Sager NP9261 with nVidia Quadro FX 1600M Availability & Poll

Does anyone know when the Sager NP9261 / Clevo D901C will be available with a nVidia Quadro FX 1600M GPU? Technically, what is really holding up the release of this configuration? Can anyone provide an ETA?

Thanks,

Terry

 

Basically that model isn't lacking any raw power, so why would you need the professional version of a 8700M GT?

 

3D modeling, rendering, multimedia content creation

 

Echoing FadetoBlack here, Sager, their resellers, and several repeat customers who have used Quadro cards for ages have been conducting tests to see if the current Quadro cards give any advantage over the GeForce cards from the same generation. From what I was told by one of the Sager resellers with whom we work, all of the tests showed that, if there was any difference at all, it was negligible, and this negligible difference was sometimes in the GeForce's favor.

Because of this, Sager seems to have decided, at least for now, that the price difference between the Quadro and the GeForce cards is not justified, so they are focusing more on the GeForce line right now.

 

I need the Quadro FX 1600M because the programs I run require OpenGL for rendering. There are a few of us that need to run Adobe, Autodesk, Avid & other software that utilize OpenGL.

 

i agree though this will prob not be available on the sager's you could look to hp's business line they use the quadro's..

 

Since the hardware on the quadro and geforce is near identical, the difference is in the drivers. In fact, if you have the GeForce equivalent of a Quadro, you can just install the right drivers and go with it.

People who want to game with a Quadro do the same thing (but in reverse).

Regards,

z.

 

Are you really sure? I remember that it works only with some cards...

 

Apologies in advance for a long-winded discussion.

I am looking for a proven solution that works. I want to purchase two NP9261's fully loaded. At over $11,000 USD for the two, plus another $17,000 in Adobe, Autodesk and Avid software licenses for the two, I am sure you can see why I want a proven solution. Surely there has to be others on this forum that are engineers/multimedia content creators that want a NP9261 with an nVidia Quadro FX 1600M.

The real issue is being able to let 'X' brand application utilize the OpenGL in the Quadro card. It is my understanding the GeForce cards do not have the same level of Open GL functionality that the Quadro has. Researched foresight is less expensive than hindsight... With a lot of time and money invested in two machines, would you agree, you would want them to work with your software too?

Adobe
Either the NVIDIA GeForce 8 M series or NVIDIA Quadro FX M/FX/FX Go series will work. I could use the GeForce 8700M.
http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/opengl.html

Autodesk
I can only use the Quadro FX Mobile series.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=10032262#NvidiaQuadroFXMobile

Avid
I can only use the Quadro FX 1500M (or greater series in my opinion).
http://www.avid.com/products/xpresspro/specs.asp

Avid Recommended Notebooks
http://www.avid.com/products/xpresspro/qualified_pc_notebooks.pdf

Avid is hyper-particular about what cards it works on. It seems like every version change, like from version 5.1.2 to 5.1.3, they have video card driver compatibility issues that have to be worked out again and again and again. Waiting until they fix the issue is frustrating, especially when you have deadlines. Tech support will only work with you if you have their hardware configurations listed, or are influential enough to convince them that what you have meets and exceeds their specifications. A quad-core notebook hasn't been certified yet, but I expect it will be, once the 'other' brand of PC manufacturers come out with it.



Clevo is ground breaking. I would rather buy Clevo's machine and move away from the 'other' brands. 'Other' brands are too slow to market with new technology, and I really don't want to wait for them. I expect the NP9261 will give me several years of use before I will have to replace it, where the 'other' brands cause me to replace them every 1 1/2 to 2 years due to lack of processing power. Software developers keep making applications/updates/upgrades that require more processing power.

Dear Reader/Contributor: Please remember to vote in the poll! Thanks!

 

get an Dell m90.

kicks ass.

my fx2500 quadro kills.

 

The Dell 6300 lacks a Quad core and two more 200GB hard drives, and Dell wants the same amount of money as a Sager NP9261 for a slower/less storage machine. I've already been to Dell and back. I found out I don't want to go to Dell. I got burned there.

 

Definitely hold out for the Quadro, I am chugging along on my T61p which barely handles ArcMap, it takes forever to draw layers, I should have went with a higher powered GPU.

 

I can see the point now. Well, have a talk with Sager and see if they can give you that card you want. Eurocom still offers Quadro cards on their laptops (FX 3500M is actually a 7950GTX, FX 2500M is a 7900GTX and FX 1500M is a 7900GS). I hope I can help just a bit...

 

yes i would call before i spent that kind of money ( or any money) sager will tell u whats the best they can offer u

 

Well like I said, I believe that Eurocom sells those cards. You might even think about getting the cards from Eurocom and the systems from a Sager reseller.

 

According to the nVidia website, the 7000 series mobile cards support and are optimized for OpenGL 2.0, and the 8000 series cards 2.1. And this is implied in Fade's response above. Perhaps its worth contacting nVidia directly before laying down the cash?

 

Yes, that is a well known thing, but it doesn't help him at all. The only Quadro corresponding card to the 8000 series is the FX 1600M.

 

The 7950gtx should be more than adequate for use with Adobe and 3dmax, seeing as how supports both OpenGL and shaders 3.0 (the basic requirements for functionality according to the hyperlinks supplied). The Avid page provides little in the way of necessary detail, but I suspect it would work fine for this application as well. It seems that the real question is whether or not a particular card/system combination has been "tested" and "qualified" so as to ensure adequate customer support should the need for troubleshooting arise. And, of course, none of the GeForce cards fit this bill. If attenuated customer support is not a comfortable scenario then the only option is to purchase one of the tested and qualified Dell or HP systems common across developers.

 

I have contacted Sager.

To Brian's credit, he is FAST to respond to emails!

Other notebook manufacturers have the nVidia Quadro FX 1600M, and we all know nVidia has released it.

Donald Stratton of PowerNotebooks was kind in responding to an email I sent him concerning the issue. To quote him,

It appears it boils down to marketing. The market wants gaming cards and the gaming market is THE driving force. The reality is there are more gamers than there are engineers/multimedia content creators. Quadro cards are a niche market, and apparently a very small niche. nVidia plays well in that niche, and is looked at as an industry standard that Adobe, Autodesk and Avid integrate software to and fully support.

I feel confident Clevo and Sager are working hard to get the latest card drivers to work with XP/Vista in a single or dual SLI environment. Once that is solved, the gamers will be happy getting 3DMark scores over 10,000 on a consistent basis. Perhaps then, Sager will work to get the nVidia Quadro FX 1600M working and please the engineers/multimedia content creators too. It appears Sager has only enough staff to please one market at a time - gamers first, then the engineers/multimedia people. From a marketing perspective, gamers are where the volume of money is at for Sager.

I encourage you to vote above, whether you are a gamer, engineer, multimedia creator or all of the above. Please vote. Vote on what you have now or want to have in your notebook. Your votes count when Justin at XoticPC, Donald at PowerNotebooks, Brian at Sager and other people of influence see the numbers. Your votes show where the market is.

Meanwhile, I am going to patiently wait until there is a Sager supported solution. I have enough on my plate than to have to goof around with drivers and try to find one that works. I feel bad for others who are having to try beta versions, etc. to see what works. Being a guinea pig/test rabbit/lab rat is no fun.

We expect the PC and GPU setup to be thoroughly tested and work the first time from the factory. Period.

 

I have some news for you. At Eurocom the ETA for the FX1600M is Nov. 30 (in the D901C).

 

is the 1600m powerful enough compared to a 2500?

 

Not quite. It's the 8700M GT and the 2500M is the 7900GTX.