Yes, the mobile CPUs differ from their desktop counterparts. Some notebooks do use desktop CPUs, but their battery life is compromised meaning that they won't last very long. Be sure to check up on which platform (Montevina / Santa Rosa) the mobo is, as the latest penryn mobile CPUs are not compatible with Santa Rosa.

The latest mobile CPUs are socket P and have 478 pins. Typically having the TDP of 25W. Generally, in my laptop's case (NP8660 based on M860TU), I can switch my P8400 to P9600 on-the-fly without having to flash its BIOS or modding. Mobile C2Qs, however, are not compatible with the NP8660, only the NP8662, which has a revised mobo. The NP8660 can be also affixed with an extreme C2D, however the price for such a CPU is abysmally high.

The laptop's GPU, if it is even upgradeable, should be in MXM form factor, High performance laptops have MXM 2.1 type III/IV module. Now with the advent of MXM 3.0 type A/B, I think newer laptops will be using such form factor. I suggest paying mxm-upgrade.com a visit.

But even then, having the right form factor is never enough for a laptop GPU, the mobo's bios must recognize the device or else the laptop would
1) not POST
2) display an error regarding the unrecognized mxm device

Furthermore, the TDP of a card you want to affix to the laptop must be taken into account, as different types of mxm card has different TDP. Lastly, we have the heat dissipation factor. This is a factor that is not to be taken lightly, even if you DO manage to fit the card in and boot up, but if it's not within the thermal budget of the laptop, it is basically useless as it is unstable and may crash constantly or downclock, whichever comes first, when gaming.

Getting mobile CPUs and GPUs are hard. You may be able to buy them from the vendor that is selling you the barebone of a laptop, this is advisable as the vendor knows what is compatible and what is not.

Going on E-bay is fine too, a seller called extremeprocessor is famous for selling ES Intel processors. GPUs however, are rare and expensive, The most latest mxm based GPUs are usually not sold individually, but, there might be an exception to foreign websites, which do sell parts of laptops to others. Some require you to be an existing customer of their company and some don't.

All in all, if you're staying in Malaysia, I don't really see the point in buying a barebone, with the shipping cost taken into consideration and all that.

This post has been edited by 22: Mar 28 2009, 02:03 PM

Depending on the game, the performance boost may be 50-60%. If you have the money then go for it, if not, I suggest configuring the laptop to have a single card first and then upgrading it to SLI when you have the money.

When loading applications and etc, the HDD speed is usually the bottleneck, and a 7.2k RPM is the fastest you can go in a laptop's world, right now of course.



This post has been edited by 22: Apr 3 2009, 12:10 PM

It all depends on you, imo, with only a 180gb of difference, I'd pick the 7.2k RPM anytime. I'll get a large external drive and store everything in it. But that's just me. What about you?

Let's just say that if you plan on RMA-ing anything, it'll be a hassle. However, Xoticpc's email support is prompt and good. Sager's technical support however, I had to wait a couple of days to even get a short response.

I've only got ONE problem with my NP8660, keyboard ghosting. Most games play well with the laptop's keyboard, however, a game like DMC 4 and other games which requires you to simultaneously press several key buttons will become downright annoying/unplayable to me.

The BIOS isn't the problem. The keyboard matrices is.

I'm back with a few interesting benchmarks!

I'll start with Vantage benchmarks :

Preset P @ 1280*1024 with PhysX turned on

Preset P @ 1280*1024 with PhysX turned off

And just for shits and giggles, 3dmark 06 benchmark with the AC power brick unplugged :

1280*1024


Surprisingly, It's on par with a 8600m GT Gddr3, even in 2d clocks.

After SP1, Vista isn't THAT buggy anymore. What do you mean by workable? what is your definition of work? light weight office works and gaming works fine.

Pretty much works as long as you disable UAC. If it's just home networking, then it's fine, you're not configuring a proxy server, no?

No comment on turbo memory though, never tried it out.

No.

Yes. It's up to you if the risk's worth taking.

So far I'm quite happy with this laptop's performance, the temps are great considering it's a 15.4" with a high-end GPU which has more than enough power to tackle most modern games on native res (1680*1050 for me, which makes all the difference in experience), I don't think ANY locally available gaming laptop can compete with it when it comes to price : performance. In fact, I think it'll take approximately 3 years, give or take, for it to be completely obsolete, upgradability not taken into account of course. Who knows, if the next batch of cards Sager decides to mass produce in mxm 2.1, it'll be longer.

Hadn't broken down on me or anything, feels much sturdier than the old 5920g. The hinge doesn't give me the feeling that it'll break anytime soon.

The NP8662 now officially supports C2Qs, if you have the cash to spend, just configure one with a C2Q and watch the performance boost in video editing. Raw power is always welcomed when it comes to video editing.

Considering how people tend to hate the warranty service of locally available price:performance brands, I'd say it's worth it, but that's just me.

This post has been edited by 22: May 14 2009, 11:23 PM

It's a notebook, you shouldn't be taxed, but as an extra precaution, check the Malaysia's tax guidelines.

Just make sure you're dealing with a trustworthy buyer from ebay, and if possible, pay using credit card, this case, you can always get the bank involve if there's any fraudulent happenings.

No problem, if all else fails, you can always elect a representative (Pos Laju, Gedex...) to retrieve the item from the customs and deliver it right to your doorstep. No worries, just burn the bridge when you come to it... or is it cross? I've forgotten.

As long as there's enough money in your bank,since it's a debit card, I don't see why not.

By default, iirc, NP8662/NP8660 soundcard supports 7.1 speakers, as long as you use the auxiliary cable to connect.

Internal speakers are inferior compared to that of Acer's tuba speaker. However, coupled with headphones/external speakers, it sounds just fine, I'm not really an audiophile, so yea, it satisfies me.

When I first imported my notebook, I did a guideline walkthrough and found that no tax shall be imposed on ntoebooks, don't be cheated by people who says otherwise.

Suprisingly, the NP8660 isn't heavy as a 15" laptop, can't say the same about the power brick though.

You've been saying that over and over again, we already know that it exceeds your current budget. Since you can't compromise, then perhaps high-end machines aren't your alley, go with the N81vp then, it's within your budget, I think.

High-end GC doesn't always equals to high temps, it's all based on the notebook chassis itself and the cooling design.

Take my laptop for an example, even after O/Cing it, it runs max 80C (FEAR 2, GTA 4 )without a notebook cooler and normal temps, this done on a surface which isn't wood, specifically, a mahjong table.

Drop them an email and you'll get an exact answer on which phase your ordered laptop is currently undergoing.

Give the shipping a week or so, and you'll get your laptop in no time. Or a card saying that you have to collect it from the customs.

Is that so? I think that this delay may be caused by the arrival of new Intel processors. I do not know much about the building of MSI laptops, but Sager laptops will receive a newer revision of Intel processors.

The P8600 would be replaced with the P8700 and the P8700 with the P8800 , so on and so forth. However, it is still best to drop Justin an email regarding the delay in the building of your laptop, besides, I do not know if MSI laptops are affected by the release of newer Intel processors.

I'm expecting the arrival of my GTX 280m from R&J Tech next week. So if you'd really like to buy one, get it from RJ Tech. Doesn't come cheaply though.

I'd say the difference in performance between 2 mxm structure of the gtx 280m MAY be negligible, might be wrong though. I see that you have a 9800m GTX, so I think the performance increase isn't going to be big. However I am currently utilizing a 9800m GTS. 64 shaders vs 128 shaders, there got to be something right?