GT660-003US or wait for MSI GT680

[Scott53219]

1. What is your budget? About $1500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15 / 17 inch

3. What screen resolution do you want? 1080P....720P for the right setup.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Desktop replacement.

5. How much battery life do you need? Not important...over 1.5 hours?

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)? CODMW1/2/WaW, Crysis, Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 as high as I can.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) Video editing,watching movies, ect.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500gb at least with two drive slots...(RAID)?

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152204 And this one is not out yet - MSI GT680 http/blog.laptopmag.com/msi-announces-new-high-performance-notebooks-with-2nd-generation-core-cpus-usb-3-0#axzz1ATik0aoc - http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214052 - http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220845

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? As long as I can.


11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? Would love Bluray but not a deal killer.

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 Dell...I do like the MSI, Asus G73, and the TOSHIBA Qosmio.

13. What country do you live in? USA


14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. I want my laptop to be able to do everything my desktop does...because it will be replaceing it.



At the moment Newegg has a great deal for the MSI with a 285M for $849.99 after $100 rebate, but is the 460M worth waiting/paying for? Is it just DX11 or is it that much of a jump?

All input about my choices above will help because if I don't stop comparing, I will be asking about input next year! Thanks, Scott

 

[Maziar]

460M will give you roughly the same performance as GTX 285M but will give you more battery life and runs cooler too.
You may want to have a look at new Sager laptops with Sandy bridge CPUs
http/www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html

 

[Scott53219]

If I did that, it would cost over $1900 (just did it).....that's why I don't want to do a custom build like that.
What do you think about this one for the price????
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152204&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

 

[lostandwandering]

If I did that, it would cost over $1900 (just did it).....that's why I don't want to do a custom build like that.
What do you think about this one for the price????
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152204&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Here's a review of that MSI GT660: http/www.hardwarezone.com/product-guide/view/70296/review/70327

Overall, it's ranked pretty well. The two biggest complaints are keyboard flex and the fact that it only comes with a 720p res display. Most people expect more from a gaming class laptop. For the price though, it's probably going to be tough to beat. Also, you are limited to DX10.x as the 285M does not support DX11.

As another option, here's a Toshiba Qosmio with a GTX 460M on sale for only $100 more: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214050

I really don't care much for the Qosmios, but that's another tough deal to beat.

 

[Scott53219]

Here's a review of that MSI GT660: http/www.hardwarezone.com/product-guide/view/70296/review/70327

Overall, it's ranked pretty well. The two biggest complaints are keyboard flex and the fact that it only comes with a 720p res display. Most people expect more from a gaming class laptop. For the price though, it's probably going to be tough to beat. Also, you are limited to DX10.x as the 285M does not support DX11.

As another option, here's a Toshiba Qosmio with a GTX 460M on sale for only $100 more: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214050

I really don't care much for the Qosmios, but that's another tough deal to beat.

Now THIS is what I'm waiting for.....what do you guys think of this one?
http/www.excaliberpc.com/602167/msi-gt680r-008us-15.6-gaming-notebook.html#TabSpecification

 

[Maziar]

It's good but you can find cheaper alternatives from Sager.
http/www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html

 

[Scott53219]

It's good but you can find cheaper alternatives from Sager.
http/www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html

I just did a build that is as close to the MSI as I could and it comes to $1579.
What makes the Sager so much better? I understand owners who love what they own, but give me facts as to why it's better. (A comparison of some kind.)
I have been building desktops for about 10 years now so I must have a laptop that I can upgrade by myself.

 

[Maziar]

I can't judge about the future models, but most Sager laptops have better build quality than MSI ones(Let's say Sager NP8690 vs MSI GX640),also they usually cost less while having the same or slightly higher specs.

 

[Klosteral]

Does anybody know when this new tech is going to hit Australia and which ones of that list (the list here http/blog.laptopmag.com/msi-announces-new-high-performance-notebooks-with-2nd-generation-core-cpus-usb-3-0#axzz1ATik0aoc) that I will be able to get for less than $1700AUD when they arrive?

 

[Scott53219]

I can't judge about the future models, but most Sager laptops have better build quality than MSI ones(Let's say Sager NP8690 vs MSI GX640),also they usually cost less while having the same or slightly higher specs.

Out of the Sager here are two I'm liking alot.....

Sager NP8130
15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU ( + 40 )
nVidia GeForce GTX 460M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
8,192MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)--------------------------------------Like this
6X Blue-Ray Burner/Reader / 8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive ( + 195 )
750GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) ( + 55 )------------------------------------------What do you think?
Intel® Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module ( + 25 )-------------------------Is this worth it?
Total cost = $1477.37

OR This
Sager NP8170
17.3" FHD LED Backlit 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 2.0-2.8GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
nVidia GeForce GTX 470M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 ( + 200 )---------------------Wish the other 1 could have this!
4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
6X Blue-Ray Burner/Reader / 8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive ( + 195 )
500GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) ( + 20 )
Intel® Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module ( + 25 )
Total cost = $1773.03

Even cutting corners for the 470M, that's not a bad price.....I hear the 470 beat the 480? http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-470M.35971.0.html

 

[Maziar]

I would go with the first one,because the difference between 460M and 470M isn't worth the extra $300.
And no,480M>470M.Sometimes notebookcheck makes mistakes.

 

[lostandwandering]

I would go with the first one,because the difference between 460M and 470M isn't worth the extra $300.
And no,480M>470M.Sometimes notebookcheck makes mistakes.

They only have results for a single game, Mafia II I believe, and 3d Mark06. Not exactly a fair representation, especially if the clock speeds on the 470M are higher which would give it an advantage in 3d Mark.

 

[Scott53219]

One more question about Sager. Do the newer Sagers have HDMI out and is there a SPDIF digital out for connecting my Logitech Z-5500 speakers digitally like the MSI's do?

 

[lostandwandering]

One more question about Sager. Do the newer Sagers have HDMI out and is there a SPDIF digital out for connecting my Logitech Z-5500 speakers digitally like the MSI's do?

Yes and yes for both systems. These features are listed in the specifications for both laptops on Sager's website.

 

[Maziar]

http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8170-built-clevo-p170hm-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2971.html
1 HDMI output Port
1 S/PDIF output Jack

 

[Scott53219]

Yes and yes for both systems. These features are listed in the specifications for both laptops on Sager's website.

It looks like I will be waiting untill the end of January to order the Sager NP8170.....Or see what's new at that time! (500GTX?)
They do sound real nice.
Thanks for the info guys!

 

[Maziar]

I don't think we'll see high-end GTX 5xxM cards soon.For now,GTX 485 is the fastest card and I think this will change soon.

 

[Scott53219]

I don't think we'll see high-end GTX 5xxM cards soon.For now,GTX 485 is the fastest card and I think this will change soon.

http/blog.laptopmag.com/msi-announces-new-high-performance-notebooks-with-2nd-generation-core-cpus-usb-3-0#axzz1ATik0aoc They are coming soon! MSI GT780

 

[Maziar]

Yes,but like I said,the probably won't be as fast as GTX 485M.

 

[Scott53219]

Best answer selected by Scott53219.