NP9270 Questions and doubts before buying

varunreeves

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Jan 26, 2012
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Hello Everyone ,

This is my first post and sorry for such long one but am and happy to read everything in general about the Sager NP9270 and have around 4k to spare and I need a laptop powerful enough to do game and do parallel programs too. I had a few questions but before I get into those I would like to say I am really looking forward to getting this laptop with the bare minimum now and upgrade later. Mostly sure I will be ordering this laptop from xotic.I have posted this same post there but I will get a better response here and some other forums so am doing the same post there too.I know only a little about computer hardware and before I order hope I will get some answers for my questions here.As this is very new to me and frankly very scary to buy this laptop ( very pricey ) I really hope I could get some detailed answers and would be great if experienced users chip in with their remarks / tips .One of the scary things I recently observed ( I believe this might not be the case for laptop enthusiasts but it is a very big deal for me ) is when 9270 came out then the one before this is ie the 8272 s1(If I am correct) is not even listed anywhere on xoticpc or sagernotebook page . I am using an inspiron 600m (yeah I know it is 5 years old) to write this message down and do my programming work which is pretty slow on this laptop and gaming is kind of non existent but I can still play some and so I am looking for buying a computer which can last me 8-9 yrs!! solidly. I am not someone who likes changing a laptop coz a new one is out but only coz I cannot do some real work and I believe this machine would surely last me that period.Heck ! even my laptop still has an year or two left in it and then some too. So supposing I fry the mobo in like 5 years or so would there be a chance I would even get it anywhere ? I would love it if ( surely after paying for it and the workmanship) I could get it from xoticpc or any other good reseller itself. It would really be a relief to know that is possible! coz right now , as with the NP8272 , I think I wont even see this laptop anywhere on the forums after next july aug?. I dont really want to go the ebay route coz with a premium product such as this I would hate to take any chances ever!

The configuration I am looking to buy has a single GTX 580 gpu ( no SLI) and pretty much unchanged except for the network card ( Bigfoot ) .No OS .

1. DISPLAY QUESTIONS.

a. When will be the 3D screen option be available for this machine for resellers ?

b . Is it possible to buy the stock screen now and get it upgraded later ? If I dont have a choice I would like to wait some more and get the 3D screen so please advise.

2. GPU QUESTIONS.

I want to get just the stock single gpu .

a. Is this gpu enough to support a 3D screen without any overclocking for movies or playing games at respectable fps ( I dont need very high fps but any thing smooth without hiccups/hangs is fine).

b. The current difference between getting this and getting a two gpus in SLI is ~$625. If I choose to get an SLI after an year will this price expectedly be lesser or more than this?

c. Does getting the SLI involve any hardware changes/soldering or any other physical changes to be done on the mobo or is it just a matter of buying another gpu and putting it in the slot? I want to know if this upgrade from single to double gpu can be done by a user who has no knowledge of how to set up SLI.

d . If I choose to buy two ATI cards and set up CF for this system(currently having 580 GTX card) later can I do that by myself or is the issue again going to be hardware change / soldering related?

e. I read that the newer IVY Bridge E processors can also fit into this computer but it will require the BIOS and Firmware to be updated. How does a user update these?I mean are BOTH these updates available anywhere free of charge for users? Seeing that both xotic and Sager have taken down the NP8272 s1 I wonder what a user would do if he/she owned it and was looking for something similar for updates to those now?

f. Could I skip on getting even the stock gpu completely? I would like to buy it later.I know it wont help gaming but I was just wondering if this is possible.I could then go for a 680 later on.

3. OVERCLOCKING QUESTIONS.

a . I am currently in India and the ambient temperature can go pretty high here to like mid 40 s degree celcius. I saw videos of the previous Sager models been tested for cooling but if I am not mistaken the tests were done in AC rooms and I am not sure if they would hold the same in India.The Base freq is 3.3 - 3.8 so If I got to say 4.2 or something ( I guess it can go much higher) then will the heating be effective considering the facts that it will have just one gpu also that I read for the earlier model that under stress tests it can go as high as mid 80s ( surely ambient temp helping a lot there by being cold which wont be the case here).

b. If I am correct Overclocking requires and unlocked cpu ( ulocked gpu for gpus) but what else does it require? Any BIOS stuff? So considering that I will install ubuntu and windows 7 dual boot in this laptop will I as a user be able to try a little overclocking myself ? I am asking this for Both the cpu and gpu.

4. HARD DRIVE

a. I would get the SATA 3 750 GB 7200 rpm drive as the primary and no secondary but I wonder if later on I can get a SSD and use that as Primary and put the 750 as secondary.?

b. What are the read/ write possible speeds for the hard drive slots present on the mobo ? If I do the hd setup as above will the 750 be a bottleneck to the ssd? Also is there a huge difference between the primary slots data capabilities and the rest of the slots. Could I get some figures and explanation?

5 . Battery.

a. I am guessing the stock battery would not last more than half hour on heavy use. How much tentatively ( based on previous models) would the extended battery( the extra battery option is extended one isnt it?)add to this?

GENERAL ISSUES--

7. I have read at some places that the gpu fried ( for the older desktop replacement models) and I also got the feedback from xoticpc that heating might be an issue with these big machines and I also read that it is better to buy something like a sager 8150 rather than this laptop. It is for these reasons that I wanted to keep a single gpu only and overclock only a little with 4 fans. Is getting a desktop replacement model like this wise or should I stick with smaller one like 8150? I really am sensitive to the heat issue considering the heat and dust situation in India (where I am currently).

8. If 3D is not going to be out soon then I am wondering if buying now and upgrading to 3D later would be an economic choice? If I do this then the screen I would have on stock would be useless and what is worse is I would have to send it to xoticpc ( I probably am going to buy from them) for fitting which they will charge extra for? Isnot this extra charge correct for this or any similar situation?

9. If I buy in April and get the same config will the price of this be any lower than now? Will it be any lower in November? I can wait 1-2 more months but not anymore than that.

thanks a lot every one for reading though and double thanks for comments and answers.
 

alvine

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May 13, 2008
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laptops are very hard to upgrade
you will be able to upgrade the memory, hard drive, the processor
not so much with the graphics cards since they are integrated into the motherboard
 

varunreeves

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Jan 26, 2012
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Hello Alvine , Thanks for the quick reply. I was hoping for more views on all the questions and I have done my own reading too but would be great to get better ideas. As to the upgrade , well , my chosen reseller has "user upgradeable "option written next to the stock gpu Gtx 580 and I am hence for the sager clevo NP9270 I would assume that upgrade would be an option coz the gpu is not bolted to the mobo.?no?
 

Alathea

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Mar 8, 2012
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Not all GPUs are soldered to the board. Some can be removed and upgraded as new changes to the same form factor and die size appear within a models lifespan.