Sager NP9850 Upgradeability???

I pre-ordered a Sager NP9850 a few weeks ago and they will ship early August as most of you know, however, I am starting to get a little concerned. The only reason I picked "Sager" was because I had a friend tell me that they are highly upgradeable. Is this true? The fact is that I want to have this laptop for quite sometime and upgrade it every few years or so but if I am unable to do so then what is the point of getting this laptop?

 

Does anyone know?

 

most clevos are upgradeable but as this is a brand new model this question will have to be answered by one of the OEM resellers.

 

So I would have to ask Xotic PC?

 

well the cpu wont be upgradeable past the qx9300 as intel are not devolping any further CPU's

GPU should be upgradeable as they and the i7 one use mxm3b which is the latest and greatest, you should get at least one gpu upgrade from them

anything above that is unlikley

 

Upgradeable to the extent that you can change bits and pieces inside it yourself - as long as you stick to the form factors.
The Core 2 QX9300 is the best processor for it at the moment, and I wouldn't bet on any future improvement processor wise. The Core 2's are at the end of their shelf life, and you won't be able to put a Core i3/i5/i7 in there, because of the different socket.
And the GeForce GTX 280M is also at the very top of mobile gpu's. Maybe you can hope for a future GTX 285/295M, but I wouldn't bet on that either.

 

I would be very very surprised that there isnt another MXM3b socket GPU released before they move on to the next socket, esp as the first I7 laptops use MXM3

 

Well, maybe.

 

not too mention they use the same socket as the AW m17x

If they didnt release a new GPU for mxm3 it would mean whatever they release this time next year would need yet another new connector which appears to be unlikley

 

Ok... so thumbs up for gpu, thumbs down for cpu. Agreed?

 

Hmm... maybe I should just get a desktop...

 

No, get a D900F ;-)

 

ya agreed

highly unlikley they will see an upgrade over the qx9300

but to be fair if Clevo release a bios with unlocked multis then that should see us out a good few years anyway as it will take them a couple of years before we really see games that utilise the 4 cores

 

Why a D900F? And the whole reason like I said before I was getting a Sager was because I heard they were highly upgradeable...

 

Thats really a question only you can answer.

But thats the price you pay for a pimped laptop, that you might get one maybe maybe 2 upgrades for it before it becomes obsolete

If the I7 lappy had sli i would have brought that hands down but at the moment mobile i7 isnt due until this time next year, meaning that i can upgrade from my M980 in spring 2011 and go from there

by this time my m980 will have (i hope) an unlocked bios and possibly nvidia 3xxGTX in it

 

they are upgradeable

VERY

when the parts are released, Clevo do not make CPUs and GPUS

they can only put in them what is released from the vendors

 

But they only have one graphics card...

 

Because it has current generation desktop processors in it - and therefore much more likely to be able to upgrade, if you ever need it.
It has just the one GTX280M, no SLI - but I don't miss it. Every game I have tried so far runs smooth as a baby's bottom. Maybe not highest res and highest detail on Crysis, but the rest is piece of cake.

 

I havent said the 900F is the best option i have gone for the 9850 for the GPU SLI and possible future upgrade

Personally i will swap my M980 out end of 2010 or beginning of 2011 and the qx9300 will last me till then

 

Would it ever be possible to run the 900F in SLI?

 

No. No room. Maybe the next Clevo will have desktop Core i7 and SLI ... mmm, wet dream

 

bah you beat me to it

in short...no

 

But does that mean it doesn't really compare to the gaming performance of the 9850 with SLI? I mean yes it had a waay better processor but the 9850 is also great but it has SLI.

 

Unless I could in the future upgrade the graphics card to something better than the 280...

 

You will get more fps in most games with SLI. But that's just numbers - in all practicality, you would rarely see or feel any difference, in my opinion. If you can't see what fps you are running , I mean.
Put it like this: Most games will run very smooth on a D900F. Most games will run a little smoother on a M980 with GTX 280 in SLI. Is the extra cost of the 2.nd gpu worth it then?
Not for me.
But only you can decide.
I put the extra cost into a Core i7, and very happy with that.

 

And, may I add: If you ever do anything else but gaming, you will be very happy indeed with a more powerful cpu.

 

Hmm so what your saying is the M980 is only slightly better than the D900F but on the other hand the D900F has high upgradeability? Then eventually couldnt I just swap out the CPU for a better one when the time comes? Cuz the Core i7 is a desktop processor right?

 

And Processor wise I am going with the i7 Extreme 975... go big or go home right? haha

 

The M980 is better at gaming
In everything else the D900F wins hands down.
And yes, the D900F has higher upgradeability.
It has a desktop processor, yes.

All of these arguments are excactly why myself cancelled my order of the M980, and decided on the D900F instead.

 

thats where red and i differ

i do more gaming then anything (other then surfing and watching AVI's) neither of which require an I7

so for me SLI is worth more then the I7

the difference between SLI and no SLI is about 30-40% depending on the game from previous experiance

 

Well I usually play games like Oblivion, Warcraft III and some other RPGs... and since it uses a Desktop processor doesn't this mean when the next great processor comes around I can just upgrade? And I know that the 280 is the best right now for mobile gaming but I can always upgrade when something better comes a long yes? My main issue is how upgradeable it can be. Yes the M980 might be "slightly" better at gaming but as for processors its pretty much the top for laptops. But for the 900F it seems more like the sky is the limit.

 

The 975 Extreme runs very hot, according to Gophn's preliminary test results.
My 920 does not, particularly, what I have seen so far.
The 950 seems a safer bet, perhaps. But really: The i7's are amazing processors, whatever their clocks. I can't believe how fast my machine does...everything. Certainly not seen this kind of speed in a laptop before, me.

 

I would go to extreme because 90% of the things I do are gaming. I would be getting a cooler with it though and with the warranty and and sager having great cooling I think I should be ok...

 

if ur a gaming nut (and by the sounds of it you are not) then the m980 is the better laptop

the sli gives at least 25% up to 80% in some games better performance, so if your a gamer its better

if you are not then the I7 is a good bet. Yes you will be able to change the GPU to anything the M980 hasm but never in sli

 

Well - you can't go much wrong with either of these Clevo's, really. But in 4 to 5 years, I can see the M980 looking a bit dated, while the D900F is still running strong... maybe just wishful thinking, but that is what I think, hehe ;-)

And I am not talking about the looks... in that department, the D900F looks like something from the 80's allready. But I actually prefer it to the M980 - flashing blue lights is not for me.

 

Im a gamer but I only play RPGs mostly. I wouldnt be playing games like Crysis or COD.

 

See that is exactly how I feel... like you say in 4 or 5 years the M980 with lack of upgrades is going to be out dated but with new CPUs and GPUs you can keep the D900F alive... I think you have made my choice for me haha

 

i would suggest the d900f on that basis

 

in 4/5 years i will have had at least another 3 laptops lol

but then im a tart

 

Ah, I don't spend that much money on a laptop every year, or even every other year. So on that basis...
Anyway, good luck with your new lappy, Jack - whatever your choice.

 

Well see I saved up for the M980 but if I go with the D900F not only will I save like 400 bucks but I will also have a laptop I can have in the long run.

 

Good Luck with your purchase and i hope we have been some help

Let us know how it goes

 

Thanks! Both of you have been a tremendous help! I wll let you know how everything works out!

 

Secondardy question on this topic.

Would a mobil version (cooler/lower power cpu) of the i7s fit the D900 when they come out?

If I bought the i7 with a 920 now would i be able to change out the cpu to something that runs cooler and uses less power at a later date?

Assuming it is as fast or faster of a cpu.

 

its unlikley to be the same socket, yet alone cooling layout

So all in all i doubt it

 

Have you run OCCT yet to see how hot your CPU gets under sustained load? It would be interesting to see what your actual temps are under extreme CPU load.

 

Actually, if you want a cooler D900F NOW, you can socket a i7 Xeon which have 60W, 80W, and 95W variants. The 5570 is especially appealing. 2.93ghz, 6.4QPI @ 95W.

 

The D900F won't receive any GPU which won't also fit in the M98, and once Intel moves on to a new socket, the i7 is done too.

I'd choose the M980NU myself. Under the scenario in which there's no GPU updates ever, the SLI will keep you going longer. An i7 paired with the equivalent of a 9800 GT is wasted anyway.

 

I think they are referring to the fact that the M980NU will most likely not see any cpu upgrades, whereas the D900F probably will

 

The Q9300 is at the peak of the Core 2 line-ups. Where as the i7 is new and there are bound to be better and greater versions of it. The i7 975 Extreme already blows the Q9300 Quad Core out of the water performance wise. And yes it is true that any GPU that will fit in the D900F will also fit in the M980 however, not every game supports SLI so I think that the D900F has a distinct advatage over the M980. Please someone correct me if I am wrong.