Just ordered a D901C

Hi there,

I just ordered a D901C with the following specs:

Processor: Q9650 / 3.06GHz / 12MB Cache
Storage: 3x 320GB 7200 rpm SATA
Optical: Blu-Ray Reader + DL DVDRW
Graphics: SLI 2x NVidia 9800M GTX 1GB DDR3 VRAM
Memory: 4GB DDR2 800Mhz (2x2GB)

I'm expecting to have it in my hands in 3-10 days, so, in that time, I'd like to figure out exactly what I'm going to put on it.
I'm mainly a Linux user, simply because I feel more comfortable working in it (3rd year comp sci major, 95% of my projects require a *nix system anyway ).
But, obviously, this is a gaming PC, so, Windows is pretty much required, but, ideally, I'd like to have a small Linux partition, or, failing that, a VM in Windows, just so I can do work if I go away or something

So, My first question is: Does anyone have a D901C with Linux running on it? Specifically, I use Fedora, and sometimes linux from scratch.
My last few laptops, Toshiba's, (1 Tecra, and 2 Satellites) all went down kicking and screaming when I first tried to get a few different distros up and running on them, back when compatibility was weak, so, I'm looking for any advice that will get me up and running ASAP.

Also: I'm not a big fan of Vista. Every time I've had to use it, I couldn't get out of it soon enough. However, I've heard good things about Windows 7, so, I guess my other question is: Is Windows 7 Beta stable enough to run as the primary OS, for gaming? I'd like to avoid Vista if possible, and, I feel like going back to Windows XP without DX10 support would be a waste.

Final question: My instinct is to install 64bit versions of each OS on the D901C, is there proper support for 64bit on this setup, driver wise, etc, etc? Or is it safer to stick to 32bit?

Thanks in advanced.

 

wow.

nice fully loaded specs there. .... drool.

stick with 64-bit OS's... unless if you are using XP (which is best to stick with 32-bit).

as for DirectX 10..... its has been shown since the release of DX10 cards that there is little to no difference in quality.. especially for the performance losses in Vista for the most part.
- that is why Vista gamers usually set their games to play at DX9 mode.

I think the only game that shown an increase in performance running in DX10 mode (as compared to DX9 mode) was the recent Far Cry 2.

 

I believe that there are a number of D901C owners who run some linux variant on their machines, the one that comes to mind as being the most often installed is, of course, ubuntu. You might have more success posting a specific question in the linux forum (e.g., which linux variant is the most compatible with a D901C - something that avoids being just a double-post) than here.

Considering the amount of potential hdd space, you could probably go with a triple boot on the order of linux, _Vista, and Win7. From what I've been seeing in the Win7-specific forum, it doesn't look like Win7 is quite ready enough for prime time to be used as a primary OS (particularly since you're in school - I'm sure you have no desire to have your OS go wonky the night before a big project is due ).

 

Hi, thanks for the replies

I think I might try going for a Linux / Vista / Win7 setup, and see how I go with Vista, if it fails, remove it and install XP instead, and then, hopefully, when Win7 is stable enough, switch to just Linux/Win7...Does that sound like a good plan?

Also, after some searching, I've found This, which makes me pretty confident I can get it up and running in Linux, bar a few features I likely wouldn't be using much in Linux anyway. I've used Linux as my main OS for about 5 years now, so, I'm fairly good at hammering out issues, its just nice to know what obstacles I'm facing before I get my hands on the laptop.
I'm just glad its not flat out incompatible like some systems on the marked

Another quick question: What's the best driver to use with this setup? I gather Dox's custom ones would be the way to go?

Cheers.

 

That's a good wiki page you found; thanks for the link! The OS plan sounds reasonable. On drivers, I assume you mean video drivers, correct? From what I've seen, one has to be a little careful with the customized drivers, and it may take a bit of trial and error before you find the drivers that work best with your particular machine - a little like getting linux running smoothly, if you think about it.

 

how much with this config.?