D901c Upgrade Options

This is probably a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway:

I bought my D901c back in February. I had considered waiting for the D900f, but I needed a new computer right away and also didn't expect the 900f to be out until around Q3 or Q4 2009. I'm still happy with the D901c and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon (Q9650 may not be as powerful as i7-920, but is still better than 99% of laptops out there), but just for future reference is it possible to install a 900f motherboard in a 901c? They seem to have about the same chassis, though the 900f HDMI port looks like it could cause a problem. I just want to know if it'd be possible to get an i7 in my 901c sometime down the road without having to buy a completely new system (though an upgrade like that would so significant it would practically be the same thing, just hopefully a little cheaper).

Also, I haven't bothered to search for this yet to learn, so I'll be lazy and just ask it here: Does the D900f GTX 280 GPU capable of running in SLI? Is it a feature that might be added down the road?

 

this was the same question when the M570RU phased over to the M570TU
- same chassis, just has HDMI and eSATA ports

It might be possible if the boards are exactly the same or takes up the same amount of space.

.. but I would not hold my breathe.

Also, you have to buy a new videocard since the D900F is using the new MXM 3.0 modules.

 

Ok, thanks for the reply.

 

feel comfortable with your purchase...
1: it's still one of the top 5 laptops in the world.
2: has a desktop cpu that is still faster than 99 percent of the other cpus. (without even over clocking)
3: 9800m gtx's. still in the top 5 mobile video cards of the world.
4: 3 drives bays
5: and the few spots it is losing in..it's by 1 to 4 fps in most cases...


5: 1920x1200 screen and not the lower 1080p

 

That's my question to!

We need:

1. a technical and practical person that will compare the systems side-by-side and determine if and by what steps the transition can be done
2. a supplier of required hardware components (motherboard, video card, ...)
3. a rough indication of the costs

My gut-feel tells me that Clevo/Sager will not be very cooperative here, they may even prevent the sales of new i7-motherboards for now.

Any clues?

 

Thanks for the responses. I feel somewhat better about my D901c now...

 

I could not agree with you more.

 

Rather or not the D901c gets further upgradable support or not is anyone's guess, but to be completely honest even all the new laptops that are coming out with the latest and greatest just don't impress me compared to the system i already have. I will admit i was a bit torn on getting something new when i saw all the speculation on the newer models. But sitting them down side by side with what i already have already knowing what the machine i have is capable of it just was not worth it in the long run for me. I have upgraded my machine to the max, although all the upgrades i put into it could have bought me a new machine altogether, but i love this machine. Since i work over sea's it was the only reason i bought a high performance notebook and i have been continually impressed by this machines ability to continue to rip thru any game i throw at it.

Currently i have upgraded my video cards from 8800M GTX's to 9800M GTX's, popped in 8 gigs of 6400 ddr2 RAM and upgraded all my hard drives to 500gig seagates 7400.4's. With the Q9650 i already have in the machine i just dont see the point of worrying about the new chipsets. Long after the next new batch of laptops comes along i am sure this beast will still be carving away at anything i can throw at it.

 

yeah... your setup is still one of the most powerful workstations and gaming notebooks out there... especially with that Q9650 and SLI 8800M GTX.

 

had this machine since march of last year have not been disappointed yet.

 

But the new Core i7 has 8 cores. apps like gamess charmm would run better with more cores. You Q9650 has only 4 cores.

 

i7 doesn't have 8 cores, it has 4 cores with hyperthreading. And a much more advanced architecture altogether... but for gaming it doesn't make much of a difference.

 

game will only run better with more cores if the game supports multiple cores.

GTA4 for example, eats quads for breakfast.

a game like world of warcraft can run perfectly fine on a single core dell from 2002 with a decent gpu.

it all depends on what you tasks you use it for, and what games you play, if any. more cores and more upgrade options might not be the best option, if what you use the laptop for doesnt utilize the extra cores.

 

No, i7 only has 4 cores; methinks you've confused the # of cores with the # of dies on which those cores sit. Prior gen quad-cores were composed of 2 two-core dies that were duct-taped together on the FSB (essentially) to make an ersatz quad core. The i7's are a completely new architecture with 4 cores that (I think) sit all on one die.

 

GTA4 for example, eats quads for breakfast. <-- may eat quads for breakfast, but them i7's are eating gta4 up for breakfast/lunch/dinner and desert 31 percent usage on the gta4 "fake" benchmark

 

No, the i7 has 8 cores as far as the programs are concern. That's all that matters.

And I didn't even realized the previous quads are two cores on two dies. I thought Intel got rid of those with those QXXXX cpus.

 

yeah....i don't think so....
and i own one


Processor
Essentials
Status Launched
Launch Date Q4'08
Embedded No
Supplemental SKU No
Lithography 45 nm
Max TDP 130 W
1ku Bulk Budgetary Price $284.00
Processor Specifications
Processor Number i7-920
# of Cores 4
Clock Speed 2.66 GHz
L2 Cache 8 MB
Intel® QPI Speed 4.8 GT/s
# of QPI Links 1
Instruction Set 64-bit
Core Voltage 0.800V-1.225V
Memory Specifications
Max Memory Size 24 GB
Memory Types DDR3-800/1066
# of Memory Channels 3
Max Memory Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
Physical Address Extensions 36-bit
ECC Memory Supported No
Max CPU Configuration 1
Package Specifications
Tcase 67.9°C
Package Size 42.5mm x 45mm
Die Size 263 mm2
# of Transistors 731 million
Sockets Supported FCLGA1366
Halogen Free Options Available Yes