NP9280 vs NP9850 (reality check for me, please)

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Disclaimer:
Most statements below are not facts, but only my own speculations.
Please contribute your comments to help me settle with something :)

Since Asus W90 has been proclaimed 'off-shelf', I've been looking for a new machine.

A lot of debates are going in Sager section against pros and cons of D900F and M980NU. While M980NU is considered 'gaming', D900F is being called 'general purpose', however, as for me, the only difference in FPS is seen only in Crysis.

Performance pricewise.

Reading discussions of the performance of both laptops, I've completely forgotten about prices.

D900F in default configuration is tagged with $2232, M980NU - with $2402. With those specs, D900F looks superior because P8700 in M980NU limits the performance of twin 280M GTX's in SLI.

If I wanted to 'unleash' those, I would have to customize M980NU with QX9300, which makes the price of this laptop jump up to $3317.

Now, we've got M980NU to outperform D900F in Crysis, but does this performance boost really worth $1100 difference?

If I add i7 975 to D900F (+$790), the machine comes really close to M980NU, while still being cheaper by $300 (while, personally, I would have added i7 950 (+$305)).

Display quality
(to be amended)

As far as I know, M980NU equipped with 18.4'' 'dual lamp' display. That 'dual lamp' feature and size make me consider M980NU's display superior to D900F's.

But, since M980NU is still on pre-order, this question is not closed...

System noise
(to be amended)

Both systems stated to be sporting a nice cooling solution and are told to be really quiet when not gaming, but I would wait until M980NU actually arrives to its buyers...

Upgradeability

At the same time, as is being said on these forums, M980NU platform can see only GPU upgrade, while D900F will most likely have at least 1 CPU upgrade, while GPU-wise it will be the same as for M980NU.

Let's imagine that 1 CPU and 1 GPU upgrade occurs in two years.
D900F - new CPU + new GPU
M980NU - old CPU + new GPU (with old CPU possibly becoming a limit for GPU performance)

Conclusion
(to be amended)

 

just so your aware the 2.5 P8700 does not limit the cards in anyway you only need 2.4dual core + to utilise the cards in sli mode. The extra fps you start to score after that is from raw CPU power.

It is true a Qx9300 will perform better but then its quad core and has alot more Cache as well.

Overall I ordered a M980NU with the P8700 and would happily expect it to outperform the D900 at all gaming activites. Adding the Qx9300 will just push it further ahead

by the time the qx9300 starts holding us back there will be a new MXM format and the arguement will be irrelevent

 

Pmanuk, thanks

So, i7 920 * single 280M GTX < P8700 * twin 280M GTX SLI?

Been reading 'I can't decide' thread in here, but, unlike its author, I won't be getting fully loaded laptop...

 

for gaming yes you are right

If you want a whitebook i have one i want to get shot of

 

Heh, I'm looking for a brand new machine Thanks for the offer

 

Yes the M980nu is better for gaming. When GT300 comes around, M980nu will absolutely need a QX9300 with a hefty overclock to not bottlneck those GPU's. D900F will happily upgrade to a single GT300, and you've got future 32nm i7's as an option, whereas the M980nu's CPU line ends right now at the QX9300. For now, the i7 920 will more than suffice and the 280M is strong enough for Crysis on High and maxing any other game. I like the D900f because it looks to be a long lasting platform.

 

i agree, the GT300 series will be a different kettle of fish, but i think a X9100 or a Qx9300 will be able to prevent bottleneck (if you chose to outlay the cash on the cards and not go for a new laptop)

although for 280's a p8700 will suffice and a qx9300 is just to show off

esp as clocking on the m980 is limited to fsb (possibly as no one has had the nuts to test it yet)

 

Do games must be optimized for SLI?

 

In short terms:
NP9280 will outlive NP9850/M17x.
NP9850/M17x will get obsolete much earlier than NP9250.

 

I have no idea how you came to that conclusion at all

The m9850 will only be truely obsolete when the MXM3 format goes out, which i would guess will be after the GT300 series

the NP9280 will not survive any longer, raw CPU power will not enable you to play games its the cards that make the difference. being able to stick in any desktop I7 is of course a great asset but when the GT300 comes around as a gamer i would rather have 2 in SLI and a Qx9300 oc'd then a I7 with one GT300.

SLI will always be quicker then a single card no matter the CPU that you use. That is fact.

in 3 years yes you might still be able to upgrade the CPU but you will be stuck with the GTX300 (assuming the GT400? will be MXM4) so then the bottleneck will be the GPU so the upgradeable CPU becomes reduanant.

Saying you can upgrade the CPU forever is pointless if you are limited by the slot/transfer speed of the Graphics interface

Your arguement is flawed

 

With all due respect; you speak as if games is all and everything. Some of us actually use our computers for other stuff, you know.
For all that other stuff, the D900F is an excellent machine, and in addition it is very capable of playing games.
Each potential buyer should ask themselves what is important - if you're not a fanatic fps fundamentalist, choose a machine that is very capable of competing with many a high end desktop, performance concerned. If you are one of the aforementioned fps fanatics, choose the M980 or the Alienware.
Just my 2 cents.

 

I agree with you Red,

the post i was referring to was making it out like the M980 will be a bucket of bolts and the D900 will be standing tall. This is not the case really

I dont want a false impression given to the OP and 2/3 years down the line he might suffer from it

Depending on what he/she uses his/her laptop for

 

Thanks for contributing, guys

When starting this thread, I was thinking about D900F, now, I'm drifting towards M980NU.

Yes, I'm a gaming geek, so I need gaming performance more than CPU power for media encoding and etc. I guess, I underestimated M980NU setup.

What would you recommend as a CPU upgrade for M980NU? Q9000 2.0 GHz Quad, P9700 2.8 GHz Duo or T9900 3.06 GHz Duo?

 

For a machine like the M980, a good CPU really does count. If it were me, I'd take the stock CPU and ebay a QX9300 or X9100. Since there's currently no BIOS overclocking, the T9900 is not a bad choice either. Or perhaps setFSB works like a charm and T9600 is best bang for the buck. It's hard to say for such a new machine right now, needs to find its way into an enthusiast's hands first!

 

i posted a great way to overclock just not many experienced users to test it ....(m98nu)

the M98nu is for gaming
9280 is for a little gaming + work

 

believe me as soon as i get my m980nu (should be end of next week) then i will be doing all in my power to raise the bar

 

Thanks for this thread. I had the same debate raging in my head, and it's helped clarify a few things for me

 

which way did you decide mad?

 

I didn't yet I admit it, driving me a bit nuts. I already have an X9100 sitting here that I was going to pop into my Asus G71 before it went belly up. I could use that instead on the 9850 and be smoking (perhaps both litterally and figuratively!). Or I could sell it and offset the cost of the 9280 by a good chunk. I game... a lot. Mostly MMOs, some FPS. So the SLI is really, really appealing. I hate that there's a wait for the 9850s of a couple weeks, but not much I can do about that. Sooo.... likely the 9850. Just got to decide where from

 

depends where you order from you might not get the d900 any faster

I am a serious gamer, would never go back to non sli

 

Put my 9850 order in. Doubt I'll have it before my vacation, but at least I'll have something to look forward to!

 

Nice. If your vaca is before early August then yes it will be there after vaca. Of course, probably have to sign for it so make sure UPS, FedEx won't return it if you don't have somebody to get it for you...
Really don't know what "early August" means but assuming 1st week of August the 9850's will start to ship out. Early could mean before the 15th but sure hope not. Waiting as patiently as I can. I pre-ordered 9850 also from PNB. They said should have it in hand by 2nd week...hey that's the 15th...doh!

 

Well, the couple places I talked to said they would get the chasis next week and have to assemble everything, so 4 days or so for that.

 

While the gains from SLI vary (from 10% to 80%), if you are a hardcore gamer first and foremost and want the best eye candy options while playing, the 9850 makes the most sense. I definitely like the 18.4" screen on the 9850.