M980NU questions

hey guys. i'm interested in purchasing an M980NU laptop. just a few questions i was hoping you guys could answer for me.

1.) im planning on purchasing from RJTECH with a 3year+lcd protection warrenty, is there any other place to purchase that also offers the 3years+lcd protection warrenty?

2.) what exactly is the difference between sager and clevo :S

3.) some places i see on the back of the laptop it says SAGER others it has a tribal symbol or something. why is it different? does it just depend on the reseller?

4.) on RJTECH in the specs it says the laptop can support 8gb ram, but in the customization options, it says "8GB DDR3/1333 - 2 DIMMs, +$600 (Requires Vista 64-Bit OS, 6.8GB can be used)". why can only 6.8 be used? is it a hardware issue or an OS issue?

5.) i read on the owners thread something about windows xp not working because of the sata drivers not being available for it. are the drivers available for linux?

6.) the carrying case that comes with the laptop if i purchase from rjtech, is it big enough to hold the laptop (most carrying cases are only 17" max)?

7.) would you say its better to buy this notebook now or wait for a similar notebook to come out that supports the i7 processors?

8.) im also looking for a reseller that could give me a deferred plan (such as 100$ a month for example). are there any resellers like that?

any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated. thanks

 

1) I'm not sure. My impression of RJTech is that it tends to cater to people who prefer to service their laptop themselves, so if I had to guess, this "LCD Protection" might be already in the terms of extended warranties for companies like Powernotebooks and Xoticpc, which I see as being more intended for users who want full service, but maybe someone else can confirm this.

2) Clevo is the original manufacturer of these whitebooks in Taiwan. Sager is an American company that purchases Clevos in bulk, specs them out, brands them as "Sager", and sells them directly to the consumer or distributes them to resellers in the U.S. like Powernotebooks and Xoticpc.

3) If it came from Sager, it should say "Sager" (unless perhaps you ordered a replacement back panel). The other marking could be Clevo's default or the marking of a different authorized distributor (Prostar or Eurocomm, for instance).

4) From what I understand, it's a chipset/hardware limitation, nothing to do with the OS (since 64 bit can theoretically support much more RAM), and I am pretty sure even a BIOS update won't change that (someone correct me if I am wrong).

5) I have no clue, but you can try the Linux subforum perhaps.

6) I'm pretty sure that RJTech would not do something silly like offer you a bag that won't fit the laptop. However, they are very good about answering any questions you may have, so it's best to ask them.

7) That depends on your needs. If you *really* need this laptop now, then you will be just fine with, say, a Q9000, T9900, QX9300 in your M980NU, but if you can afford to wait and would really prefer to have an i7, then there should be a refresh of the M980 with PM55 chipset.

8) I'm not sure, someone else may know this.

 

Try ProStar instead.

 

There will be a refreshed m980nu but i wouldnt expect it until q2/3 next year, by then there will be more refreshes out and it will be impossible to confirm that it will be the leader then

regarding Linux

at the moment its the same issue as there is with xp there are no sata drivers out so you cant get the os to load the hdd's when running the setup

 

1. PowerNotebooks.com has 3yr with LCD (most sites do carry this) - I'm very happy with my purchase from them. Call them if you have questions, I spent 30+ minutes talking with them.
2. No difference just rebranding
3. That's the rebranding. I have a Sager and that's whats on the back and it changes colors which is cool looking. I believe all of them change colors on the logo.
4. OS issue with XP only recognizing 3.2 gb of the ram. If you went with more you can use software (like ramdrive?) to use the remaining ram. 4gb is plenty for now in these. Wait till the 4gb sticks come down in price, then upgrade (which is what I'm gonna do when needed).
5. XP will work if you can get the AHCI drivers and F6 them at Windows install. There's another user who has put XP on one - check last few pages of the owners thread.
If you are familar with nlite you can slipstream them onto an XP install disk. Keep in mind certain software or hardware may not work though. Trial and error there. M980nu/NP9850 owners are split on the percentages running Win7 or Vista. I do recommend x64 though for either.
Linux I have no idea - probably not yet no AHCI / Raid drivers.
6. Yes the bag will fit the laptop and that's it. I have a Targus XL617 which fits the laptop and then some plus the Cryo Cooler.
7. Your choice. Right now no other laptop (Clevo/Sager) has SLI in this configuration . IMO that won't be till mid/late 2010 for the newer i7 lower power CPUs.
8. Don't think so. Pay upfront.

I can tell you I'm completely happy with my purchase albeit forking out 3000+ dollars for a laptop is not something I'm use to but I can say I'm very impressed with it and happy with the purchase. I'm glad I purchased it now as I'm using it now, no buyers remorse, no remorse about waiting and seeing the new W860CU's out (no SLI though... ) . Very well built machines and simple stupid to replace the CPU. I haven't tried putting new thermal compound on the GPUs yet though.
Hope this helps.