New Laptop

[scott broadway]

Hi guys. Looking for input.

1. What is your budget?
>>> up to $1500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
>>> 17"

3. What screen resolution do you want?
>>> 1920 x 1080 (I'm assuming this is ideal.)

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

5. How much battery life do you need?
>>> Would like 2 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)?
>>> I want to play games on High settings. That being said, I will always be about 5 years behind the latest games. I currently have Med Total War II, A of E III. There are some others in storage that my Inspiron 8600 couldn't handle - Lord of the Rings game, & another rpg. I will probably need to get more time in on the 2 games named above first, though. Most of my questions revolve around if I will be able to run games made today at medium settings in 5 years...

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
>>> Surfing, watching Korean dramas online, Sibelius music program. Nothing too demanding.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
>>> I thought 500GB, maybe 320MB.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
>>> No. Just want reliability. If that means buying direct, that's fine.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
>>> 5 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
>>> Basics

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.
>>> Been happy with Dell, so looking at XPS 17. Maybe MSI, ASUS, but saw an MSI vs. ASUS youtube video review involving a GT series MSI and a G series ASUS where the reviewers really said the ASUS won in the "running cooler" category ONLY. Open to brands that are reliable.

13. What country do you live in?
>>> US and Korea

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
>>> Items I want:
1) 7200rpm (for gaming, right?)
2) 1920 x 1080p (right?)
3) Try for Low Heat (I sometimes game for extended periods - older games.)
4) Backlit Keyboard
5) Nice Speakers
>>> Would the i5 do the job for 5 years?

Thanks. (Please let me know if this is the wrong forum before you delete my post. I believe my others may have been deleted for some reason.)

 

[gamer25]

MSI GT780DXR

Intel Core i7 2630QM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M (DDR5 1.5GB)

1TB hard drive

12GB DDR3 memory

USB 3.0

HDMI Port

click here

 

[Abyssalx]

If you care about the hardware a lot, the m17x may be a good choice. Alienware laptops are very high-end in all the hardware. They're overpriced, but you get what you pay for one way or another.

 

[scott broadway]

Wow! Now I'm TEMPTED to go back and look at the upper-enders - M17x... Sorry to drag this out, but I'm learning. The Samsungs size and look is nice, but it sounds like x1080 could give me a more significant boost in tandem with a decent GPU. Plus, I don't really like glossy screens.

I can get the XPS 17 from Dell, 4GB Mem, 500GB/7200; upgrade screen to x1080; GT550M for $1230.00. Let's assume the 4GB and 500GB HD are fine for my needs (I won't have much videos or music) with the rpm variable pending heating issues per model computer. What would compete in this category not above $1350.00? I will now research heating issues for this XPS computer.

 

[scott broadway]

Thanks all. I will look into Sager, etc.

 

[Abyssalx]

The Sager NP5175 is a 17" 1080p laptop with a 555m, and an upgrade to an i7, and assuming you don't have a Windows CD laying around, it costs about $1050. Better than the XPS for cheaper.
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np5170-custom-laptop-built-the-clevo-w170hn-p-3000.html?wconfigure=yes

 

[scott broadway]

Great abyssalx!!! Any final thoughts on the boutique brands? Now I know I can get the same insides. I will look for a classic black or silver outside. I would rather not have a laptop that says "gamer". I will be in Korea for at least a year. Does this play into any warranty? I had seen where ASUS actually had a 1 year international. Finally, when the thread runs it's course, how do I end it? Just select best answer button? Thanks.

 

[Abyssalx]

Well, on the sager page I linked, there is an option to remove all branding, which makes it a really sleek black laptop with no names anywhere. Sager is known for very superior build quality, also. Unfortunately, Xoticpc doesn't have any warranty options for out of North America, but the quality of it should last that long anyway.

Asus and Samsung are both respectable laptop brands, with (in my opinion) Asus being above Samsung and one of the best. Asus has very impressive warranties, and good cooling.

Dell, in my opinion, is fairly far below both of those, specifically in build quality, and price/performance.

The Sager has a lot of customization options, such as the i7, and there are many HDD choices, memory, branding removal, etc. It runs cool but can get sort of loud during lengthy gaming, but it shouldn't be a huge issue. And make sure you choose the Windows Operating System, as by default it is set to ship without an OS. (Unless you have a copy of windows you can use)

And yeah, I guess when you're done, just select the best answer. And any other questions you have, just ask.

 

[scott broadway]

http/www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=2000005971
i7; 6GB; 500GB/7200rpm; GT540M(Opt); x900, for 1 more day = $959

 

[Abyssalx]

Not so bad, still a lower resolution, with a worse GPU, it ends up being more money. But if you're hooked on a name-brand laptop then that'd work.

 

[scott broadway]

You're right. I just saw 3-digits and my eyes got big. Is the only difference between Sager, Prostar, and Malibal the outside?

 

[Abyssalx]

I'm not sure about Malibal, but I'm assuming the only difference is the Branding. Because CyberPower, Ibuypower, Xoticpc, and Prostar are all Sager/Clevo Resellers, that sometimes put there own branding. I definitely recommend Xoticpc, they will be the cheapest by far and have the option to remove branding.

 

[scott broadway]

Checked it out and I'm down to two (with optional upgrades). Thoughts?

Sager NP5175 (6.83 lbs.) $1315.00; 6GB (upgrade); 500/7200; GT555M; 6-Cell; Case

Force 1761 (8.6 lbs.) $1375.00; 4GB; 500/7200; GTX570M; 9-Cell
> Upgrade to 8GB & 750/7200 = $1428.00

If the extra weight (space?) on the Force means better cooling, that's a big plus. And, it looks like that GTX570M is a monster.

 

[scott broadway]

And I really need to know... right now on my Inspiron 8600 I use 1280 x 800 for everything. I can just lower resolution on a x1080 machine and get the same effect, right? Or, is there some advantage to a x900 for me. I hope not, as I like the idea of having decent graphics for some things.

 

[Abyssalx]

How'd you manage to get that Sager so expensive? The specs on that are the same as one I put together for $975. The 570m is a much much better card and you can play crazy things on it but its up to you cause it's much more expensive. And you could lower the resolution manually to 1280x800 but trust me, you won't want to.

 

[scott broadway]

For Sager...

Anti-glare screen = +199
Diamond Thermal = +25 (I figure if they have to do this extra step, they will do a much better job than on the assembly line.)
320GB to 500GB = +25
OS = +80
4GB to 6GB = +25 [If this is an easy upgrade, I can leave it off.]

I would rather go with the lighter machine (Sager), but after taking another look at the 1761 at $1375, it looks to be by far a better buy. It comes standard with a matte screen. If 4GB is easy/cheap to upgrade and 500MB Hard Drive is enough to hold a bunch of games/software the GPU will be stellar. My concern would be heat - shortened life of the machine. What would be your guess on heat for both machines? Would the larger chassis make up for the "hotter" gpu? I guess if I'm not utilizing it anyway, there shouldn't be extra heat...? I think the 555M would be more than adequate, but the Anti-glare upgrade is a killer. The Anti-glare is the catch here, I guess. I usually have the lights on when I use the computer, and I don't like the glossy look on the machines I've seen displayed.

 

[Abyssalx]

For the little difference in price - you'll get much more performance out of the Force/MSI 1761. That's what I would do. Keep in mind the 1-2 hour battery life you'll get out of it though. The cooling should be fine on it as well.

 

[scott broadway]

I think the 1761 is the way to go, although a part of me always feels a little hasty when $975 might satisfy me. But, I definitely don't want to feel slowed down before 5 years rolls around. Tough to take the plunge at first, I guess. Same as last time.

and FINAL questions -- should I buy a 2nd battery as I plan on having the machine for a while? I would only buy one if it might be hard to find one in 5 years (assuming it would probably die like my dell battery). Do you keep the battery in the machine when you are plugged in?

Does matte always boost the cost this much?!

Do I bother looking for "coupons" since it's not a mainstream brand?

Thanks for all of the help.

--- "There are always two, a master and an apprentice."

 

[Abyssalx]

If you intend to be plugged in the majority of the time, then you should take the battery out when you are plugged in. The battery might not be that great, but I learned my lesson the hard way with my old Vaio that went from a 4 hour battery life to a 10 minute battery life in 2 years, because I always had it plugged in with the battery in it. I don't think you really need 2 batteries though, but It would help if you needed more life away from a power outlet. I'd maybe consider getting a car charger over a 2nd battery. But it's up to you.

And yeah $975 would probably be fine, but you'll game flawlessly with this GPU and it'll handle new games that come out in the coming years also.

And yeah, matte seems to be expensive, which sucks, I prefer matte screens over glossy screens any day.

As for coupons, I could find anything that would work for you. The only ones seem to be free shipping on Asus laptops, which is only about $30 or so I think.

 

[scott broadway]

Best answer selected by Scott Broadway.