Laptop buying Guide

[karamazovmm]

well it should be last years model. according to the model number

idle temps are average, not good but average

5min aint enough to stress something specially on a paradox game

well the problem is that uruguay doesnt have nor had an economy, I guess we should never had let it become independent, the south of brazil at least has some economy

[bthizle1]

Yeah, and it can actually get into the 60s while idling. I was going to repaste, but I don't want to void the warranty just yet. Also looking for a decent 17" laptop cooler, hoping that will drop the temps some 5c or so.

In regards to Uruguay, it's the truth. They depend on turistas de argentina...que pendejada en mi opinion. But alas politically I am much fonder of Uruguay than Brasil or Argentina.

Yeah, and it can actually get into the 60s while idling. I was going to repaste, but I don't want to void the warranty just yet. Also looking for a decent 17" laptop cooler, hoping that will drop the temps some 5c or so.

In regards to Uruguay, it's the truth. They depend on turistas de argentina...que pendejada en mi opinion. But alas politically I am much fonder of Uruguay than Brasil or Argentina.

[karamazovmm]

they dont have an economy to have some political meaning or instance, but they are more liberal in general. I still prefer chile, its arguably the best country in south america, central america is a void, they dont exist

I would go for a repaste, dell usually doesnt use stickers, so go ahead and do it

[Heinz Guderian]

Ok, i'm using my 15,000 post for this. No ****ing around. What you say seals the deal.

Haswell 4700QM with a Nvidia 770M card in a clevo p150SM/p157SM chassis

OR

Haswll 4700QM with an AMD 8970M card in a clevo p150SM/p157SM chassis. (for just $15 more compared to the 770M build)

This is it. I place my order after i read the reply. Be measured brother.

Edit: ok actually my 14999th post.

Edit 2: the 8970 is a 4GB version not the 2GB version

[karamazovmm]

this is a very tough decision...

I will say go with AMD, they have fixed their drivers for the 7970m which is the same thing as the 8970m aside the little bump in clocks and bandwidth. Just saying that the drivers were a big concern last year, but were resolved. And this new cat seems to resolve things for xfire users, which doesnt apply to you

the 770m is a good gpu, no questions about it, its not up to par to the 780m (full 680 in a notebook? yeah), but its still a good gpu, its less powerful than the 680m or the 7970m or the 8970m, but its a good gpu

[Blau&Gruen]

It looks as if Heinz is going to get a nice lap built. From the perspective of someone who uses the lap for writing, I would have a look into which of the possible graphic solutions draws less from the batteries when you run 2D applications, e.g. Office.* I mention this because you have said you intend to use the lap not exclusively stationary (for funny coloured things) but on work, too. It seems the mentioned AMD might be a bit less demanding than one of the two nVidea cards. This might be an additional argument supporting Karamazovmm's advice.

*the physical data may proof my assumption being wrong of course

[karamazovmm]

actually they consume the same under idle

[Blau&Gruen]

actually they consume the same under idle

Do they swith to iGPU in 2D?

[karamazovmm]

Do they swith to iGPU in 2D?

exactly, but that doesnt mean they are turned off, their idle consumption is still there

[Blau&Gruen]

exactly, but that doesnt mean they are turned off, their idle consumption is still there

Ok, thx - I haven't known this.

[karamazovmm]

Ok, thx - I haven't known this.

yep on switchable systems you always have the igpu and the dgpu on all the time, when the dgpu is active the igpu is still used as a pass through an coordinator

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

First off, sorry for bumping this back from about a month of inactivity, but I dont think I need a separate thread for this.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

Around 650 - 750$

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook?

Preferably from an internet store here in Latvia, but because I know most products are overpriced I will probably buy it in ebay.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Nope.

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

Yes

6) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?

Taking notes at lectures, making presentations, watching movies/youtube, some gaming.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Both.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

World of tanks, medieval 2 with mods and Mount and blade(it is not that important for me to run these games at max settings btw).

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

3 - 5h would be great, can go for 2 as well.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Im good with just buying it online without seeing it.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows 7 is preferred, win 8 will be ok too.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.

No idea really, but I will probably start off with 1280×1024 and see how it looks.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?

Doesn't matter.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

No.

15) When are you buying this laptop?

2nd september is the soonest date.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

2 - 3 years.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

250GB+, no SSD necessary, but if it is there, thats always nice.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

It wouldn't hurt to have CDRW/DVD-ROM in there, but it is not necessary.

[karamazovmm]

for that amount of money its really complicated, check for the hp dv6, usually the enterprise class entry level, dell vostro, lenovo thinkpad edge, hp pro book are going to be good bets, they come with mid lower end gpus, aside that there is nothing that I know that is a good buy, the N series from asus is still botched, sony prices for the s15 are high and I don't think it would fit the budget

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

I checked your suggestions, but I have a tough time navigating though all the models I find, because most of the suggestions are just names for a whole lineup of laptops. Can you maybe provide a link for exact models you are thinking about?

[karamazovmm]

unfortunately can't tell a specific model, since it varies from country to country

what I can do is to say to you that the dv6 from last year is the one packing the 650m, the entry level enterprise class that I mentioned before grab one that has a dgpu in it (if you want post here the notebooks you are looking for), and the s15 come with the 640m LE, the vaio fit 15 can be had with a dgpu as well.

btw the notebooks I mentioned come with a dgpu or not, so its not hard to see the ones I meant. the exception is the dv6 that comes with 2 dgpus and amd flavours, so get the one with the 650m

[Pielstick]

Just got myself a new gaming laptop last weekend:

MSI GS70 2QE-032UK "Ghost Pro"

17.3" 1920x1080
i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz/3.5GHz Turbo Boost
16GB DDR3 1600
Geforce GTX970M 3GB DDR5
2x 128GB SSD in Raid-0
1x 1TB 7,200RPM mechanical drive
Steel Series Keyboard

http://www.box.co.uk/MSI_GS70_2QE(St...K_1680228.html
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=LT-167-MS
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/173-m...70m-3gb-win-81
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/9S7-1...K_1680228.html
http://www.lambda-tek.com/9S7-177314...-1~cs/B1953130


This is the laptop I've been waiting over a decade to own. I'm a big flight simmer and so far it's handled everything I can throw at it with ease. I'm just about to start loading all my Total War games so I'll see how it handles Rome 2. It's amazingly thin for a high end laptop, the screen and keyboard are excellent.

This is my second MSI laptop and once again I'm thrilled to bits with both the build quality and the price vs spec. If you're after a high end gaming laptop but don't want to pay Alienware prices then I recommend the MSI range of gaming laptops.

[Pielstick]

Finally got round to installing Rome 2 on the new laptop. Ran the Teutoburg Forest benchmark, "Extreme" graphics settings, absolutely everything maxed out and enabled:

Average 38fps.

On a laptop.

Colour me very impressed.

[High Fist]

Well, you get what you pay for. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll keep MSI in mind for the future... The distant future... When I have two grand...

[AqD]

Can MSI models handle i7-4810MQ or 4900MQ, stress testing at max 3.8/3.9GHz for hours without overheat or speed drop?

[karamazovmm]

Can MSI models handle i7-4810MQ or 4900MQ, stress testing at max 3.8/3.9GHz for hours without overheat or speed drop?

notebooks short of AW, select clevo models and workstations can do that

and nope, the GS series is known for throttling, and the new maxwell models at least have something of a larger thermal headroom. The 870m with its 100w was too much for that chassis