A laptop to use with an external gpu (gaming)

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570
Hello, I was wondering what laptop to get, because I need one for my coursework, but I'd also like to game on it so I looked into external pcie board that plus into a mini pcie slot on the laptop (e Graphics card). I will be running a gtx 970 on this board so I need a laptop with an accessible mini pcie slot, and a processor that won't bottleneck the 970

Budget is around £250 - 350
Size isn't a worry
full 1080p resolution, although 720p won't be too bad
Portable Laptop
I want to play games at med to high settings (I'm using an external pcie board so I can use a desktop gtx 970 with it)
Needs to have a good processor, I don't mind too much about the gpu in the laptop. (read the above)
Battery life, about 5 hours, doesn't matter too much because where I work I can use a socket to charge
1tb of storage
Optical drive, i'm not too bothered about
I live in the U.K
I'm pairing the laptop with an external gpu at home (gtx 970) so I need a laptop with a processor that can keep up with that
 

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570
Hmm, It looks interesting, but I can't help but think it's going to be like the alienware one, overpriced. I found one that isn't overpriced and quite simple, I was actually looking for a laptop and not an external pcie board, but okay.
 

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570


Thanks for the reminder, It's been a while since I posted on here

 
For a 350quid budget you won't get a top line laptop.

You'd need a good i7 to help keep up with a gtx970. I don't think your budget will cover that eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=msi+laptop+i7&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=24568435254&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6798084195041685573&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2u601w67jq_b

Have a look here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laptops-Gaming-Computers-Accessories/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A429886031%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A1628896031

tick the boxes with what you want and see what you can find anywhere near your budget.

 
Not all i5's are the same. Looking at Haswell CPUs:

Desktop i3 = 2 cores, 3-4 MB cache, hyperthreading, no turbo boost
Desktop i5 = 4 cores (mostly), 6 MB cache, no hyperthreading, turbo boost
Desktop i7 = 4 cores, 8 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost

Mobile i3 = 2 cores, 3 MB cache, hyperthreading, no turbo boost
Mobile i5 = 2 cores, 3 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost
Mobile i7 = 2 cores/4 MB cache, or 4 cores/6-8 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost
 

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570


I did manage to find this: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_E1-572_4th_Gen_Core_i7_6GB_750GB_15.6_inch_Windows_8_Laptop_in__NX.M8EEK.032/version.asp

Would that be any good with a 970?

 

Lutfij

Splendid
Moderator
Max, mate,
desktop grade CPU and GPU's are worlds apart from mobile CPU's and GPU's. Reasoning behind that is they need to engineer cooling solutions for high TDP mobile chips. Big coolers will mean bigger and heavier laptops and potentially hotter lappy's as well. In short mobile CPU's and GPU's are severely crippled desktop grade counterparts.

If you can hold on for a month, post CES announcement, you will see a plethora of Haswell refresh cpu's on a revised lithography see release. More power and less heat.

Could you elaborate on this fact
I'm using an external pcie board so I can use a desktop gtx 970 with it
?

Edit;
for the mobile platform that 4500U isn't bad but if you're going to pair it with a GTX970, you're introducing bottleneck with only 1.8GHz from the i7 to provide.
 

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570


I found this video recently and the product caught my attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_8EYQ-2RA

 

Lutfij

Splendid
Moderator
:D

You learn new something everyday eyh? I know I did!

In terms of innovation, I think its a stepping stone for people looking for gaming with a handful of components old or new. MSI, Asus and the likes tried the same tactic since 2010 but hasn't garnered much momentum. Maybe 2015 will change all that...?

In terms of functionality, well the best thing you could do is build a 1200 UK pound system in a small footprint and have a lappy/notebook or ultrabook for your office needs. Increases the number of items to manage but you're getting your money's worth for it. Furthermore a desktop with a good budget and parts selection can outlast a gaming laptop and allows you to clean it up better than a lappy does.
 

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570


Ahahah, not even 1200, I need only spend another 250 on an i5 4690k and a new mobo

 

Max Guymer

Estimable
Jun 27, 2014
19
0
4,570


Yeah, I was looking for a replacement for my desktop, as it takes up too much space and I didn't mind sacrificing performance as all I play is Dota 2, csgo and a couple of other easy to run games