Trying to Pick Between Good Choices

[Barachiel]

I currently own an Asus VX7 and have loved it. It's been very powerful, and has the best air-flow I've ever seen, running at a reasonable temperature and never once overheating itself (or me!)

But it's time to upgrade, and after having done a *lot* of reading and pricing, I find myself torn between a variety of options.

Here's what I"m looking for in terms of features.

• 
  *15" or 17" Gamut 90% NTSC Screen
  *Nvidia 770M Graphics
  *4th Gen Core i7 (4700 is fine)
  *12-16GB DDR3 RAM(not sure if 16GB is needed)
  *Alternating between 120GB SSD + 750GB 7200 RPM Sata 3.0 HDD, or 1TB 7200RPM Sata 6.0 HDD
  *Dual-Band Wireless

That's the specs. Wouldn't mind some advice there. But what's really chewing at me is the choice in manufacturer.

On the one hand, I'm eying the Asus ROG G750JX-TB71, through Pro-Star for the screen upgrade. It's a brand I trust. The case design looks very similar to my current one, so I'm not worried about overheating. It's also the most expensive option, running around 1,900. It's also the biggest and heaviest.

I've heard good things about the MSI GT60/70 series, and have specced those out to the same design. Saves a hundred or so.

Then there's the Clevos, either from CyberpowerPC or Pro-Star. Can get everything I want in a 15.6" package, and is actually a tad cheaper than the MSI build. But I know *nothing* about these laptops, and while I've heard good things, my chief concern in any laptop is airflow and cooling.

Anyone with more varied experience in the market able to offer some advice?

 

[msf43]

Thanks for posting this question, as I've been doing hours of research and I've also narrowed them down to two options. I'm leaning towards the G750X-TB71 and looking to upgrade to a 500 or 512 SSD and a better WiFi reception, but I will keep the matte display to reduce glare. The Clevo/Sager option with similar specs has also intrigued me, but there is a lot less information available for it. It seems to add a few nice options, such as better audio, better WiFi, and biometrics. I'm not sure how the screen quality compares, but they are both nearly the same weight with the AC charger, according to the review I've seen. My only concern is that the Asus Bios/motherboard doesn't allow the use of Optimus, disabling it from being able to switch between the discrete and iGpu (I don't know if this has a significant impact on live previews while video editing and rendering).

I've ruled out the MSI due to overheating issues and other vulnerabilities that seem to be widely occurring.

Can you tell me what the advantage is of the screen to which you are upgrading and what you are using the computer for? I would prefer to get a lighter, Macbook Pro-sytle laptop, but they just don't offer the necessary hardware to power through video editing, which will be my primary purpose for buying such a bulky laptop.

I'd be interested in learning which one you are leaning towards and any other information you find out, because it has been quite a tedious process thus far and I'm quite ready to make a decision. Thanks!

 

[Barachiel]

The 90% Gamut screen is for better color representation. Basically if you do photoshop or graphics design work and you want to be sure the colors on your screen represent what they'll *actually* look like in the real world once turned into a physical object, you want at least a 90% NTSC Gamut screen. Custom laptop sites can install this as an upgrade when you order your laptop through them, usually for an extra $150.

If you don't care about color accuracy, stick with the base model.

As for which way I'm leaning, I've narrowed it down to the Sager P151M and Asus G750JX-TB71 as well, from Pro-Star.

 

[msf43]

I just discussed the two options with a representative from XoticPC, and he suggested that the Sager has a better build quality and better audio with fewer hassles than the Asus. However, he didn't give me enough convincing arguments, pros and cons, to make a final decision. This has been quite an arduous process and I'm sure that both computers will live up to the job. Perhaps it would also be best to wait for the holiday season, as prices do have a chance of coming slightly down.

Thanks for the explanation about the screen... I'll be sticking with the matte, as I believe that it will provide me with enough color accuracy for my purposes. I've sent out a few emails to retailers that sell both models asking for a recommendation. I'll share them here once they respond.

 

[msf43]

I think I'm going to stick with the two options that we've both narrowed down to, but it's worth noting that CyberpowerPC.com has the Fangbook and Explorer with an upgrade to the i74800mq for only $100 as well as an automatic free drive space upgrade. They have some spectacular deals, but I haven't heard much about either brands and I can't imagine beginning to expand my search.

 

[msf43]

$2094 (-300 if you don't want the SSD) with a 4800mq: The specs are fantastic for the price but I don't know much about the brand...


CyberPowerPC FANGBOOK EVO 17.3" FHD LED-Backlit
Intel® Core™ i7-4800MQ
16GB memory
NVIDIA GTX 770M 3GB PCIe Video (NB-FANGB-201)
512GB SSD
1 TB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive
8X Blu-ray Reader/8X DVD±R/2.4X + DL Super-Multi Drive (NB-FANG-BR-COMBO)
Sound: Supreme HD Audio w/ THX True Studio Pro Technology
Killer N1202 - 802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN
Speakers: 2.1 Stereo Speakers + Subwoofer powered by Dynaudio
Network: Killer E2200 10/100/1000 Mbps Gaming Network Card