Compact 14" Laptop, Desktop Level GPU

[Hendrik Jan van den Broek]

Hi all! I'll keep it short.

I'm currently studying at a university and I'm expected to travel there every day, a total of 3 hours a day. Last year, I bought a 17" laptop that is pretty heavy (3.5 kg / 7.7 pounds), but works quite well. Now, I'm kind of done with having to take the heavy laptop with me all the time, and also it isn't portable enough in my opinion.

My question to you: Do any of you know a compact laptop that can play games well? I really like the mobile versions of the new GTX 10- series. Also, I'd prefer a laptop with a 14" screen, since those are usually quite light.

I've found one system like this already, but it's kind of expensive (about $2000). It's the MSI GS43VR. It has a desktop grade 1060 (I know it's a little bit less powerful than a real desktop 1060), an Intel Core i7 6700HQ, it's 1.6 kg (3.5 pounds) and has a 14" screen.

I already have a desktop PC (GTX 770) and a laptop (GTX 960m) at the moment, but I really want to trade them both in for a single system that is portable. No more having to sync between my laptop and desktop all the time. Most of you would probably recommend a cheap laptop or chromebook for university and a better desktop for gaming, but this doesn't work for me as I would have to carry that system with me all the time as well. (Private reasons)

 

[jbgarcia]

Hi all! I'll keep it short.

I'm currently studying at a university and I'm expected to travel there every day, a total of 3 hours a day. Last year, I bought a 17" laptop that is pretty heavy (3.5 kg / 7.7 pounds), but works quite well. Now, I'm kind of done with having to take the heavy laptop with me all the time, and also it isn't portable enough in my opinion.

My question to you: Do any of you know a compact laptop that can play games well? I really like the mobile versions of the new GTX 10- series. Also, I'd prefer a laptop with a 14" screen, since those are usually quite light.

I've found one system like this already, but it's kind of expensive (about $2000). It's the MSI GS43VR. It has a desktop grade 1060 (I know it's a little bit less powerful than a real desktop 1060), an Intel Core i7 6700HQ, it's 1.6 kg (3.5 pounds) and has a 14" screen.

I already have a desktop PC (GTX 770) and a laptop (GTX 960m) at the moment, but I really want to trade them both in for a single system that is portable. No more having to sync between my laptop and desktop all the time. Most of you would probably recommend a cheap laptop or chromebook for university and a better desktop for gaming, but this doesn't work for me as I would have to carry that system with me all the time as well. (Private reasons)

Today is your lucky day! I found the same laptop (accidentally, while trying to find you a cheaper laptop). It's the same exact brand and model, MSI GS43VR, but for over $500 less. Advice: never shop direct from the manufacturer, but use trusted online retailers such as XoticPC (I've used them for a while, latest time for my new GTX 1070 laptop).

Anyway, here is the link to the laptop:

http/www.xoticpc.com/msi-gs43vr-phantom-pro-006.html

And here is the direct link to the customization page:

http/www.xoticpc.com/msi-gs43vr-phantom-pro-006.html?startcustomization=1

By the way, there is no real difference between the laptop and desktop makes of the new 10-series cards. They are the same exact card with very slight modifications to fit the power consumption and heat generation requirements of laptops.

Also, one recommendation I would make is to upgrade the SSD from 128 GB to 512 GB, or at least 256 GB if you are on a real tight budget. Even if you choose the 512 GB option, you'll be saving over $400 over the listing you found. Believe me, 512 GB fills up fast if you are playing the latest games, even without any mods. I can't imagine you'll be able to install more than 2 new games, maybe 3, on a 128 GB SSD (which really has less than 100 GB after formatting and with the OS installed on it. Also, you want the OS installed on it, trust me. Don't have it installed on the regular 1 TB hard drive.)

Speaking of drives, make sure not to change the 1 TB hard drive option under 2.5" Storage, unless you want to upgrade to a bigger HDD. If you want to upgrade the SSD, make sure to do so under the M.2 SSD Drive Slots section. It will cost a few bucks more (not a lot), but it'll make sure you get the fastest read/write speed for your SSD, and also lets you keep the regular, bigger hard drive for storing documents (video, music, files, photos, etc.) and installing older games or applications that don't need to load super fast.

 

[JeffDaemon]

The msi and asus laptops have had alot of teething issues being they are the first generation of 1060 laptops. Namely, a lot of cooling issues. It looks like the Alienware 13 has a big leg up with the cooling solution and i would suggest their Alienware 13 r3.