Will BB ever have a P-M R9600/9700 notebook?

[Connoisseur]

Hey guys. I've had my M6805 for almost a year now and I absolutely love it performance wise. However, I just noticed I finally got the cracked hinge problem and since I have the BB PSP, I was considering my options as far as what would be my next lappie. It's successor the Gateway 7405GX seems pretty decent with that pretty xbrite screen and the faster burner. however, I also saw the gateway 4525GZ, which is a P-M solution at looks just plain sexy. It's only 1.1" thick and is only 5.5lbs which is a BIG difference from my M6805. It's like a not so high quality version of the thinkpad. However, it uses intel's craptacular Extreme 3d graphics which would eliminate any chance for gaming. My question is, does anyone know if any of the sellers in BB are planning to roll out a P-M laptop with Radeon 9600/9700 graphics? If it is, I might just be tempted to go to the darkside and switch to Intel. Cause those lappies look just plain thin and sleek.

P.S. I checked with a BB sales person (read: high school student) and asked him whether I could exchange my M6805 since it has this crack problem. He said I could bring it in and exchange it for any other lappie in the store that's the same price no problem. And since my before rebate price on it was $1550, I have a little bit of money to burn.

 

[Connoisseur]

anybody?

 

[fbrdphreak]

I work @ BBY and I don't see any companies coming out with an affordable P-M/9600 solution. The 9700 is out of the question for an affordable system, retail-wise the only notebooks that come with the 9700 are pricey. The HP zt3000 series come with a 9200 with either 32MB or 64MB of discrete memory, so no shared crap. However, this will obviously give you mediocre performance at best.
You can exchange it for the same model, but you need to check if that will eat up your PSP. Some of the PSP terms say that you PSP is "used up" when you get a new computer and thus have to buy a new PSP with it if you want the benefits.
If you want mobile performance, go with the Gateway P-M w/the Ultra-Bright or whatever screen. Those are pretty nice and w/the PSP if you have any problems they'll take care of it. If you want gaming/overall performance, go with the new Gateway A64 system with the 9600 & Ultra Bright screen. Non-Gateway/eMachines choices are Toshiba & HP. You might be able to find a Toshiba P-M notebook with a GeForce Go series card, probly a 5200 or 5500.The particular one I'm thinking of is like $1700 tho. There is another P-M notebook from Toshiba, but I think it has integrated graphics also. I would go in your local store and look around, they might have a slightly older clearance model that would work well. GL

 

[Connoisseur]

yeah that's what I thinking. The toshiba ones are out of the question since Geforce Go's are dog slow and def aren't worth the 1700 price tag. The gateway P-M looks really nice and portable but I wanted performance too. No biggie. Might as well just get the 7405GX. Quick question. Can I do this at ANY point with the PSP? I know it's good for 3 years but if I go there like next year or something will they give me grief about exchanging it for an equal priced lappie? The only reason I'm asking is because I know a lot of these retail stores like to constantly modify these warranties and contracts in order to better profit them. If I can, I might just hold off for a bit to see if a lightweight powerful notebook comes out sometime down the line.

 

[BlamoHammer]

If you use your PSP to exchange the laptop while it is still covered under manufacturer warranty then your PSP remains intact. However, if you have your laptop replaced after the manufacturer warranty expires, then the PSP has been fulfilled and you would have to purchase a new one in order to have your new laptop covered.

 

[Connoisseur]

good point. so basically I can't hold off too long to get exchange laptops. btw, anyone know how long emachines warranty lasts?

 

[fbrdphreak]

One year warranty w/eMachines.
I don't know if BlamoHammer works for BBY, but my understanding was that the eating-up of the PSP was determined by the terms of your PSP when it was purchased. Newer PSP's do change the terminology, but it all depends on the one that you bought specifically. Read the fine print or call the 1-800# or just go in store & ask. GL and enjoy your new eMachines/Gateway