The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    D901C / NP9262 Configuration Choice...

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by baconcow, Aug 1, 2008.

  1. baconcow

    baconcow Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    225
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    While configuring my upcoming D901C, I have hit many different bumps. I am buying the machine from Eurocom and have been able to get them to price it pretty close to the US sites. I am having difficulties choosing which processor, video card, and panel.

    Configuration:

    Panel:
    - 17", 1680x1050, WSXGA+
    - 17", 1920x1200, WUXGA

    Reasoning; I want a panel that will be able to play games as smooth as possible, but I do a lot of coding and Excel work, so the extra space is nice. My worries about a WUXGA panel is interpolation to lower resolutions when playing demanding games, such as Crysis. In a few years, chances are that many games will be quite demanding, like Crysis.

    a) Does anyone have any pictures showing a 1920x1200 screen interpolating to 1680x1050 (or any other lower than WUXGA resolution)? Even if it only shows a portion of the screen, enough to see the effect I will have to endure playing games at resolutions lower than native.
    b) Does anyone have a decent quality picture of a comparison between computers side-by-side, one showing WUXGA, the other WSXGA+? I do not have easy access to a computer store, nor the Eurocom showroom, until the day I will go to buy it (I live up North, way up).

    Notes: I do not watch Blu-Ray, and will not be getting a Blu-Ray drive, at this time. However, I watch DVD's on my current laptop, extensively.

    Processor:
    - Quad Core 2.66 GHz Q9450, 1333 MHz FSB
    - Quad Core 2.4 GHz Q6600
    - Quad Core 2.6 GHz Q6700

    Reasoning; I want a processor that will play games well, but I do not want to buy the Core 2 Duo E8500. However, is the $150 or $50 difference worth saving by only getting the older Quad Core models (Q6600 and Q6700)

    a) Can the Q9450 processor be overclocked using FSBset or another software method? If so, how far?
    a) Can the Q6600 processor be overclocked using FSBset or another software method? If so, how far?
    a) Can the Q6700 processor be overclocked using FSBset or another software method? If so, how far?

    Notes: I do not want to overclock the processor to the point where I need to keep the fans going full all the time. Only a minor overclock that will not affect the system with much heat increase.

    RAM: 4 GB DDR 2, 800 MHz (edit: quick, late-night mistake)

    Video Card:
    - 9800M GTX, 1 GB DDR3
    - 9800M GT, 512 MB DDR3

    Reasoning: I want a card that I can put into SLI in the future (maybe a year from now, when prices drop more). Has anyone had a chance to benchmark the 9800M GT/GTX in their new NP5976 or M570TU yet? Is the GTX worth the additional $365 right now?

    HDD: 320 GB SATA, 7200 RPM
    OS: Vista Home Premium 64-bit
    WiFi: Intel 5300
    Warranty: 3-year, return to factory depot

    Note: I did not get the Bluetooth adapter as I have no need of it at this point. I have looked through as many of the other topics as I could and I wanted to put all my thoughts and ideas into this one central thread.
     
  2. Hermes¡¢

    Hermes¡¢ Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    7
    Messages:
    160
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Just out of curiosity, how much is this costing you?

    I can help you out the best I can. For the panel, I can stress enough how many times people have said that the extra money is worth the WUXGA screen. I reccomend you get it.
    For the GPU, I do not reccomend getting the GTX. I was talking to Nirvana yesterday and he showed me some statistics that showed only a 3 - 5% performance increase from the 9800M GTX to the 9800M GT. While of course he did remind me that these could be false, they could also be true. Gophn is also a bang for the buck guy. He beleives that the extra $365 for the 25% perfomance gain (this is was xoticPC said) is not worth it.

    Hope I can help, also remember to tell me how much it costs. :p And why are you getting that laptop if you will only have one HDD in it? :p I think you should get get a NP5796. :)
     
  3. phoduma

    phoduma Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    since ur getting np9262 no need for 9800m gtx unless u want sli gtx, or else just get 9800m gt sli
     
  4. flyinonice4

    flyinonice4 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    62
    Messages:
    251
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Heres what I can tell you from my own research, the q6600 is the only processor that can be overclocked on this machine and its done only by a pin mod. So any hopes of ocing right now via software is out of the picture. Also, on August 10th, the q9450 is going to be phased out and the q9550 with take its spot price-wise. The q6700 is also scheduled to be phased out.

    Now, upgrading to the WUXGA would be the choice that I think I would do in your situation. I dont think that you will have much of a problem playing at non-native resolutions with the WUXGA so why not.

    As for the graphics card, people dont know how the 9800m gtx will perform yet. We know that the 9800m gt is the equivalent of the 8800m gtx. So thats a choice I would wait on if I were you.

    You will have time to wait on this purchase anyway because of the current delay on 9262 shipments. Apparently, they will begin shipping again on August 11th. So by that time, the q9550 will be at a lower price, you will have had more time to think about your options, and we may be closer to understanding the performance of the 9800m gtx. That being said, I am no expert in this at all. There are many more people on here that have 15 times the knowledge that I do about this. I did, however, want you to have a little bit of information just in case you dont get answered by anyone else very soon.
     
  5. leonyeo1001

    leonyeo1001 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    33
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    err.. the 9262 only supports up to DDR2 rams right.. ??
     
  6. Alfonz

    Alfonz Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    176
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    i have read in this forum that there is a processor price drop on Aug 10, maybe its true maybe it is a rumor.
    Perhaps this can somehow compensate going for 9800M GTX SLI....?
     
  7. hanko panko

    hanko panko Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    83
    Messages:
    308
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Why not? With most games and Office productivity software it will outperform the Quads you mention!
     
  8. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    6,926
    Messages:
    8,178
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Right. It does not support DDR3. It will accomodate up to 8GB of physical RAM as well; however, due to limitations in the address space (i.e., the association of logical addresses to physical RAM bytes) it will only be able to address about 6.5GB or so of that 8GB of physical RAM.
     
  9. flyinonice4

    flyinonice4 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    62
    Messages:
    251
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Well, I guess no one can be sure that the price drop will happen on August 10th until it actually happens. However, the price drops were scheduled to happen between July 20th and August 10th. July 20th came and the Core 2 Duo's dropped, and the q9650 is supposed to come out on August 10th and usher in the drop of quad core prices. At least, that is what most places are reporting.
     
  10. baconcow

    baconcow Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    225
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    That was a mistake with the 800 MHz DDR3 being written. I was thinking of the new 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM when I wrote it.With the "price matching" that Eurocom is giving me, with the 17" screen and all of the other options maxed, it will cost me about 3,400 - 3,450 CAD (including shipping, taxes, and warranty). I am only buying 1 HDD, for now. I don't really want the M570TU because it has an inferior processor, no possibility for more HDD's or a second video card, and it costs around 3,400 for a comparable configuration (over that, at Eurocom). A 25% increase is not a bad increase over the previous best card (8800 GTX). A 5% increase, however, is not worth it. I will keep my eyes open for possible price cuts around August 11th. I cannot afford SLI for 8800 GTX, 9800 GT, or 9800 GTX, right now. However, I plan on either having SLI in about a year when more intensive programs come out and the 9800 GT/X has a more difficult time (or when I get more expendable money).