M570U/N5760 Config Questions

Okay, I've almost, almost decided to take the plunge and order the M570U now rather than wait for the M570RU. Mainly because I'm afraid of that premium on the newness, although if I got reasonably reliable pricing info, I might decide to pay the premium to get the new look (I really do like it).

But, I have a few questions first related to configuring.

This is the configuration I'm looking at for the U (and the RU would be pretty much the same):

SAGER NP5760
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ 2 DUO 2.33GHz (T7600) Processor (Merom / 4 MB L2 Cache / 667 FSB)
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 7950GTX w/GDDR3 (User Upgradeable)
- 2,048MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory
- Standard Finish
- Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- 100GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA 150)
- NO Bay 2 Hard Drive
- Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- Internal TV Tuner with Remote Control
- Creative Labs PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS - THX certified 24-bit ADVANCED HD
- Integrated System Speakers - Included
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g
- Internal Bluetooth
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- 110/220V 120W Auto Switching AC Adapter - Included
- ~Windows XP Pro SP2 w/ Drivers, Utilities CD
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime Toll Free Tech Support

First question -- anyone got any feedback on the Audigy 2 ZS, as opposed to the default sound? I've seen a few minor complaints related to the sound, so I liked this option.

Second question is Linux compatibility -- anyone done Ubuntu on this machine? I'm mostly concerned about wireless, Bluetooth and the sound upgrade, as those are areas I've had to tweak on previous laptop Linux installs. It would be dual-boot with XP.

Third question -- anything I should be aware of on the TV tuner? I've never had one in a PC so I thought I'd try it.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Thats a great looking config for that system.

You can save money if you just downgrade the CPU to T7200 (2.00GHz) because the difference in performance is barely noticeable, and the pricing is more bang for the buck.

As for the sound card, I would recommend this one:

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme for notebooks



Its a more powerful card for the gamers and enthusiasts than the old Audigy series.

And with the money you saved from the CPU downgrade, you can get the larger 7200rpm HDDs (like 160gb) and/or get the TV Tuner and/or the mobile X-Fi soundcard.

 

Thanks for the tip on the card, Gophn. I have the Fata1ity in my desktop, had no idea they made a mobile version. Also, I just noticed that the card listed in the spec says PCMCIA but the M570U only has the Express slots, not sure what gives there. As for the CPU, its just the "max it out" tendency in me. =)

 

the X-Fi mobile is using Express Slot.

The old Audigy ZS is using PCMCIA (which most newer notebooks cant use).

 

Yes, I know, that was the confusion, actually. Why would Xoticpc offer a PCMCIA sound card option when the M570U - at least as far as I can tell - only has Express slot?

 

They might just need to fix that option... it happens.

 

I have the M570A with the ATI x700 (not for long)
The ATI card makes the linux install a pain (have to do it in safe graphics mode but after some config it works great.
For your config Ubuntu should work just fine (have feisty fawn on mine) The bluetooth works great. The intel card not so much unless they have drivers since the last I checked. I ended up replacing mine with a Gigabyte Atheros based card it works great.
Hope this helps
Shawn