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need help re: m5550 or m9700

post #1 of 16
2/17/09 at 1:24pm
Thread Starter 
A friend of mine offered me his m5550 plus something roughly around $300 in exchange of my m9700.

Brief Specs:
m9700
Turion 64 ml-40 2.2ghz
2gb ram
200gb RAID hdd
512mb 7900gs sli

m5550
c2d T7600 2.33ghz
1gb ram
80gb hdd
256mb 7600

*hope you guys could help me out. btw, my m9700 is in mint physical condition.. while the m5550 is in a relatively poorer condition (a few chipped paint)
*i've considered the m5550 to be upgradable
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post #2 of 16
2/18/09 at 12:55am
Thread Starter 
anyone? please help me decide.

btw, the m9700 has a wuxga lcd while the m5550 only has wxga.. thanks!
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post #3 of 16
2/18/09 at 5:45pm
Well if it were me, I would have to think about some of the trade-offs: 1) The m9700 is a 17" LCD, the m5550 is 15.4". Are you comfortable down-scaling in size? 2) The processor is a bit better on the m5550, as it's Core 2 Duo. How much extra horsepower are you going to need? What are your computing habits? etc... 3) The SLI GPU's are better in the m9700 than the single 7600 in the m5550. If you game, the SLI gpu's are the way to go. 4) Portability. Do you travel a lot with your laptop? If so, the m5550 is a little bit better option.

While I haven't directly answered your question, I would have to weigh in all of those factors before I would make a decision like that. I have the predecessor to the m5550 (The m5500) and while I have enjoyed it immensely, the single core processor is making it difficult to do the things I want it to. I take my m5500 around with me from time to time, so I like the portability. But on the other hand, I would like a larger LCD without connecting it to an external monitor. Good luck in whatever decision you choose..
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post #4 of 16
2/19/09 at 12:03am
Even though the m5550 has a dual core processor, you'll still get better performance in games with the m9700 I believe. The 7600 isn't a powerful vid card, though it's no slouch.

I personally wouldn't want a used laptop. If you've taken care of the m9700 and the m5550 isn't cherry, I'd be more reluctant to switch.

$300 isn't enough for me to take the downgrade in size, graphics ability and quality, but I don't need portability either.

It's going to depend on your needs.
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post #5 of 16
2/19/09 at 1:12am
Thread Starter 
I'm a college student and staying in a dorm. I don't really mind the m9700 being big and a bit heavy but at times it's really a burden. I'm into casual gaming.. I considered the trade because with the current games I'm unable to even run them (most needs a dual core system as their minimum). And the money can help a lot in many ways. In addition, if ever I get the m5550, I'll probably upgrade the ram and hdd (probably replace the 7600 also with a 8600gt.. not that sure though). Plus, I could change the bios of the m5550 to clock it to 2.66ghz (that's what i have read.. is it okay and safe?) Lastly, the m9700 has this sentimental value to me. Meh.

Thanks for the replies
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post #6 of 16
2/19/09 at 1:44am
Well, either way you will be having an AW so best of luck in your decision.
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post #7 of 16
2/19/09 at 2:02am
Thread Starter 
T_T you're not helping. lol.

uhmm.. i'm in college atm. well, i'm graduating this semester. so there.. does this help in anyway? my thinking is.. it's just a few more months/weeks if waiting before i can get a new system. *sigh* should i just wait and not play a few new games at the moment?

NOTE: could flash the bios of an m5550 using the m5750 bios to unlock the processor T7600?
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post #8 of 16
2/19/09 at 2:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by arloarloarlo View Post
T_T you're not helping. lol.

uhmm.. i'm in college atm. well, i'm graduating this semester. so there.. does this help in anyway? my thinking is.. it's just a few more months/weeks if waiting before i can get a new system. *sigh* should i just wait and not play a few new games at the moment?

NOTE: could flash the bios of an m5550 using the m5750 bios to unlock the processor T7600?
I really don't think that's possible.
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post #9 of 16
2/19/09 at 2:09am
Thread Starter 
i've read a few articles regarding t7600 can be safely clocked to 2.66 using a bios flash. all the links provided are for m5750/5790?

but on this one.. there's a post there that says that they're interchangeable.
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/...r&f=24&t=14069

*if i do get the m5550.. and i upgrade the ram to like 4gb and/or change the graphics to 8600gt and unlock the processor.. will it be the right choice?
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post #10 of 16
2/19/09 at 2:17am
it would more than likely run really hot...
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post #11 of 16
2/19/09 at 2:21am
I personally wouldn't do it, but then again that's my opinion only. If I had the m9700 and somebody wanted to trade a m5550 plus $300 cash, I couldn't do it even if I were strapped for cash. I like the spec's of the m9700 better.

However, (and keep this in mind) this is your decision- We can't make up your mind for you...
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post #12 of 16
2/19/09 at 2:31am
Thread Starter 
@all
well, yes, it's still up to me and i'm really in need of inputs right now.

so i should keep my m9700 instead and go get something else in the near future? stick to my desktop and play new games there.. right?

could you help me out with the price comparison? i kinda valued them pretty much the same that is m9700 = m5550+$300.. is my valuation pretty much accurate?
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post #13 of 16
2/19/09 at 3:31am
Killin' Me.
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post #14 of 16
2/19/09 at 4:13am
Thread Starter 
killing you? MEEE! still haven't decided though..
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post #15 of 16
2/19/09 at 11:00am
People have given you their opinions, yet you continue to ask...

I wouldn't do it. The m5550 is older, and even if you can mod the bios and upgrade the cpu and gpu, you're looking at lots of headaches and unknowns due to it being used and abused.

The AW warranty will not transfer, and modifying it the way you're talking about will void it anyway.

If you're three months from graduating and you want a new system, why not sell the m9700 and get an m15x or m17x for graduation. This'll be a lot more system, and you won't have problems running newer games that you'd have with the old m5550.

Again, I wouldn't do the trade as I like the m9700 size, build quality and performance.
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post #16 of 16
2/19/09 at 11:05pm
The m9700 and m5550 are both old technology. Don't trade. Your m9700 is much better than a m5550. $300 doesn't make up the difference. Just my $.02.
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