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2016+ Gaming Laptop Thread: Embracing Pascal's Wafer (Please Read OP)

vapor

Member
Are you asking about external panels, or internal?

As far as internal go, there's sadly very few notebook vendors who are offering 120Hz Nvidia 3D Vision read panels. If fact, at this time, only the Alienware 17 supports the option. The second model there can be configured with the 120Hz panel.

Internal. That's a shame; hopefully we'll see more become available! Thanks for the info though.

Any idea if anyone uses safely overclockable panels?
 

LAA

Member
Looking to get rid of my very old, terrible pc because my mum needs the lower room for her hospital bed =[.

I'm eying up that skyfire deal, but as a maker I've never heard of, I'm not sure. Should I?

Don't suppose you mean the Skyfire III 17" from PCSpecialist? I've had it for nearly a month so far and very happy about with it so far. I admit when I first recieved it the O key..bracket? was broken so when you pushed on the bottom of the key, the O key would pop out, but easily solved that and they sent me a new keyboard and I sent the old one back and all good as new again.
I'm most impressed with heat on the laptop personally (As well as performance of course), but I'm very surprised how hot the laptop runs. From an XPS 17, I was used to the entire left side of the laptop being very hot to touch, but on the Skyfire III, only the areas neat the vents can be warm-hot and the left part of the "touch panel." You can also put the fans on full blast any time you want with a touch panel button if you're ever worried about heat. It is the sound of a jet engine if its on full blast, ha ha, but I've found I can get ignore it after a while.

Also been able to run pretty much everything I play above high settings so far too where games are concerned, most things on the max settings, just a few on the 2nd highest mostly. Impressions on the speakers apparently list it as "tinny", but I have no sound sense at all in this area, ha ha. I just get used to it over time and I'm happy with it.

Personally I really love the laptop in all areas, the look (Which the PCSpecialist site's images does no justice, looks grey, but it is actually black), the performance, the cooling efficiency, a smal thing, but the mouse pad is matte, I was used to a smooth surface in the past, but I really like the matte feel and another little thing the backlit keyboard. Only all blue compared to rainbow backlits you see on other models, but it can be very cool and handy when I find myself in the dark, ha ha.
In terms of power I've found the Skyfire III meets all my needs/wants and the cooling efficiency of it has just wowed me, so if all that sounds great to you, go for it!
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Internal. That's a shame; hopefully we'll see more become available! Thanks for the info though.

Any idea if anyone uses safely overclockable panels?

Yes, I have read of Nvidia users overclockig their laptop panels. YMMV.

Don't suppose you mean the Skyfire III 17" from PCSpecialist? I've had it for nearly a month so far and very happy about with it so far. I admit when I first recieved it the O key..bracket? was broken so when you pushed on the bottom of the key, the O key would pop out, but easily solved that and they sent me a new keyboard and I sent the old one back and all good as new again.
I'm most impressed with heat on the laptop personally (As well as performance of course), but I'm very surprised how hot the laptop runs. From an XPS 17, I was used to the entire left side of the laptop being very hot to touch, but on the Skyfire III, only the areas neat the vents can be warm-hot and the left part of the "touch panel." You can also put the fans on full blast any time you want with a touch panel button if you're ever worried about heat. It is the sound of a jet engine if its on full blast, ha ha, but I've found I can get ignore it after a while.

Also been able to run pretty much everything I play above high settings so far too where games are concerned, most things on the max settings, just a few on the 2nd highest mostly. Impressions on the speakers apparently list it as "tinny", but I have no sound sense at all in this area, ha ha. I just get used to it over time and I'm happy with it.

Personally I really love the laptop in all areas, the look (Which the PCSpecialist site's images does no justice, looks grey, but it is actually black), the performance, the cooling efficiency, a smal thing, but the mouse pad is matte, I was used to a smooth surface in the past, but I really like the matte feel and another little thing the backlit keyboard. Only all blue compared to rainbow backlits you see on other models, but it can be very cool and handy when I find myself in the dark, ha ha.
In terms of power I've found the Skyfire III meets all my needs/wants and the cooling efficiency of it has just wowed me, so if all that sounds great to you, go for it!

Thanks for the great impression! Do you have any pictures?
 

chunk3rvd

Member
Does anyone have any experience with laptop cooling pads? Still having all sorts of overheating problems with my laptop and read about these as a suggested solution. Was looking at the following 2 models by Belkin:

Belkin Cooling Stand

Belkin Coolspot Anywhere

Are these things a viable solution and worth the money? Looks like the 2nd one is just a more recent ergonomic model that does the same job? Amazon seems to list a few similar products that are a little cheaper but the build quality doesn't look as good
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Does anyone have any experience with laptop cooling pads? Still having all sorts of overheating problems with my laptop and read about these as a suggested solution. Was looking at the following 2 models by Belkin:

Belkin Cooling Stand

Belkin Coolspot Anywhere

Are these things a viable solution and worth the money? Looks like the 2nd one is just a more recent ergonomic model that does the same job? Amazon seems to list a few similar products that are a little cheaper but the build quality doesn't look as good

Seems like your putting a band-aid on the real problem. You'd be through with the overheating, if you opened the laptop, cleaned it out, and applied new paste.

I have no real, educated opinion on cooling pads. Well, the Zalman NC2000 has been the go to, for years.

K.Jack, what's this "VBIOS" thing and should I go messing about with it?

It's flashing higher voltages and core/memory clocks, to get to the full potential of the card. I see nothing wrong with it, as long as you follow the steps correctly. But there's always a chance that the flash could go bad.

I haven't bothered, because I'm currently content which my 780M, where it is. When the new-gen games like Witcher 3 start dropping, I'll reconsider.
 

Drain You

Member
Which laptop are you configuring?


NP8275-S

17.3" 1080P Screen
GTX 770 3gb
Core i7 2.4ghz
16gb DDR3 1600MHz
120gb Crucial SSD
750gb 7200RPM HDD
6x Blu Ray
2 Year Warranty

1,678$

I really couldnt ask for more. I play mostly indie titles these days but I don't want to skimp on the GPU power, as I do occasionally play some AAA games. Desktop has an AMD 7850 so I wanted something either comparable or better.
 

Tizoc

Member
Hope you guys don't mind me asking this here:
I am planning on selling off my 5-6 year old laptop.
It's an HP Pavillion, the keyboard is 'dirty' and the down key fell off months ago, the battery is borked and only has a life span of 15-30 minutes.

I plan to cover up some of some of its issues by the following:
1- Get a new battery, but I must keep in mind how much it costs
2- Sell with it a keyboard that works fine along with a mouse I don't need
3- I'll be selling it domestically, so I'll have various Free online games installed like LoL and any other F2P game that would run on my lappy's hardware.

Regarding #1, I've been wondering: What's the negatives of running a laptop without the battery in it? Like say using it like a desktop?

Based on this would it be reasonable to have it be sold for say $500ish assuming I add in a 1TB external hard drive?
 

Chinbo37

Member
If I want to get a gaming laptop 14" or smaller is there any reason to spend extra money on 1080p over 900p?

If hte GPU is acceptable I can run 1080p to my monitor ... not sure if 1080p is justifiable on such a small screen. Anyone have any advice?
 

DESTROYA

Member
If I want to get a gaming laptop 14" or smaller is there any reason to spend extra money on 1080p over 900p?

If hte GPU is acceptable I can run 1080p to my monitor ... not sure if 1080p is justifiable on such a small screen. Anyone have any advice?

Not really, for gaming there is not much difference in visual clarity going from 900p to 1080p on that size a screen. If it was 15"/17" screen I would get a 1080p screen.
What laptop are you looking to get?
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
NP8275-S

17.3" 1080P Screen
GTX 770 3gb
Core i7 2.4ghz
16gb DDR3 1600MHz
120gb Crucial SSD
750gb 7200RPM HDD
6x Blu Ray
2 Year Warranty

1,678$

I really couldnt ask for more. I play mostly indie titles these days but I don't want to skimp on the GPU power, as I do occasionally play some AAA games. Desktop has an AMD 7850 so I wanted something either comparable or better.
For nearly $1.7k, the GT70-2OC i the better buy. You can add the Bluray, 120GB SSD + 2nd drive, and come out slightly cheaper. Plus you get amazing speaker and excellent keyboard. The Sager speakers are crap, and the headphone jack is terrible.

It also comes with 2 years warrenty, plus one year of accidental.
Hope you guys don't mind me asking this here:
I am planning on selling off my 5-6 year old laptop.
It's an HP Pavillion, the keyboard is 'dirty' and the down key fell off months ago, the battery is borked and only has a life span of 15-30 minutes.

I plan to cover up some of some of its issues by the following:
1- Get a new battery, but I must keep in mind how much it costs
2- Sell with it a keyboard that works fine along with a mouse I don't need
3- I'll be selling it domestically, so I'll have various Free online games installed like LoL and any other F2P game that would run on my lappy's hardware.

Regarding #1, I've been wondering: What's the negatives of running a laptop without the battery in it? Like say using it like a desktop?

Based on this would it be reasonable to have it be sold for say $500ish assuming I add in a 1TB external hard drive?

If it's 5-6 years old, you won't get $200 for it,
 

Chinbo37

Member
Not really, for gaming there is not much difference in visual clarity going from 900p to 1080p on that size a screen. If it was 15"/17" screen I would get a 1080p screen.
What laptop are you looking to get?


Well I did see this that interested me


http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=LT-100-MS&groupid=959&catid=1828




My current laptop is 14 inch and I think the size is perfect, I cant imagine carrying around a bigger one. Also I have a 24 inch monitor which will be hooked up to it basically at all times when i am at the house.
 

Tizoc

Member
If it's 5-6 years old, you won't get $200 for it,

Ooof, well I'll see how much I can end up selling it for then. It runs fine and if one wants it for basic stuff such as MS Office and simple gaming like LoL and watching videos, it handles those just fine.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
It's flashing higher voltages and core/memory clocks, to get to the full potential of the card. I see nothing wrong with it, as long as you follow the steps correctly. But there's always a chance that the flash could go bad.

I haven't bothered, because I'm currently content which my 780M, where it is. When the new-gen games like Witcher 3 start dropping, I'll reconsider.

Okay, I suppose I'll wait too then!
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Well I did see this that interested me


http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=LT-100-MS&groupid=959&catid=1828


My current laptop is 14 inch and I think the size is perfect, I cant imagine carrying around a bigger one. Also I have a 24 inch monitor which will be hooked up to it basically at all times when i am at the house.

The GE40 has overheating issues. You'd be much happier with the Skyfire III, that's suggested in the OP. I messed around with the configurator, adding the 1080p screen, i7-4700MQ, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 750GB 7200rpm HDD, and Arctic MX-4 thermal paste, and the price is only £857.00.


Ooof, well I'll see how much I can end up selling it for then. It runs fine and if one wants it for basic stuff such as MS Office and simple gaming like LoL and watching videos, it handles those just fine.
My opinion is what it is, because even the cheapest $300 2104 laptop blows yours out of the water. But, there's always someone who will buy something. Good luck,

Okay, I suppose I'll wait too then!
Unrelated, there's version 1.4 of the Fan Tool. It has a lot of extra features, really cool.

Make sure you uninstall the previous version first.
 
780m is still king, right KJ?

Man, I couldn't be happier with my MSI. Think I'll devote all my brand loyalty to them from now on.

:3
 

Chinbo37

Member
The GE40 has overheating issues. You'd be much happier with the Skyfire III, that's suggested in the OP. I messed around with the configurator, adding the 1080p screen, i7-4700MQ, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD, 750GB 7200rpm HDD, and Arctic MX-4 thermal paste, and the price is only £857.00.



Thanks, but isnt the upgrade to 1080p not really worth paying for if you wont see a big difference from 900p? Its almost like futureproofing as newer games would run at 900p and thereby gain a performance boost not having to run at 1080p?
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
780m is still king, right KJ?

Man, I couldn't be happier with my MSI. Think I'll devote all my brand loyalty to them from now on.

:3

Yeah we're kings until 20nm mobile cards come out.

Hey download the fan tool I linked two posts up.

Edit:

Thanks, but isnt the upgrade to 1080p not really worth paying for if you wont see a big difference from 900p? Its almost like futureproofing as newer games would run at 900p and thereby gain a performance boost not having to run at 1080p?

You'd get better performance at 900p, yes.
 

Castcoder

Banned
My MacBook Pro died on Monday, so I invested into a new gaming laptop for zero down payment for 18 months at Best Buy:

  • ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
  • System Model G750JW
  • Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700HQ CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2401 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
  • Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
  • NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 765M 2.00GB
This costs $1250. Now I know what some responses are going to be: "Why didn't you go through an online retailer?" I only work seasonally, given that I'm in college. I work an internship in the Summer, which is my main source of income. Once I get some cash this May, I'll be able to full pay it off full. I needed something quick, and this was the most powerful machine in the store for a decent price. I love ASUS products when they're built right. I know there are better options like IBUYPOWER, but I don't have that kind of cash at the moment. Now you're thinking: "What the hell do you need that for college?" My degree is in Media Arts and Game Development. Something that can play games without screwing me over is favorable. The Macs in the Mac Lab for my Unity class have outdated software and weren't loading MonoDevelop properly. While I could use my PC for class, it's only a desktop and it isn't helpful for a class that is two hours long. I want to actually get work done in that time period, especially when my first project is due in the coming weeks.


Overall, I REALLY like the design of this laptop. The keyboard and trackpad feel SO nice. It's 17.3 inches, making it hard to carry around, but it's still portable, so it's okay for me. I did get a Logitech wireless MMO mouse, but I might swap it for the Logitech wired mouse on my desktop because I want my gaming desktop to have more buttons on the mouse.

Now if you're interested in this computer and would rather go with 12GBs of RAM, Amazon has the same computer for $50 more. I didn't do that, as I needed that zero down payment.
 

Granadier

Is currently on Stage 1: Denial regarding the service game future
Hello LaptopGAF,
I come from the desktop side in need of some advice.
My sister is graduating school soon in a creative industry. She will be in the market for a computer for her work and prefers to have a laptop. I don't know much about the laptop side, so I'm leaning on your vast knowledge for a recommendation.

----------------------

Will be purchased in the USA.

$2500 is her max budget.

She would prefer to have a screen around 15 inches.

Her planned usage includes the entire Adobe Creative Suite, video editing, and some casual gaming. She was originally looking into a Macbook Pro because of the industry, but I advised her to look at her options on the Windows side before purchasing. If anyone in that type of industry could provide their input that would be great.

-----------------------

Thanks guys!
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I'm pretty excited for the upcoming Lenovo Y40. Anybody have any idea what kind of power the Radeon 270M will have?

The M270 looked like a rebranded 8870M, which is good for Medium settings, at 1080p.

My MacBook Pro died on Monday, so I invested into a new gaming laptop for zero down payment for 18 months at Best Buy:

  • ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
  • System Model G750JW
  • Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700HQ CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2401 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
  • Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
  • NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 765M 2.00GB
This costs $1250. Now I know what some responses are going to be: "Why didn't you go through an online retailer?" I only work seasonally, given that I'm in college. I work an internship in the Summer, which is my main source of income. Once I get some cash this May, I'll be able to full pay it off full. I needed something quick, and this was the most powerful machine in the store for a decent price. I love ASUS products when they're built right. I know there are better options like IBUYPOWER, but I don't have that kind of cash at the moment. Now you're thinking: "What the hell do you need that for college?" My degree is in Media Arts and Game Development. Something that can play games without screwing me over is favorable. The Macs in the Mac Lab for my Unity class have outdated software and weren't loading MonoDevelop properly. While I could use my PC for class, it's only a desktop and it isn't helpful for a class that is two hours long. I want to actually get work done in that time period, especially when my first project is due in the coming weeks.


Overall, I REALLY like the design of this laptop. The keyboard and trackpad feel SO nice. It's 17.3 inches, making it hard to carry around, but it's still portable, so it's okay for me. I did get a Logitech wireless MMO mouse, but I might swap it for the Logitech wired mouse on my desktop because I want my gaming desktop to have more buttons on the mouse.

Now if you're interested in this computer and would rather go with 12GBs of RAM, Amazon has the same computer for $50 more. I didn't do that, as I needed that zero down payment.
You made an informed decision. We can't fault you for that.

The G750 is a nice laptop.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Hello LaptopGAF,
I come from the desktop side in need of some advice.
My sister is graduating school soon in a creative industry. She will be in the market for a computer for her work and prefers to have a laptop. I don't know much about the laptop side, so I'm leaning on your vast knowledge for a recommendation.

----------------------

Will be purchased in the USA.

$2500 is her max budget.

She would prefer to have a screen around 15 inches.

Her planned usage includes the entire Adobe Creative Suite, video editing, and some casual gaming. She was originally looking into a Macbook Pro because of the industry, but I advised her to look at her options on the Windows side before purchasing. If anyone in that type of industry could provide their input that would be great.

-----------------------

Thanks guys!
ASUS Zenbook UX51Vz

What is the purpose of that tool, KJ?

Just gives you more control o the fan speed.
 

MrXee

Unconfirmed Member
Since I really love this thread I wanted to give you guys some feedback on my latest purchase. I ended up getting the MSI GT60 2OD 3K edition with the GTX780m video card for work and play.

I am really enjoying the power this laptop is giving. Haven't had time to test out the graphics card with latest games but I've been running Skyrim on Ultra High for 3 hours and have not encountered any slow down even with large amounts of particles with 1080 resolution. The multiple display ports are great. Right now I have two extra screens plugged into my laptop and everything runs smooth.

The only problem is that I would recommend people not getting the 3K edition. It's a huge overkill and I can barely read the text when running in the native resolution (2880x1620) on the 15.6" screen. The only use I found is that I might eventually use the 3K resolution to cram all of my work distractions like music players, chats and "compile-time" internet browser web pages on that screen...

Anyway, thanks K.Jack for maintaining such an awesome thread for so long. Really appreciate the efforts.
 
So I've decided I'm going with the Asus G750JX-TB71. Don't know if this is a Tiger Direct exclusive SKU, but price/performance is ridiculous.

Core i7-4700HQ
16GB RAM
GTX 770M
750 GB HDD
Bluray Drive

$1399

All that's missing is an SSD, but I can pick up one for cheap on the Egg.

Now, does anyone want to buy a Sager NP7330?!? :D
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Since I really love this thread I wanted to give you guys some feedback on my latest purchase. I ended up getting the MSI GT60 2OD 3K edition with the GTX780m video card for work and play.

I am really enjoying the power this laptop is giving. Haven't had time to test out the graphics card with latest games but I've been running Skyrim on Ultra High for 3 hours and have not encountered any slow down even with large amounts of particles with 1080 resolution. The multiple display ports are great. Right now I have two extra screens plugged into my laptop and everything runs smooth.

The only problem is that I would recommend people not getting the 3K edition. It's a huge overkill and I can barely read the text when running in the native resolution (2880x1620) on the 15.6" screen. The only use I found is that I might eventually use the 3K resolution to cram all of my work distractions like music players, chats and "compile-time" internet browser web pages on that screen...

Anyway, thanks K.Jack for maintaining such an awesome thread for so long. Really appreciate the efforts.

Are you on Windows 8.1 yet? I've heard it has improved scaling options for high res displays.

So I've decided I'm going with the Asus G750JX-TB71. Don't know if this is a Tiger Direct exclusive SKU, but price/performance is ridiculous.

Core i7-4700HQ
16GB RAM
GTX 770M
750 GB HDD
Bluray Drive

$1399

All that's missing is an SSD, but I can pick up one for cheap on the Egg.

Now, does anyone want to buy a Sager NP7330?!? :D

Was the NP7330 too small?

You should put it up for sale on NotebookReview.
 
Yeah the NP7330 ended up being too small for my liking. That and I hate how much it heats up, but I guess that's to be expected with the CPU/GPU its running in this small ass case.

Thanks for the tip on Notebookreview. Forgot they had a selling forum. Craigslist isn't going to well lol.

Jeez that Asus Tiger Direct laptop also comes with a $100 rebate. This is borderline theft now.
 

Azure J

Member
Since I really love this thread I wanted to give you guys some feedback on my latest purchase. I ended up getting the MSI GT60 2OD 3K edition with the GTX780m video card for work and play.

I am really enjoying the power this laptop is giving. Haven't had time to test out the graphics card with latest games but I've been running Skyrim on Ultra High for 3 hours and have not encountered any slow down even with large amounts of particles with 1080 resolution. The multiple display ports are great. Right now I have two extra screens plugged into my laptop and everything runs smooth.

The only problem is that I would recommend people not getting the 3K edition. It's a huge overkill and I can barely read the text when running in the native resolution (2880x1620) on the 15.6" screen. The only use I found is that I might eventually use the 3K resolution to cram all of my work distractions like music players, chats and "compile-time" internet browser web pages on that screen...

Anyway, thanks K.Jack for maintaining such an awesome thread for so long. Really appreciate the efforts.

Just wanted to say thanks a lot for this review. I haven't seen this model in stock on Newegg or Xotic in recent days, but your comments about the 3K screen might have persuaded me to stick to a 1080p comfort zone for now.

And again, anything's going to be an upgrade coming from the 1280x1024 monitor I've been using the last two years with this desktop. :lol
 

thechemist

Member
Just a bit of help guys just ordered a dell outlet laptop on the UK site, I just want to check if anyone knew if the nVidia N14P-GT 2GB GDDR5 was the same as the gt750m?

As on the main site thats the only card which comes with Inspiron 15 - 7537, from some brief googling it seems like it is but i am not sure..
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Yeah the NP7330 ended up being too small for my liking. That and I hate how much it heats up, but I guess that's to be expected with the CPU/GPU its running in this small ass case.

Thanks for the tip on Notebookreview. Forgot they had a selling forum. Craigslist isn't going to well lol.

Jeez that Asus Tiger Direct laptop also comes with a $100 rebate. This is borderline theft now.

Yikes. Just noticed you need 100 posts and 3 months of membership to sell over there.

Just a bit of help guys just ordered a dell outlet laptop on the UK site, I just want to check if anyone knew if the nVidia N14P-GT 2GB GDDR5 was the same as the gt750m?

As on the main site thats the only card which comes with Inspiron 15 - 7537, from some brief googling it seems like it is but i am not sure..
Yes, N14P-GT is the GT 750M.
 

MrXee

Unconfirmed Member
Are you on Windows 8.1 yet? I've heard it has improved scaling options for high res displays.

I'm on 8.1 but I didn't know about the scaling options. I just switched it to make it larger and it seems to scale up my windows pretty well. The task bar remains at 3K resolution but the rest is now readable.

I'm going to keep it this way and reply if I ever have issues with 8.1's scaling. Thanks for the tip!

@Azure J: Even if the 8.1 scaling fixes my problem I still think I wasted the extra amount of money to get the 3K model. Perhaps in the future when 3K displays become more popular there will be a use (1:1 pixel resolution art assets maybe?) but right now it's just too dense tu really be useful. PM me if you want more info.
 
I'm replacing my recently stolen laptop. I'm expecting to receive my settlement from insurance company soon. (I have renters insurance)

Country where it will be purchased: U.S.

Maximum budget: $1,000 - $1,200

Max size: 17 to 17.5 inches

Planned usage: I'll do some heavy gaming on it. Mostly for third-party multiplatform titles. My last laptop's resolution topped out at 1600x900, but I think I'm in the market for a full 1080p display this time. I'd like to be able to play at at least medium settings, but would prefer high and the occasional max settings if possible (even it means bumping the resolution down to 1600x900).

Misc. - I'd like something that maybe meets or exceeds PS4 or Xbox One specs if possible, but I'll settle for less if not.. Looks like I'll be forced to get Windows 8 with whatever I buy, I'd prefer the ability to update to Windows 8.1. Also I really want easy, non-painful driver support.
Battery life doesn't concern me, since it will be plugged in most of the time. Hardware reliability opinions would be appreciated.

I haven't made any firm decisions, but I had my eyes on these two:



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231320
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313684

What are the benefits of having dual Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT750M Discrete Graphics (SLI) cards on the Lenovo?

I'm willing to bump up my budget another $100 if it means I can get something more significant, but any recommendations in the $1,000 to $1,200 range would be appreciated.
 

DESTROYA

Member
I would suggest going with a single more powerful GPU instead of an SLI set-up, not all games support SLI and micro-stutter is a problem with me anyway.
You might want look at a Sager NP8255/NP8235 it comes with a GTX 770M which is pretty much equal if not better than dual 750M's.
You should be able to get one around your price range.
 

cripterion

Member
Was going to bite for an MSI GT2OC (i7,GTX770M, 4GB, 750GB HD) priced a little under 1000€ but really wondering what's next in terms of graphic card and CPU advancements for gaming laptops.

We can't be too far off new revisions, right?
 

Minsc

Gold Member
I would suggest going with a single more powerful GPU instead of an SLI set-up, not all games support SLI and micro-stutter is a problem with me anyway.
You might want look at a Sager NP8255/NP8235 it comes with a GTX 770M which is pretty much equal if not better than dual 750M's.
You should be able to get one around your price range.

Once g-sync makes its way to laptop panels, SLI micro-stutter will be a thing of the past.

Though I think there's already inherent advantages vs desktops with microstutter since laptop displays are handled differently? Or I may be mistaken.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I'm replacing my recently stolen laptop. I'm expecting to receive my settlement from insurance company soon. (I have renters insurance)

Country where it will be purchased: U.S.

Maximum budget: $1,000 - $1,200

Max size: 17 to 17.5 inches

Planned usage: I'll do some heavy gaming on it. Mostly for third-party multiplatform titles. My last laptop's resolution topped out at 1600x900, but I think I'm in the market for a full 1080p display this time. I'd like to be able to play at at least medium settings, but would prefer high and the occasional max settings if possible (even it means bumping the resolution down to 1600x900).

Misc. - I'd like something that maybe meets or exceeds PS4 or Xbox One specs if possible, but I'll settle for less if not.. Looks like I'll be forced to get Windows 8 with whatever I buy, I'd prefer the ability to update to Windows 8.1. Also I really want easy, non-painful driver support.
Battery life doesn't concern me, since it will be plugged in most of the time. Hardware reliability opinions would be appreciated.

I haven't made any firm decisions, but I had my eyes on these two:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231320
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313684

What are the benefits of having dual Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT750M Discrete Graphics (SLI) cards on the Lenovo?

I'm willing to bump up my budget another $100 if it means I can get something more significant, but any recommendations in the $1,000 to $1,200 range would be appreciated.

Take the Lenovo, or a $1399 MSI GT70-2OC. Forget everything in between them.

Was going to bite for an MSI GT2OC (i7,GTX770M, 4GB, 750GB HD) priced a little under 1000€ but really wondering what's next in terms of graphic card and CPU advancements for gaming laptops.

We can't be too far off new revisions, right?
Both AMD and Nvidia have rebranded their entire mobile GPU lineups, for the coming revision. That tells me that we won't see any 'new' mobile cards until 20nm Maxwell arrives, in Q4 of this year, or even early 2015.

So you're going to see GTX 800M and R9 M200x, but they're still just the 700M and 8000M series.

Once g-sync makes its way to laptop panels, SLI micro-stutter will be a thing of the past.

Though I think there's already inherent advantages vs desktops with microstutter since laptop displays are handled differently? Or I may be mistaken.

Laptop displays are indeed quite different. I am not the person who can explain in detail, but I do know that one of the major points is that the monitors are wired directly through the display adapter.

And I cannot wait or G-sync to hit laptops.
 
Took the plunge Asus G750 deal from Tiger Direct!

I couldn't wait another day on that deal. Yesterday the 5 nearest Tiger Directs all had the laptop in stock and today only 1 (too far). I had a feeling if I waited any longer it would go out of stock completely.

At least it only cost me $14 to ship it next day, so it'll be here Thursday.

We so excited!
 

DESTROYA

Member
Once g-sync makes its way to laptop panels, SLI micro-stutter will be a thing of the past.

Though I think there's already inherent advantages vs desktops with microstutter since laptop displays are handled differently? Or I may be mistaken.

G-sync would be amazing on a laptop but no one knows when when it's going to be available .
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I saw that you recommended the Inspiron 17 and that dell has a sale one one atm.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17-3737/pd?oc=fndnd224h&model_id=inspiron-17-3737

My question is, is that model good for the price or is there a different Inspiron 17 model that makes you recommend them.

I'm just looking for a laptop for college work and hopefully play Bastion/Melty Blood/Starbound
I saw that you recommended the Inspiron 17 and that dell has a sale one one atm.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17-3737/pd?oc=fndnd224h&model_id=inspiron-17-3737

My question is, is that model good for the price or is there a different Inspiron 17 model that makes you recommend them.

I'm just looking for a laptop for college work and hopefully play Bastion/Melty Blood/Starbound

Well, at the time of my recommendation, the Inspiron 17 was coming with the AMD Radeon 8690M 2GB GDDR5 for $549. I've been hoping they'd bring it back, but no dice as of yet. The Intel HD 4400 is a far cry from the 8690M's power, but can it play indie games? Yes.
 
I'm replacing my recently stolen laptop. I'm expecting to receive my settlement from insurance company soon. (I have renters insurance)

Country where it will be purchased: U.S.
Maximum budget: $1,000 - $1,200
Max size: 17 to 17.5 inches
Planned usage: I'll do some heavy gaming on it. Mostly for third-party multiplatform titles. My last laptop's resolution topped out at 1600x900, but I think I'm in the market for a full 1080p display this time. I'd like to be able to play at at least medium settings, but would prefer high and the occasional max settings if possible (even it means bumping the resolution down to 1600x900).
Misc. - I'd like something that maybe meets or exceeds PS4 or Xbox One specs if possible, but I'll settle for less if not.

Quoting myself from earlier in the thread, because I think I'm ready to make a decision but I don't want to put down a lot of money without asking laptop GAF's opinion. The last laptop I kind of purchased without doing a lot of research, so I want to make sure I do it right this time. I also want to make sure I get something that won't be outdated within a year. Apologies in advance for the super long post/wall of text.

Here are the choices I'm debating between:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313684
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P
Specs:
Intel Core i7 4700MQ (2.40GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD 24GB SSD
Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT750M Discrete Graphics (SLI)
1920 x 1080
Windows 8
Price: $1,149.99
Pros: Well within my budget. Lenovo seems to be a trusted brand.
Cons: No optical disc drive (I'm old fashioned, but I like having a disc drive).
Also, I've read that the dual graphic cards can increase performance over a standard 750m, but I'm hesitant to jump in after hearing comments about micro-stuttering and lack of SLI support in games.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Fangbook_Evo_HX6-100_Gaming_Notebook_-_Same_Day_Edition/
Cyberpower PC Fangbook Evo HX6-100 Gaming Notebook
(I came across this manufacturer while searching Newegg.I'm not sure how reputable they are)
Specs:
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ Mobile Processor 2.40 GHz 6M Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 3.40 GHz
Motherboard: Mobile Intel HM87 Express Chipset Mainboard
RAM / System Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 765M 2GB PCIe Video (NB-FANG-501)
Hard Drive: 1 TB 5400RPM SATA300 Hard Drive

Price: $1,189
Pros: Within my budget. A 765M is a pretty good mobile card right? There's same day shipping (apparently it takes a week or two normally if you order directly from the manufacturer. Apparently these are custom made, so I might be able to upgrade it.
Cons: Again, I'm not sure how reputable the manufacturer is or what their build quality is like, but the reviews I've read seem positive.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Xplorer_X7-7600_Gaming_Notebook
CyberpowerPC Xplorer X7-7600 Gaming Notebook
Price: $1129
Specs:
Notebook: Clevo W370ST Gaming Notebook
17.3" Full HD 1920x1080 Display w/
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ Mobile Processor 2.40 GHz 6M Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 3.40 GHz
Motherboard: Mobile Intel HM87 Express Chipset Mainboard
RAM / System Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 765M 2GB PCIe Video (NB-384-101)

Pros: Again good price and it has a 765M. Also looks to be a custom Clevo build. Looks less gaudy than most gaming notebooks.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/V-DAY_Fang_EVO_HX6
Fang EVO HX6
Price: $1025 (This one is on sale today only)
Specs:
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ Mobile Processor 2.40 GHz 6M Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 3.40 GHz
Motherboard: Mobile Intel HM87 Express Chipset Mainboard
RAM / System Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 765M 2GB PCIe Video (NB-FANG-501)
Hard Drive: 1 TB 5400RPM SATA300 Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198037
CyberpowerPC Fangbook Evo HX7-150 Notebook
(This one is $400 off on Newegg)
Price: $1,299.99
Specs:
Intel Core i7 4700MQ (2.40GHz)
16GB Memory 750GB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M
1920 x 1080
Windows 8 64-Bit
8x DVDRW Super Multi DRIVE

Pros: It's $400 off. It comes with a GTX770M, which is the most powerful card somewhat within my price range. (Maybe more future proof than my other suggestions). I can get it from Newegg, so probably faster shipping.
Cons: Price. While it's $400 off, it's slightly higher than what I want to spend. I'm wondering if the extra money for the 770M is worth it.
Also, it looks huge like it's a mobile missile launcher or something.

Again, apologies for the long post, but would appreciate any suggestions before I bite the bullet.
 
The SLI Lenovo is best bang for the buck. Keep in mind they run Super hot while gaming. If you don't care about cooling I say that's you're best bet.

The Cyberpower Fangbooks are rebadged MSI GT 's. Don't know much about them beyond that. They are certainly a sight for sore eyes.

One laptop you haven't considered that has marvelous reviews is the Asus N56 series. Packing 765m gpus in a slim form factor. Good specs and a good price at under $1100 on Newegg. Check those out before deciding.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Quoting myself from earlier in the thread, because I think I'm ready to make a decision but I don't want to put down a lot of money without asking laptop GAF's opinion. The last laptop I kind of purchased without doing a lot of research, so I want to make sure I do it right this time. I also want to make sure I get something that won't be outdated within a year. Apologies in advance for the super long post/wall of text.

Here are the choices I'm debating between:

I will just quote myself, because my answer to you is still the same.

Take the Lenovo, or a $1399 MSI GT70-2OC. Forget everything in between them.
 

X05

Upside, inside out he's livin la vida loca, He'll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca
K.Jack, any laptop bags you recommend (for 17.3 in particular)?
Probably very late, but for future reference I have this backpack and I love it. I have been using it to carry the laptop everyday for almost a year and no issue thus far, my 17.3'' Precision fits perfectly, there is space (and pockets) for quite a lot more stuff, the construction is solid, and it even has a weather cover.
 
So I eventually ordered the Dell Inspiron 7000. It's been sat in pre-production for a week of an ETA of 14 Febuary. I look today and suddenly it's the 21st of Febuary?

Three weeks to get a laptop shipped?!
 
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