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[KraftyKrankins]

Somehow managed to get temps of 87-91C down to 67-71C (using The Witcher 3 as reference as it gave the highest temps) on my Alienware 13 R3 OLED by keeping the bottom propped up (have the computer's sides resting on two books, vent area unobstructed) and undervolting the CPU by 50mV. Stock paste. CPU runs in the 80s, haven't seen it pass 86C. On latest NVIDIA drivers, also updated to W10 Creator's update. Really happy with the machine now.

Have you considered changing the paste? I had the exact same issue with my laptop(One of the Workstation models HP has) and I dropped 15-25C across the board by using IC Diamond 7 on it. Couldn't believe the difference. Here's my post in the other thread about it: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=234486561&postcount=10082

 

[Izuna]

Did it, getting a Skylake HP Omen 17 (1070)

I wanted Kabylake for 4K Netflix but I suppose its okay since this laptop will probably sell for more than I'm buying it for

It has 2x4 2400MHz RAM atm but I'll be swapping that out for 2x8. Hopefully the resell value on the 2x4 mitigates the cost for the upgrade.

I hate that the IO ports are trash, but by this point I'm fed up with finding a good deal on a 15R3

~~

In warranty, like new with a steam account I'm selling for about £100, and comes with a gaming mouse and barely used Xbox One S controller all for £1050+shipping

Been haggling with 4 sellers for over a week and it's finally time to accept the deal.

 

[Night.Ninja]

I have a question I know this is not a gaming laptop but I will be getting a Xiaomi mi notebook air 13 will it be able to play killer instinct?

Here the specs
Processor - Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3 GHz
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 940MX - 1024 MB, GDDR5, Nvidia Driver 369.09
Memory - 8192 MB , DDR4 2133 MHz, single-channel, firmly fitted

http://www.mi.com/en/mibookair/

 

[K.Jack]

I have a question I know this is not a gaming laptop but I will be getting a Xiaomi mi notebook air 13 will it be able to play killer instinct?

Here the specs
Processor - Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3 GHz
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 940MX - 1024 MB, GDDR5, Nvidia Driver 369.09
Memory - 8192 MB , DDR4 2133 MHz, single-channel, firmly fitted

http://www.mi.com/en/mibookair/

The 940MX is below the listed minimum Nvidia GPU, but that doesn't mean it won't run at all.

 

[Tripon]

If you're wondering how Razer is spending their money, they just spent some of their budget with putting two razer blades on the newest ep of Silicon Valley.

 

[nomis]

If you're wondering how Razer is spending their money, they just spent some of their budget with putting two razer blades on the newest ep of Silicon Valley.

And one in Fate of the Furious

 

[derFeef]

Why is that Lenovo Legion Y720 so ugly? that price would be tempting.

 

[darkside31337]

Country where it will be purchased. USA
Maximum budget.: $1000. Ideally closer to $800
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight).: 15 inches. Don't want something as heavy as my old laptop so 5~ pounds at most
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP.
Nothing crazy. Just looking to play at ok settings at 1080

Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.
Note: If you're from outside of North America, please provide links to a few of your countries laptop retailers.
The Dell Inspiron 5000 at best buy hits almost all of my boxes in terms of performance and specs... except the screen itself seems to be pretty bad? It just kind of looks like a cheap screen, the colors looked muted and washed when I looked at it in person.

 

[Tripon]

Country where it will be purchased. USA
Maximum budget.: $1000. Ideally closer to $800
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight).: 15 inches. Don't want something as heavy as my old laptop so 5~ pounds at most
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP.
Nothing crazy. Just looking to play at ok settings at 1080

Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.
Note: If you're from outside of North America, please provide links to a few of your countries laptop retailers.
The Dell Inspiron 5000 at best buy hits almost all of my boxes in terms of performance and specs... except the screen itself seems to be pretty bad? It just kind of looks like a cheap screen, the colors looked muted and washed when I looked at it in person.

I was in the market for something similar recently for my work laptop. I also looked at this year Inspirion, but when I found out it was a TN panel, I started to look elsewhere. Also, the base version is a mechanical Hard drive while I need and want a SSD.

There's several options, all with IPS displays, all with SSD as its base price.

Acer VX 15 base model - $800 (Acer Aspire VX5-591G-5652 15.6" Intel Core i5 7th Gen 7300HQ (2.50 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 8 GB Memory 256 GB SSD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit Gaming Laptop)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...ds-_-Acer+America-_-Gaming+Laptops-_-34315888

MSI GL62M 7RE-407 15.6" Performance Gaming Laptop Intel Core i5-7300HQ GTX 1050Ti 8GB DDR4 DRAM, 256GB SSD - $800

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NANL7ZK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Here's the 1050ti version for $50 more But with a mechanical hard drive. Not recommended, stay with SSDs.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6L9NJ9/?tag=neogaf0e-20

ASUS ZX53VW 15.6" Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA, GTX 960M 4GB, FHD, Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, Backlit keyboard, Microsoft signature image, Anti-Glare Matte Display. (Last gen CPU, and GPU, but bigger SSD than the others)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXCBXQO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Last year's Inspiron's

 

[Zoomed]

I was looking at the Dell Inspiron 7000s again after losing interest due to the crappy display. It looks like there is an option for an IPS display now that adds $49 to the price. Is this new? I don't remember this option when they first came came out. Does this upgrade make the display any better, or is it still lackluster?

Maybe my memory is bad, and this option has always been available.

 

[TeamLeftMatch]

So a few questions.
First there's a dell deal which gives a 12% off their laptops meaning I can get an Alienware 15 r3 with a 1070 for about £1600. Another question is that how much of a leap is 1070 compared to a 1060, would it be worth the jump when my current gaming laptop has 670M.

 

[Night.Ninja]

Any recommendations for a decent laptop that is thin light and can play games for under £600?

I was looking at the mi notebook just for the looks and its got decent specs

 

[Tripon]

Please, let us know what you think of the laptop.

I was able to get the Acer VX 15 version with the 1050 ti anyway, lol. The 1050 one apparently sold out, so my boss just ordered the closest version to it.

 

[Killer Queen]

So a few questions.
First there's a dell deal which gives a 12% off their laptops meaning I can get an Alienware 15 r3 with a 1070 for about £1600. Another question is that how much of a leap is 1070 compared to a 1060, would it be worth the jump when my current gaming laptop has 670M.

1070 is a fairly large jump over a 1060
Though either would shit all over your 670m considering these are fully fledged GPUs that are slightly under clocked, unlike GPUs followed by an "m" you're getting a desktop performance GPU. Just slightly underclocked, like 5% performance difference between a 10 series laptop GPU and it's desktop counterpart.

 

[j-wood]

I've been thinking of selling my gaming laptop (gs63-vr) and getting a MacBook. I really only use it to play diablo, and I have a new and powerful gaming desktop for that. Is there a site like swappa for selling laptops?

 

[K.Jack]

Country where it will be purchased. USA
Maximum budget.: $1000. Ideally closer to $800
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight).: 15 inches. Don't want something as heavy as my old laptop so 5~ pounds at most
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP.
Nothing crazy. Just looking to play at ok settings at 1080

Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.
Note: If you're from outside of North America, please provide links to a few of your countries laptop retailers.
The Dell Inspiron 5000 at best buy hits almost all of my boxes in terms of performance and specs... except the screen itself seems to be pretty bad? It just kind of looks like a cheap screen, the colors looked muted and washed when I looked at it in person.

MSI GL62M 7RE-407 15.6" Performance Gaming Laptop Intel Core i5-7300HQ GTX 1050Ti 8GB DDR4 DRAM, 256GB SSD - $800

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NANL7ZK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

A 1050 Ti and SSD, for $799, I can't think of a reason to not take this laptop..

I was looking at the Dell Inspiron 7000s again after losing interest due to the crappy display. It looks like there is an option for an IPS display now that adds $49 to the price. Is this new? I don't remember this option when they first came came out. Does this upgrade make the display any better, or is it still lackluster?

Maybe my memory is bad, and this option has always been available.

I'd just buy the above MSI.

So a few questions.
First there's a dell deal which gives a 12% off their laptops meaning I can get an Alienware 15 r3 with a 1070 for about £1600. Another question is that how much of a leap is 1070 compared to a 1060, would it be worth the jump when my current gaming laptop has 670M.

Not going to Google benchmarks for you, but I will recommend watching this Digital Foundry head to head.

I personally think the 1070 is worth it, for all of the times where you see the 1060 falling below 60fps.

The 1070's 20+ fps cushion means a lot for longevity.

Any recommendations for a decent laptop that is thin light and can play games for under £600?

I was looking at the mi notebook just for the looks and its got decent specs

I don't think you can beat those specs, without going up in price.

 

[Yagami_Sama]

Greetings,

I need a new PC, and I think that a gaming laptop will be the best choice for now.I am still planning to build a "high end Desktop" as a friend use to say. Anyway :

Country : USA (Amazon is my first option)
Maximum budget.: Ideally U$ 1.500,00 or a few hundreds more if it is worth the upgrade.
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight).: 15 inches. I think that 17 inches maybe a problem to carry.
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP.

Steam is my new arcade, so I will use to play Fighting games, Street Fighter V, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear and need to run the new Marvel Vs Capcom as high quality as possible.

Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.

I am looking for something that will last for a long time, since I mainly to play fighting games and watch some 4k stuff. I found two options :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K1INYD0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

and

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NALTGWN/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I appreciate all the help, one of the options above are great, but I can't decide between them, so all recommendations are welcome.

 

[Zoomed]

A 1050 Ti and SSD, for $799, I can't think of a reason to not take this laptop..



I'd just buy the above MSI.

One of the reviews for that amazon listing goes into pretty good detail about it being a TN display.

This Dell Inspiron has a 1050ti, 256 SSD, IPS display and is on sale fo $899 (was $949).

http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop/fncwf514s?selectionState=eyJGUHJpY2UiOjg5OS45OSwiT0MiOiJmbmN3ZjUxNHMiLCJRdHkiOjEsIk1vZHMiOlt7IklkIjo3NjAsIk9wdHMiOlt7IklkIjoiRkhETlQiLCJQcmljZSI6NTAuMH1dfSx7IklkIjo1NzIsIk9wdHMiOlt7IklkIjoiRkcwMDI4In1dfV19

Not trying to pimp the Dell, I just liked the notebookcheck review of this laptop other than the display. So if I can pay an extra $50 for a better display, I might bite.

 

[HF2014]

Country: Canada
Budget : 200-250$$ CND max ( dont mind used )
Planned usage: Something that will handle The Sims 4 ok, like 30fps maybe
Videocard: Would prefer if possible a Nvidia or ATI card,


Screen size, weight, battery life not that important. If it can run Sims 4 at 30 fps in 1366 x768, it will be more than enough. It can be an older model.

 

[madmook]

Hi all, ordered a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming (7567):
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop

It's been a long while since I've had a "gaming" laptop (Optimus wasn't around yet), so I got a question about that. I like to do clean Windows installs when I get a new laptop, so how does that work with Optimus? Do I just install both graphics drivers, and if so do I just download and use the latest ones available from both Intel and nVidia? Or do I have to use the ones provided directly by Dell?

 

[shockdude]

Hi all, ordered a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming (7567):
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop

It's been a long while since I've had a "gaming" laptop (Optimus wasn't around yet), so I got a question about that. I like to do clean Windows installs when I get a new laptop, so how does that work with Optimus? Do I just install both graphics drivers, and if so do I just download and use the latest ones available from both Intel and nVidia? Or do I have to use the ones provided directly by Dell?

Chances are the clean install will still install graphics drivers. Use DDU to uninstall the Nvidia driver and then the Intel driver.
With laptops, it's hit or miss on whether you can install Intel's graphics drivers from Intel's website. If you can, great. Otherwise, install the Intel drivers from Dell's website.
Then install the Nvidia drivers from Nvidia's site on top of the Intel drivers, and you should be good to go.

 

[Izuna]

These two people on eBay who failed to agree with the price I wanted to buy the laptops and they realise that no one else wants them, so now they are listed for under what I was offering: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DELL-Alie...820728?hash=item1ec5ef6a38:g:Av4AAOSwJ4hY-iiD

~~

Also, one dude who wanted to let his laptop go to last minute auction despite no bids instead of letting me pay for it asap and someone won with the minimum bid lol.

~~

I can't wait to get this HP Omen. Last computer I had was the Surface Book (950m like dGPU) so a 1070 should be a huge jump.

 

[K.Jack]

Greetings,

I need a new PC, and I think that a gaming laptop will be the best choice for now.I am still planning to build a "high end Desktop" as a friend use to say. Anyway :

Country : USA (Amazon is my first option)
Maximum budget.: Ideally U$ 1.500,00 or a few hundreds more if it is worth the upgrade.
Max size (can be in screen inches, dimensions, weight).: 15 inches. I think that 17 inches maybe a problem to carry.
Planned usage (what kind of games or specific games it must run, if heavily gaming at all). Ideally you'll point out what resolution and settings are your standard, based off of what I've laid out in the OP.

Steam is my new arcade, so I will use to play Fighting games, Street Fighter V, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear and need to run the new Marvel Vs Capcom as high quality as possible.

Whatever else you find relevant, misc. things such as desired battery life, screen resolution, fan noise, etc.
Note: If you're from outside of North America, please provide links to a few of your countries laptop retailers.

I am looking for something that will last for a long time, since I mainly to play fighting games and watch some 4k stuff. I found two options :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K1INYD0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

and

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NALTGWN/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I appreciate all the help, one of the options above are great, but I can't decide between them, so all recommendations are welcome.

Take the 120Hz G-Sync.

One of the reviews for that amazon listing goes into pretty good detail about it being a TN display.

This Dell Inspiron has a 1050ti, 256 SSD, IPS display and is on sale fo $899 (was $949).

http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop/fncwf514s?selectionState=eyJGUHJpY2UiOjg5OS45OSwiT0MiOiJmbmN3ZjUxNHMiLCJRdHkiOjEsIk1vZHMiOlt7IklkIjo3NjAsIk9wdHMiOlt7IklkIjoiRkhETlQiLCJQcmljZSI6NTAuMH1dfSx7IklkIjo1NzIsIk9wdHMiOlt7IklkIjoiRkcwMDI4In1dfV19

Not trying to pimp the Dell, I just liked the notebookcheck review of this laptop other than the display. So if I can pay an extra $50 for a better display, I might bite.

MSI's website says it's an IPS.

Country: Canada
Budget : 200-250$$ CND max ( dont mind used )
Planned usage: Something that will handle The Sims 4 ok, like 30fps maybe
Videocard: Would prefer if possible a Nvidia or ATI card,


Screen size, weight, battery life not that important. If it can run Sims 4 at 30 fps in 1366 x768, it will be more than enough. It can be an older model.

These are your options.

I have no recommendation.

I can't wait to get this HP Omen. Last computer I had was the Surface Book (950m like dGPU) so a 1070 should be a huge jump.

"Should be" hahhahaha

Welcome to the future.

 

[TeamLeftMatch]

1070 is a fairly large jump over a 1060
Though either would shit all over your 670m considering these are fully fledged GPUs that are slightly under clocked, unlike GPUs followed by an "m" you're getting a desktop performance GPU. Just slightly underclocked, like 5% performance difference between a 10 series laptop GPU and it's desktop counterpart.

Oh it definitely will destroy my gaming laptop. It's 3 years old so I've been meaning to find a replacement.

Not going to Google benchmarks for you, but I will recommend watching this Digital Foundry head to head.

I personally think the 1070 is worth it, for all of the times where you see the 1060 falling below 60fps.

The 1070's 20+ fps cushion means a lot for longevity

The longevity of the 1070 sounds like the spec I need for a 15 inch laptop. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it, but I have a follow-up question.

Whats the big difference for a refurbished laptop. I found a good well priced refurbished laptop off of Dell's official website and wondering how legit does dell refurbish then. I'm assuming really good but the price seems too good to be true with those specs.

 

[Izuna]

"Should be" hahhahaha

Welcome to the future.

stoked

Gotta upgrade to 16GB ram (or 32 if it supports it) so I can get my VMs going.

I'm just worried since I'm going 17"... Dunno if it's too large or not. Will find out tomorrow

 

[K.Jack]

The longevity of the 1070 sounds like the spec I need for a 15 inch laptop. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it, but I have a follow-up question.

Whats the big difference for a refurbished laptop. I found a good well priced refurbished laptop off of Dell's official website and wondering how legit does dell refurbish then. I'm assuming really good but the price seems too good to be true with those specs.

Well, a lot of people buy refurbs through the Dell warehouse, yet I've heard few complaints of their quality. These are usually just laptops which were purchased, then returned in the trial period.

The fact that they still come with a year's warranty, makes me feel okay with going that route.

stoked

Gotta upgrade to 16GB ram (or 32 if it supports it) so I can get my VMs going.

I'm just worried since I'm going 17"... Dunno if it's too large or not. Will find out tomorrow

You're going from a stripped down, mobile version of the GTX 460, to a GTX 1070. Prepare to be blown away.

As far as size, yes 17" is going to look a lot larger.

I was skeptical, when I first leapt, from 15" to 17", but now I can't go back.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

Just wanted to pop back in and offer my recent impressions; I've spent about a month each with the Razer Blade, Surface Book Perf Base, and Gigabyte Aero 14, and decided to stick with the Aero 14.

For context, my needs were something that was reasonably thin, light, could run current games very well at 1080p, and last a full day on battery at school. My typical workload when not gaming is a lot of chrome tabs, slack, multiple excel documents, PDFs, some web development. My last laptop lasted me over 9 years (2007 Macbook Pro), so I was willing to spend to get what I wanted.

The Blade had great build quality; no hardware issues with mine. I had the 6700hq, GTX 1060, 1080p version. Unfortunately, the fans were audible on idle, which was very distracting. (Supposedly, this is fixed with new firmware on the 7700hq version). Battery life, even with tweaks to voltage and power profiles, maxed out at about 4:30 though, which disqualified it for me. A shame, because I loved the keyboard, trackpad, connectivity, and design.

The Surface Book was a great machine. I won't go on about it here because so much has been written about it, but the build quality was great, pen was very useful for school, and battery life was about 13 hours. I just couldn't justify the price though, for the lack of future proofing (no USB C and no VR capabilities) and weaker GPU. Hopefully the sequel addresses this; that would be really compelling.

The Aero 14 has met my 2 chief needs really well. It's thin, light, reasonably subtle if you get the black version, has a 1060, and lasts 9 hours on battery. The keyboard and trackpad leave a bit to be desired, but swapping out the standard ELAN drivers for Windows Precision Drivers has helped tremendously. It was also the cheapest of the bunch by almost $400. No Thunderbolt 3 is a small nitpick, but I'm very happy with it so far.

 

[Tripon]

I was in the market for something similar recently for my work laptop. I also looked at this year Inspirion, but when I found out it was a TN panel, I started to look elsewhere. Also, the base version is a mechanical Hard drive while I need and want a SSD.

There's several options, all with IPS displays, all with SSD as its base price.

Acer VX 15 base model - $800 (Acer Aspire VX5-591G-5652 15.6" Intel Core i5 7th Gen 7300HQ (2.50 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 8 GB Memory 256 GB SSD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit Gaming Laptop)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...ds-_-Acer+America-_-Gaming+Laptops-_-34315888

MSI GL62M 7RE-407 15.6" Performance Gaming Laptop Intel Core i5-7300HQ GTX 1050Ti 8GB DDR4 DRAM, 256GB SSD - $800

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NANL7ZK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Here's the 1050ti version for $50 more But with a mechanical hard drive. Not recommended, stay with SSDs.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6L9NJ9/?tag=neogaf0e-20

ASUS ZX53VW 15.6" Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA, GTX 960M 4GB, FHD, Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, Backlit keyboard, Microsoft signature image, Anti-Glare Matte Display. (Last gen CPU, and GPU, but bigger SSD than the others)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXCBXQO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Last year's Inspiron's

https://us-store.acer.com/laptops/a...acer.com&utm_campaign=CLM&utm_medium=referral

Updating this post. The Acer VX 15 with a 1050 ti and 16 gigs of DDR4 ram is $899 with a storewide 10%, which knocks the price down to $809 ($90 off) with free ground shipping.

 

[TeamLeftMatch]

Well after all the help K.Jack gave, I....I....still need help


Country: UK
Maximum Budget: £1,500 but I can go a bit higher
Max Size:15 inch
Planned Usage: I want this laptop to last and be my primary gaming laptop so needing it to be running games at high or at least have it last with the newer releases.
Notes:
-1070 would be my preferred card to run
-1080p screens would be better than going 4K
-As much as it's hard to control having a more quieter fan would be better
Stores:
Amazon UK
PC Specialist(Note: I was able to configure a Definace III 15 inch for about £1539)
Cyper Power System (Note: Simillar to the Defiance III, I was able to configure a 15 inch 1070 laptop for about £1518)

That's probably the stores I know about. There are other websites but they are either expensive or don't have a good selection.

Thanks for all the help

 

[ZOONAMI]

https://us-store.acer.com/laptops/a...acer.com&utm_campaign=CLM&utm_medium=referral

Updating this post. The Acer VX 15 with a 1050 ti and 16 gigs of DDR4 ram is $899 with a storewide 10%, which knocks the price down to $809 ($90 off) with free ground shipping.

Man that is a tiny battery at least compared to my Alienware 13r3. I wouldn't think you'd get more than 3 hours even light use. Otherwise a very good deal.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Just wanted to pop back in and offer my recent impressions; I've spent about a month each with the Razer Blade, Surface Book Perf Base, and Gigabyte Aero 14, and decided to stick with the Aero 14.

For context, my needs were something that was reasonably thin, light, could run current games very well at 1080p, and last a full day on battery at school. My typical workload when not gaming is a lot of chrome tabs, slack, multiple excel documents, PDFs, some web development. My last laptop lasted me over 9 years (2007 Macbook Pro), so I was willing to spend to get what I wanted.

The Blade had great build quality; no hardware issues with mine. I had the 6700hq, GTX 1060, 1080p version. Unfortunately, the fans were audible on idle, which was very distracting. (Supposedly, this is fixed with new firmware on the 7700hq version). Battery life, even with tweaks to voltage and power profiles, maxed out at about 4:30 though, which disqualified it for me. A shame, because I loved the keyboard, trackpad, connectivity, and design.

The Surface Book was a great machine. I won't go on about it here because so much has been written about it, but the build quality was great, pen was very useful for school, and battery life was about 13 hours. I just couldn't justify the price though, for the lack of future proofing (no USB C and no VR capabilities) and weaker GPU. Hopefully the sequel addresses this; that would be really compelling.

The Aero 14 has met my 2 chief needs really well. It's thin, light, reasonably subtle if you get the black version, has a 1060, and lasts 9 hours on battery. The keyboard and trackpad leave a bit to be desired, but swapping out the standard ELAN drivers for Windows Precision Drivers has helped tremendously. It was also the cheapest of the bunch by almost $400. No Thunderbolt 3 is a small nitpick, but I'm very happy with it so far.

Damn, that thing does have a big battery.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Hi all, ordered a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming (7567):
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop

It's been a long while since I've had a "gaming" laptop (Optimus wasn't around yet), so I got a question about that. I like to do clean Windows installs when I get a new laptop, so how does that work with Optimus? Do I just install both graphics drivers, and if so do I just download and use the latest ones available from both Intel and nVidia? Or do I have to use the ones provided directly by Dell?

Use nvidia drivers from nvidia site. I think I have been using intel drivers provided by dell support website but I suppose I don't have to.

 

[DrAg0nBoY]

I have a really weird problem with my Lenovo Legion Y520 laptop and perhaps someone could tell me what it could be. The problem is with my keyboard after every computer restart. The buttons G, H and Fn do not work. I can press them as hard and as many times as I want and nothing happens. But after a time (don't really know why) they start work normaly and work till I restart my laptop again.

It is getting really anoying, seeing that the laptop is not really that old and I don't know where the problem could be. I guess it has to be some software issue, that something is blocking the buttons at windows startup? Could that be a possibility?

Dunno if anyone has an idea what the problem could be and how to solve this. Thanks.

Edit: Okay it's seems I am not the only one, meh. This seems to be the problem: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Gaming...ssed-when-nearby-surface-is/m-p/3635680#M5736

Now I only don't know if I should try to fix it myself or send it in, so that it gets fixed.

 

[Izuna]

I can't fucking believe how amazing this laptop is. The IO ports do suck, but the HP Omen 17 is amazing. This 1070 kicks some serious but, GSync is like lawd... and the fact that it's in basically new condition with a gaming mouse and controller for £1000... I feel like I won something.

The lights on the keyboard suck, it's a shame it can't be turned off but nevermind. I'll b e upgrading to 16GB 2400 RAM in about 2 weeks just to get that extra little performance. Without anything being done to the machine, I got ~4500 from 3DMark first run (no OC, no configs, nothing).

Surface Book is like 500-700 so...

17" is really fucking large, but it has its benefits

 

[Plum]

I can't fucking believe how amazing this laptop is. The IO ports do suck, but the HP Omen 17 is amazing. This 1070 kicks some serious but, GSync is like lawd... and the fact that it's in basically new condition with a gaming mouse and controller for £1000... I feel like I won something.

The lights on the keyboard suck, it's a shame it can't be turned off but nevermind. I'll b e upgrading to 16GB 2400 RAM in about 2 weeks just to get that extra little performance. Without anything being done to the machine, I got ~4500 from 3DMark first run (no OC, no configs, nothing).

Surface Book is like 500-700 so...

17" is really fucking large, but it has its benefits

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. Got two questions since I'm debating whether to get this or a refurbished Alienware 15:

1) Is the RAM easily upgradable? I simply can't go back to 8gb on my main gaming PC so I'll need to uograde straight away
2) How loud do the fans get? Could I drown it out with headphones at a decent volume? Is it loud enough to be heard through different rooms?

Answers would be much appreciated. I like the look of the AW15 but the smaller screen and lack of G-Sync make the Omen seem like a better purchase.

 

[Izuna]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. Got two questions since I'm debating whether to get this or a refurbished Alienware 15:

1) Is the RAM easily upgradable? I simply can't go back to 8gb on my main gaming PC so I'll need to uograde straight away
2) How loud do the fans get? Could I drown it out with headphones at a decent volume? Is it loud enough to be heard through different rooms?

Answers would be much appreciated. I like the look of the AW15 but the smaller screen and lack of G-Sync make the Omen seem like a better purchase.

RAM is easily upgradable, but you're likely to get 2x4 so you'll need to upgrade both modules.

The fans (when running 3DMark, since that's the only thing I've run besides CPU-Z benches) are moderate. I'd say it's about as loud as traffic gets with the windows closed. It doesn't bother at all.

I got the Amazon Basics stand and it's amazing. I can use it on the bed and stays completely stable. It helps with the cooling.

I've forced the CPU power state to be minimum 100% (removed the parking) when it is plugged into the mains, and the fans will go off occasionally even when browsing GAF.

Now, I would prefer 15", and the better I/O on the Alienware, so if you could afford it go for it ~~ but if the lack of Thunderbolt 3, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports don't bother you, then base your decision on whether or not you want GSync etc. (I think only the new 15R3s have them).

Personally, I would have loved the ability to stick an Optane module in this, but I got Skylake ;(


side-note, the power brick is really big, but it's flat so it's fine to just keep away

 

[Plum]

RAM is easily upgradable, but you're likely to get 2x4 so you'll need to upgrade both modules.

The fans (when running 3DMark, since that's the only thing I've run besides CPU-Z benches) are moderate. I'd say it's about as loud as traffic gets with the windows closed. It doesn't bother at all.

I got the Amazon Basics stand and it's amazing. I can use it on the bed and stays completely stable. It helps with the cooling.

I've forced the CPU power state to be minimum 100% (removed the parking) when it is plugged into the mains, and the fans will go off occasionally even when browsing GAF.

Now, I would prefer 15", and the better I/O on the Alienware, so if you could afford it go for it ~~ but if the lack of Thunderbolt 3, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports don't bother you, then base your decision on whether or not you want GSync etc. (I think only the new 15R3s have them).

Personally, I would have loved the ability to stick an Optane module in this, but I got Skylake ;(

side-note, the power brick is really big, but it's flat so it's fine to just keep away

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated! Good to hear that the RAM's easily upgradeable, another £100 should get me 2x8gb which is fine by me. After that I'll be replacing the HDD with a 1TB SSD I already have but that doesn't have to be done right away. Cooling sounds good, I'm going to be getting a laptop cooling stand anyway for mostly ergonomic reasons when it's sitting on my desk. I just didn't want something that would annoy my flatmates when playing games at 2AM.

The reason I'd prefer 17 inch is because the laptop's going to be more of a desktop replacement than anything I actually take out and about. For note-taking and essay-writing in university (which, as a business student, is all I really do) and the like I'm planning on buying either a cheap chromebook or Lenovo. This will, pretty much 90% of the time, be sat on my desk either at university or at home so a larger screen and in-built g-sync are actually a benefit to me. I'm switching from a Mini ITX PC to a Laptop so I can transport it back home without the need for a car and without worrying about potential damage along the way.

As for I/O, I've got a good powered USB 3.0 Hub and in terms of peripherals I'm rarely up-to-date so USB-C isn't an issue either; as long as it has enough built-in to support a mouse and keyboard I'm fine.

EDIT: None of the refurbished Alienware 15s I could find on eBay explicitly stated they had G-Sync which makes me believe they're the models that don't include that feature. G-Sync is amazing for me for longevity and I definitely can't afford a new 15 r3 or 17 r4 from Dell themselves.

 

[derFeef]

That Omen looks very good, sad there is no 15" 1060 version!
17" is going to be slightly too big for my usage

edit: wait, there is!
edit2: nope only 17"

 

[anddo0]

Acer showing off its new laptop line. The Triton 700 thin and lite looks like a winner.

Razer has new challenger, in fact the initial specs has it benchmarking way ahead in it's category.
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...tor-triton-700-thin-gaming-laptop-razer-blade

 

[Plum]

Just posting to say that you can save quite a lot on Skylake Alienware 13 and 15s until May 3rd if you're in the UK.

I've finally decided what to get and I'll be getting the one with a 1070, 120hz G-Sync screen and an i7 6700HQ. I'm getting it for £1,460 brand new with the price reduction on top of the £100 off deal they're doing right now. The difference between Skylake and Kaby Lake really doesn't seem big enough to justify spending so much extra on a newer CPU.

 

[X05]

Well, since Amazon decided not to like my CC, I can't the Aorus X5

Due to time constraints, would have to get something available from BestBuy (in Miami), so any 1070-equipped, non-tank (less than 9lb) machine that you would recommend from there?
Budget is around $2k.

 

[Dylan]

Grrrr...

Any steelseries keyboard users getting wonky functionality since the latest update?

Mine becomes totally unresponsive after returning from sleep mode; rebooting seems to be the only fix.

 

[Jeeves]

I need a laptop to replace this laptop (I bumped the memory up to 8GB on mine). Long story short, I'd love to keep using the same laptop but circumstances won't allow it. I'm looking to spend around the same money I spent on that laptop to get something that can match or exceed its performance.

Country: USA
Max Budget: In the neighborhood of $500, preferably lower.
Max size: 17" preferred, 15" is workable.
Planned usage: It's primarily going to be used to run Aion, which is a fairly old MMO. Medium graphics at least, doesn't have to be super high-res. It may also be used to play the odd modern indie game here or there.

I need it to have either 8GB RAM or an easily accessible RAM slot so I can upgrade it. So far I've been looking at stuff with dedicated graphics cards, but part of me wonders if integrated graphics have advanced to a point where they would meet my needs? Since I'm mainly using the laptop for an MMO, it needs to be able to keep up with displaying a lot of character models at once. What else...it needs to have numpad keys and three USB ports and preferably an SD card reader and an HDMI port.

I'm looking to make a purchase soon, but not right away unless I can pay in installments, so please keep that in mind if recommending something on sale. Thank you!

 

[Izuna]

HP Omen 17's screen is fine but the blacks are considerably crushed. I'm going to try calibrating it as much as I can. The colours are close enough that I don't mind.

 

[K.Jack]

PC Specialist(Note: I was able to configure a Definace III 15 inch for about £1539)
Cyper Power System (Note: Simillar to the Defiance III, I was able to configure a 15 inch 1070 laptop for about £1518)

That's probably the stores I know about. There are other websites but they are either expensive or don't have a good selection.

Thanks for all the help

Just pick one of those, I have little advice beyond that, if they are the same laptop just rebranded by two different firms.

I have a really weird problem with my Lenovo Legion Y520 laptop and perhaps someone could tell me what it could be. The problem is with my keyboard after every computer restart. The buttons G, H and Fn do not work. I can press them as hard and as many times as I want and nothing happens. But after a time (don't really know why) they start work normaly and work till I restart my laptop again.

It is getting really anoying, seeing that the laptop is not really that old and I don't know where the problem could be. I guess it has to be some software issue, that something is blocking the buttons at windows startup? Could that be a possibility?

Dunno if anyone has an idea what the problem could be and how to solve this. Thanks.

Edit: Okay it's seems I am not the only one, meh. This seems to be the problem: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Gaming...ssed-when-nearby-surface-is/m-p/3635680#M5736

Now I only don't know if I should try to fix it myself or send it in, so that it gets fixed.

A metal sheet interfering with the keyboard. Wow, I've never seen an issue like that in my life.

Acer showing off its new laptop line. The Triton 700 thin and lite looks like a winner.

Razer has new challenger, in fact the initial specs has it benchmarking way ahead in it's category.
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...tor-triton-700-thin-gaming-laptop-razer-blade

New challenger in idiocy, because putting the touchpad up by the screen is fucking bonkers.

The difference between Skylake and Kaby Lake really doesn't seem big enough to justify spending so much extra on a newer CPU.

It absolutely isn't.

Well, since Amazon decided not to like my CC, I can't the Aorus X5

Due to time constraints, would have to get something available from BestBuy (in Miami), so any 1070-equipped, non-tank (less than 9lb) machine that you would recommend from there?
Budget is around $2k.

Why did Amazon decline it? Can you contact support for help?

As far as Best Buy, the Alienware 15 and MSI GT62VR are your best options.

Grrrr...

Any steelseries keyboard users getting wonky functionality since the latest update?

Mine becomes totally unresponsive after returning from sleep mode; rebooting seems to be the only fix.

You talking, Steelseries in an MSI laptop?

I need a laptop to replace this laptop (I bumped the memory up to 8GB on mine). Long story short, I'd love to keep using the same laptop but circumstances won't allow it. I'm looking to spend around the same money I spent on that laptop to get something that can match or exceed its performance.

Country: USA
Max Budget: In the neighborhood of $500, preferably lower.
Max size: 17" preferred, 15" is workable.
Planned usage: It's primarily going to be used to run Aion, which is a fairly old MMO. Medium graphics at least, doesn't have to be super high-res. It may also be used to play the odd modern indie game here or there.

I need it to have either 8GB RAM or an easily accessible RAM slot so I can upgrade it. So far I've been looking at stuff with dedicated graphics cards, but part of me wonders if integrated graphics have advanced to a point where they would meet my needs? Since I'm mainly using the laptop for an MMO, it needs to be able to keep up with displaying a lot of character models at once. What else...it needs to have numpad keys and three USB ports and preferably an SD card reader and an HDMI port.

I'm looking to make a purchase soon, but not right away unless I can pay in installments, so please keep that in mind if recommending something on sale. Thank you!

It's possible an iGPU would be enough, but I'd be looking for something with a GT 940MX.

 

[TeamLeftMatch]

Just pick one of those, I have little advice beyond that, if they are the same laptop just rebranded by two different firms.

Oh my god, I just realised that they are the same brand. How did I not notice this! But yea might be a good option to make one. How's the fan noise and heat for the Sager laptops. If they're better than the Alienware 15 then I might just take up one of them. If not then getting an Alienware 15 would be the cheaper option, especially because I can get a 20% off a refurbished one.

 

[Dylan]

You talking, Steelseries in an MSI laptop?

Yup, I was prompted to apply an update a few days ago; though typing this post now is also post-sleep mode and it seems to be working. *shrug*

 

[X05]

Why did Amazon decline it? Can you contact support for help?

As far as Best Buy, the Alienware 15 and MSI GT62VR are your best options.

Amazon wasn't super clear (it was basically "it got declined for unknown reasons"), but since that's the same card I've been using there since forever, I'm guessing it was something to do with card limits.

BTW, I mentioned BestBuy because it's the only store I know of where a decent laptop could be picked up XD. But anyway, seems like the GT62VR is sold out in the BBs around there, so it the Alienware it is!

 

[K.Jack]

Oh my god, I just realised that they are the same brand. How did I not notice this! But yea might be a good option to make one. How's the fan noise and heat for the Sager laptops. If they're better than the Alienware 15 then I might just take up one of them. If not then getting an Alienware 15 would be the cheaper option, especially because I can get a 20% off a refurbished one.

Oh, well I would get the Alienware, if it's cheaper. I don't think youu'd be disappointed going either way, so you might as well save some money.

Yup, I was prompted to apply an update a few days ago; though typing this post now is also post-sleep mode and it seems to be working. *shrug*

Hmm I have the prompt to update to the 3.10.1 version of Steelserries Engine, right now.

Is that the one? I'll probably just ignore it then.

Amazon wasn't super clear (it was basically "it got declined for unknown reasons"), but since that's the same card I've been using there since forever, I'm guessing it was something to do with card limits.

BTW, I mentioned BestBuy because it's the only store I know of where a decent laptop could be picked up XD. But anyway, seems like the GT62VR is sold out in the BBs around there, so it the Alienware it is!

Yeah it could have tripped your fraud protection, which can be rectified by contacting the CC company, and telling them to clear any transaction that's about to be made. I had the same issue, when I was trying to purchase a Galaxy Note 7.

 

[Izuna]

Am I able to put 32GB RAM into my HP Omen 17?
A spreadsheet says only the the Kabylake supports it, but that can't be right... why would that be the case?

I want to go mental with VMs