Sager NP8662

So I'm planning on ordering a Sager NP8662 soon, but I have a few quick questions...

1. I plan on getting a better CPU on it, but I can't decide between the T9600 and the Q9000. I plan on using it for games such as Oblivion and Fallout 3, which would be better for such applications?

2. I can get it for about $40 cheaper on xoticpc.com versus the sager website. Is xoticpc reliable enough to be worth saving the $40 or am I better off getting it straight from sager?

3. Is this notebook good for games like FO3 and Oblivion? I currently run an 8800GTS 512 and am looking to get performance similar to what that card provides at a 1650x1080 rsolution.

 

QUOTE=schwieger;5046429]So I'm planning on ordering a Sager NP8662 soon, but I have a few quick questions...

1. I plan on getting a better CPU on it, but I can't decide between the T9600 and the Q9000. I plan on using it for games such as Oblivion and Fallout 3, which would be better for such applications? <-- CPU wont make a huge difference in those games... T9600 will perform faster if the games you use dont have quad-core support...

2. I can get it for about $40 cheaper on xoticpc.com versus the sager website. Is xoticpc reliable enough to be worth saving the $40 or am I better off getting it straight from sager? <-- yes, i highly recommend you buy from xoticpc...

3. Is this notebook good for games like FO3 and Oblivion? I currently run an 8800GTS 512 and am looking to get performance similar to what that card provides at a 1650x1080 rsolution. <-- this is an excellent notebook and currently the best 15.4" notebook in the world... the GTX 260M that comes with it is a great card and should do whatever you want it to...[/QUOTE]

enjoy!!!

 

I have played Fallout 3 but I am only on the first level and haven't been to any big outdoor environments yet so performance could change. You can see the results in the link in my sig along with the in game settings I used.

Having a higher clock rate at those resolutions is unlikely to make a huge difference in performance unless the games you are playing are Dual Core optimised and very CPU intensive. Most games are GPU limited so this is rarely the case and some games that are more CPU intensive will use more Cores anyway.

 

I play Fallout 3 whenever I get the change at high settings 2x AA and 8x filtering with no problem what so ever. The game looks and runs great. No problems on the 8662.

 

1. I'd stick with dual core for now, although, I really think you should consider getting the P9700. Its the exact same as the T9600, but consumes less power, which is always great in a notebook.

2. DEFINITLY go with XoticPC, I just ordered my own NP8662 (with a P9700) yesterday, and their service/warranties are great.

3. This notebook will blow your current GPU outta the water. As mentioned before, there simply isn't anything more powerful in the 15 inch range,

 

Look here for clues as to which way you might want to go.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=387976
After looking at these my mind was made up. Quad all the way!

 

I didn't find this as useful as I would've liked since there was no comparison between the Q9000 and a dual core.

 

That thread simply shows you that a ''slow'' 2.0 Ghz Q9000 won't have any problems at all with the vast majority of games and with some games getting between 60 fps and over 100 fps, what more needs to be said?

Considering that most of those games I tested were predominantly designed for Dual Core and not Quad, the Q9000 would have been used as a 2.0 Ghz Core2Duo a lot of the time. I have even tested some games with only a single Core enabled and some of those still perform really well.


The T9600 Core2Duo is 2.80 Ghz and at the NP8662's high resolutions (1680 X 1050), I would be extremely surprised if you saw any noticeable performance increases when compared to the 2.0 Ghz Q9000 or even a 2.0 ghz Core2Duo.

 

What maximum and minimum frame rates do you get?

 

I was actually thinking the diff between an P8700 or P8800 and a Q9000, since it's $100+ cheaper.

 

Look you really can't go wrong either way.
If you have your heart set at getting a P series CPU at least get a P9700 2.8 GHz.
It's a little more $$ but well worth it if your going CORE 2 DUO.
But if your on a a budget by all means go with the fastest P series you can afford.
But as LaptopNut pointed out the "slower" Q9000 has no limitations playing any of todays games.
When more and more new games are optimized for Quad Core( and yes there will be) you will have a major advantage with the "slower" Quad.

 

Sorry for leeching the topic with a noob question, but what's the difference between a M860TU and a /ETU? Where is the ETU version obtained [since 8662 is shown as a /TU]?

 

I believe that the NP8660 is the M860TU and the NP8662 is the M860ETU. The ETU version is simply the newer version of the 8660 with the 260m GPU and Quad-core processor support.

Pretty much every version of this laptop you'll find for sale online is the ETU version I believe, its just that a lot of websites haven't added the "E". If you see something for sale online that has the 260m GPU and the ability to put a QC CPU in it, its a M860ETU.

 

This "little more $$" equates app. $165 for which amount you can buy a decent sound card + gaming headset + gaming mouse .... and rest assured that if you buy the notebook with the 1680 X 1050 resolution, P8700 will allow you to play any current games (or for that matter anything that's in development now) on very decent settings. You can upgrade in a year or so when the entire current line-up of Ps, Qs, Ts and whatever will be obsolete altogether anyway.