MSI Laptop Customization what are worth upgrading and not.

[Quiqzal]

Hi everyone

So I am getting ready to bite the bullet on a Desktop Replacement Laptop. XOTIC PC was recommended to me from this site but still not sure if some customizations are worth the cost increase. The Laptop I finally have decided on is:

MSI GT70 2OD-039US - Dragon Edition 2 BAse Specs

17.3" FHD Matte
Intel® i7-4700MQ
NVIDIA® GTX 780M [4GB]
Up to 32GB RAM
3x 128GB mSATA + 1TB HDD
2+ Hours / 8.60 lbs
3D Score: TBA

Cost as is: 2700.00

I would love to stay between 3000 and 3500 but realize having the custom wraps and such not will take me closer to 4k.

I do have some questions I hope can get some answers to help me decide.

1.) Increasing the CPU from i7-4700MQ is the cost worth the upgrade.
i7-4800MQ (2.7GHz - 3.7GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) ( + 245 )
i7-4900MQ (2.8GHz - 3.8GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache) ( + 425 )

2.) Upgrading Screen:
17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) ( + 149 )

3.) I have not heard anything good about Windows 8 so thinking to change to:
Windows 7 Home Premium - 64-Bit (up to 16GB of RAM) (Disk Included) ( + 104 )

The Customization I am thinking of doing to the MSI is below. Any help or ideas on changes are greatly appreciated. The Customization from from http/www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt70-2od039us-dragon-edition-p-5771.html?wconfigure=yes

MSI GT70 2OD-039US - Dragon Edition 2

- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080)
- FREE!!! - 30 Day "No Dead Pixel" Guarantee! - ($35.00 Value!) (Limited Time Only / XPC Service)

- 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4900MQ (2.8GHz - 3.8GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – X2X917)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 780M (4.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 w/ Optimus™ Technology
- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service)

- 32GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-844AP] (Dual Channel Memory (4x8GB SODIMMS)) - Default
- Custom Graphic Wrap [A+C Surfaces] – [Back of LCD Panel + Keyboard ] (Choose from our designs or your own) *Will add 7-13 business days (XPC Service)
- MSI Logo [Purple] - (XPC Service)

- mSATA Option: Operating System Installed [Default] w/ mSATA(s) selected below

- 128GB Solid State Drive (Super RAID 2) mSATA - [ In Primary Hard Drive Bay ]
- 1TB 7200RPM (SATA III - 6GB/s) (SKU - HDD005)
- 6x Blu-Ray Burner + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive (SKU - ODD006

- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Intel® Dual Band AC 7260 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth 4.0 / WiDi | Up to 300/867Mbps (2x2) (SKU - WIFI04)
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera

- Windows 7 Home Premium - 64-Bit (Supports up to 16GB of RAM) (Disk Included)
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 & Premiere Elements 11 (OEM)
- 2013 PC Security Essentials Software (Not Installed) (Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus + Security (2 Year Subscription) & Zemana AntiLogger)

- Microsoft OFFICE 2013 Home & Student Edition - [Word/Excel/PowerPoint/OneNote] (OEM/Medialess)

- 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty 24/7 Tech Support w/ LCD Accidental Damage Protection (SKU - WTY009)
- No Certificate & Binder
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 24-72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- Standard Production Time

With Max items spoke of above Approx.Cost: 4200.00

A last question:
Sager NP9380-S (Clevo P370SM3) is it a comparison to the MSI?
I worked a customization up using the Sager have that I can post but thought I would not make this longer than it is for now

Thank you all
Happy New Year.
Nanette

 

[LummusMaximus]

Thank you so much for that clarification. I guess never have installed them I didnt fully understand it all but I do now that was a great answer. I think I will be fine with my two external hard drives 1g mobile one and 1g Desktop that I already have.

Heading into the pool of ordering *pinches nose and leaps into the deep end*

Thank you again.

Not a problem, buddy. Hope everything arrives in working order

It would be nic if you'd update this thread once it arrives, it just makes everyrhing feel more complete.

Once again, good luck buddy!

 

[TheGoat Eater]

Thanks for explaining that better than I would have been able to - You made it a lot more easy to understand than I would have been able to. I have no doubt after you get this notebook Quiqzal you will have one big smile on your face . Congrats on the new baby lol

 

[Quiqzal]

Thank you all again. I am very happy with our new laptops. I finally decided on the following: Which somehow I caught onsale making the price great as well.
ASUS ROG G750JH-DB71 17.3-Inch Laptop
Operating System: Windows 8 (64 bit)
Display: 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) anti-glare display
Processor: Intel® Core i7-4700HQ (3.4 GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5
Memory: 24GB DDR3
Storage: 1TB HDD + 128GB (x2) SSD (RAID 0) + 32GB ASUS WebStorage2
Wireless: Killer™ Wireless-N 802.11 a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0
Optical Drive: Blur-Ray DVD Combo
Camera: HD Camera
Card Reader: 3-in-1 (SD, MMC, MS)

Battery: 8 cell Li-ion Battery Pack with up to 3.5 hours life1
Dimensions: 17.3" x 12.5" x .7"-2.0" (W x D x H)
Weight: 9.9 lbs
Color: Black
Input/ Output:
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Headphone-out jack
1 x VGA port
1 x Mini Display port (Thunderbolt)
1 x HDMI port
1 x RJ45
4 x USB 3.0 port

We are slowly getting used to the Windows 8 decided just to much work to uninstall and reinstall Windows 7 figure if we hated it so much later we could switch since the OS has its on Partioned Place as well as 2 others. That took a bit to figure out. The speed is great a lil to sensitive but learning how to work with that. The graphics compete with our 50 in tv. I wish the speakers were up front but the sound is still great with the speakers on the bottom.

We are playing Elders Scroll Online and this laptop works great with it..can have multiple windows open and not see any lag or anything else slowing the game down.

Also play Sims3 and really cannot wait to see how the laptop works with Sims4 coming out later this yr.

Only have two more things to ask...I know this isnt the right forum for them but Im here hehehe and you all have helped greatly.

A good gaming mouse is needed without spending 100.00 one .

A headset that allows for gaming and listening to my IPOD. I am guessing we will probably need two for this would love for both combined be under 200 I have been looking and reading and dear lord I feel the water slowly coming up my legs with so many good and bad reviews and prices from 20 to 400.

Last, thank you all again with a big special thanks to LummusMaximus for the patience of my many im questions so I didnt crowd this discussion with all the but whats and this and thats.

Thank you as well TheGoat Eater....who I am not entirely sure isnt a Chupacabra and here is a nod to my geekdom on that name.... RED VS BLUE http/youtu.be/7sx_3m-FhAI

Thank you once more..do either of you play Elder Scrolls Online

Have a Happy Easter if you celebrate if ya dont still enjoy all the food.