First post, by Warlord
- Rank
- l33t
This is the ultimate 9x laptop period.
Features
PROS
1. Geforce2 go, a highly compatible GPU with comparible performance to somwhere between a geforce 2 MX and a TNT 2 Pro. 12.XX Drivers availible
No scaling issues, No scrolling issues, Can do 2d and 3d both well.
2. Yahama YMF754, OPL3, SBPRO compatible, 2MB hardware and 4MB with Extended XG Midi Bank wavetable. VXD and Pure Dos Drivers Availible. No Dos Midi except under 9x
3. Floppy Disk and DVD/CD Drive integrated
4. PS2 KB/Mouse port. Can use both with Y adapter.
5. Intel 815 chipset
The other skus are basically faster CPU versions that came out after the original version was released. So If anyone is looking for one, becasue I bought another one last night a 603 version
Skus
(2800-500) 800 Mhz Rare EU Version Original
2805-s402 850mhz PIII Original US Version
2805-s503 900Mhz PIII Refresh Version
2805-s603 1000Mhz PIII Last Refresh Version
As far as I know all versions are the same except for differen't speed CPUs.
CONS
Issues with Hinges they can be fixed if they are broken but you will have to find either 2805S503R, and 2805S503L those are the part numbers or take them off a lower end 14" model with savage graphics or the hinges from one and remove the brakets from both hinges and put the 15inch screen brackets on the replacement hinges.
Sounds simple but its not the whole laptop has to come apart almost minus removing the main board. You will also need tools.
This is just due to the rarity of these laptops and I have not been able to find a source for new parts. If your hinges are not broken high chance that you'll still need to do preventive maintence on them by dismanteling the laptop, removing the hinges and working them with some lube. You might need to uses the penetrative oils or soak them in gasoline or somthing to remove all the old greases and then work them back an forth with some light oil like. Singer sewing machine oil, motor oil, gun oil or somthing like that.
For whatever reason the the grease they originally used at the factory on the hinges drys up and siezes the hinges. If you are not confortible with this than I would just stay away from this laptop becasue chances are you are not going to be able to fix one if you manage to get one and it has this problem.
The LCD is only does 16bit color even though the gpu can display 32bit. But it may be possible to swap out the LCD for a better one.
The the XG 754 is not hardwired to SBLINK, there is evidence that on the 14inch with savage graphics they bothered to do this but skipped doing so on the 2nd gens.
That being siad. It is possible to take full advantage of the YMF754 regardless. There are WDM, VXDs, and pure DOS drivers availible. Each offering various levels of compatibility and quirkyness.
For example DUKE3D will work great with WDM drivers providing SBPRO and Midi in native dosbox under 9X, VXD drivers will cause it to crash windows. Pure DOS drivers in pure DOS you will have SBPRO and FM but no Midi.
The best way to tackle this is to have Dual Boot 9X setups. One with VXD drivers and another with WDM Drivers. Use somthing like windows XP with the drive hooked up to another computer and create the partitions. Then place the games that run better depending on driver type on seperate Versions. Then you have max compatibility that way.
We have a modified setupds for the XG in pure DOS. That provides OPL2, 3 and SBPRO. Its a comprimise like everything else but this single laptop has the least comprimises of every other retro laptop. The XG sets it above another similar laptop the DELL with the geforce 2go and ESS Meistro sound. The ESS solution is horrible, and honestly the geforce2 go while the most capable 3d laptop chip at its time the 32 mb vram on the dell wont really matter becasue its still slow compared to a desktop version of a geforce 2.
