I have been lurking and absorbing as much info as I can around here, and I am finally thinking I have a pretty good handle on the whole 1705/9400 & 7900 fiasco.
Here are the options:
This is the only way to GUARANTEE the usage of a 750.00 of 1999-
Use the 750.00 coupon to purchase a 1705 before the 13th with a ATI x1400 card and upgrade later to a 7800/7800GTX/7900/7900GTX (take your pick and figure out if the 7900GTX will fit.
On the 14th the XPS1710 hits and the 7900GO/7900GTX make their debut at DELL.
How does this affect the E1705? Will Dell put a 7900Go in the 1705 the same day that they release the 7900 in a brand new XPS? What about the coupons?
We know that the possibility of an XPS coupon coinciding with the initial release of the 1710 is slim to none, but what about the 1705?
Releasing the 9400/7900 with a 650 coupon has the potential to kill sales of the XPS.. so I doubt a 650 coupon would be released at the launch of 9400/7900 on the same day of the XPS 1710 release.
Several folks have reported that Dell states the 7900 will be available mid April for the 1705/9400 owners, while others have reported that it will not be available until mid May. I hope for the former, but realistically I think it’s a better business decision for DELL to wait until May due to the release of the 1710.
So what exactly are the buyers options for a pricepoint around 1600-1900?
Buy NOW with the 750 off 1999 with the x1400 card and ebay a 7800/7900 when it is released, this will get you a very nice paperweight in the x1400 card afterwards since the resale of an x1400 is right around 20.00 if you can even get a buyer… The card is worthless for resale, nobody wants it and nobody can upgrade to it. So now you have spent 150.00 to get the x1400, and later on ebay or from Dell spare parts you are looking at 250.00 for the 7800 or 400-500 for the 7900, if you ebay a 7800 for 250.00 you have spent 400.00 total on your video for the laptop. 150.00 for the x1400 and then 250.00 for the 7800. BUT, the 7900 is not available yet so you are screwed at the initial purchase, x1400 is your only option.
Else, You could wait until the 7900 is released as an option for the 1705/9400, this runs the risk of losing all coupons for a short time(1 month? Or 2 months?) before the coupons return for that model. If you pull the trigger at that point(initial release w/no coupons) you spend WAY too much money, we all know that and you might as well spend the 4K on the XPS.
The totally bogus scenario is this,
The 7900 is not released until mid May on the 1705/9400’s, so we wait….. The coupons disappear so we wait another 1-2 months…. Coupons return, Intel pricing drops the cost of the Yonah CPU because MEROM hits… hmmmm now do we wait for a Merom version? Merom is 20% faster per clock cycle, its worth it…. If we wait then when a Merom Version comes out the coupons disappear again so we wait for the coupons, now the G80 GPU hits, Wait somemore for the coupons to return,,…. Hey, Second gen MEROM is around the corner… wait for that , dang, no coupons with release, then wait for coupons…
Hey its Spring 2007 already and we have been waiting on coupons and cards and cpu’s for a year…
Now that just sucks!!!!!
What is my point?
I have been struggling with the decision to pull the trigger, As you can see in my sig I have tasted 1705/7800, I do not think I would be happy with anything less(x1400), I have been solely using my work 12.1in. Tablet/notebook (weak as hell) for all my duties, coding on that thing is a nightmare, I need my Photoshop back, which I am not allowed to install on the work notebook. The wife is trying to keep me around the 1500-1700 price point. Concern over coupons and the cost of the 7900 upgrade is indeed worrisome to me.
I feel comfortable upgrading myself the vid card and ram and cpu blah blah blah, What really kicks me is the 150 I would spend on the x1400 and 250(assumed) i would spend on someones 7800Go after they upgrade to 7900, that means i have spent 400.00 on video, its too close to 7900 price range., confusion and mayhem ensue.
What is the general thought about the 9400/7900 release date and the coupons status at release?
Here are the options:
This is the only way to GUARANTEE the usage of a 750.00 of 1999-
Use the 750.00 coupon to purchase a 1705 before the 13th with a ATI x1400 card and upgrade later to a 7800/7800GTX/7900/7900GTX (take your pick and figure out if the 7900GTX will fit.
On the 14th the XPS1710 hits and the 7900GO/7900GTX make their debut at DELL.
How does this affect the E1705? Will Dell put a 7900Go in the 1705 the same day that they release the 7900 in a brand new XPS? What about the coupons?
We know that the possibility of an XPS coupon coinciding with the initial release of the 1710 is slim to none, but what about the 1705?
Releasing the 9400/7900 with a 650 coupon has the potential to kill sales of the XPS.. so I doubt a 650 coupon would be released at the launch of 9400/7900 on the same day of the XPS 1710 release.
Several folks have reported that Dell states the 7900 will be available mid April for the 1705/9400 owners, while others have reported that it will not be available until mid May. I hope for the former, but realistically I think it’s a better business decision for DELL to wait until May due to the release of the 1710.
So what exactly are the buyers options for a pricepoint around 1600-1900?
Buy NOW with the 750 off 1999 with the x1400 card and ebay a 7800/7900 when it is released, this will get you a very nice paperweight in the x1400 card afterwards since the resale of an x1400 is right around 20.00 if you can even get a buyer… The card is worthless for resale, nobody wants it and nobody can upgrade to it. So now you have spent 150.00 to get the x1400, and later on ebay or from Dell spare parts you are looking at 250.00 for the 7800 or 400-500 for the 7900, if you ebay a 7800 for 250.00 you have spent 400.00 total on your video for the laptop. 150.00 for the x1400 and then 250.00 for the 7800. BUT, the 7900 is not available yet so you are screwed at the initial purchase, x1400 is your only option.
Else, You could wait until the 7900 is released as an option for the 1705/9400, this runs the risk of losing all coupons for a short time(1 month? Or 2 months?) before the coupons return for that model. If you pull the trigger at that point(initial release w/no coupons) you spend WAY too much money, we all know that and you might as well spend the 4K on the XPS.
The totally bogus scenario is this,
The 7900 is not released until mid May on the 1705/9400’s, so we wait….. The coupons disappear so we wait another 1-2 months…. Coupons return, Intel pricing drops the cost of the Yonah CPU because MEROM hits… hmmmm now do we wait for a Merom version? Merom is 20% faster per clock cycle, its worth it…. If we wait then when a Merom Version comes out the coupons disappear again so we wait for the coupons, now the G80 GPU hits, Wait somemore for the coupons to return,,…. Hey, Second gen MEROM is around the corner… wait for that , dang, no coupons with release, then wait for coupons…
Hey its Spring 2007 already and we have been waiting on coupons and cards and cpu’s for a year…
Now that just sucks!!!!!
What is my point?
I have been struggling with the decision to pull the trigger, As you can see in my sig I have tasted 1705/7800, I do not think I would be happy with anything less(x1400), I have been solely using my work 12.1in. Tablet/notebook (weak as hell) for all my duties, coding on that thing is a nightmare, I need my Photoshop back, which I am not allowed to install on the work notebook. The wife is trying to keep me around the 1500-1700 price point. Concern over coupons and the cost of the 7900 upgrade is indeed worrisome to me.
I feel comfortable upgrading myself the vid card and ram and cpu blah blah blah, What really kicks me is the 150 I would spend on the x1400 and 250(assumed) i would spend on someones 7800Go after they upgrade to 7900, that means i have spent 400.00 on video, its too close to 7900 price range., confusion and mayhem ensue.
What is the general thought about the 9400/7900 release date and the coupons status at release?
However, I haven't seen any good XPS coupons in awhile, so I'm sure they wont release one...
