Laptop Upgrade from the Dark Ages

[0siris]

Good morning Ladies and Gents

A little background on me. I am in my early 30s, I am a big gamer. Mainly first person shooters online multiplayers like counter strike and such where fps is very important. I do occasionally travel for work and I am in college but I'm doing it online right now however in the very near future I will have to go to campus classes so I would be dragging this new laptop around. I recently took a long trip where I had to carry this laptop I currently have and I felt the pain...

I currently have an old gateway P-7805u weights about 9.1 lbs and 10.5 lbs with the power adapter, it is heavy! The battery is dead so it has to be plugged in at all times now. And it is my only computer. About a year ago now I upgraded the HDD to a 1TB Samsung 850 Evo and upgraded the memory to 8gb to prolong its existence since it had become slow and sluggish. Its an old heavy laptop, desktop replacement and it has served well, It is about 8 - 9 years old is my guesstimation. It is a big 17" screen which I enjoy a lot since it is my only screen. However oz = pounds, pounds = pain.

So for my new laptop. I am shooting for a new Nvidia pascal series laptop, no question there and a 1060 its the minimum. I was trying hard for something with the 1070, which put the alienware 15 with the 1070 in my radar and they also have a 120hz screen which I hear mix reviews about. However I am hearing good things about the new razer blade with the 1060 and I have started considering it, with the fn screen. The razer's weight and size is very appealing and I hear the battery life is pretty decent. So 120 hz refresh rate was a must when I first started looking but now due to the portability I need I am willing to compromise.

So what I am thinking about since I really like the bigger screens, it is getting a nicer newer screen for home like 21" or bigger with a 120hz or 144hz refresh rate sooner than later and getting a graphic amplifier like the core or the alienware for the future or even possibly build a desktop, but right now the need for performance in a portable package is the name of the game since my battery on my laptop and size is just not going to do it anymore.

I played around with more portable laptops and devices. My father has a Surface Pro 3 with the keyboard and it is a pretty cool little package, but it is not a full replacement for what my requirements are and what I am doing at this time.

My major is computer science and it is going to be fairly heavy with coding and I will be taking some graphic design classes as well with 3d modeling, rendering and that sorta thing.

This new laptop has to be decently future proof, I'm a big believer in spending the money upfront and having something that lasts a while, and this would certainly have to last me for the next 4-5 years. Upgrade ability would be nice, but for example the razer is not very upgradeable but seems like it is already well setup. I also have little kids so I will be purchasing this from a retailer that offers something along the 3 years accident protection like best buy, just because after spending that much money I don't want to take any chances of my kids having an "accident" on my computer.


Well here you have it, I would really appreciate any help and thoughts.

 

[GreyCatz]

Greetings, Osiris:

Here's a list of the most popular gaming laptops with 1070s and 1080s (as of November 11th, 2016):
http/www.ultrabookreview.com/10939-laptops-nvidia-1070-1080/

This will give you an idea about the prices asked and the performance offered. These are all-out gaming rigs making few or no concessions to any other kinds of usage or issues of durability. If you'll be doing heavy coding and graphics-intensive work, you might consider a maxed-out workstation, like a ThinkPad P70 or Dell Precision. These are likely to endure any "accidents" your kids may inflict, and they will last you well into the future.

But you did state "performance in a portable package" as the top priority, which brings you back to the gaming machines on the above list.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[0siris]

Thank you for your reply GreyCatz.

I been looking at several of those but is hard to find one that is portable but with some heavy digging for the last few weeks and tons today I think I am torned between the Alienware 15 with the 1070 and I think its the QHD screen so that it has optimus and better battery life. It its like 3 pounds heavier than the Razer Blade but it has more expandability and the graphics amp from alienware if I decided to use it it's only 150 (plus the card ofcourse). But the alienware is bulkier and heavier and I am not sure how much more the power brick is because I am sure that is not part of how they weigh them. So then the Razer with its decent battery life and smaller package its a great option but it only has a 1060, but then again it also has the core available to plug into but the core is much more expensive for some reason. What do you guys think?

 

[GreyCatz]

I fully understand your deliberations, but I don't think you'll find a 10-series GPU in a "portable" frame.

With the introduction of the 10-series, graphics power has been massively increased necessitating newer and smarter ways to dissipate heat. This means new chassis designs which, so far, means bulkier frames.

A 10-series laptop is currently only available as a desktop replacement; whether it's the Alienware or the Razer, you're going to feel the weight! And I think it's going to take some time for manufacturers to design new frames that will match your definition of portability.

 

[JeffDaemon]

your last gateway had almost no 3d capabilities. Why are you looking for one that has high end gaming performance?