M570TU vs. D901C

Ok, so I've been kicking this idea around for a while and I sure don't have the money for them (yet) but when I do it's between the two listed-

Now, on both I would only get a single 9800GTX- the question here is I love storage space, the more the merrier, and the D901C I'm told is incredibly amazing at cooling itself. Plus, I have this sneaking suspicion that the speed gains of the M570TU with the DDR3 would be lessened quite a bit by the Desktop processor of the D901C. Weight is not a concern, though some time in the future when the new nVidia cards come out I would like to upgrade, possibly even to SLi, thoughts? Recommendations?

Any help is good, I want to cement the model I want in my mind before I start saving for it so I have a real goal and not just flip flop all the time and then end up going with whatevers cheaper just because it's cheaper and not because it's better.

Thanks for any info, much appreciated!

 

Will if you want uber storage, the amazing cooling, desktop cpu, and the option to go to sli in the future, I think you know that the D901C is your choice. I almost went with it, but the battery life, weight, look, fingerprint scanner, turbo memory, and size all made me opt for the M570TU. And I've not regretted it once.

 

Thanks for the quick response emike! Storage IS important to me, and lots of it. I'm also not a fan of external drives, I've had quite a few fail on me, so after seeing what you've said, and actually re-reading what I know I want, I suppose I'll have to go with the D901C. As for the speeds, though, are the desktop processors better? Oh, and since I don't actually know this I figure I'll ask since I didn't see it specified on any of the resellers websites, is the DDR2 Desktop 240 pin or regular 200 pin? And thanks again, made this a lot easier on me.

 

I know the feeling Nothing worse than regretting something, especially after spending such a large ammount!

I've been knocking around between the M570TU, D901C and the OCZ 840 for the past couple of weeks. From what I can tell, the desktop processors in the 901C will be so much better than the mobile equivilants in the M570TU, with the exception of an OC'd X9300. DDR3 Ram really hasnt come far enough to offer that much better performance over DDR2, especially in laptops.

The D901C has 3 bays for HD's, a maxed out rig would have say 3 x 500GB 7,200rpm HD's in whichever config of Raid you fancy (0,1 or 5) where as the M570TU only has one HD slot (I think).

In terms of performance and upgradability, I would say the 901C any day. However it's big, heavy and dont even talk about the battery!! The selling points for the M570TU address these issues. Mobile processor+DDR3 ram = more effiecient, less heat, better battery and lighter.

For me, I'm never gonna be away from a power source when I wanna use my laptop, so I'm going for the 901C...IF I can find it with the old 9800M GT, I'm not spending an extra money for a GTX card!

 

Same, I am never going to be away from a power source so I am surely going to go for the D901C and enjoy the 1.5 Terabytes of Raid 0

Eventually, anyway. I will want SLi some day, so I know the D901C is what I want now. Desktop processor, here I come! Thanks for the answers! I'd rep you if it would let me.

Thanks guys!

(Oh, is it standard 200pin? Does anyone know?)

 

204 Pins. I'd recommend RAID5 if your doing 3 drives...

 

What is the battery life for the 901C with 1 vid card, 1 7200rpm hdd, and and a 65W or 95W processor? Still less than 1 hour?

 

I'd figure it would be around 1 1/2 hour. But if you got a system like that, why get the D901C?

 

well...im getting 1 1/2 hours with 3 drives/2 vga cards/extreme cpu all running on normal mode.

but if i start gaming...more like 45 minutes.

if i disable one card and run cpu at 2 ghz and in power save mode. about 2 hours

 

Hey emike, sweet that it uses Laptop modules- got a few of those laying around. Thanks for all the answers. (I don't know as much about R5 as R0- if you want to explain, I am all ears )

 

The only desktop component the D901C uses is the CPU.

 

Agreed.

Unless you want SLI, or multiple HDD...

There is not much reason to go with the D901c

Even the quad core is not going to be completely useful unless you are going for top top notch performance, in which case, you should be getting SLI and Raid0 or something.

Battery life is a weird topic. If you plan on being on the move all the time and running off of battery frequently, I think even the 9-ish pounds of the 5793 is heavy...

I would consider both of these laptops as mobile desktops meant to stay put.

Considering you can't really game on battery power... any cheapo laptop is going to be better for portability.

SLI is proving to be pretty powerful in comparison to single, definitely worth a look.

 

Actually I find mine quite portable and take it everywhere with me.

 

I mean, I take mine everywhere, but I don't bring it with me to sit on the couch, then move it to the dinner table, etc etc, like you could with a 12" laptop.

I travel with it back and forth to work everyday as well as going to people's homes etc but I don't think that throwing it into a backpack and moving it necessarily makes it a 'portable' computer.

I won't be bringing it to a Starbucks, sitting at a wifi hotspot with no AC outlet for very long. But, I might if I had a small laptop.

 

I take my Alienware m5500 on all trips and to work. 6.5lbs of laptop is 23lbs of backpack when fully loaded {Medicine, ink pens, a strategy guide, owner's guides, full cd caddy, etc}. It's turned into Man-Purse that everything gets thrown into {with ever increasing weight-which is my way of working out, that and 12 oz curls}.

 

have D901c. Its a bit big. But once you get it, its so easy to work with. I've fixed multiple parts myself. changed out the RAM, Added a new hard drive for that all important storage!. Its a beauty. I throw it in my backpack every weekend and commute home from the city. Its a fine commute as long as you have the Targus! (a must have accessory, along with the NC2000 if you game a lot). I do feel the m570 is more of a laptop tho. Its thinner, more battery life, and pretty powerful for its money. I still look at the m570 now and then, but never have i said I'd rather have that. Im the happiest lappy owner rite now, knowing I have the sturdiest, strongest, and coolest (temperature) notebook out there. (well, now its not so strong, but I may go for the Mobo Overhaul on this thing over the coming summer, meaning quad core and 9800m GTX+, if the + is real)
good luck

 

The D901C is an amazing laptop. I have one. Just keep in mind that 9800M GTX in SLI doesn't have good drivers yet. They are very glitchy. By the time you would decide to upgrade though it shouldn't be a problem. A run Crysis great on a single 9800M GTX. I was surprised with the power of this single card.
By the way, Raid 0 is optimized for performance with 2 or more HDDs. Raid 5 Is a mix of Raid 1 and 0 to give you some security with performace increases. Only Raid 5 needs 3 HDDs that are exactly the same.
I find the weight and battery life not a problem for me. Carrying it around isn't a problem (all you need is some steroids...lol). I am almost near an outlet all the time though.

 

how do you upgrade the vid cards on the d901c?? go back to the dealer? wouldnt that cost a fortune and be kinda stupid?

 

but new cards and stuff them in

 

and where would you buy them from? Im guessing at rediculas prices which would account to be about 4x the cost of its faster desktop counterpart?

 

you can buy (or should I say order) them from almost any major Clevo vendor.

they will send it to you and give it you simple instructions to install it.

these current Clevo's were made for user upgrades without having to send in the entire notebook.