Upgrading NP8662 CPU & GPU - when to buy hardware?

I have the Sager NP8662 notebook. I have plans to update the CPU & GPU sometime in the future. However, when would be the best time to buy the CPU & GPU. Will they be readily available you think in two years time? Or would the CPU be better to buy earlier than that, due to availability and being replaced by the i7.

What about the GPU. Can I expect to update it fairly easily in a couple years?

 

The CPU you will most likely be able to find easily for a very good price in two years time. GPU's tend to become "special order" and it will be difficult trying to get your hands on one from an authorized vendor. And if you do, it will sell for quite a pretty penny since they are considered special order. This does not include eBay.

 

The Clevo M860TU/ETU (Sager NP8662) is still a viable 15-16" gaming notebook.

I would not stress over the videocard since the GTX 280M is only 5-10% faster than the GTX 260M.

You can go for a quad-core if you are want to do more multi-threaded or CPU intensive work .... or play CPU hungry games like GTAIV.

CPU prices should drop (for the models that is not n the top rung of the ladder).

The prices for the QX9300 are decent... you can find an OEM one (not ES) for around $500-600.

a Q9100 (OEM) for around $300

the Q9000 is a rip off since you can get the Q9100 OEM for the same price.

if you do not mind getting a ES version, then they are usually cheaper.

 

I guess my thoughts were a QX9300. I just don't want them to disappear before I can get ahold of them.

As far as GPU, I will try to overclock it sometime in the future, just no need now. I guess it depends on how well I can overclock the GTX 260m and/or if the overhead on a GTX 280m near the end of production life allows for even better overclocks.

That being said, where is the best place to buy mobile CPU's and GPU's?

 

Notebook GPUs, while absolutely simple to swap in and out, tend to be fairly difficult to actually upgrade, since you never know when the MXM standard might change again, and even if the standard doesn't change, there's no solid guarantee that the Next Big Thing(TM) won't be operating outside of the TDP or wattage the NP8662 is capable of safely handling.

Sager will frequently sell at least the mobile GPU directly if you call them, as long as they still have stock available. If OEMs like Sager no longer have the stock available, Ebay becomes the source of choice.

 

RJTech should be your 1st choice.

500th post.

 

Hi there,

Where can you get a Q9100 OEM for $300?


Thank you

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-Core-2-Qu...85QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCPUs?hash=item3ef9863985

 

Whoa, that's weird. Looks like two dual cores smashed together on the same PCB.

 

That's because it is...

The i7's are the first true quad cores from intel, with the QPI for communication from any core to any other. With the core2 quads, if it wanted to talk between die 1 and die 2, it had to use the fsb.