D900c, D901c - Things I don't like about them

Every one talkes about how much day love their D900c laptop. I'm one of them but there is still place for improvement. In fact there are laptops in the market without most of the following hurdles:

1. Video drivers are not being updated as often as it should.

2. All USBs on the right side. It would be much better one on the right and the other three on the back. All of them on the right increases cable clutter (I use them all while gaming, zalman cooler, mouse, nostromo controller, usb powered headphone ...).

3. Input/Ouput jacks in the front. When I start using it as a Media Center bellow my telly cables will be in the front.

4. TV input cables on the left. It would be much batter if they were on the back. That would decrease cable clutter.

5. It would be nice if one could switch it on and of with a remote control.

6. No HDMI output, altought it offers a DVI that can be used with a converter. Not really that bad.

7. Location of the home, end keys are non standard. It requires some getting used to but it is ok.

8. 2M cameras should be standard on this range of notebooks. I use it to talk with my wife's family in Scotland and to show off my son to them (3 months old).

9. Battery can't be removed without a screwdriver.

10. Heavy

Trance
PS: Technically I understand why most of these issues are there. They really needed to put the CPU and the Video Cards in the front due to cooling issues. With them there makes it difficult to move the jacks and the USB input to the front. Anyway other issues could be resolved easily in comparison.

 

My biggest issue with the one I have (once I get it back operational) is the headphone hiss. I have really high-end headphones that are sensitive in the first place, and with that hiss- even if there is nothing playing, at the highest volume I was scared the hiss was so loud it would damage my headphones. That's extremely bad. I'm thinking of looking into USB headphones, but I shouldn't have to, and I don't have the money on hand for them now. grr.
Oh, and I love how utterly useless the $135 spare battery I got is. Can't swap them without 3-5 minutes worth of work with the 3 (THREE) screws holding the battery down. Not to mention, the latch on the battery is funny too, so its hard to remove even without the screws.

Thats basically the only complaints I have. I'd be much happier with my purchase if it werent for the headphone hiss, this remark coming from an audiophile.

 

I generally agree with your list of dislikes.

Strange thing is: I tested the 3.5 mm headphone jack when I first received my D901C, and I was actually surprised that it seemed to work well. And I used my Shure E5C earphones, which are actually kind of finicky. They have a high sensitivity combined with strange impedance, so they will hiss with some electronics.

I haven't been using it since because I have a descent pair of USB headphones that have a built-in volume control [which makes life easier]. I'll test the headphone jack again tonight.

 

I tested the jacks with other phones and no hiss. I guess the problem might be on my Koss. But it does not happened when I plug them to the IPod.

Trance

 

Its because of line noise and impedance. Lower impedance can generate more noise. My Bose QC3's have always been picky about what I can plug them into. They only behave if they're in directly to a source, like a sound card or ipod. Even then, because of their impedance (and isolation), their louder than most headphones at the same volume levels. This, combined with the sensitivity is why I get so much hiss, I think.

Methinks that the best solution to my problem is to get that XFI ExpressCard thing, to plug my headphones into. Its probably the best price to sound quality ratio solution. I'm thinking of ordering it online at the same time I order that Zalman cooler thing that I see people talking about.

Anybody know if an expansion slot sound card like the PCMCIA's & ExpressCards would eliminate the hiss? If it gets rid of the hiss and gives me a sound quality boost, then it would be doubly worth it. Priority is the hiss though.

 

the new D900 series have a poor layout and less connectivity ports than the older ones. this has prevented me from pulling the trigger and purchasing one. i really think clevo made a mistake with the layout of the new D900 as it only caters towards gamers and not professionals. the older series catered to both sectors.

1] all the usb ports at the right will wreak havoc for right handers and the mouse.

2] one less firewire port than previous models.

3] no parallel port for older printers and security devices for professional software. you are forced to upgrade the parallel security device for a flimsy usb version that breaks easily and costs money to echange it.

4] no ps2 port for my favorite keyboard.

5] the front lcd clock has been replaced with the audio ports which is a negative and a loss. the sound ports will get in the way as more wires for headphones and microphones will clutter the front area. the lcd clock was a nice touch and i used ot often to check the time (obviousy).

6] only one drive bay where the older series had 2. you cannot disc copy on the fly anymore and this sucks for when you want to duplicate home movies and back up cd and dvd discs.

7] the mouse pad being recessed (and under mounted) on the new series looks like it will be a stumbling block for your hands. the older series had a flush mounted mouse pad and it is a seamless ransition to have your hands rest on the front surface. this also makes it easy and less cumbersome to operate an external mouse on the front surface of the laptop (for those that don't care about the flimsy paint wearing off regardless).

8] virtually all the connecting ports are on the sides and none at the back except the dvi and power port, which is a negative.

9] no subwoofer at the bottom of the laptop as the older series had. this effectively gives the new D900 worse audio than the older ones.

10] still no external volume control knob on these things.

11] no serial port. older ones had it.

the series has gone backwards in terms of asthetics and functionallity to favor sli and synthetic benchmarks over connectivity and something that resembles a true desktop replacement.

 

Connectivity? Almost all the ports you listed as missing are outdated and rarely used now anyway? For a $3000+ laptop, what are the chances the owner's printer is still serial or parallel, their keyboard is still PS/2... I've seen desktop Mobo's without many of those nowadays. Sure its kinda nit-picky pointing out how those are gone... but I never see them in use anymore whatsoever.

 

driver support is very important. so far i have not run into any problems using vista x64.

the sound ports do not bother me, i only use a set of siberias, and they sound pretty good, i do not have any other headphones to test out

usb ports on the right side dont bother me as much (i only use 2 so far...mouse and cooling pad)

the output jacks in the front bother me, but i dont like the on the side either. i would rather have them hit me in the stomach, then have them sticking out the side where they can get broken off.

i do not have any hissing sound in my headphones (afaik, havent heard anything yet)

remote control starting, would be very cool.

i do not use the tv input cables. i would probably like them in the back though.

HDMI does not bother me, i can use DVI to connect to my monitor (37" 1080P monitor)

i think the home/end keys are wierdly placed also.

i dont have a PCMCIA card to use

the digi cam is a little weak, but i wont use it that much.

making the battery no being able to be removed without a screwdriver doesnt bother me.

if it wasnt heavy, i would think they messed up the order.

overall im very happy with my 9260...i think i made a great choice..

and i would much rather have SLI and synthetic benchmarks then use a PS/2 keyboard and serial/parallel ports. i would also like to see the dial up port removed by my next laptop purchase...i never used it..ever.

 

Dialup I can see as being useful if you're on a business trip and you have the thing where you can dial in from anywhere. Then again, the only business use this justifiably has is as a teensy tiny form factor workstation. Or a tech demo.

 

Has anyone tried bluetooth headphones? Any issues there?

 

i dont have any bluetooth headphones to tryout, otherwise i would

 

so far, i have found one thing i do not like about the 9260.

since this is a gaming notebook, i would imagine it would of been able to handle more then 2 key presses at once. for example..i use WASD in CSS. sometimes i hit w (to move foward), and tab (to check my score)...if i try to jump, it does not recognize it. (nothing my g15 cant fix)

other then that, i love it.

 

thats why they have USB gamer keyboards... that have independent keystrokes

 

I'd have to go with the inconvenient USB ports on the right. The second issue I have is with some of the feel of some of the keyboard keys, they wobble. I keep expecting one of them to pop off.

And the number one issue I find with the Laptop, why have a X6800 with unlocked multiplier, that the Phoenix Bios "locks", or was that sucks?

 

Belking Nostromo is excellent for gaming, so much that you really don't need to use the keyboard. I don't play without them. I bought it becouse I did not want to wear out a keyboard of a $4000 laptop. Not for 40 bucks anyway.

Trance
PS: By the way, your hands will be always cool as no heat comes out of them

 

As a fellow audiophile, I recommend using the Echo Audio soundcard. As you surely know, the shure e5c is a highly sensitive pair of earphones. Audio output is blissfully hiss free whenever I connect my e5c's to my echo card. Try it out, I'm sure you'd be pleased.

 

*Updates*
Got my 9260 back from the factory today, and I've tried 4 different pairs of headphones, all standard jack'd ones, and they all have bad hiss.

Is it just me, or are your guys' 9260's seeming to be very up-gained with the front headphone slot, like one click from min is average, then it gets unbelieveably loud the higher it goes. Inordinately loud.

 

sorry to be such a newb but what is meant by the independent keystrokes and why is it important?:confused2:

 

Xbox gamers use joysticks or control pads. PC/Laptop gamers use keyboards and mice for maximum multi-tasking and manuverability while in a game.

With keyboards you have the ability to hit multiple buttons for different functions. For instance, in a game (first person shoot'em up) you may want to squat, move forward (2 keys already), and throw a grenade or jump or some other function (3 keys depressed at this point), you can do this with a keyboard that treats the key strokes as independent. You could have all three depressed at one time and they would all execute. Since we have 5 fingers and the left hand is usually the keyboard hand the ability to hit 5 keys is also possible.

With a keyboard that can't do this, the last function won't execute unless you lift your finger off one of the others.

Hope that makes sense. If you game on a keyboard it is easier to understand if you are fast and require hitting multiple keys for advantage.

 

Makes sense now. Thanks!

 

I've never heard of a "single key" limit in a keyboard... are you sure you're evaluating that correctly?

After all SHIFT, ALT, CTRL all work in conjunction with a second key. They are also independent keys (try pressing SHIFT five times in XP -- you get the annoying accessibility feature if you haven't disabled it). You can even press CTRL-ALT-DEL all at the same time.

I have a hard time believing that it's a keyboard hardware issue and not a game software issue.

Has anyone else seen this?

Trying playing any game using the WASD movement keys and press another button to target, fire, strafe, whatever. I suspect you continue moving and perform the other action as well.

A single key limit makes no sense.

 

as i said before. when i play counterstrike source, i often move (w), check my score (tab) and jump (space bar)...however using stock keyboard on the notebook, i am unable to jump.

 

Another update on my Audio situation.

Using the adapter for airliners that comes with my Bose QC 3's, all my audio problems dissappear. Its seems as though I was right in guessing interference or poor signal. I now have perfect audio, for as good as integrated can get.

Also, before I plugged in the adapter, I noticed that the hiss was in sync with my hard drive activity- if the light was on, there was no hiss. Including on burst or long transfers. But now it doesnt matter, and I hope that others with audio problems look into a cheap little solution like an airliner adapter.

 

Does it work with just W and TAB? How about W and SPACE?

I'm very curious on this. I wonder if TAB is being processed differently. Maybe the limit is 2 keys instead of 1 (which sounded to stringent to be true).

 

i will have to get back to you on this, as im not 100% sure.

 

AlanP: You can overclock/underclock your CPU using the unlocked multiplier with Rightmark.org RMClock by simply changing the multiplier. I'll be writing an overclocking cpu/ram/video tutorial for the D900C. I also plan to check out if anything can be unlocked via Phoenix Bios Editor to see if a modded BIOS can be useful.

 

in this post:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=157389

DFTrance is saying he successfully used 5.1 headphone with D900C ?

 

Yes I did. I'll take out 1. from the list of undesirable things with the d900c.

 

I just realized you are the same guy who start up this post

 

i played CSS again last night.. it seems that no matter what combination of buttons it is, more then 2 buttons..it wont register anything beyond those two buttons.

 

Wow that's a real bummer. Is anyone else seeing this problem?

I'm really surprised that this would be true for a gaming notebook! You always use more than one key while gaming, especially when using WASD movement.

I'm planning on buying my D901C during the first two weeks in September. I don't really want to buy a second keyboard on top of my $3600USD gaming beast !

* EDIT *
I'm going to start a new thread on this because I'd like to see if others are experiencing this problem:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=159534

 

I haven't had this problem and I play quite a few FPS that use WASD. I play BF2142, FEAR and HL2 and have had no problems moving and shooting.

 

i notice it in CSS...i will try BF2 tomorrow night.

 

Sorry I'm late to the party, but I hate this as well. Unfortunately, the multiple key press issue goes beyond this specific notebook. Up until recently I had an Apple MacBook Pro 15" (Santa Rosa) that did the same thing, and I've also got a 1st gen Saitek Eclipse USB keyboard on my desktop that does it in BF2 and WoW.

After some searching, I came up with this:

"The keys in many of today's modern keyboards (Keytronic's included) are generally connected in a hard-wired 8x16 matrix. Think of it as eight horizontal lines intersected by sixteen vertical lines with a switch at each intersection. If you close any two switches within this matrix, no problem. But if you close a third switch that shares a horizontal line with one of the first two switches and a vertical line with the other of the first two switches it will appear that FOUR switches are closed because of electrical paths created by the three closed switches. This is called 'ghosting' or 'phantoming'.

The microcontroller can see when this condition occurs, but cannot tell if the user is actually pressing the third key, or the fourth (phantom) key since they both appear to close at exactly the same time. The microcontroller therefore refuses to send any keycodes out until the key combination that created the phantom situation goes away. KTC calls this 'phantom key lock-out'."

From http://www.xyzcomputing.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=345&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=1 -- 3rd paragraph from the bottom

Not taking this as gospel, but it makes some sense.

 

Yes it does make sense. That is why I use the Belikin Nostromo N52 for gaming.

Cheers,
Trance

 

Well some of the input/output jacks and USB ports are a bit of a pain but I work around them. Can’t have everything.. I use an external keyboard, no issues with multiple keys. No hiss here, I use KOSS headphones.

My major gripe with this machine and I have mentioned it before in one of my threads is the wimpy Bios.. I was ready to start a petition thread to request a better bios and one that would accommodate setting the multiplier, like in the case of AlanP and read the response by zodttd. I personally can’t wait to read his tutorial. I knew there was someone savvy enough out there to make it happen. zodttd, If you need a guinea pig just let me know.

PS. zodttd, I noticed that the Hardware Virtualization is turned off on the chip. You should be able to enable it in the bios, what am I saying WHAT BIOS?

 

For what it's worth my 9260 has the virtualization option in the bios and it can be turned off and on. "Maybe" you have a cpu that doesn't support it or maybe your bios needs updating. Otherwise you might have overlooked it.

But on to what I concider to be shortcomings...

#1 is the bios as a number have already complained about but I'd like to mention a few other items besides theirs. These are some very basic items missing in this bios.

A. I can understand some settings such as ram tweaking and overclocking being disabled or missing, but WHY is there NO option to disable some of the devices like every other bios I ever used. You should be able to disable the modem/serial port for sure in bios. Instead you must install the drivers anyhow and then disable the device in the device manager. That's just stupid. You cannot disable the onboard sound either which makes it tougher to install another sound card (if you wanted to). Same holds true for camera. I know some ppl want all them other ppl might not want some of them. I for one will never use a dial-up modem again even if it means no internet at all. I always disable this in bios (on any other computer).

B. No hardware monitor readouts in bios. I don't understand why this is missing. This is a problem for this reason. IF you do find a hardware monitor that can be installed on the 9260 in windows you have NO WAY to know if it is accurate or not? Normally you would do this by checking the mobo hw temp/voltage/fan readouts and comparing them to what the installed hw monitor in windows says. Then adjust the settings up or down to compensate for any descrepancy. but alas (sigh)...
While on this subject ... NHC 2.0 Pre-Release 06 Released May 04, 2007 won't install with the E6700 cpu, mbm5 any version doesn't recognize the mobo or chipset... ah finally speedfan 4.33 works! (mostly)
It is my opinion that a hw monitor (in windows) should have been provided with the chipset driver disk as SOP and one that runs in the systray and not one of these lame you-must-keep-the-window-open-or-it-will-exit monitors I see everywhere.

#2 Some notebook mfgs now are starting to use some standard hardware and software techniques (don't know what they call them just read about it) that allow the the original device mfgr to include them in there driver releases like any other desktop computer.
I'm specifically talking about nvidia here. We shouldn't have to rely on the notebook mfg or oem to get updated drivers! ESPECIALLY video drivers.
I know there are third party programmers trying to fill this void such as laptopvideo2go and tweakforce.com BUT that is the second choice plan not the first choice and they are usually not as straight forward to install and use as nvidia or ati's.
Think about this. A notebook mfgr or oem maybe sells a single computer model to the tune of hundreds or maybe thousands compared to nvidea whose very LIFE depends on the products and they sell tens of thousands or more world-wide. Now if a problem exists in a driver set which one has the most incentive and resources to address the problem. The one with the most to gain or lose (ie nvidia). Which one has the most chance to even see a problem ( and not just say ...oh it's just his computer not our drivers) ... nvidia (compare a dozen users with a certain crash compared to thousands because of the shear number of cards out there for the oem/notebook mfgr compared to nvidia. Which one gets the attention of the driver provider? To make my point more obvious, Nvidia just released WHQL Forceware drivers version 163.71 for geforce 6,7,8 cards 2 days ago (Sept 28, 2007) but hey were sitting on rev 94.24 as the most recent release from the oem/mfgr.
This holds true for chipset drivers too.
Ok enough said about that.

#3 I wish there was a way to disable more or all of the special function keys.
I mean the Fn+Fkey function keys. Pressing the wrong key under the wrong circumstance can be a big problem. Disconnect your internet yet by accident (Fn+F11) while dialed into work? or crash your game (Fn+F7 toggle alternate monitor out instead of volume up Fn+F6) etc...

Note: for those interested two of them can be disabled.
Fn + F4 is disabled via power settings at this time 8/2/2007 jd
(Control panel->power Options->advanced->option "When I press the sleep button on my computer" to Do Nothing. don't put your computer to sleep again while trying to turn down the volume.

Fn+F1 AND the touchpad disabled (Control panel->Mouse Properties->Device Settings->Synaptics TouchPad Disabled button ... (I use a real mouse always!)

Note to CLevo... Next time please put at least two usb ports in back or on the opposing side from the rest so a mouse/keyboard can be plugged in by right and left handed ppl and not interfere with the usb connectors.

Ok all this sounds kinda negative.
Actually I really like my 9260 and even with these iritations I'd still buy it.

 

Hey a couple ppl mentioned wanting ps/2 ports on the 9260. Well the reason you don't have external ps/2 ports for keyboard/mouse is because you have internal ones already being used by the keyboard and touchpad. To use an external mouse and keyboard therefore they had to be usb and not ps/2 or you would have conflicts. You can see this in the device manager under the Keyboards and Mice devices.

 

Are we saying that the $3,500.00 to $$,$$$.$$ Gamin lappy/replacement desktop "cant use more then "2" keys at a time?????" I game all the time and use at lease 3 at a time . sometimes four; ctrl(crouch) w(forward) and a(left) or d(right) sometimes e(use) if this is so can we fix that? I dont want to buy another keyboard after buying the gamin lappy. its big and heavy enough without carrying mouse, keyboard, cooler,extra batt. Crap u need a minivan for all this stuff just to play a game. lol not to mention it wont fit in an airplane overhead lol u gotta check it as luggage.Or have it shipped to ur friends house...

 

Unfortunately no... I can't understand why keyboard manufacturers don't just design keyboards that aren't of the 8x16 hard-wired matrix variety (see my previous post in this thread). I have an even bigger problem as I use standard WASD, then on top of that Q for jump and E for crouch... talk about all of the keys being in the same area.

I couldn't agree more. I realize that the rear may be taken up by video card cooling and what-not, but they need to do some serious PCB redesign on that thing, since the left-hand side is chock full of ports already. Granted, that probably won't stop me from buying one...

 

I'm very angry now. I wanted to buy it today but now I'm not so sure. if U have to buy something to make the lappy a gaming lappy its not a true gaming lappy!!! same for the desktop replacement... if it says gaming lappy U should be able to play (with no restrictions) right out of the box, isn't that what a laptop is for??? that's not a gaming lappy if u cant play.(i will smoke you on a desktop if u cant TURN ,run and reload at the same time. If u have to choose EITHER turn and run OR turn and reload) MOTHER FLOWER!!!!! if U NEED A keyboard, mouse, cooler,extra batt. why not get a desktop for half the price. Its faster and better all around??? SON OF A BISCUIT EATER!!!!! doesn't the Asus G2s-a1 have a multi key funtion???? and at half the price???

 

lol, awesome post -- I feel the same way.

I'm not buying an external notebook cooler, nor a keyboard. Why have a mobile platform then?

I did buy: bluetooth mouse and bluetooth stereo headphones (I live without wires baby!). Also an external hard drive to backup my RAID-0 array.

This is first and foremost a work computer, but I'm an avid gamer so it needs to serve that purpose too. I think it will. From what I've read most keyboards have a key limit. I've used "standard" keyboards all my gaming life without issue so I don't expect any problems with the 9260/1

 

I feel like you both. I would be angry too if that was the case.

I've never noticed any problems regarding the keyboard when I had mine over the table. Just because one or two persons have the problem you can't really generalize, maybe it was a faulty unit.

I personally use the N52 when playing. But that is a personal choice. If I'm spending $4000 bucks on a laptop what's $40 to keep it clear from hammers (I do press hard when I play). The keyboard is the strongest I've seen on a laptop, so there should be no problem even with my hands on it, but I do like the N52 (even on desktops).

As for the cooler, again a personal choice. The lappy doesn't need one, but again the same rational. It mainly keeps my hands cool from sweat, but it also keeps temps lower so what the heck. Keeping the temps lower as also the advantage of keeping components running at full speed after several hours of gaming.

The reason why you ear about coolers, gaming keyboards etc etc on this forum is because some of us have them and see advantages in having them. Call it add-ons.

Speaking of add-ons I also have the Medusa 5.1 Headphones and the Razer Mouse. Much better then the standard speakers coming with the notebook when playing. Does it make it bad, no it just makes it much better

Trance

 

what i want is a lappy that i can open up and play. in a car, plain, hotel, room, Bus, backyard, lol, starbucks, ect. not a lappy that i have to setup and i need a 3'x4' area. thats a DESKTOP if i gotta do all that

 

Looster, are you trying to persuade us of anything or are you persuading yourself?

First you tell us the d901c was not a true gaming lappy for you because of bad design and keyboard malfunction. None of them true as I replied.

Then you tell us that is not good because of other things.

The characteristics of these notebooks are clear. It's not a notebook for every environment much like any other product. That does not make it bad. Just probably not what you want. But that is ok.

Trance
PS: If you want to carry around a gaming system to all those places you mentioned and play I strongly suggest you to buy another notebook. This one isn't for you. Maybe a PSP? I have one and does precisely what you described. It is excellent on what it does!

 

It is Rooster. I am not trying to persuade anyone ,well maybe myself a little. I am just frustrated at the config for the keyboard. and I am shocked that these company's are saying that these are desktop replacements and gaming lappys. if they dont compete with either. im just saying that they should change the 8x16 keyboard config which I think is not to hard and make it a true gamin lappy, minus the external mouse.lol. I will de shell my desktop mount a flat monitor on the side throw some fans in it and call it a desktop lappy all u need is a keyboard and mouse, weight 15lbs. wires an batt. sold separately lol. u should not have to buy a keyboard for a lappy. now we all know that lappys are slower and behind desktops do to size/space/tecno but its like saying ur vw bug is a RACE car. u can paint it up and race it around town but its Not a race car. now put a $70,000.00 price tag on it. is it a race car? no. (these lappys are not cheap.) no one is saying the lappy is not a good one, one of the best and greatly priced for what it has. but if u are going to argue the point that because it is one of the best they can call it what they want. a gaming lappy because of its video card or desktop replacement because of its weight/screen. when in fact, its not designed to play most games to there fullest capacity without changing out what it already comes with, a keyboard/mouse.

and no, I do need a lappy not a psp. I do have to do some work on it unfortunately.
I do have one question I would like to know if All laptops come with the 8x16 config keyboards or not?

thats my 2 cents

Gmau The Rooster

 

Hi,

If this is not a lappy targeted to gamers I I don't know what it is. Can you tell us of one? Or is it yet to be invented by you?

As for the keyboard, I advise you to try it for yourself. Have you seen one of these beasts live?

As for price, I agree that it is a wee bit high for what you get, but so are all gaming lappies in the market with SLI IMHO. In comparison, IMHO this is the least unreasonable.

Personally I wouldn't shell out this amount of money simply becouse I wanted a portable gaming system. That would be silly in my view, unless you have money to throw away. I'm work in IT and with computer about 12 hours a day so I really take the most out of it. Both in terms of software and fun. Other people needs may be different. For instance Wu Jen bought it beause he is a ship commander and stays away from home for long periods of time etc etc.

An yes, it is designed to play all the games quite well indeed for a notebook. Better then a lot of desktops even with a NV 8800 GTS (middle to high end desktops). I don't understand your point in saying otherwise. And you don't have to buy a keyboard, just a mouse like every other laptop as I said before.

Are you talking about notebooks or desktops? Becouse desktops are well known for being more performant then lappies and cheaper aswell. This lappie rises the bar of comparison (lappy vs desktop) in the sense that you'l need to bet on high end (or ultra high with SLI etc) desktop to find something faster (not that difficult thought). Then again you can't throw it to the backpack and get it to the office by bus every day like I do.

I needed this kind of power and mobility but not due to games unfortunately. I needed something really powerfull for work that could also play very well games for a long time.

This lappy is more then a race car. Is the Porshe Cayenne of transportable desktops (or high end notebooks as you please)

Trance
PS: I do think that the RAID option to be an overkill, but hey if it is there you better use it.

 

Well stated Trance. I'm in the same boat as a software developer. Lucky for my I'm not spending my own money to purchase my 9261, instead my company is picking it up for me . (I spec'd it out of course).

The 9261 is very nicely priced for a laptop with it's features. If you go with a base model (single GPU, no RAID) the price is in the low $2000 which is very reasonable. It's only when you deck it out that it gets pricey. Even then it's still less expensive than alienware or dell XPS.

 

What i need is a laptop for work also. i own a swimming pool construction comp. and i will be putting some work programs in it. (3d graphics programs,pics.) to help on sales, show a customer what there yard will look like after i get done. so the graphics must be good. thats maybe once a week but mostly i will be bringing it to the construction site to play games and surf ect. while my crews are working. i get very bored at work. but i MUST be there. In the winter i go on vaca. and i will be bring it also to keep kids,me and work going so it will get use but i dont want to buy a $4/5000.00 lappy if its not Great for gaming i will be mostly in a truck or a car so i dont have much room. definitely not enough for a keyboard and a mouse. i was going to buy a car platform for it (like in a police car) so i can mount it in the car. to answer ur question, no i have not yet used one of these units, thats why im asking so many questions. do i NEED this lappy? NO but i would like one and i can use it for some work but it will be mostly a gamer. so now u know my de lemma would u buy it?

Rooster
P.S. i am not knocking this lappy at all, unless u cant play PC games on it like a desktop. then its just as i posted before but i just dont know

P.S.S. i do appreciate all ur time on this topic

 

because all of the usb ports are on the right side, i must ask for right handers how do you use the laptop with an external mouse? it's on your desk in front of you in your office, how in the world do you work with it when the mouse is on the ride side? aren't you always hitting the usb ports with your hand?