Looking for a Gaming Laptop

ShepsCrook

[H]F Junkie
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So I'm looking to maybe replace my MSI GE70-20E 17.3" (1080P), i7-4700QM, GTX765M, 256GB SSD OS, 500GB mSATA SSD (Applications, BluRay, WifiAC, with something more powerful and ideally maybe thinner and or less weight.

I'm looking at i7-7700 + GTX 1070 / 1060, or the i7-6700 + GTX 1070 / 1060

Brands:

MSI, ASUS, HP, Eluktronics?

Screen resolution:

Definitely 1080P with G-SYNC or 120hz (I don't have 120hz right now, and it's a laptop so I'm not sure I'll REALLY need it), so I'm thinking 4k might be nice for when I'm on the road and have my drone (DJI Phantom 3 Pro) I can view it's 4k footage nicely.

Size:

I'm not sure whether I want to stay at 17"+ or move to 15.6"

Thickness:

My current laptop is 1.54" thick



These are some of the ones I've been looking at (Buying through Amazon)

MSI Stealth Pro 4k (1070) - Higher on the price list. $2099 - .77" Thick
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GS73VR-S...78134&sr=8-3&keywords=msi+stealth+pro+4k+1070

MSI Stealth Pro 1080P + 1060 $1799 - .77" Thick
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT7TCS...TF8&colid=3KYYE05Y8N8ZD&coliid=I2IAMB82KCAJB6

Eluktronics? (haven't really heard much about them 1070 @ 17.3") - $1849 - 1.18" Thick
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6PHU1...lid=3KYYE05Y8N8ZD&coliid=I2Y58SZ68991JG&psc=1


FALLING DOWN THE LIST:

ASUS Strix 17.3" 1080P 1070 - $1999
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6KLBR...lid=3KYYE05Y8N8ZD&coliid=I1GQAHVNNSD90H&psc=1
ASUS Strix 17.3" 1080P 1070 - $1999
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6KLBR...lid=3KYYE05Y8N8ZD&coliid=I1GQAHVNNSD90H&psc=1


Any ideas? Suggestions? etc?
 
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I've never had an ASUS laptop that didn't die prematurely, fuck them and their one year update support on each model. That Eluktronics looks interesting. Based in Delaware, US support only. I'd give them a chance, but IDK if I would do it with $2k as my first purchase.
 
I will say this, I had an Asus one time that the GPU ran to hot and it de-soldered itself. I received no support from Asus and it was frustrating. So I'm less than eager to buy one of those. I've been happy with my MSI though. very few if any issues. I like the Stealth's because they are thinner than what I have and still have some nice power
 
I will say this, I had an Asus one time that the GPU ran to hot and it de-soldered itself.

Same here. One of them I had to bake the GPU in the oven every month or two to keep it running until I took the entire $1200 laptop outside and smashed it in a mild rage. Had to do that with a Dell XPS as well, I think that one was a GT 7600m.
 
I smashed my old Asus as well. But was wondering if they've gotten any better.
 
Their warranty and support still suck. Can't speak of their hardware as I've weaned myself off of them except for my Essense, which is sad since my previous build was using Asus mobo, gpu, sound card, optical drive, and monitor. Just can't buy from them anymore given the high chance of a headache down the road.
 
Maybe my negative experience with ASUS, and my good one with MSI should be a sign.
 
My friend just purchases a asus gaming laptop with a 1070 in it, cpu would approach 95c and was thermal throttling. I would go MSI.
 
I'm debating on 1080P or 4k still. MSI has 1080P GTX 1060 laptops but it seems that soon they'll be releasing a 4k / 1070 laptop in the stealth model.
 
Eluktronics are basically Sager/Clevo laptops. They are pretty good for what you pay for them.
 
Do you really need 4K on a 17" screen though? That's a lot of extra work on the GPU for what I feel isn't really noticeable.
 
Do you really need 4K on a 17" screen though? That's a lot of extra work on the GPU for what I feel isn't really noticeable.

Well, there is a model of MSI Stealth Pro 4k that is a 15.6" with a GTX 1070. I think that 4k on that would be INCREDIBLY tiny and might be more annoying than anything else. But I'd like a GTX 1070. Pretty much ALL of the Stealth Pro's outside of that one I just mentioned, are 1080P with 1060's. I might just HAVE to land on a 1080P with a GTX 1060 @ 120hz as I'm not sure how long I REALLY want to wait to see what's released this year. I've got my laptop essentially sold, I'm just waiting on the guy to save up enough cash to buy it.
 
My daily driver is an Eluktronics Pro-X 15.6" GTX 1060 laptop and it's awesome.

Same as the Sager 8156

7700hq
128 NVME
GTX 1060
120 Hz

I have several videos covering this on my channel. PM me for the channel link if you care to see how it looks, performs as well as teardowns and TIM replacement.
 
My daily driver is an Eluktronics Pro-X 15.6" GTX 1060 laptop and it's awesome.

Same as the Sager 8156

7700hq
128 NVME
GTX 1060
120 Hz

I have several videos covering this on my channel. PM me for the channel link if you care to see how it looks, performs as well as teardowns and TIM replacement.


I was hoping for something slimmer, but the features on the electronics are nice. The hardware / specs I really want, but had no clue of reliability, and they are thicker.
 
Mine is 1.25" thick if I recall correctly. It's the Clevo chassis. These things last and are built very well.
 
The new one (Eluktronics Pro-X P670HS-G) is 1.18" Thick (The 15.6" is only 1.13" thick). My currently laptop is 1.53. So anything smaller is better, but it's tough to not like the idea of a .77" thick laptop like the stealth.
 
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i just bought a alienware R3 15 with a GTX 1070 and 16gb ddr4 with 256 nvme + 1tb 7200rpm hd. I really like this laptop alot. it doesn't get crazy warm the fans do come on when gaming but they are not annoying. I got the 99whr battery option so i get about 6 hours when doing office productivity work. The laptop is not crazy heavy its about 7.7lbs and its not that thick. the build quality is really nice. i didn't feel like it was crazy overpriced like alienware was in the past.
 
Hey, based on what you are looking for I might have one suggestion for you. The ASUS ROG GL502VS-DB71 15.6" FullHD Gaming Laptop. It as an Intel Core i76700HQ, NVIDIA GTX 1070, plenty of storage place, including an SSD right amount of ram. This laptop is pretty thin 0.94-inches thick and 4.8 pounds for superior portability, excellent for traveling.

Plus the design is slick and elegant.

Here is an interesting article that could maybe give you other choices. https://exposegaming.com/best-gaming-laptop-under-2000/

Good luck on your search!
 
I think after MUCH debate, I'm down to the following models:

MSI GS73VR STEALTH PRO 4K-002 17.3"
MSI GS63VR STEALTH PRO 4K-002 15.6"

Here is my reasoning.

1: MSI is a well known, good brand, and generally has good reviews. I've also been happy with my MSI.
2. It has the GTX 1070 8GB which I'd prefer as I wouldn't want to be stuck with a 1060 (even though it's MUCH better than what I have), the 1070 just has that extra oomph that will make it last a little loner for me.
3. It has the 4k screen and a GTX 1070 to drive it. While the 4k screen was an extra feature, being able to view 4k content from my drone in all it's glory is REALLY nice. I can still play games in 1080P if I want even though it's 60hz (which is what I currently have and am OK with because... It's a laptop.)
4. It's .77" thick. That's about half the thickness of the current laptop I have. That's crazy thin in my mind and it was one of the features I was looking for.
5. Battery Life is decent. Even if it gets 3 hours of battery life, that's still better than what I have. I'll need to do some searching,

My only debate right now is if I want to drop to a 15.6" @ 4k which I feel is VERY small, OR go with the 17.3" @ 4k. I currently have a 17.3" and the size doesn't bother me.
 
i would suggest going 1440p over 4k. the laptop screens are so small i don't think you will notice the 4k dpi over the 1440p pluse 4k might make everything really small. I would also recommend the 1070 if you can afford it. i have one in my laptop and it is a serious beast and almost overkill since i have 1080p screen. I know it will give the laptop more longevity
 
I was hoping for something slimmer, but the features on the electronics are nice. The hardware / specs I really want, but had no clue of reliability, and they are thicker.

Slim gaming laptops don't work all that well because the heat sinks are to small to dissipate heat effectively.
 
Slim gaming laptops don't work all that well because the heat sinks are to small to dissipate heat effectively.

From what I've read from some reviews, that is a problem with SOME, not all.


i would suggest going 1440p over 4k. the laptop screens are so small i don't think you will notice the 4k dpi over the 1440p pluse 4k might make everything really small. I would also recommend the 1070 if you can afford it. i have one in my laptop and it is a serious beast and almost overkill since i have 1080p screen. I know it will give the laptop more longevity

I looked for this and only found the Auros as the primary company making laptops with 1440p and while that's great and all, those were announced in 2016, and there hasn't been much movement towards that resolution. Ontop of there's even nothing new from Auros since then with more up to date hardware.
 
it's not a problem but a fact that small slim gaming laptops are going to offer less cooling. Any laptop you get you should re-paste with some sort of liquid metal compound.
 
it's not a problem but a fact that small slim gaming laptops are going to offer less cooling. Any laptop you get you should re-paste with some sort of liquid metal compound.

I usually do that. I've got shin-etsu here that I use for my systems.
 
I had the GS73 with the 120hz screen and 1060. It was great, very quiet fans too. Only thing I disliked was Optimus, I'd much rather have Gsync and none of that GPU swapping garbage. Actually, I think I'd rather go to a rock fight than have a laptop with Optimus again, it was that damn annoying.
 
Amazingly, I'm still looking at laptops, I've got time, so I'm not rushing this.

I had the GS73 with the 120hz screen and 1060. It was great, very quiet fans too. Only thing I disliked was Optimus, I'd much rather have Gsync and none of that GPU swapping garbage. Actually, I think I'd rather go to a rock fight than have a laptop with Optimus again, it was that damn annoying.

The GS is at the top of my list. The one I've wanted (i7-7700hq, GTX 1070, 4K) has been temporary out of stock for a week now. I know that's not long, but I've been ready to buy that a couple times... now it's making me look at other laptops and 2nd guess myself.
 
Amazingly, I'm still looking at laptops, I've got time, so I'm not rushing this.



The GS is at the top of my list. The one I've wanted (i7-7700hq, GTX 1070, 4K) has been temporary out of stock for a week now. I know that's not long, but I've been ready to buy that a couple times... now it's making me look at other laptops and 2nd guess myself.

What about something like this for the same price with a supposedly faster proc?

http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt73vr-titan-427.html
 
Dammit I knew I was forgetting one of your requirement lol. Just think of all the muscle you would gain by dragging it around though!
 
Slim gaming laptops don't work all that well because the heat sinks are to small to dissipate heat effectively.

From what I've read from some reviews, that is a problem with SOME, not all.

Exactly, I have a Razer Blade with a GTX 1060 in it and this thing is built like a Macbook Pro and almost as thin (Only 0.11" thicker) and is a gaming beast. The fans do get loud when gaming on the onboard 1060, but 99.9% of the time my Blade is hooked up to my Razer Core with a GTX 1080 in it that powers my 1440p monitor. If OP is interested, then there are pics linked in my sig.
 
i was in same position, wanting a gaming laptop but dont want something thats super bulky as i travel every week and live out of hotels. Was looking at a custom EVOC build (clevo p775dm3) build on hidevolution for its desktop processor, but read that the keyboard is either love it or hate it from what people say.

I decided on the Alienware 17 R4 with the qhd 1440p monitor. Saw that they had some heat issues before, but looks like they took care of that with newer models (but a repaste would probably still be nice)
 
i repasted and changed the thermal pads. I used thermal grizzly kyronaut paste. I also under volted the cpu by 0.125v reduced the temps alot and still performs the same. Actually you get higher fps from the lower temps.
 
Amazingly, I'm still looking at laptops, I've got time, so I'm not rushing this.



The GS is at the top of my list. The one I've wanted (i7-7700hq, GTX 1070, 4K) has been temporary out of stock for a week now. I know that's not long, but I've been ready to buy that a couple times... now it's making me look at other laptops and 2nd guess myself.

http://www.hidevolution.com/msi-gs73vr-6rf-stealth-pro-025-custom-built-gaming-laptop-pc.html

I got that model from HIDEVOLUTION and its an awesome thin gaming laptop. I came from a GB P37x v6 4k 980m and don't regret it. Actually, the reason why I upgraded is because I regretted getting 4k on the laptop. I wear glasses and it was a pain in the ass with some games and installing applications, even though i could change the font to 200%, some apps were still so tiny even with the change.
 
so what was the final decision ?

So, yesterday I made my decision. It will be arriving be Thursday. I decided to go with the MSI GS73VR 2017 edition. My reasoning was as such.

1. The other MSI with the 4k and GTX 1070 has been out of stuck and now all but removed from Amazon.
2. 4k on a small 15.6" let alone a 17.3" screen is a bit much. I also think that even having a 1070 running 4k with some games might still be a bit much for the 1070 to my liking.
3. The other model was available now.

The specs I went with:

17.3" - 1080P @ 120hz
Intel i7-7700HQ
32GB DDR4
256GB NVME (I wanted the 512GB but it would take an additional week to receive and didn't feel like waiting when I'd probably just replace the drive anyway)
1TB 7200RPM Drive (I'll probably replace this with a 512GB SSD anyway, maybe 1TB)
GTX 1060 6GB
 
Hope you like it. It's amazing we can get an almost desktop-level 1070 card in a laptop these days. Although personally, 17" is just way too big for me for a laptop.
 
Hope you like it. It's amazing we can get an almost desktop-level 1070 card in a laptop these days. Although personally, 17" is just way too big for me for a laptop.

Right now, I really like it. Except the lack of control on individual key colors. You can apparently only set thirds of the keyboard. I definitely will be replacing the NVME drive and removing the HDD. This laptop FEELS bigger than my other laptop. But I'm fine with the size. It's definitely well designed.

The 1060 should be plenty, but I have yet to play on it as I'm at work and can't access jack here.
 
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