Laptop buying Guide

**karamazovmm** · July 27, 2013, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Rafsanjohnny

Holy

the HP is 2800 dollars here. The Dell precision is 5000 liras! I think Im gonna cry. Could you gimme a laptop worth 1000 dollars max instead?

I was pretty aware that would happen, the P series would have been on the range that you wanted, the W from clevo should work as well

**Heinz Guderian** · July 28, 2013, 03:05 AM

Karam, sorry to keep bothering you;

Clevo W350STQ
15 inch 1920 x 1080 Matte screen
i7 4700MQ
1x8GB 1600mz SODIMM RAM DDR3
Nvidia 765M 2GB
750 GB 7200rpm Scorpio Black
DVD
ArcticMX-4 compound
No OS
3 year warranty UK

£774 all in

( i can get the 17 inch for the same price as well - i wont be carrying it about on my back so i dont know if the 17 inch will have worst performance?)

any insights/criticisms? Should i think about pushing up a couple hundred pounds to get the 770 card now i have my debit card back from my wife (she bought some sofas so feels guilty and gave me back my card)? Or should i try looking for a P150SM instead?

EDIT:
i can get the P151SM1 with exactly the same specs for about £90 more - i dont know what the differences are between the 151SM1 and W350STQ - is it worth it?

**karamazovmm** · July 28, 2013, 03:54 AM

well the 770m is a much better choice for 1080p, just look at that bandwidth and the bus. basically they are the same card, but the difference is in place that works pretty well for 900p and not so much for 1080p

the main difference from the P to the W series are the mxm gpu slot and the cooling, since its made for 100w gpus, meaning that you can cough up some money and upgrade the gpu afterwards. The problem with that is the price of the gpu itself, the 680m is usually sold for 800 bucks, the 780m should stabilize around that price point.

so in the end regarding size its pretty much up to you, you usually gain another 2.5" bay with that, meaning more storage for your delight, but you lose in panel quality, the 15" is a much better panel, its usually a 95% NTSC panel, and that is pretty much as good as they come outside the dreamcolor 2 and the premier color from the elitebook w and precisions, and those are monster panels that only true pro panels can beat, afterall 10bit IPS with 150% aRGB gamut panels dont come in those garden variety monitors

and ask away, I will charge you latter though, there is always someone in need of a favor

**Heinz Guderian** · July 28, 2013, 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by Karamazovmm

well the 770m is a much better choice for 1080p, just look at that bandwidth and the bus. basically they are the same card, but the difference is in place that works pretty well for 900p and not so much for 1080p

the main difference from the P to the W series are the mxm gpu slot and the cooling, since its made for 100w gpus, meaning that you can cough up some money and upgrade the gpu afterwards. The problem with that is the price of the gpu itself, the 680m is usually sold for 800 bucks, the 780m should stabilize around that price point.

so in the end regarding size its pretty much up to you, you usually gain another 2.5" bay with that, meaning more storage for your delight, but you lose in panel quality, the 15" is a much better panel, its usually a 95% NTSC panel, and that is pretty much as good as they come outside the dreamcolor 2 and the premier color from the elitebook w and precisions, and those are monster panels that only true pro panels can beat, afterall 10bit IPS with 150% aRGB gamut panels dont come in those garden variety monitors

and ask away, I will charge you latter though, there is always someone in need of a favor

thanks man. So if i didnt intend to upgrade the GPU and went for the 15 inch screen, and the same spec (765M with i7 Haswell) what would you get:

W320STQ ($1190) or P151SM1 ($1338)?

**karamazovmm** · July 28, 2013, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Rafsanjohnny

Well it seems to be difficult to find those laptops here, incidentally my aunt, who works at Cisco, uses a Lenovo 510 but I doubt theyre gonna give that one away any time soon.

How's this one, the MSI GE40 Dragon Eyes 2OC-028XTR?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

And I also want to ask about this Asus,

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

be very careful with msi notebooks, the battery life and the good specs make it a solid choice, however the build quality is not what one would expect

Originally Posted by Heinz Guderian

thanks man. So if i didnt intend to upgrade the GPU and went for the 15 inch screen, and the same spec (765M with i7 Haswell) what would you get:

W320STQ ($1190) or P151SM1 ($1338)?

the cooling on notebooks is not determined on how many fans you stick in the case, thats just primal and just usually bad engineering on desktop cases

the p151sm1 will have more cooling power since the 780m is actually higher than 100w of tdp and from what I remember they dont change the heatsink.

now regarding gpu power, base is the 765m

770m - 30%
780m - 100%

regarding portability and screen sizes, I use primarily a 13" notebook, I dont have any problems with it, I watch shows and movies with it and play games on it, I rarely use external monitors, I value portability, Im on the go since 7am to 11pm

**Nesimî** · July 28, 2013, 05:12 AM

Well it seems to be difficult to find those laptops here, incidentally my aunt, who works at Cisco, uses a Lenovo 510 but I doubt theyre gonna give that one away any time soon.

How's this one, the MSI GE40 Dragon Eyes 2OC-028XTR?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

And I also want to ask about this Asus,

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**bthizle1** · July 28, 2013, 01:20 PM

Heinz I am trying to decide between the exact same laptops right now. I was almost certain I was going to go with the P151SM1 (np8230) for a while, then I started thinking that portability is actually fairly important to me, due to the fact that I travel internationally quite often, and out of a backpack at that. The W320STQ is a solid pound lighter and a fair bit less thick, all around the dimensions are a bit more portable. The thing with the W320STQ is that it only has one fan, which I am not too fond of. Overall from reading I'm more impressed with the P151SM1, it's just the weight and size difference that has me conflicted right now. (the difference in price with the discount is something like $150/$200 USD)

I have a question, I will most likely be lugging this laptop around in a small backpack (apart from my large backpacking one), so will it really make that much of a difference the extra pound and somewhat larger dimensions between the np7352 and the np8230? 7 pounds is quite a bit to carry around in just a laptop and it's not just some university setting, it's international backpacking, but I think it's rather doable....? Also what about safety ie. A good solid but light case, possible lock etc...?

EDIT:
I'm also concerned about the power draw vs PSU of the np7352 (W320STQ).

**Heinz Guderian** · July 28, 2013, 01:29 PM

thats interesting bthizle. So the main difference you found was that the P151 has two fans as well as being GPU upgradeable? Did you find any other aspects of it impressive when compared to a W320STQ?

I think carrying a heavy laptop is going to take its toll. Remember, even though the clevo build quality is good, you're probably gonna knock it a few times. I think i killed my MSI that way.

**bthizle1** · July 28, 2013, 01:42 PM

Yes, the 151 has two fans, one on both sides of the laptop. That seems to me to provide much better ventilation. The fact that the GPU is MXM and upgradable doesn't really factor in to my personal decision at all, because honestly purchasing a new GPU for a laptop is very expensive and they've really got you cornered because there's no other options you have. I wouldn't pay some $500 plus in the near future for really the only better card that will be compatible ie. the GTX 780m some 20%-30% more performance. Just doesn't make a lot of sense. What is really a deciding factor for me right now is the portability, and I think that would help me to keep it a bit safer as well. Obviously the GPU itself is more impressive, but I think that goes without saying (some 20%).

Your MSI? You say you knocked it around a few times....how long did you have it? Was it reliable for gaming for some time? Also, what kind of knocking around are you talking about?

I suppose I could always go with the new 230ST the 13" one, but that just seems too small screen wise, and compared to the np7352 it's really only around a pound less weight wise. Really I'm conflicted because they've both got the pros/cons.

np7352 - lighter, a bit cheaper, smaller dimensions
np8230 - better GPU, better cooling (it would appear)

EDIT:

Once again though, one of my main concerns with the np7352 is what I've been reading about the possibility of the PSU not being powerful enough for the hardware.

**Nesimî** · July 28, 2013, 02:42 PM

What exactly do you mean by build quality? Also what do you think of the new Macbook Pro?

Edit: I think its time to change my sig now that I asked that question.

**bthizle1** · July 28, 2013, 03:25 PM

I'm beginning to think that perhaps my lifestyle does not really allow for a gaming laptop. ie. cumbersome and expensive. I mostly live out of a backpack, and am moving around internationally quite a bit.

Are there any options that could run say the paradox games, as well as the new EU 4, perhaps Civ 5 that are less than $500 and fairly portable?

**Heinz Guderian** · July 28, 2013, 03:38 PM

Karam, i'm gonna get the W320STQ

**bthizle1** · July 28, 2013, 03:39 PM

What made you choose that over the np8230?

**Heinz Guderian** · July 28, 2013, 03:53 PM

save myself a couple hundred even though it had exactly the same component spec. (i7 4700QM, 765M, 750GB 7200rpm, 8gb 1600hz Ram, 15 inch full HD LED).

But now you are putting doubt in my mind bthizle. If you had to choose, what would it be and why? I can live with one vent and less battery time and i dont intend to upgrade the GPU.

**bthizle1** · July 28, 2013, 04:18 PM

To be honest, if did not live the life I live now (ie. backpacking and traveling internationally so much without a dedicated home) I'd most definitely go with the np8230 with the GTX 770m. The extra say $200 is worth it in my opinion for a solid %20 increase in GPU performance. Not having to worry about the possible low power supply, in my opinion the np8230 has better cooling as well. I have been investigating laptops for around 4 months now rather intensely because I have not been able to really game for around 7 years (on the old desktop I built) due to traveling etc.. So I have been very interested in being able to game again, but if I really think about it from a practical standpoint, it's well....unpractical for me to buy a $1,000 plus laptop that weighs a fair amount. However, as I said, if I were to have a stable place (home) and I would only be traveling a bit with the laptop, not all the time I'd go with the P151SM1 (8230), especially for games like the TW series because it can be very taxing, more so with mods.

EDIT:

In my mind it really comes down to this: If you don't want an extra pound, wee bit larger dimensions and pay some $200 more than go with the W320. If you don't mind an extra pound, somewhat larger dimensions want some 20% more power GPU wise and are ok with paying an extra $200 than go with the P151SM1.

Also I don't know why you say save yourself a couple hundred because the components are the same, being as the GPU is not. Unless you were referring to the 17" version of the np7352.

**Nesimî** · July 28, 2013, 04:35 PM

Ooh and could you take a look at this samsung for me?

Model
NP450R5E-X02TR

İşlemci Özellikleri:

İşlemci Tipi
Intel Core i5

İşlemci
3230M

İşlemci Hızı
2.6 GHz

İşlemci Cache
3 MB L3 cache

İşletim Sistemi Özellikleri:

İşletim Sistemi
Windows® 8

Ekran Özellikleri:

Ekran Özelliği
15.6 " / 1366 x 768 / LED

Ekran Boyutu
15.6"

Max Ekran Çözünürlüğü
1366 x 768

Dokunmatik Ekran
Yok

Ekran Kartı Özellikleri:

Ekran Kartı
Nvidia GeForce 710M

Ekran Kartı Hafızası
2 GB

Ekran Kartı Tipi
Harici Ekran Kartı

Bellek Özellikleri:

Ram Tipi
DDR3

Sistem Belleği:
8 GB

Bellek Hızı
1600MHz

Maksimum Ram Kapasitesi
4 GB

Bellek Yuvası
2

Disk Özellikleri:

Sabit Disk Kapasitesi
500GB 5400RPM

HDD Hızı
5400 RPM

**Heinz Guderian** · July 28, 2013, 04:39 PM

The website i was thinking of getting it from listed both models which allowed customisations. When i customised them to the same spec, the P151SM1 came to about $200 more than the W350STQ. And it was exactly the same spec (CPU, GPU, RAM, HD etc) - i dont mean getting a 770 for an extra $200- it would be the same 765m

If you look at the clevo website, both models can have the same spec:

http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/products/...?productid=385

http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/products/...?productid=432

So if you compare the models side by side you get:

possible lower screen res display for W model
1 extra ram pin for P model (up to 32Gb compared to 24GB for W model)
more GPUs to select from for the P model
more possible HD storage for P model
better sound options on P model and a subwoofer
more I/O ports for P model
better webcam on P model
P model is 0.4kg heavier
more ventilation on P model

^these are all standard (not extra factory options)

...I'm kinda convincing myself to buy the P151SM1 model now.

**karamazovmm** · July 28, 2013, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by bthizle1

I'm beginning to think that perhaps my lifestyle does not really allow for a gaming laptop. ie. cumbersome and expensive. I mostly live out of a backpack, and am moving around internationally quite a bit.

Are there any options that could run say the paradox games, as well as the new EU 4, perhaps Civ 5 that are less than $500 and fairly portable?

I would simply go for the w230st, there is nothing wrong with a 13", and yes thats my main pc. I only use external monitors at work

Originally Posted by Rafsanjohnny

What exactly do you mean by build quality? Also what do you think of the new Macbook Pro?

Edit: I think its time to change my sig now that I asked that question.

build quality is simply defined by:

Choice of materials, execution (though it can be said this to be Q&A, however one is the former is to execute properly, the latter is to maintain that initial execution), I do put usually sturdiness, but its a matter of debate.

Best consumer notebook in terms of build quality, is the apple range, best enterprise class notebook is up for dell, lenovo and hp, with their enterprise line, best bullet proof notebook is the panasonic toughbook.

Originally Posted by Rafsanjohnny

Ooh and could you take a look at this samsung for me?

the ge40 is going to be better

Originally Posted by Heinz Guderian

The website i was thinking of getting it from listed both models which allowed customisations. When i customised them to the same spec, the P151SM1 came to about $200 more than the W350STQ. And it was exactly the same spec (CPU, GPU, RAM, HD etc) - i dont mean getting a 770 for an extra $200- it would be the same 765m

If you look at the clevo website, both models can have the same spec:

http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/products/...?productid=385

http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/products/...?productid=432

So if you compare the models side by side you get:

possible lower screen res display for W model
1 extra ram pin for P model (up to 32Gb compared to 24GB for W model)
more GPUs to select from for the P model
more possible HD storage for P model
better sound options on P model and a subwoofer
more I/O ports for P model
better webcam on P model
P model is 0.4kg heavier
more ventilation on P model

^these are all standard (not extra factory options)

...I'm kinda convincing myself to buy the P151SM1 model now.

I wasnt aware that clevo went for 3 ram slots on the w350st, its a stupid move.

in the end if I were you, I would go for the P151sm1, simply put its 770m is going to make for more effective gaming performance at 1080p, if you want to see the performance of the 765m
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7119/r...ebook-review/4

that review is for the best ultraportable notebook in the market right now, its basically a no compromises situation, until the screen comes to light, you are such a troublesome company razer, you could have nailed everyone, but chose not to, well at least the bar is very high.

for the 770m add 30% performance

but thats all a lie, because If I were you, I would go for the razer blade, and I would be much more handsome

**bthizle1** · July 28, 2013, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by Karamazovmm

I would simply go for the w230st, there is nothing wrong with a 13", and yes thats my main pc. I only use external monitors at work

The thing is if I'm not going to get the np7352 or the np8230 due to it's lack of portability largely due to the fact that it would be more of a liability, I cannot justify the price. So, I'm wondering if there's many options at say $500 or less that could play the paradox games, civ, and perhaps some RPG's.

**karamazovmm** · July 28, 2013, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by bthizle1

The thing is if I'm not going to get the np7352 or the np8230 due to it's lack of portability largely due to the fact that it would be more of a liability, I cannot justify the price. So, I'm wondering if there's many options at say $500 or less that could play the paradox games, civ, and perhaps some RPG's.

anything with igpus can run those

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