Time to upgrade laptop! ($1000-$1500)

[Emelth]

Alright, so the wife's laptop is going to shit so I'm gonna give her mine which is still in perfect condition. GREAT! Means time for an upgrade for me.

1. What is your budget?
$1000 - $1500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
I currently have a 17" which is what I'm used to but I'm wondering how much of a difference going down to a 15" inch

3. What screen resolution do you want?
1080

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

5. How much battery life do you need?
N/A
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 play mostly MMO's (Diablo III, WoW, Guild Wars 2)

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Photoshop

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
500GB - 1TB
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
Where ever the best deal is from
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
3+ years (I bought my current one back in Feb 2011)

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Basic DVD ROM
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.
No preference

13. What country do you live in?
USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
Good cooling system (I do use a notebook cooler as well to help)
I use it a lot in dark areas and watch movies/ shows

 

[i7Baby]

I prefer Asus, MSI then Lenovo - in that order. For $1500, you should be able to get a really good laptop; eg

MSI $1500 i7 4810, GTX 870M - http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA57X1U15219

 

[TopLuca]

I think this satisfies your needs : http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232097&cm_re=ASUS_ROG_G750-_-34-232-097-_-Product

Benchmarks : http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-870M.107792.0.html

Price : $1200

i7 4700HQ , GTX 870M , 12GB of RAM .

 

[Emelth]

Wow great speed at assisting people. Its been a while since my hardcore TH forum helping days. Nice to see others have picked up the torch!

Thank you to both of you with the great suggestions I'll check'em out. While poking around I was looking at the Fang it caught my eye. When customized down a little lol.

http/www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Fall_Gaming_Fang_EVO_HX7

 

[TopLuca]

This : CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4810MQ Mobile Processor 2.80 GHz 6M Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 3.80 GHz
HDD: 128GB SanDisk SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 490 MB/s Read & 350 MB/s Write [-63] (Single Drive)
MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory [+106] (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: Mobile Intel HM87 Express Chipset Mainboard
SOUND: Supreme HD Audio w/ THX True Studio Pro Technology
VIDEO: NVIDIA GTX 870M 6GB PCIe Video (NB-FANG-203)

Was $ $1,449.00

If The SSD and the extra 250GB storage along with the free software worth the extra 250 bucks over the Asus then its a worthwhile upgrade , it also features a better processor.

 

[Emelth]

Sorry that link wasn't a "my" customized version of the link it was the base setup they had. Plus I could probably get a military discount from them knocking off a couple more dollars

Here is how I customized it, only question I have is the GPU since I cant really find a good comparison on the two offered. I am an Nvidia fan but the savings from the R9 are tempting. Is the wireless card upgrade worth it?

Removed: Link not working properly

 

[i7Baby]

You need to compare the performance of the cards to see whether you think its worth it.

If the laptop doesn't already have a wifi card/chip in it, you'll need one.

 

[Emelth]

All modern laptops have a wifi card already in it.

I'm asking if the 5th Generation Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260HMW 802.11AC, 867Mbps+300Mbps Wi-Fi + BT 4.0, Mini PCI-E combo is worth the $32 upgrade over the stock one which is the Killer N1202.

And I also stated that I havent been able to find a good comparison on the two graphics cards so hopefully insight from the other members would let me know.

 

[i7Baby]

Getting dual band is a good idea if you have a dual band wifi router to use with it.

You need to get specific with the graphics card for us to help. What R9?

 

[Emelth]

Notebook: CyberPowerPC FANGBOOK EVO 17.3" FHD LED-Backlit 1920x1080 Display w/ Red backlit performance keyboard with programmable keys, Built-in 720p HD webcam, HDMI Port, Li-Ion Battery, & Universal AC Adapter
Notebook Color: Fangbook EVO Cover
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4810MQ Mobile Processor 2.80 GHz 6M Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 3.80 GHz
Motherboard: Mobile Intel HM87 Express Chipset Mainboard
RAM / System Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory (G.SKILL)
Video Card: AMD Radeon HD R9 M290X 2GB PCIe Video (NB-FANG-250) ******This one vs the 870 6GB******
Freebies: $50 INSTANT OFF on Fangbook EVO w/ AMD Radeon HD R9 M290X 2GB PCIe Video
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive
Secondary Hard Drive: None
RAID: Non-RAID Storage
External Storage: None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: 8X DVD±R/RW/4X + DL Super-Multi Drive (CD-140-103)
External Optical Drive: None
Sound: Supreme HD Audio w/ THX True Studio Pro Technology
Internal Wireless Network Card: Built-in Killer N1202 - 802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo
LCD Monitor: None
Speakers: 2.1 Stereo Speakers + Subwoofer powered by Dynaudio
Internal Network Card: Built-in Killer E2200 10/100/1000 Mbps Gaming Network Card
Keyboard: Built-in Keyboard
Mouse: BUILT-IN TOUCHPAD
Mouse Pad: None
Headset: None
Notebook Cooling: None
Gaming Gear: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless Routers/Hubs: None
Docking Station: None
Bluetooth: Built-in Bluetooth
Flash Media Reader/Writer: Built-In 4in1 Media Reader
Battery: 9-Cells Lithium-Ion battery pack 11.1Vdc 7800mAh 87Wh
Carrying Bag: None
AC Adapter: Full Range AC adapter 180W, AC in 100~240V ~ 2.5A 50~60Hz, DC output 19.5V, 9.5A
Car Adapter: None
Video Camera: Built-in HD Webcam
Cables: None
Power & Surge Protection: None
USB Port: Built-in 2x USB2.0 Ports + 3x USB3.0 Ports
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: None
Games: None
Service: STANDARD 1-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY AND LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Additional Warranty: None
Rush Service: Standard processing time: ship within 5 to 10 Business Days
Total: $1235

 

[arj8]

i am confused between these models.plz help
asus x550ld-xx082d
1.6 GHz Intel Core i7 4500U processor
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB Hard Drive
15.6 inch Screen
DOS Operating System
Nvidia GT 820M 2G DDR3 Graphics
--------------------------------------------------
hp pavilion 15-p077tx
Intel® CoreTM i5-4210U Processor
Windows 8.1
8GB RAM / 1TB HDD
Pearl white / 15.6"
Nvidia gt 840m 2GB Graphics Card
--------------------------------------

 

[i7Baby]

Start your own thread.

 

[Emelth]

Alright so which gpu?

R9 m290x 2GB or the 870 6GB? Once I get that figured out I think I'll be set to order my new laptop

 

[TopLuca]

Alright so which gpu?

R9 m290x 2GB or the 870 6GB? Once I get that figured out I think I'll be set to order my new laptop

The 870 is about 10% faster

benchmarks for the 870M : http/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-870M.107792.0.html

The m290x : http/www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-R9-M290X.108643.0.html

Both are fine for MMOs I guess but the 870M will stand the test of time and its better so why not ?

 

[Emelth]

Thank you all very much for your insight I'll most likely stick with the 870 for the long run!

 

[TopLuca]

Thank you all very much for your insight I'll most likely stick with the 870 for the long run!

Your welcome sir 😀

 

[Emelth]

Oh wow the price went up on the first one you posted TopLuca damn that sucks lol

 

[TopLuca]

Oh wow the price went up on the first one you posted TopLuca damn that sucks lol

There's always a deal coming up 😉

 

[Emelth]

Guess I gotta start the search all over again lol

 

[TopLuca]

Guess I gotta start the search all over again lol

Maybe build your own off Cyberpower 😉