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The Witchdoctor's m9700 Review - Page 2

post #21 of 39
7/17/06 at 3:34am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by willyb311
Yeah witchdoctor, what is yours benching out at?

I finally managed to download 3DMark05 (Basic version). I got a score of 9991, with the AW-provided GPU drivers and after changing the processor driver.
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post #22 of 39
7/17/06 at 10:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Witchdoctor
I finally managed to download 3DMark05 (Basic version). I got a score of 9991, with the AW-provided GPU drivers and after changing the processor driver.

Wow, were you overclocking the CPU any? That sucks for me, I am consistantly getting scores in 9700's and even with mild oc'ing I am getting them in the 9800's.

I have the 2.4, but mine becomes unstable if I push it too much...
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post #23 of 39
7/17/06 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 
No, that score was "off the shelf - out of the box."

All I have done, besides install my own software, is change the processor driver.

I was pretty stoked with that score. I am not really going to bother with any further changes.

Although I have had one issue plaguing me.

I bumped everything to the max on WoW. (Yeah, I am utterly geeked at the moment and can't break my WoW addiction.)

In order to muck around with TS2, check DKP listings, raid rosters, etc., I have to alt+tab quite a bit. Now, the first time I alt+tab the process has switched, or minimized, because sound stops and play/text halts. But the game won't minimize for quite a bit. When I do alt+tab out and then come back, video is "jittery." Imagine jello shaking and that is what it looks like. I have to lower the resolution then raise it back to fix it.

I am figuring some setting is taxing the frame buffer to much? Don't know. I am lowering AA to see if that resolves it. I figure that is the biggest "resource hog."

Anyway, the game is stunning and the FPS is in the high 40s to low 50s. It looks great and runs like a champ until I try to alt+tab.

Any ideas?
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post #24 of 39
7/17/06 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Witchdoctor
No, that score was "off the shelf - out of the box."

All I have done, besides install my own software, is change the processor driver.

I was pretty stoked with that score. I am not really going to bother with any further changes.

Although I have had one issue plaguing me.

I bumped everything to the max on WoW. (Yeah, I am utterly geeked at the moment and can't break my WoW addiction.)

In order to muck around with TS2, check DKP listings, raid rosters, etc., I have to alt+tab quite a bit. Now, the first time I alt+tab the process has switched, or minimized, because sound stops and play/text halts. But the game won't minimize for quite a bit. When I do alt+tab out and then come back, video is "jittery." Imagine jello shaking and that is what it looks like. I have to lower the resolution then raise it back to fix it.

I am figuring some setting is taxing the frame buffer to much? Don't know. I am lowering AA to see if that resolves it. I figure that is the biggest "resource hog."

Anyway, the game is stunning and the FPS is in the high 40s to low 50s. It looks great and runs like a champ until I try to alt+tab.

Any ideas?

Change your windows theme to windows classic. Then run WoW in windowed mode and when you open WoW, just maximize the window. Then you are able to see your task bar and wow never minimizes and runs in the background. Its the best way to do it ;-)
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post #25 of 39
7/25/06 at 12:08am
First time poster on these forums and awaiting an m9700 myself. I have noticed that same exact problem with WoW, witchdoctor. It occurs on my desktop most often after minimizing. Usually changing any graphical setting under the WoW video settings will correct this. I normally choose to just take vsync off then put it right back on. As for why this happens I haven't a clue. I've just kind of gotten used to it.
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post #26 of 39
8/1/06 at 7:42pm
Even I seem to have bigger Issues with my m9700 and talking since 1,5 hours with the hotline running tests over tests. I have to say the issue is the same with my m9700 alt + tab is freezing the picture and not coming back until you alt tab back again.
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post #27 of 39
8/6/06 at 10:25pm
Great review! consider it a sticky
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post #28 of 39
8/6/06 at 11:51pm
thats sharp... nice keyboard too.. i got the same one!
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post #29 of 39
8/21/06 at 8:07pm
now i noticed u had a key boared hooked up 2 it do u find it hard to play games with the keyboared no the laptop?????????
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post #30 of 39
8/22/06 at 10:32pm
I know I do. Use a Saitek Eclipse and a Logitech GX700 gaming mouse. Works great
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post #31 of 39
8/23/06 at 7:02pm
what speakers r those
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post #32 of 39
8/23/06 at 7:14pm
Witchdoctor, can you tell me how the touchpad is?
A read the C|Net review and they think it would hurt your fingers if you use it for a long time. Is this true?

And the right side of the touchpad is a scroll pad, right?
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post #33 of 39
8/23/06 at 7:28pm
I use the touchpad all the time - doesn't hurt, doesn't drag.. feels nicer than my Sony after a little use, I think.

The scroll (right hand side) is kinda seperated from the main area by a 'lump' - I keep hitting the lump and trying to scroll on the wrong side of it when I'm not looking at the touchpad, as it's larger than the Vaio's was, but I'll get used to it.

It has some nice 'palm recognition' too, to turn the touchpad off when you accidentally press your palm on it while typing.
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post #34 of 39
8/23/06 at 9:29pm
witch doctor,what speakers r those tell me now!!!!
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post #35 of 39
9/5/06 at 6:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Witchdoctor
...
In order to muck around with TS2, check DKP listings, raid rosters, etc., I have to alt+tab quite a bit. Now, the first time I alt+tab the process has switched, or minimized, because sound stops and play/text halts. But the game won't minimize for quite a bit. When I do alt+tab out and then come back, video is "jittery." Imagine jello shaking and that is what it looks like. I have to lower the resolution then raise it back to fix it.
...
Any ideas?

I have this same problem with my desktop actually (2 year old PC). Typically I will alt-tab, when I alt-tab back into the game my graphics are choppy. If I redo the process (back to the desktop, back to the game), that usually fixes the issue. I'm not sure what causes it, though.
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post #36 of 39
9/10/06 at 9:52pm
Hi Everybody,
I need Some help deciding what to get.
Aurora m9700
Processor: AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile ML37 2.0GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Chassis: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® NVIDIA® Mobile SLi Chipset
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 160GB (80GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Optical Drive: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW & 24X CD-RW Burner
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
Sound Card: High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Wireless Network Card: Internal 802.11b/g WiFi Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth® Device
Primary Battery: Alienware® m9700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
OR
Area-51 m5750
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7200 2.0GHz 4MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Display: Alienware® m5750 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 160GB (80GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon® X1800
Sound Card: Intel® 7.1 High-Definition Audio
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g Mini-Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
They are both about the same price, i will use it primarily for school and the net, i do play games, I like to play battlefeild 2 online, i think that would be the most intense thing i would use it for other than burning dvds and ipod stuff. I am not a super gamer but i do like good performance when i do. What do yall think would be the best for me? And what do you think is going to be the best system gouing into the future with everything thats coming?
Thanks So much!
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post #37 of 39
11/3/06 at 6:41pm
oh man only took 2 days shipping! my unit might ship today its on phase 9 any chance i'll get lucky with the 2 day shipping too XD im in Minn. God i would love to have it on sat XD

Go fedx GO!
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post #38 of 39
3/2/07 at 11:29pm
Thread Starter 
9 Month Update:

This baby has done very, very well.

I have never needed servicing, in fact I have not had a single issue.

I take this baby with me all over the country (as I travel a lot) and it has held up to the challenge.

The glossy finish handles well. Granted, I take near-paranoid levels of caution with it, but there are no mars or scratches in the finish.

In short, this is a damn great laptop and I remain just as happy with it today as I was when I get her in the mail!
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post #39 of 39
3/4/07 at 5:03pm
Ditto what the Witchdoctor says. These systems are extremely stable.
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