Expert Advise and sugestions needed....

I was about to get an 9262 with 8800GTX in SLI when the new announcment that 9800GTX is coming out, so i waited. Now the 9800 GTX is out but not in Sli and no body really knows when it will be released..(how long did it take from 8800GTX to 8800GTX in Sli, if anybody knows this please let me know.)

Anyways and before i make a purchase i have configured the following system:

SAGER NP9262 Ultimate Custom Laptop (Built on Clevo D900C / D901C)
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel Core 2 QUAD Q9550 2.83GHz w/ 12MB L2 Cache - 1333MHz FSB
- 1,024MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9800M GTX DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable) (ETA Early August)
- None Standard
- ~ 4,096MB DDR2 800 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory (Requires Vista 64-Bit to recognize Full 4GB)
- Standard Finish
- Panasonic UJ-220 Blu-Ray Super Multi DVD+/ -R/RW BD-R/RE Dual Layer Burner -
- ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- ~ 200GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- ~ 200GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache)
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965 802.11 a/g/n
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Built-In Multi Region TV Tuner w/ Remote (Standard Remote)
- Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 Xtreme Audio Notebook Express Card
- Tripp Lite Corporate Top-Load Black Leather Notebook Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (12 Cell)
- 1 Spare 110/220V 120W Auto Switching AC Adapter (as an extra or for replacement)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Full Size Notebook Cooler - Dual Fans - USB Powered
- ~Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Tech Support
(Year2 & 3 Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)




you see i am willing to pay a premium for something that last +2yrs and can run anything i throw at it.... i travel allot and like to have my computing power with me.
my questions , well i kind of hope you guys give advise and opnion for the best rig i can build, was kind of thinking toshiba (since it is a brand name) but think a desktop processor on sager are superior....)

1. Will 9800 GTX(expectation) be better than 2x 9800 GT in SLI? is it difficult to upgrade to 9800 GTX in SLI? can i do it on the offered system. I mean if it will take 4-5month to be released might as well get a 9800 GTX now. I am just guessing it will be top dog for at least a year



2. Is Blue Ray able to copy, read, write to normal Cds and Dvds?I am not a very technical person. Will blu ray run normal Cds and Dvds better, sharper or faster...in other words if i got the money is it worth it????


3.What about my storage config. is it the best? i am not sure about Raid, should i get a raid configuration, dont really know if it will make things go faster. i never tried it before...


4. I read many comments about the sound quality of the 9262, how will the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 Xtreme Audio improve it? i mean will the speaker or headphones give better qality with this sound card...little confused here about its advantages...

5. and yeah, im getting Vista 64bit, ...



Guys i appreciate your input here, i am not too technical. All i can say i have made a budget of about +/- 4.5-5k$ and want to get the best laptop for that money to last me + 2yrs running everything smoothly and nicely..

 

1. No. No. I'll say 2 months max
2. Yes. No. get an after market 9.5mm blu ray drive for $300
3. get them in equal size if you want raid
4. it won't affect the onboard speakers
5. good stuff

 

Concerning the SLI issue. I wanted the 9800GTX SLI as well. But they ve moved the ETA from mid August to late August and they re not even sure when the drivers are gonna be available. So I ve decided to with the 9800GT SLI, as I have to have a laptop for now. Next thing is Notebookcheck. This website is the least reliable website ever but according to their tests the 9800GTX is not that quick at all. When u look a the spec the 112shaders should speed up the 9800GTX al least 20% in demanding games but for now its a big mystery. If u can wait another month or more the 9800GTX SLI will come if u need the laptop now the 9800GT will also be fine for a long period of time.

 

1.Thanks, so u think 9800 GTX SLI will be out in 2 month max, better to wait, or do u think there will be problems by a user upgrade??

2.Is raid worth it, is there significant improvements????

4.I know i it wont affect the speakers, but will there be a significant improvement in sound quality???? i mean are they worth the extra $$$s

 

1. it's easy, just plug and play, like RAM
2. it depends on your purposes, i will personal go for raid 0
3. very significant, you can get it from newegg or amazon for $79

 

Thanks allot Nirvana

I was just reading on Notebookcheck and came across this:
Quote from notebookcheck : http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-XPS-M1730-with-8800M-GTX-SLI.8139.0.html


"The performance impact of deactivating SLI on games heavily depends on their support of SLI. World in Conflict, Crysis, and Company of Heroes profit from the second video card. Their performance is increased by 9%, 8%, and 4% (all of them with highest level of details). There was hardly any difference when running F.E.A.R. and Supreme Commander. And Doom3 was even slower with second video card."


10% is not a big deal,lol... i was expecting something like 25-50%.... anyways maybe i should wait for 9800 GTX then upgrade manually. will it upgrade with current mother board, and above system???

 

The 9800GTX is going to be 20-25% faster max, and I mean thats pushing it as well. I m not sure if the 9800GTX needs a mobo swap, I really hope those years are over. It seems fine, I mean u can order a 9800GTX now so why cant U put another 9800GTX later!? but hey, until we can see some official info thats all speculations.

 

i get what ur saying, but if the 9800GTX in Sli will run games only 10% better, then its not that big deal.

I might be wrong here,i was reading in a rush, but were Notebookcheck suggesting that Sli config show performance increase mainly in bench marks, but not in many main stream games???

 

with SLI 8800m gtx, people got double framerate in crysis, so why wouldn't SLI 9800m GTX?