Took the Plunge on an 8150

So I checked in to Malibal and picked up a Lotus P150HM today:

Customizations:
Display: 15.6" 1920 x 1080 FHD LED Backlit 95% NTSC Color Gamut Matte Display
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.0-2.9GHz
Memory: (8GB) 8192MB, PC3-10660/1333MHz DDR3 - 2 SO-DIMM
Graphics Card: AMD® Radeon HD 6990M 2GB GDDR5
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200rpm 2.5" SATA 300
Optical Drive Bay: Hard Drive Caddy For Optical Bay
Wireless: Intel® 6230 802.11A/B/G/N LAN Card
Cooling: Stock OEM Thermal Compound, CPU & GPU
Warranty: 3 Year Ltd. Labor and 1 Year Parts Warranty with 24/7 Support (USA)
Extras: PowerDVD & Bison Cam Software Package
Extras: Integrated 9 in 1 Card Reader
Extras: Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Web Camera
Extras: Integrated Fingerprint Reader
Extras: MALIBAL Software & Drivers Disc

But I'm suddenly having second thoughts on the GPU and wireless card.

1. I'm back in Grad School on the 16th of August and I need the laptop for day one! Will the AMD 6990 be available before then? I know it's a preorder - just looking for the best prognostication from the NBR crew.

2. Is the 3x3 6300 irrelevant? I think the bluetooth may be better on the 6230, and I'll be using mostly 802.11G networks at school.

(And, as an aside - how is the Seagate Momentus XT (500GB HDD + 4GB SSD) as a storage drive? Overkill? I'm putting in a Crucial M4 128GB as the boot drive.)

 

The 6990 will probably not make it by that time.

 

The 6990M from Malibal is shipping mid-August. It might make it if you pay for next-day shipping! But to be on the safe side, I would wait for the official word.

As for the second question, from what I have gathered, even if the router you are connected to via wifi does not support 3x3 wifi, having 3 antennas in your laptop will increase its range. As such, unless you really need Bluetooth (cheap Bluetooth dongles can be bought anyway), it might be worthwhile to upgrade to the 6300 and get the better range.

The aside question: Seagate Momentus XT will be overkill if you are using an SSD as the boot drive. The 4GB of NAND in the Momentus is best suited for booting up and loading apps, but since you have a real SSD it is overkill.

Usually if you PM Malibal or phone them ASAP, they can make last minute changes to your laptop's configuration.

 

Well, then, I'll have to pull out a substitute. Thanks for the info.

I was just about to post in your thread.

I ditched the XT. I've been working with MALIBAL on this and am very impressed with their Saturday support.

 

i just say tough it out and wait, have them ship it to a ups store and pick it up. you can do without a laptop for the first few days of school. btw what major, im studying as a materials engineer.

 

Hi, we will be shipping the 6990M sometime within the next two weeks, so there is a chance you can get it by the 16th - however, you may need to upgrade your shipping.

We have a 40% OFF Discount for NBR Members on UPS Express Service, so that may help out some - if you do choose to upgrade the shipping.

 

MBA. The laptop is required for day one (so says the orientation brochure). The UPS depot is between me and campus, and I do package intercepts all the time. Usually only saves a couple of hours, though.

I'm in SLC, just a few hours north of Las Vegas, so I'm betting that won't be necessary. UPS ground usually takes 1 day to get here. Thank you for the offer, though.

Besides, if there's a significant delay, I can ride for a couple of days on an old T61 I frankensteined together.

 

When I ordered my laptop from MALIBAL, it shipped from Baldwin Park, CA. UPS Ground would take 2 days to get there:



So it would have to be shipped August 12th in order for it to be guaranteed there by August 16th (because of the weekend not counting as a ship day for UPS ground). If you want it there a day before Tuesday it would have to be shipped on the preceding Thursday. ...unless, of course, you upgrade your shipping to any 1-day air options, then it could be shipped on Monday (or Saturday for the day before timing) and still get there on time.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll watch the production closely over the next while.

 

Sorry if my post goes off-topic, I just felt my question is similar to this one.

Hmm, I'm new but I'm interested in buying a 8150 myself from Malibal - choosing Malibal mainly because they offer the 6990 and it makes for a much cheaper purchase. I live in Canada, so I was wondering how long it would take to ship here? And I hear NBR members receive a discount? I am curious to see how I would be eligible for that.

Thanks!

 

You need 5 posts to gain PM privileges. Then PM one of the MALIBAL guys here for the discount info.

Also, c0nfucius is in Canada, too. Check out his post here for info on the Canadian shipping and warranty: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...r-info-read-before-posting-5.html#post7757085

 

Ahh. Thanks Xerloq, I'll try getting 5 posts (shouldn't be too hard lol) or I might just open a ticket on their website =p

 

Some of the discounts are for active NBR members. They'll verify your user name and activity. Just jump in and make a couple of useful comments and you'll get there in no time.

 

Hi, the production time would be the same as it is for any customer and the shipping time would depend on the shipping method you select. If you select UPS Express or Expedited, it would get there in 1-2 days after it shipped.

Also, you can PM us for details on our discounts for NBR Members. We have a RAM Promotion and Shipping Deal that can save you up to $85+ OFF!