Configuring an FW

Hi all,

Well, after months of research (and reading these forums endlessly , I have finally decided on a laptop and think the FW will do the trick. I'll be using it mostly for design/web work (maybe some video editing). My only dumb question is ... is there any big performance difference between 3 or 4 gb of RAM?

FW CTO:

Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor P8600 (2.4GHz)
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470
LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-HiColor™)
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology (Intel WIFI)
320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
Standard Battery
Windows Live OneCare 90-Day Trial
Video Plus
Titanium Gray
Microsoft® Works
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
3 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GB+1GB)


Thanks for any help!
nic

 

Get the 2GB + 2GB so it uses dual channel

 

then it would look like my config.

 

Hey ........ that does look familiar!

 

So that would increase the performance?

 

I thought the dual-channel thing wasn't such a big deal after all ?

 

yup, dual channel increase performance buy a bit.

 

Hmmm... can't find the thread, but I could've sworn PhilFlow found a link somewhere saying it didn't. I don't know, I could be wrong.

It's a $100 difference though if ordered through Sony.

 

In a 3GB RAM config, the first 2GB is dual channel, the last 1GB is single channel. Big question is, how often are you running code/accessing data in the first 2GB and how often in the last 1GB. I wouldn't want to leave that up to chance so I always get 4GB.

As for pricing of 4GB, if you get only 1GB from Sony ($140 savings) and buy 4GB 800Mz from Crucial, you'll pay about $125. So might as well just let Sony do it.

 

If that's what it costs for similar RAM, then yep... I agree.

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, probably better to get the 4 gb than not (plus it saves you from screwing around later if you do decide to get more). Was just hoping to save a few bucks

I wish sonystyle.ca would get their site fixed. If I choose the white over the titanium grey, the price goes up $200, sheeesh! Guess I'm phoning in my order as grey is still out of stock till mid august so you can't order it online.

 

A couple questions. First off, this sounds like a great deal. Configured on sonystyle.ca this is what I'm looking at.

titanium grey
P8600 2.4ghz
4gb ram
160gb hdd 5400rpm
ati hd 3470
hicolor screen

Total: $1229.00 before tax.

Now the questions. As the above poster mentioned, choosing white instead of grey adds $200. Has anyone seen both of these laptops? Any preference? Does the white look cheap?

Regarding the hard drive. 160gb should be more then enough space, since the majority of my files will be on an external hdd, or my desktop. Only my current projects will be on the laptop. How's this drive for speed though? Both the 200gb 7200rpm and 320gb 5400rpm are +$70. Which of those two would be faster, and would either make a noticeable difference in speed over the 160gb?

And most importantly, when are these laptops shipping? If I order this weekend, what's a rough estimate? Mid-august?

 

Don't underestimate the importance of hard drive performance on real world system performance. It can make a dramatic difference. Typically, you are talking a doubling of throughput for 320GB vs. 160GB. For what you will get, $70 is a bargain. BTW, you don't want to cram your hard drive with stuff just because you have room...that will choke performance too. So a 320GB option is meant to get you the throoughput, not room to put a jazillion files.

 

Trust me, I don't underestimate the hdd. That's one of the most frustrating aspects of many laptops I've used in the past. Especially going from a raptor drive at my desktop. I always heard larger drives offer higher performance, but never checked out any benchmarks for laptops. I'll do a quick look, but I'll probably go with the 320gb as you recommended.

Hmm, it looks like I can't place an order on the sonystyle.ca site with the hicolor screen since they're out of stock. I guess it'll give me time to check one out in person at a local store.

 

i don't know, i only have 20 GB left on my 120 GB harddrive and its running faster than ever. no signs of lowered FPS in games either. i don't buy into that hype benchmark crap. they are never accurate, in my experience.

 

Poor guy. My FW CTO is shipping today!!

 

that's so wrong

 

Yeah, but throughput is throughput. Wouldn't you rather have 60MB/s vs. 30MB/s?? And for just a few bucks more?

 

Yes noticeable.

The 320GB/5400rpm will perform on the same level as a 200GB/7200rpm, unless the latter is a Hitachi 7K200.

But instead of letting Sony pick your harddrive I suggest doing it yourself. Western Digital 3200BEKT is the fastest notebook harddisk at the moment.

 

Now I feel like an ass. They took my money but probably just started building it. Bummer!!

 

Phil, did you ever find the benchmarks you were looking for for the Hitachi 7K320? I've got one arriving tomorrow and will be putting it in my FW (whenever that arrives).

 

TetonWolf I am still looking for the PCMark Vantage scores for the 7K320.

It would be great if you could run it. It's free to run it once. Then we finally have some indication of which is faster the WD or the Hitachi...

 

Ok, I'll do it. Hoping my FW ships.

 

Didn't you order an upgraded hard drive with your FW?

In any case, got a link for a good price on the 7K320?

 

Should be interesting. I've been reading good things about the WD.

 

Yup, I ordered a 320GB in my CTO. It's going into my PS3...per NBR review it's a 320GB Toshiba which goes for $120 on Newegg and Sony only wanted $100 (I know, I know, I could have had 3 drives for an extra $20 but what do I do with a slow 160GB?).

I got it from ZipZoomFly for $199 with $30 mail-in-rebate so that's $10 less than Newegg WD 320GB 7200. Not bad for an Hitachi. Anyway, they sold out within an hour so you'll need to get on ZipZoomFly's email notification list and pounce quick. I immediately jumped on it once I saw the email (so did everyone else obviously!!). It remains to be seen if the Hitachi beats WD...I predict WD will end up winning performance by a hair and Hitachi lower power by a hair. As for reliability, I've been an Hitachi guy for years on notebook drives. But I think WD is very good also...I always buy WD for desktop and only had 1 failure in 20 years.

 

Errrr.... I hate rebates with a passion. Plus I like WD, so I'd probably shoot for that one.

Let us know how easy/hard it is to replace this hard drive. I've never done it before, and I'm concerned about messing something up.

 

Me too. I've had my eye on the 7K320 for months though (mainly because of 7K200's "legendary" performance). They got me.

No prob.