**D900F (Sager 9280) Owners Lounge**

Had a busy week, so no time yet for any benches.
(Getting home around 3AM and just booting up the laptop makes me wonder if I am still sane, probably not, but okay )
Downloaded 06 and Vantage just a moment ago and will give those a go once my weekend starts.

The name of the CPU is as the BIOS reports it, guess CPU-Z and Windows just ninja the name from there.
Will try to make a picture of the POST screen as well. (added @ edit)
CPU-Z version is 1.53.1, that is supposed to be the latest, right?

Windows Computer Management screenie:


//Edit
POST:

 

Good enough for me! Thanks Lhurgoyf!

 

Xotic also has the 980 as an option now. Cool.

Still waiting for mine to arrive with the 930. Plan to upgrade the CPU myself when the normal 6-core comes out if/when it does.

 

for some reason when building your 900f at eurocom, if selecting the gtx285m it will subtract 88$ compared to the orig setup with the 280m weird.

 

Hello everyone,

While waiting for my laptop to arrive, I read this entire Owner's Lounge over the weekend to prepare me for anything I might need to know and for things I might need to do as soon as I get the unit.

I think that the most current and stable GPU driver for the 280 is 195.62, correct?

The GPU can be safely OC'd to 650/1000/1650. Is this the final verdict?

I ordered from a local small business (surprisingly the only place in all of Japan that sells this model), so I am not sure exactly what his process is in setting up, but he installed Win 7 Home 64 bit with a 80G G2 Intel SSD and a 500G HDD for the second drive.

Is there anything else anyone can recommend or suggest that I do with the computer before I do anything else, like start installing my own programs and start actually using it?

 

Congrats TenisuBaka!! What config did you get?

That's the driver I use...it works. I haven't had the time to test others. The GPU will be different for everyone, but you might get up to that OC. That OC might be aggressive for normal use...you know, laptop sitting on a hot desk in a 75F room. May not happen until you do some more extreme measures like flash the BIOS and up the voltage and develop some better cooling techniques. It's all what ever floats your boat....maybe you're not into that...I am.

You'll love the ssd. Go to intel and DL the ssd toolbox for trim utilities. Win 7 is supposed to do trim for you, but I find the toolbox helps keep the disk sharp and responsive.

Other than that, just enjoy it!

 

I have mentioned this before in this thread; The 186.81 driver along with the 6.03 version of Nvidia System tools works better, if you are using an external monitor at least.

But, aren't you getting the GTX285M now? I thought the 280 was phased out.

I would not use that high clocks on a daily basis. My 280 have absolutely no trouble running at the GTX285M stock clocks 600/1000/1500. I reach a point where I can't get more points in 3DMark 06 or Vantage at around 640/1000/1600, and I only use those clocks to squeeze a few extra fps's in the most demanding games.

And don't install the Intel Matrix Storage or whatever it's called now (they changed the name of it recently) - this installs the Intel AHCI driver which does not support the TRIM function of the SSD. Leave the standard Win7 Microsoft driver alone.

Go into the BIOS and check if it's in AHCI mode and not IDE. If it is, change it. The SSD will be much happier.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I don't want to get into customizing for oc purposes, just for something reasonable. I also completely skipped vista, so just a little unsure how to setup an use windows 7 properly. As far as specs go, here is what I got nothing special though. Japan is a$$-backwards dude, don't know why no 285. They don't offer the ATI on the w60 or w70 either.

930 CPU
280 GPU
intel G2 80G ssd
500g travelstar hdd
6G team elite ram
5300 wireless card (doesn't offer the 6300)

 

Ok so I got the guy to do a vid with proof. Still say its a lie?
Check the end of the vid where he shows the specs and SLI proving it. From 5:08


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEe-vC93FFc&playnext_from=TL&videos=kgDBJEwfy8M&feature=sub

 

What I want to see is the inside of his notebook with two cards in it, not GPU-Z.

 

Yes I bet so, we all do. But then again I really doubt he will open his computer up cause some guy on youtube saw his video and demanded it

We need a english rep from the supplier he bought it at so we see how they did it

 

and did u see BC2 with full AA at full HD with settings maxed?

I tried that on my 900f and it was choppier than a kung fu movie.

I want his laptop !

 

Hi All,

Have been looking for a good laptop, hence been reading this forum. Was keen on the Asus w90, then Mx17 and finally ive settled on this beast, should be getting it some time next week from an oz reseller.

Anyway i have a few questions.

1. Can this beast take ATI cards
2. Will Nvidia and ATI be making MXM 3b slot cards for some time into the future ?
3. Is it possible to upgrade to an RGB LED screen in the future.
4. I mostly play CSS which doesnt make use of multi cores. So on my current desktop it uses half of each core. (dual cores) Is the laptop likely to go into turbo mode and allocate one core and 8mb worth of smart cache or is this something i have to do, that is put it into turbo mode (that is single core).

5. So this laptop cant handle BF BC2, or is this just because you had full AA. (when i say laptop i mean GPU, i will be getting the gtx285 which from what I gather isnt a big leap from 280) ?

Thanks in advance

 

I can answer a couple things, I dont know all
1. yes there are compatible ATI cards as I have been told
2. dont know
3. dont know
4.dont know
5. I played BC2 all the way through with great graphics, I had full HD and AAx2 only, filtering on 8x. with settings high. It was smooth.

But maxed out it will be choppy.

You WILL be happy with this laptops gaming ability, I can guarantee that. I was worried when ordering mine as it was soo much money, but as soon as I got it and played my worries were put to rest.

sorry I could only answer the 2

 

Hi

Can anyone tell me whether the D900F has now got full official support for Intel`s i7-980X Processor??? and what is the idle and load temperatures like on this processor being inside this laptop???

Thanks for responding.

 

Thanks for that!

I have another question, just spoke to the reseller and I've been told that it has in fact a 280 as the 285 does not fit with the desktop CPU clevo laptops, this sounds weird ?
Also another reseller is offering it with the 285 if thats the case I should really go with them almost same price and the 285 from what ive read is a bit more power friendly a has more grunt, correct ?

 

The reseller is talking rubbish.

I have a kobalt Comanche 17 laptop, based on D900F (Sager 9280), which has a desktop i7 950 and a GTX 285M and it works perfectly fine.

 

If your going for the D900F laptop or one that is based on this model, which will be just the same, then go for one that has the GTX 285M.

 

Hi

GTX 285M and 980X support is official so no problems there. Also there aren't any supported ATi GPUs for the chassis atm.

 

So are you saying that the reseller was right, i thought it was a case of MXM 3b supported card and nothing to do with cpu or did i misread your post.

 

I'm not sure, I was simply clarifying that the D900F:

- now officially supports the 980X
- officially supports the GTX 285M (and its predecessor, the GTX 280M)
- does not support any ATi GPUs (as it was suggested above there is support for)

 

Hello everyone,

I have been reading this thread for quite awhile and I became more interested in buying the D900F

I found out that pro-star.com is offering the system with Intel Xeon X5570 Processor Quad Core, I compared different CPUs here http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=37111,37149,37153,47932, and it looks like that the xeon one is more compatiple with DDR3 1333, and it is more expensive

Intel 980X advances over the Xeon with having more cores, threats, clock speed, frequency and cache, still having a compatible CPU with the Memory will boost performance for sure.

I'm confused since system builders are advising to use DDR3 1333 with the Intel 980X although Intel states that 1066 is the most compatible, as a rule getting higher than that would be a waste only. any advice?

 

Oh I do hope the 980X don't come with more threats ....

 

I can't comment on how an X5570 runs in a D900F chassis however it is very similar to an i7 940 .

The 980X and i7 975 CPUs will run 1333MHz RAM in the chassis (at stock) but the 950 and 930 will downclock 1333MHz to 1066MHz, this is probably what they were refering to.

 

Think I will +rep Neil (for what it's worth) just for being here and being helpful. These Kobalt chaps are a rare breed of salesmen

 

ooops

According to Intel specification page, memory section, 980X will downgrade the 1333 ram into 1066 http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=47932

While X5570 is compatible to the 1333 which will boost the performance http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37111 however 980X has more more cores, threads, clock speed, frequency and cache.

I think I will wait till there is a CPU similar to 980x with the 1333 memory support

 

Neil@Kobalt,

I take it the Kobalt Comanche 17 laptop will fully work with a 980X as it being basically a D900F???

Thanks for responding.

 

Might be my mistake but I'm pretty surre that the 980X will run 1333MHz in the chassis.

Yup

 

Thanks for responding mate.

 

Ah, I just realised who you are If you're thinking about upgrading from your 950 then be sure to get the latest BIOS!

 

I was just gonna say to you don`t you reconize me from my user name

 

Neil@Kobalt,

What is the latest bios for the D900F??? Because I posted a new version that just came out officially yesterday which is:

BIOS V 1.00.07cS LS3 - 2010/04/05
KBC V 1.00.03ga

 

It will run with a 1333MHz ram, but it will work as a 1066MHz "according to Intel", I hope someone will tell me I'm wrong, I'm so eager to buy this laptop.

 

CPU FSB and RAM bus speeds are two different things. The 980X can run just fine with 1066MHz memory.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5860955&postcount=3
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5862717&postcount=6

 

Indeed, 1066 will be just fine "as stated in Intel website" http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=47932

However, assembling the system with 1333 Memory will not increase the performance since the CPU is belt for 1066.

I'll be waiting for a CPU similar to 980X but with the 1333 Memory support.

 

Yes, the X58 based CPU's will not see any benefit from using 1333MHz memory as the MCH can only handle 1066MHz sticks. However, when overclocking, 1333MHz sticks can be flashed down for when the bus is ramped up, but that's not going to happen on the D900F, so that idea is moot. Three 1066MHz sticks yields so much bandwidth anyway so it doesn't really matter what the user uses.

 

While the D900F will fit an ATI MXM 3.0B card physically, as the MXM standard is all about the connector and dimensions of the card, there is not yet any support for an ATI card in the BIOS, which means the D900F would have no idea of how to communicate properly with said ATI card. So you could install a MXM 3.0B card physically in the D900F, but it won't run.

 

My question was regarding a 285gtx, but its good to know about the bios and ati. I might run a linux distro as well so nvidia has better support anyway.

 

Both the 975 and 980X will run 1333MHz RAM @ 1333MHz in the chassis. Agreed that the performance difference will be extremely small but it is compatible.

 

I believe 1.00.07 is the latest

 

That's what I thought but if you have a look at the memory section in Intel website here http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=47932 you will realize that 980X will run 1333MHz Ram but @ 1066MHz

 

The Intel website is not incorrect but that figure is just the Intel design spec figure, the actual speed that you can run ram at with different types of CPUs is motherboard dependent.

 

Hi,

Got my system ! yay

some queries though

1. Should i take the battery out, if the system is going to be used with power outlet as suggested in clevo guide
EDIT : ive done it, and now tehres a hole, lol no cover to replace it with ? So dust doesnt get in ?
2. How do i run the CPU in turbo mode 1 core with 8mb cache ?
3. Should i upgrade to the latest bios, (there are no release notes) are there any advantages im using i7 930, are all d900f laptops compatibe even if they are from different vendor?
4. I mounted the iso (bios) its empty do i need to burn it onto a cd ?
4. How do i tell which camera i have 2mp or 3 mp ?



Thanks

A quick review of the laptop

Overall initial impressions

The laptop feels tough and sturdy. Few creaks as i was caring it from one room to another but i think its just bedding in. I dont think its going to be as much of an issue as i initially thought having this beast purr on my lap(dont forget about vents). The screen is a bit on the colourless side that is it sits on the cold blue (tweak with nvidia)but there is no corner wash out. Connected a 23" LCD to it no worries. This system is good for anything thats power hungry from CPU intensive games to video transcoding. Ive had XP and 2003 sitting idle inside win 7 and it wasnt fussed at all. New gen wireless is great (N - 5300 and 6300 wifi gives it 450 or 350 mbs (forget which one at the moment). If you are going to play whilst at the desk I do recommend an LCD, K/B and mouse. The left palm rest does get slightly hot, but nothing scalding (im just sensitive to heat). Touch pads great as is the keyboard. The system as has been mentioned stays cool..(although fan quality could be better although again very tolerable). Speakers arent mind blowing but they sound good enough for me. I use AD900 headphones anyway as im fussy with sound (in game fps) and good music.
Everything basically just works (after driver install ofcourse).
Will be looking into antiglare accessory so far its not too bad. Also need a decent lap table. Maybe a cooler for hotter days. (im in OZ). SSDs in raid 5 would rock my world but alas the price of this item isnt something to sneeze at for most.

All in all i'll give it a 9/10 (screen was a slight let down but its very tolerable). Definitely recommend this unless you move around heaps. (thats stating the obvious though).

 

Congratulations but What's wrong with screen, why you didn't like it?

and what do you mean by "no corner wash out"? thanks

By the way, removing the battery is nonsense to me and not worth the hassle, imagine what will happen to your laptop's hardware and the data in the HDD in a power failure, batteries are made for support

 

The screen is not bad (for a laptop TN panel), but as P23etc. pointed out (and also the Anandtech review), the colour palette of it is definately tilted towards the blue. As a result, the colours seems a bit washed out and bland, and the colour temperature is way too high. This is not a screen pro photographers would use to asess their pics on, I can tell you that. But you can fix this to some degree with the colour settings of the Nvidia software - but it's not easy to get it right, without proper calibrating equipment. Key word here is - reduce the blue. Along with smidgen of "digital vibrance".

I have managed to get mine as good as I think I can get it, using first calibrating tools (LaCie Blue Eye), and then visually comparing it to my thouroughly calibrated external Dell IPS panel screen.

Here are my settings in the Nvidia control panel colour settings:

Red - Brightness 40%, Contrast 47%
Green - Brightness 40%, Contrast 47%
Blue - Brightness 22%, Contrast 20%
Digital Vibrance 20 to 28% (Actually this is a bit too much, as colours can get a little over-saturated, but it does wonders for skin tones)

The gamma is actually quite good as it is, the grays and blacks of this screen (shadow detail) is good. And the white is too, when you get rid of some of the blues.

As every panel of a given type can still be a little different from another one of exactly the same make and model, these settings may not be accurate for other people's screens.

It should also be mentioned that some games, particularly when run in full screen, seem to override the Nvidia colour settings. So that you have to make do with a bluish tinted picture again. I guess one just has to live with that.

 

Hi,

Well you can setup your HDs so that a power failure isnt likely to affect data storage (at a the expense of a small perfomance hit because i havent noticed anything major). Also if you've read about the battery it is supposed to work for 300 charges. (it will still work but i guess its hold capacity will reduce). Also charging your battery constantly, they say, will reduce its life. So as far as im concerned with shelf life of batteries its a no brainer, rip it out unless you know you are going to need it and lets face it this thing needs juice.

 

well... but my 3 year old Dell laptop is still on the same battery without the hassle of removing the battery and denying my laptop from protection.

The battery will work as an Uninterruptable Power Supply and will protect data AND hardwares.

What is the normal number for most batteries? is 300 charges = 300 days? this is dscary if so
Thanks for the info body

 

Also I read the warranty and it states "for 6 months if the battery is not overcharged" which means its plugged in, on 100% and you are still using the mains power. Correct me if I'm wrong. I would rather spend the money on say turbo memory or an SSD or a gfx card upgrade or even a new screen..

 

it is like buying a sport car, but being asked not to go over 40 Km / hour

A laptop without a battery is practically a desktop, the only difference is in the price "paying more on the so called laptop"

I had 3 laptops and they are fine with their batteries for 3 years... Is there a known problem with D900F batteries? any feedback?

As for saving money, buy a desktop with higher specifications and lower price.

 

Hehe, I took the battery out and not the CPU or GFX card. The laptop battery wont last one hour before it needs charging.

Well ive had one Toshiba Tablet since 2006 and ive gone through 2 batteries.

I just spent 3k AUD on something i wanted, upgradeable, fast, does everything I want. Sounds like Im doing just fine.

Thanks for your input ?