Getting my 8130... first steps?

hey all, i just took the plunge and ordered myself 8130. this is my first sager/clevo ever, and i'm really excited about it. while i'm waiting for it to be built and shipped here, i have a few first-step questions...

1. no OS installed. what do you suggest is best for gaming? W7 hp or ultimate?

2. would it be okay to install an SSD in the caddy and use it as the system/apps drive from there? if not, is it difficult to remove the mechanical drive from the HD slot and replace it with the SSD?

3. what's a good, safe core/shader/memory speed to clock to (gtx 560m)?

4. any specific first-steps i need or should do once i get w7 and drivers installed?

sorry if i sound like such a noob. first time sager owner. thanks all

 

1. It doesn't matter. Ultimate has no inherent improvements for you (unless of course you want Bitlocker, Remote Desktop, and a list of other business type features that come with Ultimate as well).

2. You could do that, but the optical bay is SATA II, not SATA III, so you may not get the full speed benefit. Removing the primary drive is simple, just take out the two screws in the bay cover on the bottom-front-center of the laptop, pull off the panel, and slide the drive out. Slide in the new drive and put the panel back. done

3. That depends almost entirely on the card. It's never recommended to just set an OC to some arbitrary number. You need to work up in increments to determine stability, or you can risk causing damage or at the very least have wicked instability issues. But if you work up bit by bit, you'll be able to find out where your card can perform well.

4. Install some games and have fun

 

cool thanks for the quick response. good to know about HD thing. i probably would've been oblivious to the different SATA types w/o asking.

as for the OCing, would you suggest working on one clock to a max stability level before moving to the next clock and doing the same?

 

That's how I'd do it. I'd bump up a bit, run some benchmarks, rinse and repeat. People here have posted some settings that work, but every machine is different and you may not be stable at those same settings.