Anyone have a X205-SLi6?

Hey guys I just bought a X205-SLi6. I got it open box at Fry's for $1899. Everything was there and the laptop was still sealed in the plastic so it was just as good as new. The specs are pretty nice so I figured why not.

The only things I would have changed for the SLi6 model would have been to offer the option to run the hard drives in RAID (it has 2 200GB 7200RPM drives) and to get maybe the 8800M GT's in there. I mean how long can they keep using 8600's? Also maybe a Blu-ray drive?

Anyway after I removed most of the junk software that came pre-installed it got around 6750 on 3DMark06 with stock drivers and no overclock. At least it had Vista Ulitimate pre-installed (but only 32bit).

I almost got a Clevo/Sager - but the expensive warranty and the extra $200 for no dead pixels kinda scared me away.
http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=51114
http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=29175

I know the next generation laptops are on there way (due 7/31/08) but it seems there isn't really a big jump in performance for gaming and what not compared to the current generation. Also I don't forsee a big price drop on the old stuff seeing how well it still performs.

If you configure the edge model you can see the option for the 9800GT. But a 9800 is basically a 8800 with enhanced support.
http://www.pcmicroworks.com/edge.htm

No benches for the 9800 GT though
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

I was just about to try the new 175.19 drivers and I was wondering if anyone had any luck with the X205-SLi6?

Also I was wondering if you guys think I got the best performing laptop for the price? It's still not to late to return this X205-SLi6 and I would be willing to spend more money for a better performing laptop if it had a good warranty and was from a reliable manufacturer.

Here are the specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300(2.50GHz)
Intel PM965 Chipset
3GB Memory DDR2 667
17.0" Wide SXGA+ (1680 x 1050)
Dual NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Port 1 x VGA, 1 x S-Video TV-out, 1 x HDMI
2 x 200GB HDD 7200rpm
Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
Operating System Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit

TOSHIBA USB HDTV Tuner (External):
Broadcast high definition(720p or 1080i)
Broadcast standard definition(480i)

 

***UPDATE***

With the 175.19 Drivers and a few services disabled I get 7218 points in 3DMark06. I will run some benches on PCMark Vantage, PCMark and 3DMark Vantage and post some scores / screen shots in a few days.

 

Freddy, I would have definitely gone with this laptop instead:

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/gateway-p-172x-fx/4507-3121_7-32933935.html

It's the Gateway P-172X FX

T8300 (2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache)
Windows Vista® Home Premium (32-bit) SP1
4096MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-2048MB modules)
320GB 7200rpm SATA (2-160GB)
8x Multi-Format Dual Layer Slot Load DVD-RW w/ DVD-RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTS with 512MB of GDDR3
Intel® PM965 Chipset
17.0" WUXGA TFT Active Matrix (1920 x 1200 max. resolution)
Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam
Integrated Intel® 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wireless Networking
Fingerprint Reader
120 Watt AC Adapter
High-Definition Audio- 2 Channel, Built-In speakers, embedded microphone, headphone/speaker jack, and microphone jacks
Primary 9 Cell Lithium Ion battery (7800mAH) w/ 1 Yr. limited battery warrantyBluetooth® 2.0+EDR
FX Design with Copper Core Accent
1.3"-1.70" (H) x 15.75" (W) x 11.75" (D)
One ExpressCard™ Type 54
(3) USB 2.0, VGA Connector, V1.2 HDMI Connector, IEEE 1394 Firewire Port, e-SATA
Full-Size Keyboard, Synaptics Touchpad with Vertical Scroll and Dedicated Multimedia Panel
5-in-1 media card reader
Integrated RealTek 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
MSRP: $1999

The T8300 is more than enough for gaming, especially since your bottleneck would be the 8600 GT GPU's. Look it up on Gateway.com. If it's not there, don't worry, they frequently update their website.

 

Looks good... I found some benchmarks and it looks like it scores around 7800 in 3DMark06.

Too bad I can't find it for sale anywhere.

 

It was on the gateway website yesterday. They're probably updating or something. Call them up tomorrow, you should be able to get one ordered. Also ask for any discounts.

 

Thx man!! I'll call Gateway tomorrow. Also I'll post and let you guys know if they still carry them.

 

7218 in 3dm6? hmm I have the sli1 and scored 7555 with 175.19 with everything stock. Your setup is more powerful than mine and for 1900 bucks dam! I would have bought that instead, but it baffles me that your getting a lower score with sli6. I bought my sli1 for about the same price back in December. Oh well. I still love it.

 

Well I called gateway It seems the Gateway P-172X FX is discontinued and no longer in stock. The customer rep said they would be replacing it with the P-173 possibly next week but I'm not sure if i can wait that long

I wonder why they would release a more expensive laptop (the X205-SLi6 lisits for $2500) that performs slower then previous models but has higher specs. I wonder is something is wrong with the one I got?

****EDIT***
Did you get that score in XP or Vista??

 

Wow, that's awful luck! What are the odds of them discontinuing it just yesterday?!

Sorry dude.

 

****Update****

So I still have the X205-SLi6. I decided to do a little overclocking with the video cards so I installed Rivatuner. I only overclocked the video cards and I didn't undervolt/underclock my processor (at least not yet).

OC = 650/1425/850 Max temps 79/81C. 3DMark06 Score 9133.

What do you guys think? Is that a pretty good overclock for my first try? Do you think I should still keep the laptop?

 

Wow guys.... I have to make a tough decision.

I have the X205-SLI6 and I have gotten really good performance out of it through overclocking (1st try 9133 3DMark06). I have 8 more days to return it and get my money back. I wanted to get the Gateway P-172X FX but it was sold out and discontinued by gateway when I went to buy it.

Gateway P-172X FX:

T8300 (2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache)
Windows Vista® Home Premium (32-bit) SP1
4096MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-2048MB modules)
320GB 7200rpm SATA (2-160GB)
8x Multi-Format Dual Layer Slot Load DVD-RW w/ DVD-RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTS with 512MB of GDDR3
Intel® PM965 Chipset
17.0" WUXGA TFT Active Matrix (1920 x 1200 max. resolution)
Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam
Integrated Intel® 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wireless Networking
Fingerprint Reader
120 Watt AC Adapter
High-Definition Audio- 2 Channel, Built-In speakers, embedded microphone, headphone/speaker jack, and microphone jacks
Primary 9 Cell Lithium Ion battery (7800mAH) w/ 1 Yr. limited battery warrantyBluetooth® 2.0+EDR
FX Design with Copper Core Accent
1.3"-1.70" (H) x 15.75" (W) x 11.75" (D)
One ExpressCard™ Type 54
(3) USB 2.0, VGA Connector, V1.2 HDMI Connector, IEEE 1394 Firewire Port, e-SATA
Full-Size Keyboard, Synaptics Touchpad with Vertical Scroll and Dedicated Multimedia Panel
5-in-1 media card reader
Integrated RealTek 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
MSRP: $1999

Well Gateway just called me today and said "How about we give you a special promo on the unreleased new version".

Gateway® P-173XL FX Edition

Operating System: Genuine Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Ultimate (64-bit) SP1
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache)
Memory: 4096MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-2048MB modules)
Hard Drive: 400GB 7200rpm Serial ATA hard drive w/ Raid 0 (2-200GB hard drives)
Optical Drive: 8x Multi-Format Dual Layer DVDRW with DVD-RAM featuring Labelflash™ Technology
Display: 17.0" WUXGA TFT Active Matrix (1920 x 1200 max. resolution)
Chassis: Intel® PM965 Chipset
Battery: Primary 9 Cell Lithium Ion battery (7800mAH) w/ 1 Yr. limited battery warranty
Adapter: 120 Watt AC Adapter
Wireless Network: Integrated Intel® 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wireless Networking
Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR
Fingerprint Reader: Fingerprint Reader
Web Camera: Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Web Cam
Media Card Reader: 5-in-1 media card reader (Memory Stick®, MemoryStick Pro®, MultiMediaCard™, Secure Digital™, xD-Picture Card)
Expansion Slots: One ExpressCard™ Type 54
External Ports: (3) USB 2.0, VGA Connector, V1.2 HDMI Connector, IEEE 1394 Firewire Port, e-SATA and Kensington Lock Slot
Audio: High-Definition Audio- 2 Channel, Built-In speakers, embedded microphone, headphone/speaker jack, and microphone jacks
Modem: Integrated V.92 56K modem
Network: Integrated RealTek 10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter
Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTS with 512MB of GDDR3 discrete video memory
Dimensions (System): 1.3“-1.70“ (H) x 15.75“ (W) x 11.75“ (D)
Weight: Starting at 9.2 pounds

VS.

Toshiba X205-SLI6:

Operating System Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.50GHz, 800MHz FSB, 6MB L2 cache)
Intel PM965 Chipset
3GB Memory DDR2 667
17.0" Wide SXGA+ (1680 x 1050)
Dual NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Port 1 x VGA, 1 x S-Video TV-out, 1 x HDMI
2 x 200GB HDD 7200rpm (NO RAID)
Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
1 x ExpressCard slot (ExpressCard/34 and ExpressCard/54)
USB x 6, IEEE 1394 x1
1.3MP Webcam
TOSHIBA USB HDTV Tuner (External):
Broadcast high definition(720p or 1080i)
Broadcast standard definition(480i)
AC Adapter 180W (19V x 9.5A) Auto sensing, 100-240V/50-60Hz AC Adapter
Battery 6000mAh Lithium Ion battery pack
Dimensions 15.7" x 11.3" x 1.42-2.05"
Weight Starting at 9.37 lbs.

What do I do?

Do I keep the laptop I have now that I know gets a monster overclock? Is having more USB ports and a built in audio interface in case of emergencies (I DJ with my laptop) worth it? Should I keep it because of the great overclocks? I mean once the fan profile kicks in at 80C I can throw whatever clocks I want at this monster and it wont get any hotter it just crashes from not having enough volts. Also I have a walk in warranty with the Toshiba and I get a loaner laptop while they fix mine. I would have to ship in the gateway for service.

OR

Do I get the new unreleased Gateway FX with the 8800M GTS and Raid-0 on the hard drives? Will Raid-0 and the 8800M GTS (not GTX) really improve performance that much? The real question is will I be able to get such a good overclock out of it and will it really improve my games that much? The monitor has a much higher resolution so it might really stress that card.

I have 8 days to make a really tough decision. Please help.... lol