Good value gaming laptop

[Pirate Ryan]

1. What is your budget?
Under $1500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
15.6" , but may be slightly smaller or bigger. No 17" though due to space limitations.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
1080p preferable, but 1600x900 is OK. IPS is cool too, but a quality TN panel is fine.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Something in between. Keep the beast contained in the specs, no need to make it monster sizes. I need to carry it in a bag up to 4 times a week maybe, but it will be my main computer.

5. How much battery life do you need?
Will have it plugged in usually and I understand the limitations of a gaming notebooks battery life. Nvidia optimus preferred.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
I play multiplayer games with friends. Anything like StarCraft, League of Legends, Borderlands Pre-Sequel, Battlefield, Dead Space...low requirements but also consider newer titles that are coop or multiplayer. Expect very high details on older titles and maybe lower details in new titles, but playable for new titles at least a few years down the road.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Possibility of streaming on twitch.tv for buddies to watch. Using OBS program. Webcam built in is cool, but not a deal breaker.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Not important because I can upgrade myself.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
I've been looking at Eurocom for the M5 Pro: http/eurocom.com/ec/configure(1,257,0)ec
This is a Sager NP8651/ Clevo 650SE rebranded and with an IPS in base model. I saw their 10% student discount which is cool and they are located in Canada, which saves me some fees I'd be hit by if I bought from xoticpc.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible. If its gonna keep playing the kinds of games mentioned I'll keep it running until components cost more than I can justify replacing. Not scared of simple procedures like LCD replacement or soldering for built in batteries.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
None needed, I've got all my floppy disk data on my google drive these days, but my msdos games don't work anymore...

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
No hating on any brands in particular. I'm all about value and needs.

13. What country do you live in?
Vancouver, Canada

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
Purchase date is about late January to early February 2015.

So with that said, can anyone give me advice on whether the Eurocom M5 is the right choice for me? Are there alternatives I should consider? Finally, with the plethora of choices in the 860m range, is a $200 premium for a 970m worth it? (About 1300 for Acer v nitro black edition locally, can be price matched with Canadian resellers)

 

[stokieben]

There are numerous custom laptop sellers than can give you some good value but bulkier laptops I'd reccomend a GS60 http/www.amazon.ca/MSI-GS60-2PL-061US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00PAX4AVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419260644&sr=8-1&keywords=gs+60 it has a 970m, SSD and very good i7. If you can find something with these similar specs for a better price, go for it. The MSI GS series is perfect, small, portable, lightweight but still a monster gaming laptop. The 970m as a gpu is probally like it's desktop counterpart the best value for money gpu that will last a very long time.

I live in England and have a GS70, use it for uni and all around desktop replacement they are very good laptops but you are paying a premium for the super slim form factor. Not sure how prices are in canada.

 

[Pirate Ryan]

There are numerous custom laptop sellers than can give you some good value but bulkier laptops I'd reccomend a GS60 http/www.amazon.ca/MSI-GS60-2PL-061US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00PAX4AVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419260644&sr=8-1&keywords=gs+60 it has a 970m, SSD and very good i7. If you can find something with these similar specs for a better price, go for it. The MSI GS series is perfect, small, portable, lightweight but still a monster gaming laptop. The 970m as a gpu is probally like it's desktop counterpart the best value for money gpu that will last a very long time.

I live in England and have a GS70, use it for uni and all around desktop replacement they are very good laptops but you are paying a premium for the super slim form factor. Not sure how prices are in canada.

First of all, thanks a lot for your help! I was very surprised to see that the gs60 weighs 1.9kg. While it seems to fit the bill, the link you showed above as well as newegg.ca sells it for 1600 before tax (5%). Then I looked at the reviews, which mention the specs listed are inaccurate and the seller is actually selling a cheaper laptop (same link you listed). It is actually the model listed on newegg, which has an 860m. I cannot understand why someone would pay over 1500 for an 860m, when the Acer V Nitro is available for around $1200 CAD and the Lenovo Y50 is available slightly below that. I really appreciate that you looked up the Canadian prices, making it easy for me to compare. There simply seems to be no options in the mainstream brands for good value.

The Eurocom model I listed goes for about $1450 total price after shipping, tax, and student discount. While I also suspected that I should find a better deal on spec/dollar with bulkier laptops, I actually could not prove this to be true when I looked through Sager/Clevo variants on XoticPC(high fees for duties + exchange rate CAD to USD) , ReflexNotebook, and Eurocom (later two are Canadian).

 

[stokieben]

Then I'd suggest the eurocom model, if it fits most of your specifications and along with the student discount which is really nice it seems a good match. Sucks that there isn't too many options for you, I only use amazon as a baseline as normally people have a number of retailers that they know of and mostly cheaper for their country, happy shopping. When looking at custom laptops I would recommend speaking to support and asking if they run any promotions like the student one from Eurocom. That's it for me really good luck.

 

[Pirate Ryan]

Then I'd suggest the eurocom model, if it fits most of your specifications and along with the student discount which is really nice it seems a good match. Sucks that there isn't too many options for you, I only use amazon as a baseline as normally people have a number of retailers that they know of and mostly cheaper for their country, happy shopping. When looking at custom laptops I would recommend speaking to support and asking if they run any promotions like the student one from Eurocom. That's it for me really good luck.

Alright, hope it didn't feel like I was wasting time asking just to get the answer I started with, but I was mostly nervous about spending so much money without at least a second opinion. Just to confirm, you do believe that the 970m ($1450) is worth it over the 860m ($1200), both final cost?

 

[stokieben]

The jump from 860m to 970m is totally worth it due to the 970 giving one of the best bang for buck value, power and heat efficient. The jump from a 870m to a 970m for 250 more is still worth it too. http/www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-geforce-maxwell-mobile-gtx-970m-gtx-980m,27833.html This article illustrates the 970m vs 870m and is well worth to spend the extra now to give yourself a better experience overall.