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2016+ Gaming Laptop Thread: Embracing Pascal's Wafer (Please Read OP)
- Thread starter K.Jack
- Start date
Yeah that's not normal at all. What are your temperatures? VSync?
Awesome, thanks. Great description for Ultra+.
There are a few consistency issues in the wording and formatting, but nbd.
Should the CPU section be updated as well? If only to set a few things straight like the dual-core nature of the U processors, the difference between an i5 and i7 (hyperthreading, slightly higher clock speed, not much else), and the difference between different CPU generations (better battery life, slightly better performance, not much else). Also maybe a minor note on desktop CPUs in laptops.
Point those out to me, when you have the time. I'm kept up at night by poor wording.
Yeah I need to take a look at the CPU section. Will do that in the morning. All suggestions are always welcome.
Secret Fawful
Member
They say 5-12 days for the laptop, but they also added on an extra 5-12 because of the graphic wrap. It hasn't shipped yet and I ordered it yesterday, so I don't expect to see it for a couple of weeks.
I've corrected the formatting as follows:
Looking at these rankings really makes you realize how insane the jump from Maxwell to Pascal is, and how underserved the Medium & High market is right now.
Edit: We also don't have any recent info for AMD at the moment, both CPU and GPU-wise. Welp.
I've been researching my laptop purchase for the past month. I saw lots of YouTube videos, read lots of reviews, but still undecided. I hope I can get some advice in here.
Country where it will be purchased: Kuwait (though I can order from Amazon US and Amazon UK). Popular Kuwaiti stores: blink.com.kw, xcite.com, q8quadra.com.
Maximum budget: $2000~3000 (flexible)
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight): between 12 and 15 inch. If 15, something that's compact like the XPS 15. Weight: below 1.9kg, preferably below 1.5kg.
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). I have a 1440p GTX 1080 desktop machine at home, so the laptop would be mainly for Adobe Lightroom (which is an insanely unoptimized app) plus some gaming. I'm coming from a Retina MacBook Pro 13", which is a great machine with fantastic battery life and weight, but I would love to be able to run some games when I'm out (I travel frequently). Civ 6, Stellaris, indies. 1080p 60fps would be great. No need for 2K / 4K resolutions at all. Also wanna play Forza Horizon 3 on the go, but I know I'll have to lower the settings if I want a good frame rate.
Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.: 16GB RAM, M.2 SSD, FHD display (no 4K). Do I need i7? Not sure here...
As an aside: I've been using my iPad Pro daily at work and the battery life is (expectedly) insanely good. It lasts two days of constant usage and YouTube videos, etc. I know I can't ask for this performance, but just saying that good battery life has vastly improved my experience at work. My rMBP 13" is pretty good, so having something close to it that can also run some of the games I want would be amazing, though I know that running a game would immediately impact battery life. I also prefer not to carry mouse (as the MacBooks have the best trackpads I've used) so I wonder if there's a Windows laptop that has excellent, no-compromises trackpad.
These are the options that I'm looking at:
Lighter laptops: Dell XPS 13, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (or 5 - I can wait): I know these won't be running games at a good frame rate. Just wondering how good the Surface Pro 4 can run Civ 6.
Heavier laptops: Dell XPS 15, Razer Stealth, Razer Blade. Obviously the Blade (with the 1060) is the best gaming option here, but I'm concerned about battery life and weight.
Country where it will be purchased: Kuwait (though I can order from Amazon US and Amazon UK). Popular Kuwaiti stores: blink.com.kw, xcite.com, q8quadra.com.
Maximum budget: $2000~3000 (flexible)
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight): between 12 and 15 inch. If 15, something that's compact like the XPS 15. Weight: below 1.9kg, preferably below 1.5kg.
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). I have a 1440p GTX 1080 desktop machine at home, so the laptop would be mainly for Adobe Lightroom (which is an insanely unoptimized app) plus some gaming. I'm coming from a Retina MacBook Pro 13", which is a great machine with fantastic battery life and weight, but I would love to be able to run some games when I'm out (I travel frequently). Civ 6, Stellaris, indies. 1080p 60fps would be great. No need for 2K / 4K resolutions at all. Also wanna play Forza Horizon 3 on the go, but I know I'll have to lower the settings if I want a good frame rate.
Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.: 16GB RAM, M.2 SSD, FHD display (no 4K). Do I need i7? Not sure here...
As an aside: I've been using my iPad Pro daily at work and the battery life is (expectedly) insanely good. It lasts two days of constant usage and YouTube videos, etc. I know I can't ask for this performance, but just saying that good battery life has vastly improved my experience at work. My rMBP 13" is pretty good, so having something close to it that can also run some of the games I want would be amazing, though I know that running a game would immediately impact battery life. I also prefer not to carry mouse (as the MacBooks have the best trackpads I've used) so I wonder if there's a Windows laptop that has excellent, no-compromises trackpad.
These are the options that I'm looking at:
Lighter laptops: Dell XPS 13, Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (or 5 - I can wait): I know these won't be running games at a good frame rate. Just wondering how good the Surface Pro 4 can run Civ 6.
Heavier laptops: Dell XPS 15, Razer Stealth, Razer Blade. Obviously the Blade (with the 1060) is the best gaming option here, but I'm concerned about battery life and weight.
From the ones that I've seen, the new Razer Blade seems to be the best looking so far. Good battery, good thinness (0.71 inch, like rMBP) and weight (1.9kg), and imo massively better aesthetics. I'm not big on the Razer logo, but I think that you can turn its lights off.
UltraGunner
Banned
Bummer, looks like the price drop for the Sager's was temporary. But all their 1080 laptops now come with 1440p 120hz panels as default which is cool I guess.
Wow. I just finished reading the entire thread and there is no doubt about it, the GS63VR is LOUD and that alone has stopped me considering purchasing the laptop. Granted, I won't be playing much games but the CPU will be clocked up high when it comes to rendering and editing via Adobe and 3D rendering packages.
This is tough for I really don't know what to do now. I was thinking of getting the ASUS GL502 with 1070 gpu but there is none with a 4K screen. Someone said there is one with a 4K screen but according to amazon and Asus own site, none exist.
Can anyone recommend me an alternative laptop to the MSI GS63? It needs to have a lovely 4K screen, 512gb Samsung 950, 1TB HDD, at least a gtx1060, 32gb and do not cost more than $2,700?
Can you adjust the keyboard colors? I don't think he wants a rainbow there.
And I'm also not sure if he'd want one that's not locally bought or without an english/Arabic keyboard.
Is there anything inherently wrong with this laptop? For the price it seems to be an excellent value. Looks like you could get 30 fps @ medium settings for just about every major release...which is pretty impressive for $700+
jedmaxwell
Member
In a similar boat to you. I've had two Dell XPS 15 FHD and the screen was darker/cooler on the left than the right on both machines. Did think about the UHD but then there seems to be issues with that too. Only need 16Gb RAM though.
I thought the Dell XPS 15 suppose to have the cream of the crop screen panels? Shocking to hear that the screen calibration is that bad. Is that across the board or coincidently your case?
From my research, the GS63 screen has black level issues (not showing true black), and that's painful because I would need the screen with great quality for 4K colour correction.
I seriously do not know what to do. About 30mins ago, I was going to jump the plunge and just purchase the laptop for I was really convinced to buy it, but then I saw a youtuber mentioned about them selling their own GS63 laptop after recently giving it a good review. That made me put on the breaks again with conviction for not to purchase the laptop.
None the less, IS THERE ANYONE HERE that owns a MSI GS63VR or GS73VR Stealth 4K? I really would love to hear your full opinion of this laptop. I want to decide once and for all whether I should purchase this machine or not. $2800 is A LOT of money and I want this laptop to last for a long time, so I don't want to needlessly spend the money for the sake of it.
EDIT - I found this review of the GS63VR and I think it's excellent! From the DB test, providing gaming is NOT your primary reason for using this laptop, the GS63VR seems like a solid bet providing you go with the 4K screen. The problem, however, is the battery, it's painfully short lived and for myself spending over $2700 for this machine, I am again in a pickle of whether to purchase it or not:
http://www.ultrabookreview.com/12557-msi-gs63vr-review/
jedmaxwell
Member
I thought that too so maybe it was a dodgy batch at PC World (UK). Basically the left side of the screen was cool and slightly darker whereas the right side was slightly red. This looked worse after calibration with a Spyder 4. I know IPS panels get that "glow" but my Dell U2412M monitor is spot on. I went with the FHD as the whitepoint on the UHD was getting on for 7500K but I might look into it again.
A refresh of the XPS 15 with 1050 and decent screen would be ideal as it's a lovely looking machine...oh and maybe a material that was less of a fingerprint magnet!
Good luck with your search Trojan X
You can customize the colors (I have a Razer keyboard and I set it to white). Unfortunately Razer doesn't offer an option for Arabic keyboards. I memorized the Arabic keys myself but I realize people need them.
Temps are in the 70's and low 80s while playing games. Not sure about vsync. I leave it on typically for single player games only. No troubleshooting done yet. Dunno what to even do. Someone suggested an ssd will fix it. I'm reluctant to invest more into this thing
illusionary
Member
If I can make a suggestion, might it be worth including the GTX 965M, in both the ranking section and the desktop equivalents? I do realise, though, that it's a less common card than the 960M and 970M.
Also, a really minor thing, but there's a stray "]" before "Medium" in the rankings section.
Tony Iron Man Stark
Banned
Completely wrong thread, sorry
SwiftDeath
Member
Have you thought about getting stickers to apply yourself?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018RFC9I0/?tag=neogaf0e-20
I realize it is less than ideal but it's an option at least.
Done and done, thanks.
Yeah I keep looking at the AMD list. Seems so long ago, that the 6970M was crushing the scene. Then the 7970M dropped, with the horrible Enduro issues, then Pitcairn and Bonaire showed up again, and again, and again. I stopped updating that section when they kept rebranding the same desktop cards so many times in a row. Fiji never came mobile, for some inexplicable reason. There was the Tonga based R9 M295X, but it was in like zero laptops.
Now, they are doing a mobile RX 470, which will be an option in the new Alienwares, but who would take that over a GTX 1060? Polaris simply has no fight against Pascal.
I plan to do a new thread, when Vega and Volta drop. Will AMD bring Vega and HBM2 mobile, though? Million dollar question right there.
You're definitely a good candidate, to join the 'Holding out for the GTX 1050 Club'.
The Razer Stealth isn't going to play Forza at any level, so it seems you do need a dGPU.
The 960M is a GTX 750 Ti. Is that good enough for your needs?
Where is "here", again? You've answered this a million times, sorry.
Is there a Clevo reseller, at all?
The GS63 been professionally measured at 45dB under full gaming load. To be honest, you're going to end up very disappointed if you expect to find any slim factor gaming laptop, that's quieter. In comparison, the Macbook Pro (2015) hits 46db, the XPS 15 reaches 47.5db, the Lenovo Y50 is at 47.6db, while the Razer Blade 14 w/ GTX 970M smashes all competitors at an amazing 59dB peak.
It comes with the territory.
Oh and the GL502 w/ 1070 maxes at 51dB, and gets super hot, can't maintain the full boost speed of the i7-6700HQ.
Done. I had it there before I started formatting, oops.
If someone other than Alienware picks it's up it would in theory be competing more with a 1050 than 1060, and an external freesync monitor instead of gsync could make it have a possible use case
Edit: Just noticed the model I configured is very out of stock, nvm.
I was able to configure a Sager NP8153-S on XoticPC with the specs you requested for $2200, except it also has a GTX1070.
Since you're doing actual professional work, I even dug around and I'm pretty (not completely) certain the display covers 96% sRGB. Edit: Panel is a Samsung LTN156FL02-L01 according to NotebookReview Forums.
But yeah the battery life won't be great. You're not ever gonna get good battery life at this graphical level unless you splurge on a professional-level workstation.
Temps for the CPU, GPU, or both?
Check your VSync settings, make sure they're enabled in-game.
Install MSI Afterburner and use it to check your frametimes.
MSI Afterburner comes with RivaTuner Statistics Server; use that to set an FPS limit of 60.
Saudi Arabia.
Got the Shakes
Member
The 17" Alienwares are up for order.
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-17-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC
And so are the 15"
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-15-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC
Edit: While I thought they were sort of competitively priced, the FHD screens don't have G-Sync for some stupid reason. Looks like that GT62VR from MSI is going to be my purchase.
Edit 2: I spoke with customer care and they don't offer anything with G-Sync right now even though they announced them.
Edit 3: Just placed an order with Gentech for a GT62VR. Got a free IC Diamond thermal paste upgrade and an edu discount. Came out to under $1700 shipped. Not sure I can find a better value out there.
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-17-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC
And so are the 15"
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-15-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC
Edit: While I thought they were sort of competitively priced, the FHD screens don't have G-Sync for some stupid reason. Looks like that GT62VR from MSI is going to be my purchase.
Edit 2: I spoke with customer care and they don't offer anything with G-Sync right now even though they announced them.
Edit 3: Just placed an order with Gentech for a GT62VR. Got a free IC Diamond thermal paste upgrade and an edu discount. Came out to under $1700 shipped. Not sure I can find a better value out there.
HF2014
Member
Need a recommandation for a gaming lap for about $1000-1200 CND.Id like to have SSD included of 256gb. It doesnt need to be high end eith the 1080 series, a 9 series coudl do a job and be an improvment over my alienware m14x r2 which come with a 650m. A 1920 screen is also what im seeking to improve. I just want a better Diablo 3 experience.
Also would love a well build brand, in term of build quality, i feel my alienware, even if heavy, is build like a rock. I seen one, which is out of stock, on microsoft store, made by acer, but im not sure about build quality.
Also would love a well build brand, in term of build quality, i feel my alienware, even if heavy, is build like a rock. I seen one, which is out of stock, on microsoft store, made by acer, but im not sure about build quality.
Some of the Sata ssd look bare(green and black chips visible), but others are ina black case. Both say internal. Which do I need?
SwiftDeath
Member
The GT62VR is fantastic value and a good brand for reliability and warranty [although warranty may be somewhat country dependent]
Regarding Alienware it's clear they care about Gysnc screen offerings
From one of the marketing sections of the 15" page
Only screens being offered are normal FHD and UHD both 300 Nit so a 3rd option is going to pop at some point, probably delayed due to Nvidia certifying them or something like that.
Other interesting factoids about the 15" from what I saw
- 2 DDR4 slots for max of 32GB
- 2 M.2 PCIE slots
- 1 2.5" HDD slot
- 25.4 mm thick
- Only offering Killer Network Wifi cards for some reason
- 1 Thunderbolt™ 3 Port (USB Type-C™ with support for SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 40Gbps Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort)
Got the Shakes
Member
My GT62VR will be here Thursday.
I'm not saying they don't care about G-Sync, just not sure why they don't have a FHD offering at launch. Seems like every other manufacturer does. The 120Hz screens are supposed to be available in mid November for what it's worth.
Hello, I'm not an expert with laptops, I'm really confused, don't know what to purchase, would like to have your advices. Thank you.
Country where it will be purchased : Belgium
Maximum budget: 700-800 max
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight): not important
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all): confortable with big games but not necessarily at max
Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP: just enough to run big games at 1080p without max setting.
Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc. : the autonomy is not so important, I don't use laptops outside a lot and bigger screen size is appreciated
Note: If you're from outside of North America, please provide links to a few of your countries laptop retailers.
http://www.ldlc.be/informatique/ordinateur-portable/pc-portable/c4265/
http://www.materiel.net/pc-portable/
http://www.pixmania.be/fr/informatique/ordinateur-portable/pc-portable-12021-s.html
I just received an email from a retailer, they are currently selling recondionned laptops, don't know if it's a good idea, I leave the links here http://www.rueducommerce.fr/selection/34046#xtor=EPR-9-
thank you for your help
Country where it will be purchased : Belgium
Maximum budget: 700-800 max
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight): not important
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all): confortable with big games but not necessarily at max
Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP: just enough to run big games at 1080p without max setting.
Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc. : the autonomy is not so important, I don't use laptops outside a lot and bigger screen size is appreciated
Note: If you're from outside of North America, please provide links to a few of your countries laptop retailers.
http://www.ldlc.be/informatique/ordinateur-portable/pc-portable/c4265/
http://www.materiel.net/pc-portable/
http://www.pixmania.be/fr/informatique/ordinateur-portable/pc-portable-12021-s.html
I just received an email from a retailer, they are currently selling recondionned laptops, don't know if it's a good idea, I leave the links here http://www.rueducommerce.fr/selection/34046#xtor=EPR-9-
thank you for your help
Aztechnology
Member
Asking for a buddy who's decided to join my group in PC gaming, albeit on a laptop due to moving around a lot.
Country where it will be purchased: United States
Maximum budget: $1200
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight): Up to 17", probably better to aim for 15"
Planned usage: Console level IQ medium-medium high @1080p 30 is fine, 60 is preferred, hoping for 60 for easier titles like Overwatch. General usage like surfing, videos etc. From what I understand he's generally going to be using it for gaming at home, occasionally for work or otherwise. Has to have HDMI out as he will probably be playing on the couch, with laptop hooked to TV. (Yes I have told him you can build a small form factor gaming PC that's easily transportable when he moves. He's dead set and I'm just happy he's going to be playing games on PC with us.)
Additional Notes: I'd really prefer to try and find him a laptop with a 1060. I've looked into some Sager notebooks for him, but I'm not sure if there's any good deals going on right now that can get him a little more bang for buck.
Country where it will be purchased: United States
Maximum budget: $1200
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight): Up to 17", probably better to aim for 15"
Planned usage: Console level IQ medium-medium high @1080p 30 is fine, 60 is preferred, hoping for 60 for easier titles like Overwatch. General usage like surfing, videos etc. From what I understand he's generally going to be using it for gaming at home, occasionally for work or otherwise. Has to have HDMI out as he will probably be playing on the couch, with laptop hooked to TV. (Yes I have told him you can build a small form factor gaming PC that's easily transportable when he moves. He's dead set and I'm just happy he's going to be playing games on PC with us.)
Additional Notes: I'd really prefer to try and find him a laptop with a 1060. I've looked into some Sager notebooks for him, but I'm not sure if there's any good deals going on right now that can get him a little more bang for buck.
I think I'm leaning towards this one as it seems an incredible bang for your buck https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
For anyone that owns it, a) is it difficult to upgrade the ram and install a HDD and b) are there particular ram and HDD that are compatible with this machine and one's that are not? Thank you in advance... I'm incredibly dumb when it comes to this.
For anyone that owns it, a) is it difficult to upgrade the ram and install a HDD and b) are there particular ram and HDD that are compatible with this machine and one's that are not? Thank you in advance... I'm incredibly dumb when it comes to this.
You're going to need a quad core, and a GTX 960M, which is over your budget. This is the cheapest I saw.
This is the cheapest laptop with a 1060.
It's this simple.
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed.
Hmm, waiting for a 1050 is a good option. It'll definitely shed some of the weight off, something I'm sensitive about. The new Razer Blade seems great (the FHD GTX 1060 model) but now I'm tempted to wait. I'm thinking that the GTX 750Ti will struggle with new games, and would only get worse in the next 2~4 years while I have the laptop.
SwiftDeath
Member
Samsung's announced a new line-up of M.2 NVME SSDs releasing in October
http://www.pcgamer.com/samsungs-blazing-fast-960-pro-and-960-evo-nvme-ssds-deliver-on-capacity-too/
960 Pro 2TB: $1,299
960 Pro 1TB: $629
960 Pro 512GB: $329
960 Evo 1TB: 479
960 Evo 500GB: $249
960 Evo 250GB: $129
Pro line item getting 1TB and 2TB options. still with the crazy speed as well as a new line of Evo NVME M.2 SSDs supposedly with better speeds then the current 950 Pros at a cheaper price.
Think the 1TB Evo might be the sweet spot for me if I was so inclined.
http://www.pcgamer.com/samsungs-blazing-fast-960-pro-and-960-evo-nvme-ssds-deliver-on-capacity-too/
960 Pro 2TB: $1,299
960 Pro 1TB: $629
960 Pro 512GB: $329
960 Evo 1TB: 479
960 Evo 500GB: $249
960 Evo 250GB: $129
Pro line item getting 1TB and 2TB options. still with the crazy speed as well as a new line of Evo NVME M.2 SSDs supposedly with better speeds then the current 950 Pros at a cheaper price.
Think the 1TB Evo might be the sweet spot for me if I was so inclined.
Got the Shakes
Member
I waited 3 weeks from the announcement of their new laptops to see the pricing. I wanted to give them my money, but not having G-Sync absolutely killed any chance of that. Having to wait until mid November and then pay a premium to get a G-Sync screen was a non-starter for me. Bought a GT62VR for under $1700 and it will be here Thursday. To get a laptop with similar specs from Alienware would have been like $500 more.
These prices seem opposite of where the market isi headed. I know they're NVME, but damn.
Look up GTX 750 Ti benchmarks, because it's the same card.
I can get the newer tech screens (like the 1440p/120Hz) need certification, but not even having G-Sync ready on the standard 1080p/60Hz screens is ridiculous.
Definitely let us know how the GT62VR feels.
I'm thinking of ordering a new Razer Blade from HIDEvolution, but I want to upgrade the ssd to a larger and faster m.2 drive, which they have options for on their website. I would like to have a recovery partition on the new drive still. Does anyone who has experience ordering from them know if they replace the drive, if they will recreate a recovery partition, like what comes from the factory? Or am I SOL for a partition?
Got the Shakes
Member
Yeah. Like I said had they had 1080/60 screens with G-Sync I would have seriously considered Alienware.
I'll let you guys know what I think of the GT62VR for sure. Question for anyone with an MSI laptop. I know that I want to uninstall Norton ASAP, what else should I be getting rid of along with Norton?
The Norton trials are the only true "bloatware" on the machines. MSI's software apps pretty much stay out of the way.
Got the Shakes
Member
Ok, thanks. So stuff like Dragon Center and Nahimic are fine to keep and just let them do their thing?
Would you notice a difference, TN or IPS?
Dragon Center is essential, especially as the new one lets you create fan profiles.
Nahimic? Might as well mess around in it a bit, to see if it hurts or helps the SQ. I know a lot of people uninstall it.
http://www.pcgamer.com/asus-rog-gl702-vr-gaming-laptop-starting-at-1399/
Do they really have "REPUBLIC OF GAMERS" written below the screen?
That's such a deal breaker. The ninja thing is bad enough.
Edit:
How long do you think I would have to wait to get something like this at $1500 CAD?
Do they really have "REPUBLIC OF GAMERS" written below the screen?
That's such a deal breaker. The ninja thing is bad enough.
Edit:
How long do you think I would have to wait to get something like this at $1500 CAD?
ss_lemonade
Member
Nahimic caused some issues for me with some apps. An example is if you use Unity, the UI can get corrupted and I found out that having Nahimic installed caused it. Not sure if that's been fixed already, and if there are other programs affected by it.