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    D900T performance issues and upgrade advice

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by gryfyn, Jan 23, 2009.

  1. gryfyn

    gryfyn Newbie

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    Hey all, I'm running a good old super hot Clevo D900T (P4 3.4 Ghz, 2.5 GB DDR2/667Mhz) and 6800 Ultra GT Go. I know its near obsolete in technology but it still runs most stuff well, except for maybe the occasional 720p/1080p video... Games however are a clear distinguishing marker that my laptop has seen its wonder years, i don't have any benchmark values but I can barely run Fallout at 1280x720 Res. with Lowest graphics settings, and Mirrors Edge at a depressing 800x600 Res. with lowest graphics settings... waste of a beautiful 1680x1050 screen...

    But enough with my rambling, I wanted anyones input on whether I have really screwed up my laptops configuration to be in this situation or if its expected to get these dismal results on this sort of system and if any form of upgrade could improve performance... I was considering replacing the 6800 with a 7950 GTX 512 MB, does anyone think that could significantly improve performance or is the main let down my processor, which I can't really do anything about and should just look into investing in a new laptop if I want better performance? Thanks to anyone who red through this (esp. Gophn lol)
     
    gryfyn, Jan 23, 2009
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  2. Gophn

    Gophn NBR Resident Assistant

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    well.... the D900T is probably done for when we talk about worthwhile upgrades...
    - the CPU and chipset is the main bottleneck (stuck with single core Pentium 4's)
    - the videocard can be upgraded to 7950GTX (Clevo module)..... only if you have a 6.x and up motherboard revision

    The Nvidia 6800 Ultra in your system is still a good performer for old games, but is considered low-mid range for today's gaming GPU standards.

    a mid-range Nvidia 9600M or ATI HD 3600 would easily out perform it.

    Now that a well-spec'ed gaming notebook (w/ Core 2 Duo and 9600M GT) costs easily around $700-800.... it might be worth it to change to a different system.
    .... considering a videocard upgrade for the D900T would set you back at least $300-400... which might not be worth it since the rest of the notebook is still struggling since its an old single core.
     
    Gophn, Jan 23, 2009
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  3. gryfyn

    gryfyn Newbie

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    Yea makes sense... it's gonna be two or three years till I can think about investing even that much in a new laptop... sigh... thanks Gophn
     
    gryfyn, Jan 23, 2009
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  4. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Gophn is right, a new Go7950GTX is simply not worth the investment. One way or another, there is no way to get around the Pentium 4 bottleneck. Newer games like Fallout 3 and Crysis are very hard on the CPU.

    We can give you suggestions for a new notebook; fill out the FAQ and make a thread in the What Should I Buy forum.
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Jan 23, 2009
    #4