TopGunSF

I'm looking at getting one of these two laptops but having a bit of trouble deciding which one. The operating system means absolutely nothing to me as I will be replacing it immediatly and the price on both is about the same +/- $50.

I was hoping to get some opinions on which of these would be a better buy. The points as I'm seeing them currently are:

P-6860FX P-172S FX
processor 1.83GHz 2.00GHz
RAM 4 Gig 3 Gig
HD size: 320 Gig 160 Gig
HD speed: 5400 RPM 7200 ROM
bluetooth yes no

Now from what I hear the parts on these laptops, processor included are fairly easy to change/upgrade but I have no verification on that. I really just have no clue. I don't want to spend more then $1400 but if someone has another suggestion within that price range that's cool to. Anyway, I'm just looking for an objective opinion, suggestions and any information/experiences you may have had with either of these or similar laptops.

Ah, and just out of curiosity... Is it possible to get one of these overclocked? BIOS change or something of the sort... I'm a bit overclock crazy, I'd overclock my toaster if it wouldn't burn the toast...

Thanks!
-TopGunSF

BTW: The P-6860FX is the BestBuy version of the P-172S FX from what I can tell. I don't know if that's a plus or not in and of itself, it would be nice to have an actual store to go into if something goes wrong rather then just a number to call.

onexero

I'd go for the P-6860FX, not a big difference between 5400rpm and 7200; plus more memory, maybe a slower processor, but not by that much. I doubt you can overclock in that laptop, I wouldn't even bother. Laptops get so hot, if you could overclock them, it'd be ridiculous heat. (I can fry eggs on my MacBook Pro. :I)

mnishimura00

i have the P-6860-FX. i really cant gripe about this laptop because it has such a huge bang for your buck. similar laptops with the same gfx card will cost you upwards of 2k.

the real setback (can i even call it that?) is the processor. at 1.86ghz, the boot time is rather slow. i plan on upgrading in the future to a t9300 (2.5ghz). it also holds back some fps on games. this is definitely a bottleneck, if ive ever seen one before.

you cannot oc the processor, but you wouldnt want to anyways... its a laptop. during gaming, it gets pretty hot. but all that comes with the territory.

It is a damn good buy, and i would recommend it to anyone, but just be prepared to upgrade that processor if you are gonna play games like Assassins Creed, GRID, etc. i get playable fps, but no more than that.

EDIT: Get this laptop, youll be happy with it. you can always swap out the processor for a faster one if need be.

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System: Gateway FX P-6860 CPU: Core 2 Duo T5550 1.8GHZ Memory: 4GB DDR2 5300 667 MHZ
Graphics Card: 8800M GTS 512MB DDR3 Hard Drive: 320GB
OS:Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 Battery: 9 cell lithium ion Weight: 9.1lbs ouch

Bill100

yeah lol I can't find any other lappy for under $1500 with a 8800 gs on it... I'm waiting to buy in a month or so to play on while in school on weekends

Phalanx1

that is all you need to know, the value is amazing and it has bluetooth and the other doesn't

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TopGunSF

Typing on my new 6860fx, VERY impressed with it. Been configuring it and installing games all day so far it's 30+fps on everything, even Crysis (options high, no AA).

Scored a 6300 on 3dmark. Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated.

mysticstryk

I too, am considering this laptop. How good does oblivion run on it? Settings maxed? I am considering the 6860 and then upgrading the cpu to a T9300.

Phalanx1

Congrats on your new lappy! Can we get some pics?

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