L2 cache. So I don't really know if it's even worth the extra $50ish.

Like I said, the main thing that's attractive about the higher-end processors is the double L2 cache. The Q9000 never really entered my mind, since it's so expensive (the T9550 is pretty much as high as I can go) and the clock speed is pretty low compared to the other processor options.

 

You probably refer to my post. Those artifacts apply to nVidia GF9800GTS and Win 7 x64, so might be a particular driver version implementation issue (win7 driver available from nVidia site).

As for CPU - in Russia this laptop comes with just one CPU option T9400. Comparing HD video rendering time with another laptop in my household - Samsung R560 with P8600, I see only about 15% difference.
So, if I had a choise and wanted to stay with a budget - possibly better GPU and at least P8600 CPU.

 

The T9550 is much more expensive for me than Q9000 but I am in the UK so maybe it is different for you. I don't know how much difference L2 cache makes in gaming and I have never seen anything claiming it improves it. I am assuming you are talking about gaming performance as opposed to performance in applications.

 

The T9550 is a $130 upgrade and the Q9000 is $170. The P9600 is $165. I think I'll probably just go for the P8600, since it sounds like there's not enough of a performance difference to warrant spending $130-170 on a better processor.

I really want to go with Xotic if I get the 8662, but PC Torque is really tempting since they have a student discount, plus $5 off if you order after 1AM (not much, but it's something), and shipping is about $10 cheaper than Xotic. Is Xotic currently offering a student discount?

The other laptop I think I have it narrowed down to is the MSI GT627, which is about $200 cheaper, and it's perfect for me besides the strange keyboard layout. Only thing that worries me is the supposedly shoddy build quality and lack of upgradeability, so I'm leaning toward the Sager. The MSI is still an option though, since it's perfect in every other way.

 

From what they said when I talked to them, the student discount is not offered until the back-to-school laptop shopping season - starting sometime in June. I liked the quick responses I had with them and didn't want to wait until the discount was offered and went ahead and ordered from them anyways.

 

Well, I finally bit the bullet and ordered it. Specs in sig. Hope it doesn't take too long to get here...I can barely wait as it is.

Wound up costing about $1500 shipped, which isn't too bad, I guess.

Thanks for all your help, guys!

 

ordered mine april 28th with standard shipping and it is due to arrive today. my external hd arrived yesterday