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    Upgrading to the Radeon 7970m down the line

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by HolyZesto, Dec 29, 2012.

  1. HolyZesto

    HolyZesto Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm really close to buying a Sager np9150 but my budget with it is very tight. I want this laptop to last me 3 or 4 years, and I know that I'll need to buy the 7970m at some point if I want it to be useful for that long.

    My question is, if I just go with the Nvidia 670mx right now, can I expect the 7970m to fall within the $200 price range in the future? Currently, this ebay listing is the only source of the upgrade and it costs $570, something I would never consider paying. But in 1 or 2 years I'm hoping the price will drop significantly. Is the reasonable or should I save up and go for the AMD card now?
     
  2. Sorbus

    Sorbus Notebook Geek

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    The last-generation 6970M is under $300 right now, so it's certainly plausible that the 7970M will drop down to that price in the next few years.
     
  3. Support.3@XOTIC PC

    Support.3@XOTIC PC Company Representative

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    Mobile video cards tend to hold their prices much better then desktop versions so. While the price will most likely come down it wont but a whole lot. By the time it does you'll probably even want one of the newer options. Its best to spend the most you can to the video card now and skimp on parts that are easier to upgrade later like hard drive or RAM.
     
  4. HolyZesto

    HolyZesto Notebook Enthusiast

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    Alright guys, thanks for the replies. I guess I'll have to scrounge up another $200.
     
  5. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Yes, not going to crash but getting the 670mx, selling it and upgrading with that 200 dollars in the future is not far fetched either.
     
  6. MKEGuy

    MKEGuy Notebook Evangelist

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    If AMD doesn't pull a similar stunt with drivers for the 8970m as with the 7970m, I'll gladly sell ya my 7970m in a few months! :)

    Came from Mythlogic with ICD7 TIM from the beginning, always run a laptop cooler under it! She runs beautifully and I keep this puppy spotless! The moment I notice games running even a couple degrees cooler everything gets cleaned out with air!

    If you are interested - keep my screen name and PM me when 8970m launches!
     
  7. Zymphad

    Zymphad Zymphad

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    Go with the 675MX. The 7970M is running quite well right now, problem isn't AMD, it's Nvidia. Too many games being paid by Nvidia to run garbage on AMD right now. PhysX is usually the culprit.
     
  8. HolyZesto

    HolyZesto Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is the 675MX that much better than the 670MX?
     
  9. failwheeldrive

    failwheeldrive Notebook Deity

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    Examples? Only game that doesn't run well on my card is AC3, and that's not due to PhysX, just Ubisoft's crappy port lol. Physx games like Metro 2033, Arkham City, and Borderlands run great.
     
  10. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    It's a bit faster due to the memory bus and ROP advantages, especially when you overclock.
     
  11. TrantaLocked

    TrantaLocked Notebook Deity

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    It is Nvidia paying developers to make games run better on Nvidia hardware. We don't know if they are paying to have games run WORSE on AMD hardware.
     
  12. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Oh don't worry, people are watching out like a hawk for any examples of that, we have seen one or two obvious examples in the past, but game developers usually don't want to give half their audience a bad experience.