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Video Card Question for the i8600

post #1 of 19
9/17/04 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
Can the i8600 support 8x AGP video card upgrades?
If you take a peek at my other thread, http://notebookforums.com/showthread...802#post443802 , this is a big question. I need a laptop with a good battery life (if possible, it'd be nice in college than be a AC adapter junky), and a great video card.
Thanks in advance - Erik
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post #2 of 19
9/17/04 at 11:21pm
No, that is tied to the motherboard. From what is sounds, it is unlikely that Dell will manufacture an upgrade card with the new rage being PCI-Express. The ATI Raedon 9600 rocks, though!
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post #3 of 19
9/18/04 at 10:28am
Yep, the chipset used in the i8600 (Intel 855, limited to Pentium-M) has only a 4x AGP capability. The MR9600PT in the system is actually 8x AGP capable but limited by the chipset. There are no plans for video upgrades to this system (that I know of) before the replacement is released.
stu
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post #4 of 19
9/18/04 at 5:09pm
Thread Starter 
So.. it 'could' but it 'can't'? heh
Thanks for the help, if anyone has anymore insight ~ Please =) - Erik
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post #5 of 19
9/18/04 at 5:11pm
Quote:
before the replacement is released.
Do we have any idea when that will be? Announcement of a PCI-E/Dothan machine would make my day.
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post #6 of 19
9/18/04 at 6:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ErikShafer
So.. it 'could' but it 'can't'? heh
Thanks for the help, if anyone has anymore insight ~ Please =) - Erik
The GPU is socketed, so it is possible to upgrade the card. Problem is finding a card that will (a) fit in the socket, and (b) fit in the chassis. That would be a Dell specific upgrade, and it appears that no future will be offered.

PCI Express has already been announced for several laptops, including Sager and Acer. The Centrino family version is scheduled for release in Q1 of '05.
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post #7 of 19
9/23/04 at 3:20pm
Heh, the radeon 9600 is not a good video card at all. You won't be able to do more than 1024x768 at best (which is a waste of one of those nice WUXGA screens), with medium details or less on any new games. Actually, the Mobility 9800 on dell's 9100's is twice as fast as the 9600 is. I am planning on getting a laptop too...I was going to get one for college where I am now, but laptops weren't good enough, so I'm waiting for the next desktop replacement with 256mb PCI-Express graphics, which can easily be twice as fast as that mobility 9800. That kind of speed is what I'd prefer to spend my money on, rather than getting something subpar now only to become obsolete in a few weeks. October/November is when all of the desktop replacement PCI-Express laptops are hitting the market, and that's where I am.
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post #8 of 19
9/23/04 at 3:41pm

I'm leaving this one alone.
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post #9 of 19
9/23/04 at 6:48pm
I won't though Axiom.

Quote:
Originally Posted by |-007-|
Heh, the radeon 9600 is not a good video card at all. You won't be able to do more than 1024x768 at best (which is a waste of one of those nice WUXGA screens), with medium details or less on any new games.
Wait, do you even have an i8600 with the MR9600PT? I think not, otherwise you wouldn't be saying something as uninformed as that. To make it perfectly clear to you as to the capabilities of the 9600, think about this: The MR9600PT is capable of playing FarCry (yes, that would be a "new game") at 1280x800 with high settings across the board.

As you'll notice, thats quite a bit different from your prediction of 1024x768 at medium or less settings.
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post #10 of 19
9/23/04 at 7:50pm
go get him woo, a bunch of us have your back
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post #11 of 19
9/23/04 at 10:03pm
Yeah, kinda bold to come into a predominantely 8600-forum and bash the 9600PT, eh? Ah well, it's okay. I wish I had the M60. But my 8600 kicks major ass.
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post #12 of 19
9/24/04 at 4:37pm
I think I scared him away...
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post #13 of 19
9/24/04 at 4:39pm
I know I'm scared of you
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post #14 of 19
9/24/04 at 5:03pm
You should be. You won't like me when I'm angry.
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post #15 of 19
9/27/04 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wooster
You should be. You won't like me when I'm angry.
Big green Wooster?
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post #16 of 19
9/27/04 at 10:32am
Farcry ran fine on my 8600 with the 9600 running at 1600x1000 res
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post #17 of 19
9/27/04 at 10:56am
I don't understand why people are so excited about the pcie notebook's coming out. pci-e hasn't shown any of it's potential yet. That's because the cards they are making are being held back by hardware bandwidth, as well as the cpu bottlneck. I'll take ketsup with my shoe if they come out with a pcie right off the bat that doubles what the 9800 can do. Do you seriously think they are going to come out with a card in November that can do 16k on 3dmark03? something that even a geforce4 6800Ultra can't do? That's just silly. Come on people, even agp 8x didn't exactly kill agp 4x, at least not until it matured, i.e. the newest line of video cards. But hey, go buy the shiniest thing out there, it's your money.


-Myhre
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post #18 of 19
9/27/04 at 11:00am
Sweet post... I agree.
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post #19 of 19
9/27/04 at 2:24pm
I was playing CounterStrike-Source (based on the new Half life 2 engine) on my 8600 with the M9600pro turbo card and i ran it at 1920x1200 (naitive wuxga res cuz it supports widescreens) with all the gfx settings on medium and it ran flawless. it did get choppy on servers with a lot of people but i think that's due to me only having 256 mb ram (going to upgrade end of year by adding a gig-stick)
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