Q: Hi, I have been looking for a new pc, and have stumbled
across your site. I am very interested in the D900C, because it has so many
options. This will be my only computer when I go to college next year, so it
needs to be able to function normally as well as run programs such as AutoCAD.
However, I am also very heavily into gaming and am looking for a computer that
will be able to run all the new graphics intensive DirectX 10 games that are
coming out at the highest level of graphical quality. I don't really know a lot
about how upgradeable or permanent everything is in a laptop since i have always
used a desktop (ex. Can another graphics card be added later in SLI if I feel I
need it?). I also don't know how valuable the RAID setups are. If you could
please help me get a general idea of what type of setup I will need to plow
through these games and programs, it would be greatly appreciated.
A: HDD performance. This does more for your laptop performance
than any other thing you can do. If you use SATA II drives and not SATA drives
you can double your performance again. So SATA II with a RAID 0 will blow away
anything else.The best CPU would be the 2.4GHz Quad Core. I would really like to
see you use XP but that is your choice. Vista is 24% slower on any machine than
XP. If you go with Vista then make sure to get 4GB of RAM So your system would
be
WSXGA+ with 8800M GTX with 512MB (can be doubled if you want)
2.4GHz QC
Two SATA II drives in RAID 0
4096MB of 800MHz RAM
Vista Ultimate (your choice not mine)
Q: Hello, I’m in Australia and not having bought anything over
the web I’m wondering about backup service, warranty tech probs etc. We are a
television production and use Panasonic P2 and Adobe CS3. I would like to know
why I should buy your D900C over a Apple Pro. Also I would like the maximum hard
drive space, memory and graphics display. Does the laptop take the P2 cards
directly or do you need an adapter?
A: I am always amazed at how many we sell to Australia. Your
prices there must be very high because it is for certain that if you have a
warranty issue it won't be nearly as easy for you as it is for a domestic
customer. If there is a repair issue you will have to call and get what we call
a RMA number. Then you have to pack up the laptop and ship it back to us with
this number displayed on the box. Unfortunately if you are outside the USA you
have to pay for shipping to and from us. That is why I say I am amazed at how
many people still choose to buy from M-Tech. On the brighter side though, we
have by far the lowest return rate of any laptop brand, so the likelihood of you
needing to use the warranty within the 1st year is 1% or lower. Most other
laptop brands are closer to 22% even their best laptops still have a 5% return
rate.
As for backup, if you send the laptop in for repair you will be responsible for
backing up the data prior to shipping it to us. Your P2 cards will need a
converter because only older laptop still use the PCMCIA Type II cards that P2
cards generally use. You can find them easily enough. Here is a link to assist
you in that. http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/
As to why you should buy the D900C, that is by far the easiest question. It is
rugged, dependable and the fastest laptop out there. In the past we have had
other version of the D900 series. At in their time they too were the fastest
laptop made, however because they were the fastest the heat was always a ongoing
struggle to tame. With the D900T and the D900K and tutors we have made
unbelievable strides in stability. So much so that our D900C has a 1% return
rate. As mentioned no other laptop company comes even close to that. I cannot
recall anybody ever sending the D900C because they did not love it. Once you get
one in your hands and use it for a day or so, you become a M-Tech believer. No
Kidding!. I hope this answers your questions, if not feel free to email or call
with any additional questions.
Q: How can I determine my shipping costs?
A: We do not have flat rate shipping costs. The reason is
because we would have to set a rate that is the highest possible in order to
cover any location you may be from. The way to know your shipping cost is to
start the order process just as if you are actually ordering the laptop you
desire. Once you have the laptop built, add it to cart then proceed to secure
checkout. There you will be given a page to enter in your billing and shipping
address. After you fill this in, UPS then has enough information to give you the
precise cost of shipping. There is no obligation for this, you do not have to
enter a credit card until the final page of checkout.
Q: I live in the UK, what will be my costs for taxes and
shipping.
A: No matter what country you live in outside of North America
you may have to pay additional taxes. These taxes are from your country, not
M-Tech so we really have no way of knowing for any particular country what they
may or may not charge you. Please check with your country Customs department.
Q: I wanted to order an M570UR with XP rather than Vista but I
notice that some of your options require Vista. What does this mean, are those
for people ordering Vista?
A: No you are correct, if you want to use Turbo RAM or a TV
Tuner then you have to choose Vista as your O.S. However if you want XP just
choose XP and leave alone the two options that require Vista, these are Turbo
RAM and TV Tuner
Q: I am looking for the fastest laptop that can be built! I run
all of the windows programs and also some other programs like AutoCAD for
drafting. Primavera P-3 for construction scheduling. and a lot of photo software
for construction pictures. I normally have 5 to 6, 44 inch X 60 inch very
detailed drawings open at a time and after I do my up-dates to them I send them
over a T- 1 internet line to the department of energy for their approval and
when they get their work done they send them back to me and I plot them out on a
HP T1100 Plotter. I would like to have the fastest Laptop available! When I am
waiting I like to play games that require the best (and fastest) video card
available.
A: Well no question, the D900C is the laptop that you need. I
would go for a 2.4 GHz Quad core CPU, two SATA II drives in RAID 0 and a third
drive as a standalone drive because some of your program like to have a
secondary drive to use as a scratch drive.
The video card is your problem. If you want the card that is best for your work
software , then the 1600M is the best because it is OpenGL. However , it will
not be a good gaming card. So I guess I would say to go with the 880M GTX. It
has OpenGL but it isn't firmware like the 1600M is. However it is a great gaming
card. The 8800M will use the CPU and a software driver for your OpenGL and since
the D900C has plenty of power it should do it relatively decently. It just wont
benchmark on your CAD and such as well as a true firmware OpenGL video card.
* By firmware I mean the card has a chip built into it that handles the OpenGL
calls rather than the CPU running a software driver program)
A: Hello, I have been searching for a gaming laptop for a few
weeks now. I have been looking at major brands (dell) until I came across your
website. I am looking for a gaming laptop to play World of Warcraft and other
games on. I am no computer expert, but I know some general specs that are good.
I will be not be porting it around very much and will be keeping it plugged in
mostly.
Q: It depends a great deal on how serious a player you are. As
you know the requirements for WOW are quite easy. However many players will tell
you that you want as much backbone to your video card as you can get. The reason
we need to know just were you are is because we can place you in a 665SR with a
NVidia 8400 or a IFL90 in a NVidia 8600 or M570UR in 8700 or 8800M GTX. Of
course price is the big deciding factor in this area. Have you set a budget.
That may give me an idea which card you need to be looking at.
Q: I'm looking at the MTECH D900C. I want to seriously buy one,
but I see that it is lacking an HDMI Output port.
Is there any way I can get this laptop model with one?
A: We will be adding one in the future but the models right now
have DVI
Q: Now that sounds like the machine for me! Try to remember
that I am Not a computer guru and only load and use software and totally rely on
your recommendations. With that said I will have a few questions as we go along
and suddenly I will have a question like the 3 that I just thought of!
#1: Will I be able to use a phone card that the company has supplied to me for
the remote job sites?
#2: Will I be able to install a wireless keyboard and mouse?
#3: Will I be able to use 2 monitors?
#4: Will the D900C be wireless so I can get on the internet when I am in a Motel
that has wireless service?
A: 1: If you phone card uses Express card slots then yes, if
not you simply by a PCMCIA to Express card converter.
2:Sure
3:You can use the LCD as one and an external as a second monitor. Should you
require two external monitor without using the LCD then you use a product called
Dual Head 2 Go or Triple Head 2 go. They allow 2 or three external monitors as
separate monitors or they can stitch together to make one big monitor. Go to
www.matrox.com for this product.
4: Yes it uses a/b/g/n/ technology so you are covered under all situations.
Q: Where are your computers manufactured?
A: Barebones produced in Taiwan and we assemble and finish them
ourselves in City of Industry California. Tech. support and warranty repair is
also done by us in City of Industry California USA
Q: Why do you recommend XP before VISTA? and why only 2gig ram?
Also I've read up on some gaming benchmarks and just general bench marks and it
appears as tho the e6850 does just as well as the quad core processors... So why
do you recommend the Quad Core? Is it the L2 Cache? Or is there an expected
change in how gaming engines are processed? Able to utilize that kind of
multithread processing?
Is 200gigs an option with RAID 0? and how much of a noticeable difference would
you say striping w/ RAID 0 gives?
Why do you not recommend 2 graphics cards? for the full Gig of graphics?
Thanks for these answers ahead of time... that's all i have for now. ;)
A: XP is 24% faster than Vista. A 64 bit program and OS are
always slower due to the fact that 64 bit mathematical algorithms are larger and
thus put more of a work load on the CPU. At this time there are are true 64 bit
programs out there so everything you run is either 32 bit or 64 bit virtual.
Either way this means you are not gaining any added features from a 64 bit
program to offset the slower environment. When some true 64 bit programs come
out that truly exploit a 64 bit environment, then you wont mind the loss in
speed. However, right now the hit in speed without any gain in features make
Vista a poor choice.
A 32 bit program can only use 2G GB of memory and most need only 1GB. So for
most people 2048MB of RAM will be more than enough for XP and the program to
share. Some people have programs that really need as much as they can get, in
this case it makes sense to go to 4096MB of RAM. That way XP can have the .8GB
to work with leaving a full 2048MB for the application to work with. Also, if
you think that in a couple of years you may switch t Vista, then it could also
make sense to use 4096 now so you do not have to discard the 2048MB of RAM and
buy another 4096MB.
The 2048MB recommendation is based on what the majority of our users need but
plenty of people can legitimately go with 4096MB and not have it be a bad idea.
We recommend the Quad core specifically in the 2.4GHz not because it is a Quad
core but because it has a nice clock ratio to RAM speed. 800 (speed of the RAM)
divided into 2400 2.4GHz is a 2400MHz CPU) gives you a even 4 as a ratio. This
is always a peak performer as compared to a CPU that would be 3. ?? or 4.??.
That ?? represents a mismatch in the efficiency of communications. So there can
be no single CPU recommendations because some benchmarks are with different RAM
speed so that formula would have to change. The 2.4 QC is the choice fore the
D900C only. Our recommendations would change if you were looking at the M570UR
or the IFL90 or the M72S. We balance and match a single Cu for peak performance
to each separate laptop. Generic benchmarks are helpful but not of a tremendous
value when it comes to a specific laptop.
Approximately 40% increase. Some application wont benefit much while others
more. The programs that really tax the IDE channel will benefit greatly while
others that are smaller programs working primarily in memory and not using the
hard drive, wont see as much gain. In any event every time the hard drive is
accessed. it would be much faster.
Two graphic cards are for most people a waste of money. Statistically only 20%
of the people who buy laptops will ever be in a situation capable of exploiting
the two card scenario, of that 20% only 10% of the time do they need it. Since
two cards carry twice as much RAM as a single card you will for some of the
memory mapping capabilities of the OS to be used up on the extra video RAM. This
could impact performance in areas were the systems RAM is concerned. When a OS
says it see and map a certain amount of memory, that includes the video memory
as well. So if you need two video cards then go ahead and get them, but getting
them and not needing them is very costly and can impact your performance if you
use programs that need maximum RAM amounts.
Q: Kingston brand vs not..
A: Personal choice, some feel that Kingston is more long term
stable than other brands. If I had the money I may go with Kingston, but that
would also be the first place I would cut back if I had to. We always use good
RAM so that isn't a real concern of mine.
Q: how about your recommendation of WSXGA+ and not WUXGA...
A: WSXGA+ is a resolution that makes everything looks brighter
and cleaner while the WUXGA makes everything a little small and darker. You
would choose WUXGA if you needed more virtual desktop space. However the space
has a price, everything is smaller. Imagine you had a real desktop. You have it
completely filled up with papers. You need more space, you cant make the desk
bigger but you can make it seem bigger if you used smaller papers. Then you
would have more room. You can see the problem now, you may have more room but
now you have to work with smaller papers.
Don't get confused as many do with the term high resolution. In computers only
the background gets the resolution not the images. Your images stay the same
resolution. So if you start off with a 1000X 1200 image, that image will still
have 1000X 1200 no matter what resolution screen you have. the difference will
be how big an area does it take up. With WUXGA the pixels are a bit darker as
well, pixels in the LCD screen act as light apertures for the back light of the
screen. When you squeeze in more pixels you make them smaller, smaller pixels
let trough less light. So now you have smaller images that are slightly darker.
This is why if you game or use that LCD for any type of quality image viewing,
you would want the WSXGA+. it has enough res. to fit a reasonable amount of
things on the screen without pinching your pixels too much.
Image quality =WSXGA+
More workable desktop real estate =WUXGA
I don't blame anyone for being confused about this since in every other aspect
HR usually means better views. The problem is that all other laptop vendors and
mfg's' do not bother correcting the misnomer because they can up sell you on
this. Always remember, every other company out there cares more about how much
you spend then they do about your needs being filled adequately. M-Tech stands
alone in this field and that is why most others are struggling in this economy
and we are growing. we absolutely will never up sell you or make a commission
off your sale. You get what is best for you unless you say otherwise. Always our
concern is making sure you got what is best for you while not wasting a single
penny.
Q: Alright so I'd definitely like to go with 200gig RAID 0
option... thanks for clarifying.
Would gaming be a justifiable reason for the two graphics cards? Or is it
something more intense like 3d rendering that would need that type of power?
Thanks and by the way... you're bad ass.
A: Picture any graphic that has non stop evolving 3D graphics.
It is not just the 3D environment but the constantly changing 3D scenes that
stress the card. A static 3D view can be handled then it can rest but make that
a fast changing 3D scene and it then benefits from two video cards sharing the
workload. This can be many of the newest games. However even these games don't
always have a fast changing 3D scene all the time. At those times your dual
video is overkill. I would say, if you ever find yourself having to pull your
graphics back a notch or more to get your FPS back were you want them, then SLI
can help you.
I like to see someone start out with a single 8800M GTX and then if he needs to
he can add that second card later. This way he may find the one card is all he
needs and has saved some money.
Q: Hi and thanks ahead of time for your time and help,
I'm looking to purchase a laptop within the next month or so and I had a couple
questions about your products and the buying process as well.
What are all the steps involved in purchasing? Any buyer verification? I'm
deployed in Iraq right now and the simplest solution would obviously be the
best. Ship to APO's?
My goal is to purchase a top of the line gaming computer as most of my
activities will include: Gaming, Browsing the internet, and online messaging.
Almost all if not all of the games i play are 3d Graphics intensive... I would
however like to avoid an extreme jump in price just to have the
latest-and-greatest if it's not a worth the $$ buy.
I suppose with what I'm looking for I'm leaning towards the D900C, but i
wouldn't mind having a lighter laptop if the performance aspect isn't sacrificed
too greatly. I've owned a 17'' screen laptop before and loved it... although it
was a bit of a load to carry as far as laptops go.
If you wouldn't mind throwing a few options at me and let me know what the cost
would be (shipping included if possible)... also with whatever combos you put
together... give me a "best possible" combo as well so i can compare what you
get vs how much more I would be spending.
A: Buying is easy enough. If you are in IRAQ then we do ship
APO. You will want to make sure that your credit card has that address on file
or can at least be verified for us as a valid address to ship to. This can be
done easily by just contacting your issuing bank and asking them to make a note
on your file that you called and informed them of this address and purchase. We
will call and tell them we have a alternate address to ship to and can they look
to see if there is a note of this address anywhere. They say yes or no. If they
say yes, then you are good to go.
The D900C is a great choice if you are looking to avoid that extreme jump in
graphics. The sub system on the D900C is so strong that it really is not
necessary for yo to go with two video cards. If you get the D900C in the below
configuration I doubt very much that you could ever want a better laptop.
WSXGA+ with 8800M 512MB
Q6600 Intel 2.4GHz Quad Core
2048MB of 800MHz RAM 1066 FSB
two 120GB SATA II drives in RAID 0
XP Home or Pro
You can configure the D900C to cost twice as much as the configuration below but
really after this anything else is not going to be any faster, only more
expensive.
If you think the D900C is too heavy then look at the M570UR.
WSXGA+ 8800M GTX 512MB
2.5GHz with 6MB L2 Cache
2048MB 667 MHz RAM 800 FSB
1- 120GB SATA II Drive
XP Home or Pro
Both of these would be classified as gaming laptops. The D900C is the worlds
fastest laptop while the M570UR is what us mere mortals would still be more than
happy enough to own. If it were not for the D900C the M570UR would be the best
laptop for everything. In fact if you balance the cost out the M570UR can still
make s good argument for being the overall best laptop just because it has
plenty of power and is so much less expensive than the D900C. But to set the
record straight, , the D900C has no equal in performance. we will benchmark this
against anything DELL/Alienware currently has. In fact many of our customers
already have and call and email us every day day say how much faster their
M-Tech is than their friends Alienware or Voodoo.
Look at those two, before you make any changes to the configuration please call
or email me to make sure it is a smart move. many times people think they will
go up one notch in CPU speed and don't realize they are not any faster because
of the physics involved. Check with me or another analyst before you think to
spend any more money on either of the laptops quoted above. The only way I can
see spending a dime more would be if you wanted a third drive in the D900C or if
you needed larger HDD space in the M570UR.
As for shipping cost , I have no way of knowing. However our system will give
you the precise UPS cost if you just go far enough in the order process. Build
the laptop, enter your name and addresses and the next page will have your
costs. There is no obligation for this.
Q: Primary purpose of laptop Nothing special. Some casual
games. Not
needy in graphic.
Software to be used. (Please be specific, include versions,
software support web address etc..): Programming tools. Photoshop CS3
Features you want to have in a laptop as well as features you need
to have in the laptop.: I usually want one that runs smoothly. 17"
screen.
If you have a budgeted amount please include that as well: around
1200$ total? ..I would really like to have some help upon choosing a laptop
I really need to find a good price laptop
Please help me
A: I would say if you need to stay around $1200 then the M670UR
is your best bet. It has a dedicated video card which should allow for some
games as long as they are not graphic killers. CPU choice would be 2.5GHz as a
first choice or 2.1GHz if that throws the price too high. Try to get at least
2048 of RAM but don't worry too much if 1024 is all you can afford.
Go with a 7200 RPM drive if possible.
XP home or pro, stay away from Vista at this point. Too slow and no real
advantages just yet in going with it.
Here is what I configured at $1249. Click the image and it will take you to the
page were you can build one yourself. As you can see I cant do $1200 at my
preferred specification but I still like what I have done for you. I would
rather see you with this high quality laptop and this specification that a
cheaper quality laptop and the specifications I originally mentions
ed. A low quality laptop cant run as fast with faster components as a high
quality laptop can with slightly less specifications.
Q: Do you ship laptops to Ireland ?
I need a Laptop with, fastest speed, XP PRO (no Vista), fastest and biggest HDD,
big screen all ports etc. Fastest processor and max RAM (maybe 4GB), DVD R/W,
USB, Wireless LAN, Ethernet LAN, etc.
Note, we are in 240V land over here in Ireland.
What do you recommend ?
A: Yes we ship anywhere our cart accepts data for. Just enter
your address as if you are placing and order, it will give you the shipping cost
without any obligation.
The D900C is the fastest by far, You can get 3X 320MB drives but they are SATA.
I would go with the 200GB SATA II drives because they are twice the transfer
rate as a SATA drive. Since you can put in three you should have enough drive
space. AC is auto switching to 240V all you need is a plug adapter for your wall
outlets.
I would go with the
D900C
WSXGA+ with single 8800M GTX
2.4GHz quad Core q6600 1066 FSB
4096MB RAM 800MHz (Kingston may be a good idea since you are overseas. Kingston
users feel it's more long term stable)
2 or 3 SATA II drives in RAID 0 for fastest possible hard drive speed. SATA II
is double the sped of SATA and RAID O doubles it again
XP Pro or Home
Q: Let me instead ask you these questions:
* I have read reviews where the nVidia 8600M GT was reportedly a poorly
performing graphics board
(http://www.custompc.co.uk/labs/125898/msi-ms-1719.html ). Since the 8700M GT is
essentially an over clocked 8600M GT, that worries me. Yet, I’m not eager to
spend an additional $450 or so for an 8800M GTX.
§ So, what’s your opinion on the 8700M GT?
§ Does M-Tech offer any other graphics board options, like a 7950 GTX? Since I
am not planning to move to Vista anytime soon, I don’t really care too much
about DX10 support.
* Are you planning to offer laptops based on the new Clevo 860TU? If so,
approximately when?
A: Just inquired about the Clevo 860TU, my head guy says you
likely saw this on Eurocom.com website site. There are several items wrong with
what they posted. 1st is that Intel has not authorized it to use the Intel
Montevina platform at this time and they further inform us that it's release
date will be no sooner than late June of 2008. The video card also has been
changed from the GTX to the GS version which is a scaled back version of the
GTX. As I fear the GTX is likely too hot to run in the 15.4" platform.
These are some points that M-Tech will review before deciding if we will go with
the new laptop. We need to be sure that the CPU's chosen and the video card
chosen are not too much for such a small chassis. They will no doubt run for a
while but heat can tear the system apart within a few months. If we feel that
they have not addressed this issue they we wont carry the laptop. Nice thing
about M-Tech is you don't have to worry if it is a good idea or not, we will
research it and wont ever do anything we know to be unwise. In the past we have
made the error of going with it because others seem to think it is a god idea.
No more, from 2006 on we have really tightened the process that determines what
laptops will or will not be included in our product line up.
Q: Does M-Tech have any recommendations on docking stations?
A: We have a Trendnet USB Docking Station. They call it a
Docking Station but it is really a USB Port Replicator. You get copies of all
your ports except Video and LAN in one box and this box plugs into the USB port.
I know of no true docking station right now because they take up so much more
desktop space. In the past they were needed because the laptop itself had no
space for the ports so the docking station gave your ports the laptop itself did
not have. Today our laptops have all available ports so a docking station is not
needed. The Port Replicator gives you port replication with east plug in and out
for printer, scanner, keyboard, mice and anything that may use a serial port,
parallel port or USB port. Hopefully something like this meets your needs.
Q: Hi , I'm a senior in high school and going to Rochester
Institute of Technology in September. I am in need of a laptop. I enjoy playing
games like warcraft the frozen throne, f.e.a.r and looking forward to Starcraft
2. I'm going to be studying Engineering. I've always wanted a gaming laptop and
after doing some research I came across the M-tech D900c. I've compared it to
other laptops out there and it seems yours stands alone. I have questions
regarding Raid 0,5,1 etc. I'm confused as to what that is ? Also if I just get a
single primary 120GB hard drive would I be able to add a second and third one
for extra memory later on in the future and would the graphics cards be
upgradeable?
A: RAID (Redundant array of inexpensive disk) is a means of
taking multiple hard drives ands either making your laptop faster or more stable
as regards to data integrity.
RAID 0 takes two hard drives and makes your laptop see them as one. Then
whenever you have a file to write to the drive it splits the file into halves
and sends one halve to each drive, Because it does this sending for both drives
at the same time your speed of the hard drives is doubled.. It t is faster to
send two smaller files at the same time then it is to send one large one.
RAID 1 takes two drive and hide ones in the background. You don't see it but it
is there making a mirror image of everything you do to your primary drive. That
way if your C: drive crashed you would be able to initiate the background drive
and be up and running again without any lost time or data.
RAID 5 takes three drives and does the same to the three drives as RAID 0 did
with two drives. So initially the reading and writing is a third faster than
RAID 0. However RAID 5 is still not as fast as RAID 0 because after the reads
and writes to the drives which are very fast the system then stops and writes
backup information for the other two drives on the third one. So the information
stored on drive one has parity backup information for that drive written to
drives 2 and 3. The information for drive 2 has backup parity information
written to drive 1 and 3 and drive three has it backup parity information
written to drives 1 and 2. This way if any one of the three drives should crash,
the other two drives could , through a restoration process) restore the missing
data from the third drive.
Pro and cons of each are as follows
RAID 0
Pro's Nothing is faster than RAID 0, it goes a long way to open up the
existing bottleneck in the IDE system. If you want true performance boost than
RAID 0 should be considered.
Con's If one drives goes down all your information on both drives will be
lost since the file is split in half. A backup routine is a must.
RAID 1
Pro's Very safe for your data integrity and eliminates down time should your
primary drives happen to crash.
Con's Slow, since every change to your hard drive must be done twice it does
put additional over head on your systems
RAID 5
Pro's Faster than a stand alone single drive system or RAID 1 and safer for
your data since there is a way to restore data missing on a single drive.
Con's Not as fast as RAID 0 since after the really fast writes the systems
must then write down the restore parity information. Requires three drives so it
is more expensive as well.
Summary, RAID 0 if you want top speed and have the discipline to make backups,
RAID 5 if you want some boost in HDD speed but don't like the thought of losing
all the data should one drive go down. RAID 1 if you cannot suffer loss of data
or any down time.
Yes you can add additional drives later, you can also switch to RAID later as
well but you will have to reformat your drive so you don't lose your data when
converting to RAID. All drives must be matched if you are to use RAID.
memory can be pulled out and more RAM put in later but it is not cost effective
since in a Dual Channel system we have to use all the memory slots if you want
the speed boost Dual Chanel RAM offers. The graphics card can be upgraded as
well but there is no guarantee that any new card coming out will be compatible
with the BIOS on your current motherboard. It may or may not work. Any card
currently available will be available to upgrade to but we cant promise upgrades
in the future since sometimes the new technology is just not compatible with old
technology. the card will fit in the motherboard for sure but crashes could
occur. Currently the D900C can take the 8700M, 8800M GTX , 7950, and the 1600M.
Q: Wait, I can upgrade the video card later? That's fantastic -
I was under the impression that all laptop video cards were pretty much
non-upgradeable. If that's the case, I'm perfectly happy with the 8700M for now.
I'm far less concerned given that it can be upgraded at a later date. Will I be
able to upgrade to later cards after the 8800 as well? Regardless, either are
better than what I'm currently running on my desktop, and I was expecting to be
stuck with whatever I got to begin with anyways.
A: You bet you can. M-Tech uses MXM video modules just for this
reason. However you need to know that any future video card still has to be
tested to be compatible with the BIOS chip sets. So while it may plug in , there
is no guarantee that some video card not yet created will run. At this point the
the M570UR can run the 8800M GTX, the 8700M and the 1600M FX Go Video cards.
You can order the laptop without the O.S. if you already have your own free
copy. Any parts or repairs are available directly through us. We do not sell off
the support and warranty work to other companies such as Phillips or Micro
Medics and most laptop companies do. We did this for years because it was the
industry standard but we got tired of having customers poorly treated buy these
companies and us having no recourse to help them. So since 2006 all technical
support and warranty repairs are done by us at our facility in City of Industry,
CA
Q: Hello! I'm looking to purchase a laptop PC around the middle
of next month. I'm looking for what amounts to a desktop replacement, as I work
very, very long hours and rarely have access to my desktop PC. Primarily, it'll
be used for gaming, so performance - particularly graphically - is very
important to me. I'm working within a budget of $2000, and want to get a solid,
running system in there, but I have no problem with getting bare minimums in
areas that are expandable later such as RAM and the hard drive.
I'll be using the laptop virtually exclusively - my desktop runs my home network
and provides the bulk of "long term" HD storage, DVD burning, and is pretty
intimately connected to my home theatre setup. The desktop is a solid machine,
but is AGP based and thus capped for graphical ability without considering
extensive upgrades I'm not particularly interested in doing. So, it's being left
as a server. I'm running a wired and wireless network (802.11n) which is
supporting my fiancée's (hideously slow and uninspiring) Dell notebook, VOIP
telephone service, game consoles, etc.
I don't mind - in fact, I prefer - a moderate screen resolution. LCD's
definitely look best in their native resolution, and I'm finding that high
resolution displays end up really taxing graphics cards that could otherwise
perform much better. So, a lower resolution display is fine for me. For screen
size, I'm flexible between 15.4" and 17" widescreens. I suspect that I'd need to
go 17" to physically fit a high end graphics card into the chassis, though, so
that's probably the answer there.
Are the processors readily upgradeable? If so, I don't mind going with an entry
level to midrange processor to start out with, and upgrading it later. I'm
comfortable doing this sort of work on a desktop, but I've never owned a laptop,
so I'm not sure if they're hardwired in or not? If not, then what would you
recommend to fit into my budget?
As I said earlier, I'm fine with going with minimum ram and hd and replacing
both over time.
A point of contention I've long held with laptops is sound. Most sound really
tinny and generally terrible. What sort of sound components do you use?
I plan on running Vista eventually, though as I have XP presently I may
initially set it up with XP, then go to Vista later when I get more RAM (it's
kinda clunky and slow, in my experience, with 1gb). Likely, I'd upgrade to vista
after replacing the HD. I've no idea how your pricing of Vista compares to
simply buying it in a store, though? If you can offer it noticeably cheaper, I'd
just go with Vista from the get go..
So, basically I want to get as much as I can that's not upgradeable into my
$2000 budget and still get a working system. Any advice you can offer would be
very appreciated :)
A: The big problem I keep coming up with is that by the time I
put in the most awesome gaming card ever (800M GTX) the price jumps to over
$2000. You know the 8700M while not the equal of the 8800M is a nice card and
has not let me down. If we use the 8700M in the M570UR we can go with a CPU that
has a very large L2 Cache. The 2.5 has 6MB of cache and that will be as
important to your performance as having a good video card. L2 cache really
smoothes out multi media events. You can upgrade the 8800M later but I suspect
that if you try the 8700M you may find it worth sticking with.
I know you said you would be willing to upgrade the CPU later but that wont
change the price as much as changing the Video card will.
I have the M570UR and as for sound I think it sounds very nice. You have to be
aware that any laptop with speakers wont have much more than 3W speakers because
of space issues. However the M570UR has the speaker pointed out at the hinge
point so they are unobstructed.
The biggest point to know is that the quality of the M570UR is way beyond
anything you may have experienced before. Really, M-Tech is the place people go
to when they are fed up with the DELL and Alienware mythology. I will copy and
paste a screen shot of a laptop that fits your budget and one that is a little
beyond but would be the best for gaming. After this please feel free to email me
direct if we need to proceed from here. BTW not a good sign your fiance` has a
DELL. Of course you said you may want to go with Vista at some point and that is
just about as bad as owning a DELL.
Seriously, do not be in a rush to go with Vista. If you care to call Monday I
can detail out the reason why but trust me when I say it will be about two years
before you will want to switch.
Q: Regarding the warranty options, what does the warranty cover
exactly?
A: All your questions can be answered from this page or a link
on this page. http://www.m-techlaptops.com/guarantee.htm
Q: I am an experienced notebook and PC user but I am not very
familiar with all the hardware and best configuration setup in and outs.
Therefore, I like to request help in selecting the best hardware configuration
(price/value) regarding a D900C for my needs as an internationally working
architect and designer. Nevertheless, I am not looking for a configuration which
I might have to update in 2 years to keep optimal performance, I rather go for a
setup now, which in 2 years time will still be the master blaster ;-)
*Primary purpose of laptop
Work and Private daily use (I travel a lot), Internet, Presentations, CAD, 3D
Visualizations, handling a large amount of pictures, Games, burning Cd's,
*Software to be used. (Please be specific, include versions, software support
web address etc..)
Windows XP SP3 2003 and MS-Office 2003 (which I like to update to the newest
Versions together with the new laptop), Symantec Internet Security, MS Project
2003, MS One Note, AutoCad 2008, Nemetschek V.16a, SketchUp 5, Primevera,
Photoshop 8.0, I use Live Messenger and Skype regular (Net-meetings), Power DVD
XP, Windows Media Player, Nero 7 Ultra Edition (I regular burn drawings or
files/pictures onto disks),
*Features you want to have in a laptop as well as features you need to have in
the laptop.
Fast Internet, Fast and strong wireless, extreme Speed for large Programs like
CAD drawings, 3D Visualizations and Presentations as well as Movies and Games,
lots and lots of storage space (I am used to work with two partitions C for XP
and D for Programs, private and work stuff etc.; I would like to hear your
recommendation on this please, too), In build Video Camera for net-meetings, I
need at least 3 USB connections, excellent DVD CD-RW or better, I connect laptop
and PDA a lot to synchronize,
A: You are correct in looking at the D900C.for a couple of
reasons. 1st is that if you do CAD and Game you will need the 8800M GTX video
card. Your CAD needs a strong OpenGL and your games need a completely different
aspect. The 8800M is the only video card option that could do the gaming and the
CAD reasonably.
Now your Photo shop can be made to perform better by using a second hard drive
as a scratch drive. However for top performance I would do three drives, the
first two drives I would couple in a RAID 0 for maximum performance on all the
programs then the third drive could act as the scratch drive for your Adobe
products.
If you could to the 2.4GHz Quad C ore it is the best possible CPU and since it
is a Quad Core down the road t he CPU will be more current as more and more
programs are written to address more than a dual core. Do not go to any CPU
above the 2.4GHz. You wont get any faster and just spend more money. Stay with
the 2.4GHz.
Make your hard drives SATA II., SATA II is twice the bandwidth of a SATA drive,
then when you RAID 0 these SATA II drives you almost double your speed again.
No question on the operating system. I think you should go with a version of XP.
I hope this helps you, to recap
D900C
WSXGA+ with 8800M GTX 512MB
2.4GHz QC
2048 - 4096 MB of RAM
three SATA II drives RAID 0
XP Pro
Let me know if you have any further questions.
A: I must say your website is very crazy, but nice. I am
looking at lot of website for my next computer purchase I like yours. I have
some questions for you. I am looking to spend nice amount of money on one and I
don’t want to get raped. I am looking for a good gaming laptop, See I am here in
Iraq and there is not a lot to do in the off time. A lot of my friends play
there laptops. They told me I need at least a 17in 1920 x 1200 and 8800 GTX
graphics card. So I am wondering if you guys/gals ship APO and if you have any
good suggestions. Thank you for your time.
Q: I would disagree on the screen resolution but do agree on
the video card choice of 8800M GTX. The WUXGA will make all items smaller and
less clear and bright. Many people choose this screen thinking that a high res.
screen means better images but that is not the case with computer screens. Your
images displayed on the LCD get no extra pixels when you use a high res. LCD. So
if you have a 600 pixels wide image it will still be 600 pixels no matter which
screen you choose. The difference is if you use a high res screen, your 600
pixel image takes up less space. So you get a smaller image not a better image.
In addition the image will be slightly darker as well since pixel also work as
light apertures for the background light. So when you go to a WUXGA 1920 X 1200
LCD you lose image size and image brightness. So hopefully you see that WUXGA is
not the choice for you if you want image quality. You would choose the WUXGA if
you needed extra desktop space. Since everything gets smaller you can get more
item side by side on your LCD.
So WSXGA+ for image quality
WUXGA for desktop space.
Unfortunately it sounds as if your friends purchased from someplace other than
M-tech. No other place explains the difference and they are always happy to have
you assume the WUXGA is a better screen since they make more money on it.
Hopefully now you know better and wont choose it unless you specifically need
more desktop real estate.
This is not to say if you choose the WUXGA 1920X 1200 LCD that you wont like the
look of it. I am simply saying that each screen should be chosen like you would
choose a tool. More expensive does not make it better. Each tool has it intended
purpose, if you go with the WUXGA you will need a bit of time to adjust to the
fact that everything is smaller than looks normal. Once you adjust to it though
you can get use to it. However if you do not need the extra desktop space that
WUXGA offers than you are better served with WSXGA+ 1680X1050 . Things looks
more normal in size and are slightly brighter.
Yes we ship to APO, you simply choose APO while you are at the shipping page.
Q: I liked to say thank you for the quick response on the
subject and for being honest. So the texture of the games will only be as good
as the coding and graphics card can push, not the screen size. What is the
better OS for gaming, because that is the majority of the reason I am buy the
system. What parts on the laptop are upgradeable? Do you guy offer the 8800 GTX
in 1 gig. I am really looking for a beast of a machine.
A: I think that XP is still your best option for at least two
more years. If you put two 8800 is the laptop you will have 1024MB. However
video RAM does not aid your performance at that RAM level. It can take away from
your system ability to map memory since video ram counts as part of the system
total ability to map memory.
More video RAM does not increase your sped. In some cases game makers can make
use of this RAM to store textures for the game but 1024MB is too much to be of
value. Much past 128MB and you are just paying for something that you don't get
any benefit from. For all other application you will never use more RAM than
your pixels across times your pixels down, divide by 8 and then times by color
depth. For example:
1680X1050 = 1764000 takes this and divide it by 8 for the bit to byte
conversion. 176400 /8= 220500 Take this and times it by your color depth. lets
say you go the maximum of 32 bits. 220500 X 32 = 7,056,000 or rounded up to 8MB
of video RAM. Unless you are using a handful of top end games this is the most
RAM a computer can use. To make sure you don't buy too much RAM always check
with your game maker to see if they recommend a certain amount. If they say
256MB then going more will not help. The only reason to go with 1024MB is if you
felt you wanted SLI and to get SLI you have to end up with two 512MB video
cards. You may benefit from SLI (about 10% of your total computing time) but you
wont benefit from the 1024MB of RAM. This is done by NVidia and ATI to make you
feel as if you are in need of a new video card. Don't buy into it. When you buy
a video card buy the card and not the memory. By this I mean get the card you
want and don't be concerned about the amount of RAM. Most cards today haver way
more than you can use.
Q: I am going to school for video game design. I have looked at
the laptop offered in a student program by my college and have decided its
overpriced, however I need to have the features of this laptop. I have been
researching laptops online for the last couple of weeks and have decided that
your company would best help me accomplish a quality laptop within my budget.
However I am unsure at what I can get with my budget and am asking advice. The
budget I am looking to stay within is $2300.00. I need to pack as much as I can
for a processor, Memory, hard drive and video card. The following is the current
specs on the laptop that the school wants me to buy for the same budget. It is a
HP Compaq 8510w. Specs:
Intel duo core 2.0 ghz processor
4mb L2 cache
15.4 inch wsxga+display
Nvidia Quadro FX 570 Turbo Cache
2048 MB ddr sdram, 1dimm
120 GB Hard Drive
Windows XP
internal 56k modem
internal 10/100/1000 Ethernet Network Interface card
internal intel Pro/wireless WLAN (802.11a/b/g/draft n)
DVD+-RW +DL Drive also burns cds
Integrated Blue Tooth 2.0 and finger print scanner
integrated Smart Card reader
One PC Card, Type I or type II slot
Integrated SD memory card reader
One HDMI connector
Integrated microphone
four USB 2.0 ports, and one Mini 1394a (firewire port)
So they've got me paying 2500.00 for this rig and everything i've seen says this
isn't worth that, maybe 1500-1800 dollars. What I would like to do is take the
$2300.00 and see if I can get a rig better than this. (its 2300 because they
have to check to make sure the non student laptop fits school requirements and
costs $225 dollars to do review the non student laptop; what a rip! ($2500-$225
gives me a budget of roughly 2300 bucks). Again this comp will be for Game
Design and development. What do you suggest for an M-Tech computer to fit in
this budget? Thanks, in advance for your time and I look forward to hearing from
you.
A: Thanks Jerry! Very thorough explaining everything. I am
definately going to get one of the 2 computers you've attached. I'm hoping I can
afford the more expensive one. I'm discussing the finances with my wife.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to solidify anything until early next week. I'll
be in touch.
Trevor Vaughan Williams
On Sun, Apr 27, 2008 at 4:00 PM, Jerry Michrina <jerry@mtechlaptops.com> wrote:
Lets first look at why the HP is not the best for your needs. Shame on them for
pushing this laptop.
Intel duo core 2.0 ghz processor
4mb L2 cache Too small of L2 Cache you can do with this but if you are buying
specifically to do gaming you want larger 6MB or 8MB
15.4 inch wsxga+ display, A little small for you to work in detail. 17" would be
better
Nvidia Quadro FX 570 Turbo Cache WHAT? A FX card for games. Everybody knows FX
is for OpenGL and OpenGL sucks for games playing. You should have a NVIDIA 8
series. Preferably the 8800M GTX and the Turbo cache is a fancy way of saying
that your system has to share video RAM. This KILLS you speed. Terrible. And
this school is going to teach you gaming. I think someone there is getting a
kickback from HP and did not base the selection of laptops on gaming but rather
what HP pushed to them. If for some reason they need a FX card we can do that
but anybody that games will tell you the FX chipset kills gaming performance
2048 MB ddr sdram, 1dimm You want 2048 MB at least but if they are putting it in
single dimm then that means you have a single channel laptop. Much faster is to
have Dual Channel architecture . It is twice as fast with your RAM and RAM speed
trumps all other concerns.
120 GB Hard Drive This does not say if this is a ATA or SATA. Doesn't matter
though since if you are buying this to be a game laptop then you should have
SATA II not SATA.
Windows XP Good choice
internal 56k modem Good choice
internal 10/100/1000 Ethernet Network Interface card Good choice
internal Intel Pro/wireless WLAN (802.11a/b/g/draft n) Good choice
DVD+-RW +DL Drive also burns cds Good choice
Integrated Blue Tooth 2.0 and finger print scanner OK but I bet you won't use
it, I don't use mine
integrated Smart Card reader Good choice
One PC Card, Type I or type II slot PC Card slots are no longer made. This tells
me that you have a old laptop being sold to you. maybe not used but old in
technology. PCMCIA slots got replaced with Expresscard slots
Integrated SD memory card reader Good choice
One HDMI connector I wonder what you have in this that can send High Def? I
don't see Blu-Ray In any event DVI is more common but can be converted to HDMI
Integrated microphone Good choice
four USB 2.0 ports, and one Mini 1394a (firewire port) Good choice
I would only get the laptop above if you had no other choice. What blows my mind
is that this is the laptop a school that is going to teach gaming to you
suggested. I would bet if the teachers know their stuff they did not have a say
so in what the school offered to you.
The best way to go and stay within your budget is the M570UR, the D900C is the
best laptop but we can't stay in the price range, Doesn't matter though. The
M570UR is more than enough and many times better than the HP they are trying to
push.
Here is what I think would work. I will do a screen shot of the web page I built
it on. You can look it over and if you like it just click the image and go to
the web site and duplicate there what I sent to you on the image.
OK, actually I am going to give you two options. The first one is my prime
choice with the best gaming card made, the second is the same laptop but with a
cheaper video card that will still be about one hundred times better than the
card they wanted to sell you. The prime choice is over budget and the next
choice is well within your budget. I am including the prime choice just so you
know what the best option would be. Do not be afraid to go with the second
option thought, it will still be just fine for your needs.
Q: Hi,
I'm looking for a 17 inch laptop. Apart from web browsing and email the main use
will be video editing of DV movies using Avid Liquid 7. I may also use Adobe
Premiere Pro version 2. I am archiving the edited DV movies to external hard
drives then converting them to MPEG-4 and burning DVDs. Below is the
configuration I've chosen from your website but I am not certain as to its
suitability to my needs. Please let me know if these components are the best for
what I want to do and also tell me if there would be any advantage in having two
hard drive with RAID 0.
Your advice will be appreciated.
A: I think your selection will work, however after reviewing
both software versions I can recommend a much more powerful configuration for
around the same $$ Drop the video card and go with the FX card Drop the 2.66 and
go with the 2.4GHz Quad Core Add in another 200GB SATA II and change standalone
to RAID 0 Stay with XP (our or your own copy) This will be by far the best
config for your work especially Adobe.
However, if you plan on gaming then the FX wont work and you will need the
8800M. For video editing the FX will work best for gaming the 8800M works best
and can also do gaming. However the 8800M is a very expensive card and it wont
do your video editing as well as the FX will.
The 2.66 is not any better than the 2.4 and saves you money
Hope this helps.
Q: Hi Jerry,
Thanks for your reply, it is very helpful. I have one further question.
Regarding the LCD display, I read on your website that the WSVGA+ display gives
the best resolution. Is this a better option for my video editing where the main
thing I am wanting detail but also a true image of the final product?
All of your advice makes sense
A: As long as you will be editing under 1050 WSXGA+ is best for
you. If you are doing 1080I such as Blu-Ray then you can go either way. WUXGA is
1200 and of course WSXGA+ is 1050. Either way you are not dead on, but some
would prefer too much and scale down then too little and have to drop lines. 30
lines is so small a difference I still think that WSXGA+ is best even if you
have HD editing in 1080I
Q: I am looking for a price on a Good Gaming / School laptop. I
want something that will play crisis on higher settings but it does not have to
be perfect..
I would prefer
AMD / ATI
over 2.4Ghz dual or 2.0 quad if available 320Gb HDD a nice 512MB video card with
512 on board not shared with ram if available I Dont know if I want 2 video
cards if one can do the job keep the laptop smaller and have a longer batt life
then 1 it is!
built in web cam
17" widescreen
illuminated keyboard would be nice too.
vista ultimate 64bit ed or 32 bit ed or no OS at all is ok wireless and
Bluetooth and a red case if available..
A: Well at this time we only have NVIDIA and Intel. AMD has
nothing worth considering in a mobile CPU and NVIDIA pretty much dominates the
video card market for gamers.
We have two laptops that have the power for gaming properly. The D900C and the
M570UR. Based on our comments I think the M570UR is your best bet. It is a
slimmer chassis and that seems to be the important based on your comments.
However if you want a Quad Core then you have to go with the larger D900C.
The D900C is the most powerful and because of its size allows for more power and
options.
The M570UR has plenty of power by anybodies standards and is lighter and
slimmer.
In the M570 the best choice would be the WSXGA+ with 8800M GTX Video using a
Intel 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo with 6MB of L2 Cache. The 6MB of L2 cache is really
going to help your multimedia aspect of gaming.
I would do either 2048MB of RAM or 4096MB is I was thinking that down the road I
may have to or want to go with Vista. Then I would choose the SATA II drive. The
SATA II drive is twice as fast as a normal SATA drive and will probably do more
for your gaming then any other single element.
If you do the D900C I would go with the same video screen and card, I would use
a 2.4GHz Quad Core CPU, two SATA II drives in a RAID 0 configuration with a
third drive as a standalone drive so your games could have the data files on
that drive and the program on the primary drive. Again either 2GB or 4GB of RAM
depending on your future needs.
I hope this gives you some guidance on your choices.