Now i need laptop, options and right direction...

MrGuvernment

MrGuvernment

Fully [H]
Joined
Aug 3, 2004
Messages
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Basically it is renovation time on the house so my office will become our new kitchen and later a new office made.

So with that i think i may finally want a laptop to use..i have always been a desktop guy but i don't upgrade much anymore, i just sell the entire rig and build new, so i think i could handle a laptop for a while.

This is the desktop i am coming from which has suited me fine for what i do lately

  • - Intel Core-i5 3350P Quad-Core Processor 3.1 Ghz 6 MB Cache LGA 1155
  • - Gigabyte Intel H77 LGA1155 AMD CrossFireX HDMI/DVI Dual UEFI BIOS
  • - Kingston 8Gig of DDR3 Dual Channel Memory 2 x 4Gig Sticks
  • - AMD Radeon 5770 1G card with modded 80mm Fan - stays quiet!
  • - Crucial M500 240G SSD (2 weeks old)
  • - Dell 50G Enterprise SSD- Sapphire
  • - Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Modular
  • - Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723030ALA640 - Hard Drive - 3 TB
  • - Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch
  • - LG 22inch 1080 LCD with DVI / VGA
  • - Dell U2412M monitor (keeping this)
  • - Lian Li PC-C32 case with 3 new fans added
  • -- 2 of Cougar Vortex HDB 120mm Case Fan
  • -- BitFenix BFF-BLF-12025O-RP Spectre 120mm LED Case Fan, Orange


So i have narrowed it down, i think until i find another one i like, based on

  • 15-15.6 Screen size 1080 res
  • GTX 765M 2Gig video card or equivalent AMD
  • Prefered Intel i7 quad
  • 8Gig of Ram
  • Harddrive is not relevant really as i will take the included drive move it to a ext USB enclosure and install an SSD i buy separately
  • - BR drive would be nice but not needed

Now these are the ones i have narrowed it down too after almost a week of checking over and over and over again. I was looking at one MSI one with an AMD x290M, but it had the AMD A 5750 CPU and a review stated that the CPU power was about equal to an Intel i3 2250 i think it was.... which i really do not want.

My use for this system will be multitasking , such as gaming:

Source Engine games
League of Legends
World of War Tanks
Civilization Series
possible Bf4 one of these years
i do not play many new top titles, but would like to if i decide to.

1 or 2 virtual machines, a lot of web browsing and plenty of tabs open..skype , music

MSI Series - i have heard some people have issues with the steelseries keyboards not being good in that you have to hit the keys dead on middle for them to register or random keys stop working - this worries me...otherwise i like the weight and looks.

Asus - the ROG line is nice, but i am not sure if i want such a "obvious gamer looking laptop" , the ASUS N56JR-EH7 is nice, but only has a 760 2Gig.

Gigabyte - the p35k looked perfect but then reports of stores being sold laptops that were bent and also the case material is cheap and plastic and bends easily...reports from UK / USA and Australia most say wait for a 2nd revision.

Since i live in Costa Rica i don't want the main worry for me to be if it will come damaged, so Gigabyte seem's our of the question for sure...

My picks so far i would like some feed back on from the pros or other suggestions.
Where i can buy it from is semi limited, newegg is out of the question, Mainly Amazon and directron.com but XoticPC does do price matching..

ASUS N56JR-EH71 - $1,278.00 Amazon - only has the GTX 760M and people say the 765m is a nice boost..I love the look of this one mainly.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I2U62O8...UTF8&colid=272J4KEPRCGJ&coliid=I2B10JQ0CT1UEK

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


  • 4th Generation Intel® Haswell CoreTM i7-4700HQ (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache)
  • 12GB DDR3 1600MHz (Dual Channel Memory (1x4GB + 1x8GB SODIMMS))
  • 15.6" FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Anti-Glare Matte Type Screen / NVIDIA® GeForceTM GTX 760M (2.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 w/ OptimusTM Technology
    [*]250GB Samsung 840 Evo Solid State Drive (Read 540MB/s - Write 410MB/s (SSD - SATA III)) Upgraded by Xotic PC /
  • ]8x Super Multi DVDRW/CDRW Combo Drive (Dual Layer w/ Software)
  • Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card /
  • WINDOWS 8 - 64-Bit (Pre-Installed) /
    [*]1 Year ASUS GLOBAL OEM Warranty 24/7 Support
  • 1 Year North America (N.A.) Accidental Coverage (Accidental Requires Registration)

MSI Computer Corp. MSI GE60 2OE-003US - $1,099
It has what i want, will need to change out the HD to an SSD and the worry about quality of the keyboard.It is not overly flashy but has the GTX765M

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CU9GKTO...UTF8&colid=272J4KEPRCGJ&coliid=I35S6RJDIV53BT

  • 15.6 inches 1920 x 1080
  • Intel Core i7-4700MQ
  • 8 GB DDR3
  • NVIDIA Geforce GTX765M 2Gig
  • 750 GB SATA
  • 802.11bgn
  • DVD SuperMulti

then these ones, but now their $100 is over and the SAGER NP8265-S wont be in until mid march :(

bCGCbqC.jpg



Sager NP8255 - $1,389.00 - XoticPC

bad part about Xotic is the Domestic support only and not sure if they will take my CC but may be able to buy via Amazon.

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8255-clevo-p157sm-eta-midmarch-p-5839.html

  • 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4700MQ (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache
  • IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU ( + 35 )
    [*]NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 770M (3.0GB)
  • 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
  • FREE UPGRADE! - 1TB 5400RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s]
  • 8X Super Multi DVDRW/CDRW Combo Drive (Sager) (Dual Layer w/ Software)
  • Intel® Dual Band AC 7260 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0
  • Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard

I am still looking at options but anyone has feedback or experience with these models / companies let me know . (i know Asus RMA sucks already)
 
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This is the AMD rig the price is dam right but i am worried about the CPU performance on it....and finding a reliable seller...

http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=443

XoticPC for $1352.18 with a BR drive and 12G of memory and Intel® Dual Band AC 7260 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth 4.0 / WiDi | Up to 300/867Mbps (2x2)
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gx60-destroyer-gx6036cc280us-p-6902.html


GX60 Destroyer-280 - $1100 to $1300
  • • Windows 8.1
  • • AMD® A10-5750M Quad-Core Processor (2.5GHz - 3.5GHz, 32nm, 4MB cache, 35W) (SKU – X2X322)
  • • 15.6" Full HD Anti-Reflective Display (16:9; 1920 x 1080)
  • • AMD Radeon™ R9-M290X 2GB GDDR5
  • • AMD Eyefinity Technology
  • • Full Color Programmable Backlit Keyboard by SteelSeries
  • • 1TB (7200RPM)
  • • 8GB DDR3 1600MHz System Memory
  • • Killer™ E2200 Game Networking
  • • USB 3.0 x 3, USB 2.0 x 1
  • • VGA, HDMI, mDP
  • • DVD Super Multi
  • • Built-in 720p HD Webcam
  • • THX Speakers
  • • Audio Boost Technology
 
Unless you're in a rush I'd wait until Cebit in mid-March at least to see what gets announced. Would you want to wait for the Lenovo Y50? The leaked roadmap for Clevo refreshes has also been out for quit awhile now, it's likely you will see these soon. I think maybe Meaker alluded to such as well in another thread :p

Nvidia is expected to officially announce the 8xxm series possibly at Cebit. GTX 86xm and lower parts are expected to actually be Maxwell designs (eg. GTX 860m will be a GM107 part), although GTX 87xm+ parts will likely be Kepler rebrands still (slightly different clocks probably). If you've been following Maxwell's release with the GTX 750/750ti on the desktop side you'll have heard the very large jump in efficiency, which is much important and affects a laptop form factor more.

League of Legends I know from experience is rather CPU bound with the CPUs used in laptops. I actually didn't notice much actual playability difference for example between a GT 750m vs. HD4400 using a i5-4200u CPU. When you get in to the large team fights, the CPU will be the limiting factor. Civ 5 turn speeds are also affected by the CPU, at least I noticed a significant difference (albeit at seconds per turn) between a i5-4200u and i7-4700mq.

Regarding the AMD laptop, it really depends on what you think of Mantle in my opinion (and to some extent is related to what you play and plan to play). Also to some extent how well you think programs you use will distribute across 4 cores.

Another way to look at things also is that if you with a Intel Quad in a laptop you could get one that is roughly equal (maybe even better) than your current desktop in performance specs actually. But if you went with the AMD laptop the CPU will be a significant downgrade.
 
If you are looking at a 765m at the moment wait for the 860m ;)
 
Leaked 3DMark11 numbers show a significant improvement both in terms of performance and TDP over the GTX 765m. Performance is closer to the current GTX 770m, although in actual games (3DMark11 is not as ROP/Memory bound as modern games at 1080p) the difference between the two might be higher in more modern games. Still should be a sizable improvement over the GTX 760/765m though since they have the same ROP count and bus width.

If you think about it the TDP for the GTX 750 (desktop) is 55W and GTX 750ti (desktop) is 60W. These are actually within the TDP envelope of the current mobile parts. Although the current leak shows they won't go to the limit going for performance gains only and instead opt for lower TDP as well.

Numbers were as follows -
GTX 760m (55W) 3200 -> GTX 850m (40W) 4200 -> GTX 765m (65W) 4200 -> GTX 860m (45W) 4800 -> GTX 770m (75W) 5200.

Either way you actually get a upgrade over your 5770. But if you went with the AMD CPU MSI you'd get a downgrade in the CPU.

Regarding Mantle you did mention BF4 which does take advantage of it. Future Frostbite 3 games from EA (eg. Dragon Age, Mirrors Edge, Mass Effect) are also speculated to incorporate Mantle support as well (although this isn't as straight forward as it may seem, so they may not as well, especially if there is no more business link between AMD and EA). You may see Square Enix published games also go with Mantle support.
 
limitedaccess said:
Regarding the AMD laptop, it really depends on what you think of Mantle in my opinion (and to some extent is related to what you play and plan to play). Also to some extent how well you think programs you use will distribute across 4 cores.
Click to expand...

Mantle? Mantle doesn't support laptops right now and it looks like it won't in the near future, probably in 5-15 months as I know AMD. So he should go for a Intel+Nvidia laptop.
 
I believe there are third party modded drivers enabling support on some GPUs though?

But like I said it depends on your faith with Mantle, AMD support and developer support. Mantle really seems to be a somewhat polarizing topic currently (especially for fans latched onto one company or other) and I didn't feel like actually interjecting a direct opinion on it and bringing that debate out of the GPU section into here :p I figure at this point most people (well who follow this stuff anyways) have formed their own thoughts on it and have decided for themselves how much it means to them.

From a more objective stand point Intel and Nvidia are dominating in terms of design wins for the laptop market. Draw from that what you will.
 
There are lots of pre orders and information out on the new models at the moment, worth spending the time to read and seeing if they will help.
 
for me it is definitely looking like Intel+NVIDIA set up, just seems to have better options and performance so far.

Going to do some digging around tonight to see what is around!
 
the 800 series is out, now to try and narrow down the choice

is it true that the 860 2gig is based on kaswell while the 4g is based on maxwell?

can an 860M even USE 4Gif of vram...
 
2GB will be maxwell i believe rather than kepler.
 
Based on your experience, MSI, Sager or Asus?

the Asus ROG seem a little too "gamy" for me.. i like the MSI's as they look thinner but from some limited reading heard they can be loud?

Sager look nice, not flashy, simplistic...
 
looking at these 4, besides the 13.3 main difference only seems to be the max RAM and the HD size

Fa3xall.png


other than that, is there a massive build quality difference or cooling or something with the Sager silver vs black laptops?

FYI, - checking out powernotebooks.com as well :)
 
Mostly it comes down to weight and drive options too.
 
k just saw that the NP8268 comes with the 860m 4G MXM model

does powernotebooks.com plan to have any 15.6 Sagers with the 860m 2Gig in stock any time soon?
 
It can take us a little time to get all the models up, if you contact our sales they can get you set up with any of the sager models.
 
good to know, i may be in touch, the fact you have an account / present's pm [H] helps, i see Gigabyte has plans to do some new release as well, any feedback on their laptops?
 
They had teething troubles on their initial models that would have lead to an unacceptable return rate so we have decided not to stock gigabyte at this time.
 
That was what i had read all around by other retailers in North America / Europe and Australia.

it seems they tried too hard to cram too much into a small frame and cut corners in the wrong places.
 
Just wanted to post up an update, i am not %100 decided yet but this is where i am at

3 choices,

Sager NP8278 (Clevo P170SM-A) - Recent addition
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8278-clevo-p170sma-p-6984.html
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-One-K73-4N-Clevo-P170SM-A-Notebook.114094.0.html
Offers what he other 2 laptops:
+4 drive bays
+230w Power Brick
+Metal Palm Rest and Cover - finger prints don't seem as apparent vs the matte finish of the other 2.
- 17 inch
- Much larger / heavier power brick
- Heavier


Sager NP8268 (Clevo P150SM-A)
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clevo-p150sma-p-6986.html
+ no logo in the trackpad
+ 15.6 screen
- 1x 2.5 drive

Sager NP8258 (Clevo P157SM-A) 3rd place choice it seems now that i may consider a 17' but am iffy
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8258-clevo-p157sma-p-6988.html
+ 2 x 2.5 drive bays
- Logo in trackpad


i wanted a 15.6 to move around the house with, office to dining room to have it on my lap on the couch so i thought a 17' may be too much, but the weight and size difference is not massive....

I travel maybe 2-3 times a year if i am lucky to the beach of to Canada so mobility is not high but the 15.6 seems more manageble vs 17'.
 
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I personally think this fits your requirements.
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Series-GT60-2OC-022US-15-6-Inch/dp/B00CU9GKZ8
http://www.msi.com/product/nb/GT60_2OC.html#overview

Certainly has a better video card, you can also get one with a 3k screen.

I also question why you would need 4 drive bays. Sure its nice but at that point you may as well get a WD cloud NAS and throw it on your network. If you want raid, the laptop I linked can do super raid. Raid 0 with two mSata drives and an additional bay for a storage drive.
 
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the issue is the price on most MSI for what you get, vs Sager, also read a few reviews that the MSI tend to get loud, due to their single fan cooling system, at least on their 15.6 models,even with there special cooling system they claim to have. Some 17 do have a dual fan solution.

It was my debate as well, do i need that many drive bays, right now i have 2 x 3T drives and i am cutting down a lot of my content i have, use 1 mSATA for a 240G SSD and the 2 x 2.5 for 1T drives and i can not worry about a network NAS at all, one less thing to deal with at home, because if i am home , my laptop will likley be on and connected anyways so it can act as my HTPC when needed.

the 770M is about around / slower than an 860M from what i have read though,what sucks is most 860M's are still based on Keplar and true 860m wont be out until Q4 for most laptops. The only maxwell 860M is a single fan Sager system.


i was lloking into a NAS system, but anything i wanted that could transcode HD properly was going to run $400 or so, whether a home built box or a made one
 
The barebone MSI machines offer more value if you need it, the max storage configuration you can get is 3x mSATA + 1x 2.5" normal and then a caddy in the optical bay for another 2.5". The other option is to get 2x 2.5" normal and 1x optical bay for 3x2.5".
 
Will re-review what they have, as all of them were more expensive than the Sagers with less expansion slots and lesser cooling when i started checking out for laptops.
 
what models have the mSATA? Or do they just not list it..

As for Value i guess i don't necessarily see it with MSI, price wise Sager and others are cheaper for similar specs, more expansion, more memory slots (4 vs 2) and dual fan cooling solutions. Sure MSI has some that are lighter for weight for their size, but then i worry about quality, like how firm is the screen or is it flimsy and flexible.


MSI GE70 APACHE Pro-061 - $1,066.03 - i5
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-ge70-apache-pro061-p-6957.html
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=460
1 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drives

MSI GE60 APACHE Pro-003 - $1,211.53
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-ge60-apache-pro003-p-6958.html
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=461
1 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drives

MSI GE70 APACHE Pro-012 - $1,260.03 - Single cooler design concerns me
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-ge70-apache-pro012-p-6956.html
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?id=459
1 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drives

MSI GT60 Dominator-424 $1,357.03 - Concerns me, some reviews show GPU temps up to 90-95C and i don't want a screaming fan preferably with the 870m
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt60-dominator424-p-6955.html
2 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drives

MSI GT70 Dominator-895 - $1,357.03 - Single cooler design - Concerns me, some reviews show GPU temps up to 90-95C and i don't want a screaming fan preferably
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt70-dominator895-p-6948.html
2 Detachable 2.5" 9.5mm (H) SATA Hard Disk Drives
 
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That's their retail models, have you looked at the barebones machines?
 
that i havent, , this site?

http://www.msiwhitebook.com/

they all have 6 and 7 series cards though...

word is MSI is using the same 4 year old chassis for these new models as well.. which arent the best with cooling, many older reviews show the MSI as being very very loud...
 
I have a GT70 at home and its volume was never an issue. It has four slots for memory and the newer one as Meaker pointed out supports three mSata and one 2.5". No problems with the keyboard either.

You seem dead set on keeping all the drives in laptop. That's fine but that doesnt help your quest for silence. More drive, more heat, more fans, more noise. So think about that. If you don't want a NAS then get one or two large external drives that you can keep in a drawer and shut off. If that doesnt suit, then take the computer you have and turn it into a server.

If the 6 or 7 series cards are that much of hang up then keep in mind true 870/880 series maxwell cards wont be out until late this year, so you are over thinking for nothing now. By the time you are ready to shop you will be asking all the same questions again.

I would also consider quality when comparing MSI, CLEVO and ASUS. When I shopped for my MSI, I looked at the ASUS ROG and I thought it was worse in comparison. I have not seen the newest clevo/sager machines first hand, but back in the day they were pretty awful. If they are at least as good as the MSI, I would consider it.
 
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Javatango said:
Have you considered the ASUS N550JK? 15" with an Intel i7 and Nvidia 850M.

https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/N550JK/overview/

An HP Envy could also be a contender. Personally, I like the looks of the MSI GS series but don't have experience with MSI.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I was just about to post the GS60/GS70. I don't have any personal experience with them but they look pretty bad ass.

EDIT: Apparently they're coming out with a GS60 that has a 3K display and an 870M soon.
 
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I was waiting for Asus to update their line up with 8 series, I originally wanted one of those Asus's as i like the look of them better, limited storage but the price was right.

I will have to dig around to see if i can find what chassis it is in to compare how temps are (single fan solution but the 850m is based on maxwell and it said it should overclock to 860m speed.)

Dohhh

850m is only ddr3 on the Asus
Click to expand...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/749321-nexus-n550jk-worth-wait.html
 
It's still better than the gddr5 750m.
 
You can't use youtube for sound comparisons, it does not really work.
 
Atleast in some instances, when compared to other brands, the clevo sager line seems to offer more for a lower price.

The 15.6’’ SAGER CLEVO P150SM-A (NP8268) has been recommended because its design allows its individual hardware components to be replaced (in case of failure) or upgraded without difficulty.

For example, it seems the GPU on the 15.6’’ SAGER P150SM-A (NP8268) uses the MXM mechanism, and is therefore replaceable. The sager W370SS (NP7378) does not use MXM, and the GPU is soldered on.

xoticpc.com, powernotebooks.com, and lpc-digital.com sell the 15.6’’ SAGER P150SM-A (NP8268).

Please do tell, how to decide from which of the aforementioned stores to buy the sager NP8268?
 
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Well as much as I would say we are great, as a consumer you could look up customer reviews such as those on notebookreview, see how they treat people there having issues, see which meshes up with the service you are looking for and which matches your budget.
 
i got mine from Xotic, but Meaker did post (i think it was you) on notebookreview i believe in one of my posts, that alone put them as one to trust to me.

In the end they are all re-sellers of the clevo / sagers so it would come down to warranties and sales i guess.
 
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