Help Buying Gaming Desktop Replacement ~ $1500 USD

[Godzealot]

Hey guys, I want to buy a desktop replacement that will last me maybe 4 years or so. I want to be able to play games on high right now, and of course I understand I have to turn down the settings as games get more advanced. I have done some research but I am not too clear about laptop video card rankings. On the Graphics Hierarchy Chart on tomshardware they list Mobility Radeon 5870 but how come not Nvidia 460M?

1. What is your budget? Around 1500 Flexible (will pay more for faster )

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 16" +

3. What screen resolution do you want? 1920x1800

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

5. How much battery life do you need? Permaplugged

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)? High setting! Starcraft 2, WOW, Diablo 3 when it comes out, and future games at medium.

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

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500GB I guess. I don't DL too much stuff. SSD fits in budget? Would sacrifice bluray for SSD!

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. No site preference. I live in California.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? ~4 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? Blu-Ray a plus if within budget otherwise DVD is fine.

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. ASUS, I heard they got good warranty, but any brand is fine.

13. What country do you live in? USA, California

 

[Godzealot]

Wow that does look like a great deal. I can't seem to find anything equipped with a 285M even else close to this price. However I'd gladly pay 1-200 more for a better screen!

What do you guys think about this one:

MSI GX740-235US Intel Core i5 450M(2.40GHz) 17.0" 4GB Memory 320GB HDD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Broadway XT NoteBook

It's the only one with 17 inch screen and dual core.

 

[WR2]

Hello Godzealot;

Sager NP8170 custom laptop @ $1600
Core i7-2630QM Sandy Bridge 17.3" 1920x1080 LCD & Geforce 470M with configuration options. Geforce 485M also available.
Same model is $1389 with the GTX 460M

@ Notebookcheck Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards benchmark chart the GTX 460M is rated ahead of the GTX 285M
GTX 470M rates a bit higher than the Mobility HD 5870.

 

[lostandwandering]

Hey guys, I want to buy a desktop replacement that will last me maybe 4 years or so. I want to be able to play games on high right now, and of course I understand I have to turn down the settings as games get more advanced. I have done some research but I am not too clear about laptop video card rankings. On the Graphics Hierarchy Chart on tomshardware they list Mobility Radeon 5870 but how come not Nvidia 460M?

The 460M was not released when that chart was made and like most of the other charts, Tom's won't update them. I'll agree with WR2, that Sager is a good option.

 

[Godzealot]

Thanks guys, I am seriously considering buying the Sager NP8170. My question is, there is a lack of basic benchmarking anywhere for the GTX 470M. Is it because it's relatively new, or is it because it's just a less common video card? Perhaps my googling skills are lacking. Is it worth the $200 upgrade over the 460M?

Second, I did come across a thread stating that the 470M needs special drivers too? I understand that Laptops need special drivers right? If the 470M is less common would it be more difficult to find drivers, especially over time? Thanks

 

[WR2]

I did come across a thread stating that the 470M needs special drivers too?

Not true. All 4XXM cards on using ver 266.58 Jan 18, 2011. You can find people that swear by a certain version for a specific game, or even modded drivers but those would be exceptions.
There are sometimes different versions for the Notebook and Desktop cards but at this moment every Nvidia 2xx/3xx/4xx/5xx card is on 266.58.

Mostly likely the reason there aren't a lot of benchmarks of the 470M is that it's not found in mainstream laptops and so it's not available for testing much. And the custom laptops tend to get tested with the top GPU (480/485)

Worth $200? Only you can decide that. To someone who's not a hard core gamer? Probably not.
It's about the same amount to upgrade from a Mobility HD 5730 to HD 5780.
It's probably the best chance you have to play future games at high/med settings.

 

[Speedv10]

Hey Godzealot,

I have a laptop worth every penny. Its the ASUS G73JH-A2, mabye alittle over what you had in mind price at $1500-1600 but its a gaming dekstop replacement that will last you 5+ years. Only DVD drive, but graphic, ram, resolution and advance dual fan cooling system is amazing, its one of a kind dual fan cooling system is top of the line right now. Check specs and hope this helps.

Links: http/www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=ASUS+G73JH-A2&cid=8277146273247920189&os=tech-specs

***** Must Read ***** (2 Pages Read Before Purchase) SIMPLY AMAZING FOR PRICE !!!!!


Professional Review: http/www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5571&review=asus+g73+g73jh


Specs are:

System Type Notebook
Built-in Devices Wireless LAN antenna, Bluetooth antenna
Width 16.6 in
Depth 12.8 in
Height 2.3 in
Weight 7.9 lbs
Color Black
Processor
Processor Intel Core i7 720QM / 1.6 GHz
Multi-Core Technology Quad-Core
64-bit Computing Yes
Chipset Type Mobile Intel HM55 Express
RAM
Installed Size 8 GB / 8 GB (max)
Technology DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
Form Factor SO DIMM 204-pin
Storage
Hard Drive 500 GB - 7200 rpm
Hard Drive (2nd) 500 GB - 7200 rpm
Optical Storage
Type DVD±RW / DVD-RAM
Card Reader
Type 8 in 1 card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick Duo, xD-Picture Card, miniSD, Memory Stick PRO Duo
Display
Display Type 17.3" TFT
Max Resolution 1920 x 1080
Widescreen Display Yes
Features Zero Bright Dot, LED-backlit
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870
Video Memory 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM
Audio
Audio Output Sound card
Notebook Camera
Camera Type Integrated
Sensor Resolution 2 Megapixel
Input Device(s)
Type Mouse, keyboard, touchpad
Networking
Networking Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported Yes
Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free) 4 memory - SO DIMM 204-pin
Interfaces 1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5 mm 1 x headphones - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm 1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A 1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 1 x audio / video - HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Gaming Mouse, carrying backpack
Power
Power Device External
Battery
Technology 8-cell
Installed Qty 1
Operating System / Software
OS Provided Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Microsoft Office Preloaded Includes a pre-loaded image of select Microsoft Office 2010 suites. Purchase an Office 2010 Product Key Card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC.
Software Drivers & Utilities
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 2 years Accidental damage coverage - 1 year
Universal Product Identifiers
Brand ASUSTeK COMPUTER
Part Number G73JH-A2
GTIN 00884840586470

BEST PRICE/SPECS RATIO OUT THEIR AND BIG NAME BRAND COMPANY !!!!

 

[Godzealot]

Ah crap. Now you've got me wondering if I should buy the ASUS or Sager. I wonder how much slower the 5870 is vs. 470M? The ASUS is packed with more features for similar price -_-

 

[Godzealot]

the ASUS was sold out/discontinued, so I ended up buying the Sager, upgraded to GTX 470M.

 

[WR2]

Would be nice to get a mini-review and your impressions.
Maybe a pic or two as well.

 

[Godzealot]

Sure, it's actually a preorder cause it's ETA is end of Jan. But definitely!

 

[WR2]

Thanks; 'real' user feedback is extremely useful info for anyone going through the same selection process you went through.

 

[Godzealot]

Best answer selected by Godzealot.

 

[Godzealot]

I was told it's a very popular model so I might not have it for a while. Plus they need to do the upgrades and wait for shipping. But I'll post up some numbers and take a few pics. What are you interested to see?

 

[WR2]

Just what ever you want to share to help others figure out if it's the right laptop for them.

 

[Godzealot]

More delays... Sandy Bridge problem. Shouldn't affect me, as I typically just use 1 HD, and I'll have it connected to the 6GB/s port.

Good news though, there's more GTX 470M benchs out now... and like everyone predicted it does outperform the 480M at a lower cost!