Origin or iBuyPower Custom Laptop?

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Thinking about getting one of these custom gaming laptops (with desktop hardware), but I am having a really tough time finding some kind of reviews about these.

Does anyone have any kind of experience dealing with these custom manufacturers?

I would like to know that they are high quality builds if I am going to sink that kind of money into a laptop.

Specifically the desktop chip versions.

For Origin I am looking at either the EON15-X or EON17-X

For iBuyPower I am looking at the Chimera P750TM1-G

 

[Eximo]

Chimera is a Clevo computer. iBuyPower just sells them with their badge on them. (True of most high end laptops really)

There are quite a few vendors in the US to pick from. XoticPC, Sagernotebook are common examples. They have a lot of models and lots of options to look at, but it would be good to compare prices and warranties.

Not 100% sure about the EON models, with a little image searching you can probably find out who makes it.

As for reviews, they are out there, but limited. If you need that level of mobile performance they are good options, but they aren't really well suited for being a traditional laptop. They are heavy, and the battery life isn't great.

 

[Eximo]

I should point out that the major vendors now offer desktop class processors for mobile, even with overclocking. So you aren't limited to the desktop chipsets found in the high end Clevo chassis. Those would be a little more polished when it comes to acting like a laptop.

 

[GreyCatz]

From your earlier post I recall that your primary concern is: "Will it play WoW on ultra?" If this still holds true, then I have to say that the laptops in your links are ridiculously over target.

Take a look at this YouTube video demonstrating WoW on max settings running on a quad-core Haswell CPU and a GTX 770 card:
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnDhjL3rFiU


On a very general note, I would never sink this kind of money into any laptop unless it's a powerful Xeon workstation.

1. Gaming laptops are not known for build-quality the primary reason being that gamers prefer awesome graphics power over solid build-quality. Typically, the GPUs are so expensive that the manufacturers have to cut corners somewhere to stay in business, and this usually means cheaper-grade chassis materials.

2. Most gaming laptops are also very heavy (6lbs and up) so they tend to be used as desktop replacements. This means they will be hooked up to an external monitor for most of their life-cycle. On the rare occasion when these laptops need to be moved (e.g. LAN parties), gamers tend to be very careful with their (insanely expensive) gaming rigs - all told, build-quality isn't really a major selling point in this segment.

3. What you seem to be looking for is a capable Dell Inspiron 15 or Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 or similar. These are available at around $1,000 and will typically feature a GTX980 GPU and a quad-core Kaby-Lake i7 CPU. And that should be more than enough for WoW, even at ultra.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

I don't mind if it doesn't have a long battery life. My current work computer (2012 Macbook Pro). Only has about a 2-3 hour battery life anymore. Most of the time it remains plugged in anyways. Just want something I can move very easily and will work for gaming.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

From your earlier post I recall that your primary concern is: "Will it play WoW on ultra?" If this still holds true, then I have to say that the laptops in your links are ridiculously over target.

Take a look at this YouTube video demonstrating WoW on max settings running on a quad-core Haswell CPU and a GTX 770 card:
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnDhjL3rFiU


On a very general note, I would never sink this kind of money into any laptop unless it's a powerful Xeon workstation.

1. Gaming laptops are not known for build-quality the primary reason being that gamers prefer awesome graphics power over solid build-quality. Typically, the GPUs are so expensive that the manufacturers have to cut corners somewhere to stay in business, and this usually means cheaper-grade chassis materials.

2. Most gaming laptops are also very heavy (6lbs and up) so they tend to be used as desktop replacements. This means they will be hooked up to an external monitor for most of their life-cycle. On the rare occasion when these laptops need to be moved (e.g. LAN parties), gamers tend to be very careful with their (insanely expensive) gaming rigs - all told, build-quality isn't really a major selling point in this segment.

3. What you seem to be looking for is a capable Dell Inspiron 15 or Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 or similar. These are available at around $1,000 and will typically feature a GTX980 GPU and a quad-core Kaby-Lake i7 CPU. And that should be more than enough for WoW, even at ultra.

I am well aware of what is required for WoW, the problem is the mobile processors are not up to snuff in my opinion. The 1060 is complete and utter overkill, but I see no options for any lesser GPU in any desktop processor laptop.

I've even fiddled with the idea of building an HTPC (which would be incredibly cheaper and allow me to ONLY get the parts I need/want) but the problem remains it is not mobile enough. Something I can simply fold up and put in my backpack is what I need.

I am only worried the lower end laptops will not perform as I want. For WoW anything that can turbo on 4 cores to 4.0GHz will be sufficient. The problem is, only 8th gen is capable of that and there are so few of those out, and I have no idea if the Vega M chips will be enough for gaming. The Dell XPS 15 might even be an option.

So if Userbenchmark is correct. The Vega M chips would be okay for 1080p 60Hz, considering it is slightly faster than a 1050 Ti.

So if I could find a Dell XPS 15 with an 8809G chip that probably would be dang near perfect.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Looks like 8809G is a winner. Now I just have to wait for a friggin laptop to come out that has one

 

[GreyCatz]

As of writing, the only mobile Kaby-Lake CPU capable of turbo-boosting to 4.0+ GHz is the 7920HQ, but it's only available in a 1080 SLI configuration.

If 4 cores/4.0GHz is the primary requirement, then here's a list of 8550U and 8650U-based laptops from Intel's web-shop:
https/www.intel.com/buy/us/en/catalog/laptops/all/8th-generation-intel-core-i7

 

[Eximo]

Hmm, those new NUCs from Intel with AMD graphics might be right up your alley then. Though I think those are really overpriced. There are also some ludicrously small form factor PCs out there. Again overpriced. Really a laptop is better then these.

I wouldn't turn down an i7-7700HQ and a GTX1060/GTX1050ti at this point. Pretty much all you need.

If you want to go big, something like an i7-7920HQ which has more or less the same clock speeds as a desktop i7 or the i7-7820HK which you can overclock to whatever you feel comfortable with.

If you can hold out for a while the HQ processors for 8th gen should show up soon enough. That will increase the core count to 6.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

As of writing, the only mobile Kaby-Lake CPU capable of turbo-boosting to 4.0+ GHz is the 7920HQ, but it's only available in a 1080 SLI configuration.

If 4 cores/4.0GHz is the primary requirement, then here's a list of 8550U and 8650U-based laptops from Intel's web-shop:
https/www.intel.com/buy/us/en/catalog/laptops/all/8th-generation-intel-core-i7

The problem with those is that they are not gaming computers so the vast majority do not have dedicated graphics. The one that I found that does is $3,000 and resolution is almost 4k. So the 1060 that it does come with is still not nearly enough for gaming at that resolution. And at the $3,000 mark it would save me $1,000 and I would get a MUCH better computer to get one from Origin or iBuyPower with an 8700k and 1060 6GB in it.

 

[Eximo]

I found plenty of 8th Gen computers with dedicated graphics. I'm not a huge fan of U class processors myself, but if it was plugged in the CPU would pretty much ramp up until thermal throttle. I've played WoW on my old i7-4700HQ and a GT740m, 900p, but quite decent. GTX1060 at 1080p should be more then enough graphics power, and with something like an i7-7700HQ you would still get decent battery life when not gaming, 3-4 hours at least.

But if those are your thoughts, I don't think you will find too many people to give you advice on which one to get. Not very many people have them and they certainly don't receive the attention that the major brands do.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

The only one with an 8th gen cpu AND a dedicated graphics card that is up to snuff (not the 150x or 940m or something. an ACTUAL gaming GPU) is the Microsoft Surface 2 17" and that sucker is $3,000.

Currently looking at the Acer Predator Helios 300. That might work out for me.

Anything with an 7820HK (definitely the preferred mobile CPU) only comes with 1080 or 1080 SLI, which is way more than I need, and is almost $2,000. For that I'd rather get the desktop CPU and a 1060 for the same price.


I think you are right. Anything with a 7700HQ and at least a 1050 Ti should work. I still don't know which to get though. The Helios 300 looks good.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

For the price on this I think I'd be willing to snatch it up.

What do you think?

https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517428832&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=predator+helios+300+og317-51-70hk

 

[Eximo]

A bit gamery for me. But they all kind of look like that. A little odd to see a numpad on a 15.6" laptop.

Seems relatively competitively priced at least. Would be nice to see a slightly larger SSD.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

Same, I could do with better specs all around, but for the price it's tough to beat.