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[anddo0]

Guys I'm getting excited about the next gen of mobile graphics cards. I was reading about amd's new offerings and it sounds incredible for normal sized laptops that won't run out of battery in an hour or heat up to the temperature of the sun. This could be a huge game changer.

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro G.

My main concern is what's around the corner?
I don't want May/June to hit and have buyers remorse.

If nothing comes out that tops the desktop 980. I'll be a happy camper for at least a year.

 

[thequickandthedead]

Would you say a GT72 is VR-Ready K.Jack? I overclocked my 980m (without unlocking vbios) and got a firestrike score of slightly over 9k.

 

[Fox318]

I really hope MSI and others use USB-Type C for an external graphics card.

 

[Gruso]

http://www.metabox.com.au/store/b186/Metabox-Alpha-N150RF-Laptop

- 15.6" FHD IPS Matte
- Nvidia GeForce 965M Ver:GR
- Core i7-6700HQ

<snip>

Is there anyone who has owned more than one Clevo in the past four years, who can comment on how the design has evolved?

Disregard question. I have ordered, and will post this feedback myself

 

[Fox318]

EVGA announced a laptop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf2yjBkOv-k

 

[Free Roaming Chicken]

I recently purchased the MSI GT80 Titan SLI and having a blast. Currently playing ACS with ultra settings and avg around 55 - 65 fps. Loving the mechanical keyboard. Have also played Witcher 3 all maxed settings and still was near 60 fps. Looking forward to RotTR later this month. Was thinking about getting MGSV:TPP but I haven't played any of that series.

http://www.msi.com/product/notebook/GT80-2QE-Titan-SLI.html#hero-overview

 

[K.Jack]

Its from Xidax, which is a clevo p-15sm-a/SM1-a base. There is still a warranty that ends in March of 2017

$1100

Would you say a GT72 is VR-Ready K.Jack? I overclocked my 980m (without unlocking vbios) and got a firestrike score of slightly over 9k.

The way they're making it seem like the GTX 970 the minimum for VR, I don't know yet.

Disregard question. I have ordered, and will post this feedback myself

The newer keyboards are better than the old chiclet one.

Won't feel as nice as typing on an MSI or Alienware.

EVGA announced a laptop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf2yjBkOv-k

This could be HUGE.

 

[Timeaisis]

Yo guys, I need a new laptop. It's been a few years and there are like a billion options now lol.

USA
$1500
17 in max
Primarily work (game dev), gaming, and light media. Middle of the road battery life is fine, as I'll be plugged in frequently. Gaming wise, I want to be able to run most games at med-high, but don't need to max out graphics. I'm also looking for a decent amount of RAM, as I do development and use a lot of memory hungry programs (Unity, for example) and fequently multitask. Resolution I play at is 1080, I don't need 4K.

Thanks!

 

[K.Jack]

Yo guys, I need a new laptop. It's been a few years and there are like a billion options now lol.

USA
$1500
17 in max
Primarily work (game dev), gaming, and light media. Middle of the road battery life is fine, as I'll be plugged in frequently. Gaming wise, I want to be able to run most games at med-high, but don't need to max out graphics. I'm also looking for a decent amount of RAM, as I do development and use a lot of memory hungry programs (Unity, for example) and fequently multitask. Resolution I play at is 1080, I don't need 4K.

Thanks!

How does this look?

1080p G-Sync, Skylake CPU, GTX 970M, 16GB DDR4, 250GB SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD

 

[Fox318]

This could be HUGE.

Yup.

plus we are finally starting to see 17 inch 4k screens.

I still can't get over the usb-C thunderbolt external graffics display.

It seems like the perfect thing for somebody like me who would be content with an ultrabook/GS60/racerblade form factor with a little extra power if I want to run an ultrawide or a game at crazy settings.

 

[Sr Kitsune]

I really hope MSI and others use USB-Type C for an external graphics card.

I never thought about that, it should be possible right?

 

[Timeaisis]

How does this look?

1080p G-Sync, Skylake CPU, GTX 970M, 16GB DDR4, 250GB SSD + 1TB 7200rpm HDD

Looks great. I've never of that brand, though. Reliable?

 

[Pndomo]

Is there any reason as to why the 4K 16GB RAM 4GB 960M Lenovo Y50 trending at $800? I'm close to pulling the trigger but who knows the price could possibly get lower?

 

[Fox318]

I never thought about that, it should be possible right?

It depends on if they are thunderbolt 3.0

For example the new Aorus updated 17, 15, and 13 inch laptops have a usb type c 3.1 connector but they are not thunderbolt compliance.


https://youtu.be/OGCUT05AHT4


Also KJack here is a quick video on EVGAs laptop PC perspective did.

https://youtu.be/Em1qNxbchyU

17 inch 4k with gsync

But that Razer core looks fucking perfect.

Only thing it's missing would be space for a 2.5 inch hard drive like the MSI and alienware solutions.

 

[K.Jack]

Looks great. I've never of that brand, though. Reliable?

Yes, very. Buy it and you won't regret.

Is there any reason as to why the 4K 16GB RAM 4GB 960M Lenovo Y50 trending at $800? I'm close to pulling the trigger but who knows the price could possibly get lower?

Trending? I can't find that price anywhere.

If you've found a new one, at that price, no it'll never go lower. I promise.

Also KJack here is a quick video on EVGAs laptop PC perspective did.

https://youtu.be/Em1qNxbchyU

17 inch 4k with gsync

Too bad they went with a clickpad, as I hate those things.

And man, I've always wished that 1440p (2560x1440) was the UHD resolution that became widespread in laptops. 4K is just overkill and doesn't interest me one bit.

 

[anddo0]

Looks great. I've never of that brand, though. Reliable?

I can stand by the Sager name. Owner since May 2012 and couldn't be happier. My original 7970m card died on me (was still under warranty thank god). I had some heat issues at first, but didn't realize I could control the fan speed; huge difference afterwards.. Outside of that no issues.. Built to last.

 

[Kieli]

Gaf, I cheaped out on a laptop and it's riddled to the brim with bloatware (and quite frankly what I see as malware).

For example, Office will keep opening and asking me to buy it. There's no option to tell it to fuck off permanently.

Same thing with Avast SecureVPN.

And perhaps the most questionable is a pop-up that says "App status updated." Which tries to masquerade itself as some sort of professional update, but you see a tiny checkbox at the bottom-left of the screen that is essentially asking your permission for it to hijack your web browser to presumably collect data or something (I dunno). When I click the terms of service, I see the name Bontio pop up. Except I can't find anything on google about what Bontio is and why it's on my computer.

Moral of the story, don't cheap out on a laptop.

tl;dr How do I get rid of this crap? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[K.Jack]

Gaf, I cheaped out on a laptop and it's riddled to the brim with bloatware (and quite frankly what I see as malware).

For example, Office will keep opening and asking me to buy it. There's no option to tell it to fuck off permanently.

Same thing with Avast SecureVPN.

And perhaps the most questionable is a pop-up that says "App status updated." Which tries to masquerade itself as some sort of professional update, but you see a tiny checkbox at the bottom-left of the screen that is essentially asking your permission for it to hijack your web browser to presumably collect data or something (I dunno). When I click the terms of service, I see the name Bontio pop up. Except I can't find anything on google about what Bontio is and why it's on my computer.

Moral of the story, don't cheap out on a laptop.

tl;dr How do I get rid of this crap? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Control Panel -> Programs -> Uninstall

 

[Kieli]

Control Panel -> Programs -> Uninstall

There are some items I can't find.

Would a program like PC decrapifier be helpful?

 

[Free Roaming Chicken]

There are some items I can't find.

Would a program like PC decrapifier be helpful?

Could it be under a different name in your programs file? Bontio is part of a program developed by Pokki. Just google Bontio.

I remember when I got my laptop and it had a bunch of bloatware. Some of them I had to stop them from constantly running in the background with task manager before I could delete them.

 

[Gruso]

Honestly, best bet is a clean Windows install. Fuck bloatware.

http://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

Don't feel like you messed up by cheaping out on a laptop though. All the big players do it.

 

[K.Jack]

What laptop is this, anyway?

 

[TheShocker]

I just picked up an ASUS Q55 15.6" laptop. It has an i7-6500u, 12GB ram, and a 940m video card. I know this is no where near top tier, but it was $750 and meets all of my needs.

I'm a console gamer, but will be without those for the next several months. In looking at games, what could I realistically expect to play? I don't need the latest and greatest games and was looking at some older stuff like the original call of duty games, HL2, Chaos Theory and so on. How would Skyrim run on these specs? It's relatively cheap now so I was thinking of running through that again. Thanks!

 

[K.Jack]

I just picked up an ASUS Q55 15.6" laptop. It has an i7-6500u, 12GB ram, and a 940m video card. I know this is no where near top tier, but it was $750 and meets all of my needs.

I'm a console gamer, but will be without those for the next several months. In looking at games, what could I realistically expect to play? I don't need the latest and greatest games and was looking at some older stuff like the original call of duty games, HL2, Chaos Theory and so on. How would Skyrim run on these specs? It's relatively cheap now so I was thinking of running through that again. Thanks!

Absolutely dreadful buy, when this is 799.

 

[TheShocker]

Absolutely dreadful buy, when this is 799.

I don't recall asking if it was a good buy or if there was a better option, but thanks for the link. I am content and happy with my purchase and just wondered if it would run some older games on it. I didn't buy it with the intent of gaming, so if it can't run anything then oh well.

 

[shockdude]

I don't recall asking if it was a good buy or if there was a better option, but thanks for the link. I am content and happy with my purchase and just wondered if it would run some older games on it. I didn't buy it with the intent of gaming, so if it can't run anything then oh well.

All the games you listed will run decently, 720p at least.
Do you have a link to the exact laptop model?

 

[charsace]

I just picked up an ASUS Q55 15.6" laptop. It has an i7-6500u, 12GB ram, and a 940m video card. I know this is no where near top tier, but it was $750 and meets all of my needs.

I'm a console gamer, but will be without those for the next several months. In looking at games, what could I realistically expect to play? I don't need the latest and greatest games and was looking at some older stuff like the original call of duty games, HL2, Chaos Theory and so on. How would Skyrim run on these specs? It's relatively cheap now so I was thinking of running through that again. Thanks!

Do yourself a favor and return it now for the recommended lappy. In a few months you will regret buying this when you could have had something for $50 more that could run star citizen, Witcher 3, etc. Trust me on this because it happened to me. You will get way more out of the recommended system.

 

[TheShocker]

Do yourself a favor and return it now for the recommended lappy. In a few months you will regret buying this when you could have had something for $50 more that could run star citizen, Witcher 3, etc. Trust me on this because it happened to me. You will get way more out of the recommended system.

Here is the deal, I really didn't think it necessary to explain this but:

1.) I am leaving to go overseas (military) soon...as in I don't have time to deal with returns and shipping and what not.

2.) This was listed at $750. But with Best Buy gift cards and rewards points I paid significantly less than that. By proxy, that limited my buying powers.

3.) I am not a pc gamer. I exclusively play my games on Xbox One and PS4. As much as I enjoy console gaming, taking them with me is not an option. Gaming on this will be limited to a little bit of free time.

4.) This computer needs to be able to run movies and music, skype, connect to the internet, and so on first, which this is more than capable of doing. The fact that this has a dedicated card that would be capable of running a game is a BONUS. Out of the options I had to choose from this was the best bang for my buck. Remember gift cards and rewards points severely limited my buying options to best buy. IF I HAD more time, money, and no limitations I would have gone a completely different route in choosing a dedicated gaming laptop.

5.) I don't care to play the latest and greatest games. I have the Witcher on both consoles. I have BLOPS, Fallout, Tomb Raider and so on, all on consoles. I just know that I have a hand full of games on my steam account that will run on this and I thought, maybe Skyrim would be a viable option. I ran the diagnostic tool online and it looks like these specs surpass the recommended specs for the game. Its cheap so I will just go ahead and give it a shot.

Again, I appreciate the recommendations and you guys looking out, but it's really a moot point.

All the games you listed will run decently, 720p at least.
Do you have a link to the exact laptop model?

Here it is.

 

[K.Jack]

Look man, no reasonn to show your ass.

This is a thread to help people get the most out of their money. I didn't know your personal situation, just it looked like I could help out someone who may not have made the best purchase. I'd feel bad if I didn't point it out, just in case you were in a position to return the Asus.

I'm always going to point out when a significantly better buy is within $50, if not for your sake, then for that of someone who browses the thread and thinks it's a good buy.

The Dell has:

Quad core CPU
3x faster GPU
SSD
IPS display
9 hours of battery life

Sorry if displaying out this discrepancy has offended you, but it's out there. I don't volunteer to do this thread, so I can pat everyone on the butt and assure them that they got the most from their money, when they clearly didn't.

But, no hard feelings, and good luck in your travels.

 

[TheShocker]

Look man, no reasonn to show your ass.

This is a thread to help people get the most out of their money. I didn't know your personal situation, just it looked like I could help out someone who may not have made the best purchase. I'd feel bad if I didn't point it out, just in case you were in a position to return the Asus.

I'm always going to point out when a significantly better buy is within $50, if not for your sake, then for that of someone who browses the thread and thinks it's a good buy.

The Dell has:

Quad core CPU
3x faster GPU
SSD
IPS display
9 hours of battery life

Sorry if displaying out this discrepancy has offended you, but it's out there. I don't volunteer to do this thread, so I can pat everyone on the butt and assure them that they got the most from their money, when they clearly didn't.

But, no hard feelings, and good luck in your travels.

Absolutely no hard feelings. I just asked a simple question, so I was kinda expecting a simple answer will some older games work on the given hardware? I saw the Dell xps, but it just wasn't an option for me given my limitations!

 

[Sickboy007]

Thanks for the help guys, in the end I got a used Acer Nitro 15 (i7-4720, 960m) on ebay for 610 euro including postage, not the top dog or anything but I'm satisfied with the price.

In other news, m.2 ssds, holy shit. I missed that train. Do they have any downsides at all? I think I'll outfit it with a 512 GB Sandisk, they're going for 130/140 euro.

 

[inm8num2]

Top 5 Intel Gaming Laptops - CES 2016 (LinusTechTips)

 

[Tendo]

Looking for something that can handle heroes of the storm and d3 at 60fps max. Any idea where to start? I'm out of the laptop game. Want to spend 1500 or less preferably. I have a desktop for my heavy duty game. Just need something for when I need to be mobile.

*edit* pulled the trigger on the above referenced 800 dollar dell. reviews said it ran HOTS and D3 so I'm golden! Thanks KJack!

 

[popsicle_sundays]

Well GAF, I've done it and I couldn't be happier. I've placed the order for my ASUS G752VY-RH71...patiently awaiting arrival.

Specs:
17.3" FHD IPS Matte Screen w/ G-Sync
Intel® Skylake i7-67000HQ
NVIDIA® GTX 980M [4GB]
16GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
128GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD

I do have a few questions regarding docks/port replicators and some kind of standing station.

1) Didn't really think about it until after the fact but I planned on a Port Replicator but then realized that this or the Docking Station cannot be good for gaming, have there been any advancements? If so, any recommendations? I've got 2 24" monitors at home.
Alternatively, sure I can just HDMI it into my primary monitor so not the end of the world.

2) Does anyone use a stand so that it's propped up a bit more? I know it runs cool in general, but a nice mini stand would be nice, and for grip as well.

3) Does anyone have recommendations for large gaming mats?

 

[Tech-Wolf]

sup, from Canada

I have started looking to replace my hold 2011 Asus gaming/ 3D modeling laptop.

I'm not exactly great at seeking what is best for me, so I did a few search for now.

for now those seem to have caught my eye
ASUS G752VL 17.3"
Lenovo Y70 17.3-Inch I never heard of lenovo before
Asus ROG GL752VW-DH71-HID3
ASUS ROG G752VT-DH72

At the moment what I need the most is minimum 16gig Ram, 17.3 inch screen, the most power I can for under 2k$can and for the cheapest as possible. Any good suggestion?

 

[jerry113]

Anyone here own the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK?

It's 800 USD on amazon right now and looks like a good deal for a budget gaming laptop. Could probably handle most graphically intensive games currently out there, I'm guessing?

 

[Gruso]

Anyone here own the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK?

It's 800 USD on amazon right now and looks like a good deal for a budget gaming laptop. Could probably handle most graphically intensive games currently out there, I'm guessing?

K.Jack has previously recommended that very model at that price point.

GPU review here: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-960M.138006.0.html

 

[ss_lemonade]

It depends on if they are thunderbolt 3.0

For example the new Aorus updated 17, 15, and 13 inch laptops have a usb type c 3.1 connector but they are not thunderbolt compliance.

The laptop I have (MSI GS60) has a type c port (super port) but was only initially capable of 10 Gbps. I was told by some msi guys at the notebookreview forum though that the port would later be updated to be thunderbolt 3 compliant (firmware update maybe?). I also swear I saw the product page get updated to indicate thunderbolt 3 but it looks like its not there again

 

[K.Jack]

Thanks for the help guys, in the end I got a used Acer Nitro 15 (i7-4720, 960m) on ebay for 610 euro including postage, not the top dog or anything but I'm satisfied with the price.

In other news, m.2 ssds, holy shit. I missed that train. Do they have any downsides at all? I think I'll outfit it with a 512 GB Sandisk, they're going for 130/140 euro.

M.2s are great, no caveats.

sup, from Canada

I have started looking to replace my hold 2011 Asus gaming/ 3D modeling laptop.

I'm not exactly great at seeking what is best for me, so I did a few search for now.

for now those seem to have caught my eye
ASUS G752VL 17.3"
Lenovo Y70 17.3-Inch I never heard of lenovo before
Asus ROG GL752VW-DH71-HID3
ASUS ROG G752VT-DH72

At the moment what I need the most is minimum 16gig Ram, 17.3 inch screen, the most power I can for under 2k$can and for the cheapest as possible. Any good suggestion?

One has a GTX 970M. The choice can't be any more clear, to my eyes.

Anyone here own the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK?

It's 800 USD on amazon right now and looks like a good deal for a budget gaming laptop. Could probably handle most graphically intensive games currently out there, I'm guessing?

GTX 960M = GTX 750 Ti. Plan accordingly.

 

[hypernima]

im thinking of getting this for school and just adding ram to it to make it not so much a potato. would that be wise or are their comparable options?

 

[Dodoman89]

This is a very vague not laptop-not desktop question but given the choice between these two what would you guys buy?

[refurbished]Asus ROG G751J

Intel Core i7 4720HQ 2.6GHz (Turbo up to 3.6GHz)
16GB Memory
128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 4GB
17.3-inch IPS FHD (1920 x 1080) supported G-Sync

[new]ZOTAC ZBOX SN970 PLUS

Intel Core i5-6400T
8GB DDR3
Nvidia GTX 970M/ "GTX 960"
1TB HDD (plus a spare m.2 port)
Steam Controller

Price wise they both come up to ~1300 USD. I'm not in the US so I realise compared to what you can get in the US this doesn't seem like a great deal, but taking local prices into consideration (UAE) it is quite decent. Not good, but decent.

I'll be replacing a 3.5 year old Samsung NP550P5C with an i7 3610QM and a GT650M. This laptop was prone to overheating but I've added an SSD and done hacky stuff with throttlestop to make the laptop usable for games. I play a lot of games but I am more than willing to compromise on visual quality.

Just taking raw specs into consideration both of them seem to be in the same ballpark thanks to the mix of laptop/desktop parts and they are both fairly portable.

 

[ss_lemonade]

i know I posted about my diagonal tearing problem already, but I just can't seem to find a fix for it. Anyone else ever experience the same thing with mobile nvidia GPUs? For those who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a form of crazy diagonal tearing that affects some games when running windowed or borderless window. Here are some screenshots I took of the issue:

Life is Strange
http://abload.de/img/img_20160114_225035bqsy2.jpg

FF 13-3
http://abload.de/img/img_20160114_224455lqspa.jpg

Don't mind the lower framerates, I dropped the refresh rate to 24hz since that seems to make the problem appear more frequently (so I could take an offscreen shot easily). As you can see, some games have even bigger problems like 13-3, where you also get these weird looking horizontal blocks. Like a bad VHS copy of a movie.

Switching to integrated makes the artifacts go away so it's got to be something to do with the gpu (970m here). It also doesn't matter if I'm using the laptop screen or an external monitor. All drivers are updated and I've tried fiddling with vsync settings and nothing seems to help. This makes playing Lightning Returns tough because you can't even force true fullscreen with the game to get around the problem

This is a very vague not laptop-not desktop question but given the choice between these two what would you guys buy?

Well to me, looking at those specs puts the asus laptop in an entirely different level (16gb, gysnc + 980m, ssd + hdd, i7 hq) but I don't really know how well it does with thermals. I would still go with the laptop though if I were looking at those 2

 

[Sr Kitsune]

What drivers do you have? I have heard of issues with the lastest driver. Try 359.06, that is the one I'm using and no issues at all.

 

[inm8num2]

Acer Predator 15 preview

Tom's Hardware First Look

 

[shockdude]

i know I posted about my diagonal tearing problem already, but I just can't seem to find a fix for it. Anyone else ever experience the same thing with mobile nvidia GPUs? For those who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a form of crazy diagonal tearing that affects some games when running windowed or borderless window. Here are some screenshots I took of the issue:

Life is Strange
http://abload.de/img/img_20160114_225035bqsy2.jpg

FF 13-3
http://abload.de/img/img_20160114_224455lqspa.jpg

Don't mind the lower framerates, I dropped the refresh rate to 24hz since that seems to make the problem appear more frequently (so I could take an offscreen shot easily). As you can see, some games have even bigger problems like 13-3, where you also get these weird looking horizontal blocks. Like a bad VHS copy of a movie.

Switching to integrated makes the artifacts go away so it's got to be something to do with the gpu (970m here). It also doesn't matter if I'm using the laptop screen or an external monitor. All drivers are updated and I've tried fiddling with vsync settings and nothing seems to help. This makes playing Lightning Returns tough because you can't even force true fullscreen with the game to get around the problem

I don't know if it'll work, but try forcing VSync in the Intel drivers? Right-click the desktop, open Intel Graphics Properties, 3D, set General Settings to Custom Settings, set Vertical Sync to Driver Settings. Apply, close, and to ensure the settings stick re-open the Intel Graphics Properties and close it again.

 

[ss_lemonade]

I don't know if it'll work, but try forcing VSync in the Intel drivers? Right-click the desktop, open Intel Graphics Properties, 3D, set General Settings to Custom Settings, set Vertical Sync to Driver Settings. Apply, close, and to ensure the settings stick re-open the Intel Graphics Properties and close it again.

Haven't tried that yet, will do later.

I just noticed something looking at my screen grabs. The tear doesn't seem to affect the main character in Life is Strange. Strange indeed.

Other games I have with borderless window like Alien Isolation and Witcher 3 seem to function fine.

EDIT:
I guess it does affect the character too after zooming in closely, but not as bad as how it's slicing up the environment

 

[SlickShoes]

I'm looking at two laptops just now and can't decide what's best for the money first is that DELL Inspiron 7559:

Intel i5-6300HQ 2.3 GHz Quad-Core (6 M Cache, Turbo up to 3.2 GHz)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
8 GB DDR3L 256 GB Solid-State Drive
15.6-Inch FHD IPS, Wide-Angle, Anti Glare Screen

£829

Second is a clevo from PC Specialist:

Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 6300HQ (2.3GHz, 3.2GHz Turbo)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (1 x 8GB)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

£800

The clevo from reviews I have seen seems to have some light bleed at the bottom of the screen, the dell seems to bend a bit too much and have a worse touchpad. I can't find any direct comparisons either.

I already have a gaming desktop so this is just for when im away or can't be bothered moving from the couch.

 

[K.Jack]

im thinking of getting this for school and just adding ram to it to make it not so much a potato. would that be wise or are their comparable options?

I'd rather buy a brand new potato that comes with a real warranty.

90 days ain't shit.

This is a very vague not laptop-not desktop question but given the choice between these two what would you guys buy?

[refurbished]Asus ROG G751J


[new]ZOTAC ZBOX SN970 PLUS


Price wise they both come up to ~1300 USD. I'm not in the US so I realise compared to what you can get in the US this doesn't seem like a great deal, but taking local prices into consideration (UAE) it is quite decent. Not good, but decent.

I'll be replacing a 3.5 year old Samsung NP550P5C with an i7 3610QM and a GT650M. This laptop was prone to overheating but I've added an SSD and done hacky stuff with throttlestop to make the laptop usable for games. I play a lot of games but I am more than willing to compromise on visual quality.

Just taking raw specs into consideration both of them seem to be in the same ballpark thanks to the mix of laptop/desktop parts and they are both fairly portable.

Let me put it this way....

I'm struggling to understand why you even consider #2 an option, if the cost between the two machines is really the same.

Acer Predator 15 preview

Tom's Hardware First Look

Acer seriously needs to rethink this Predator branding. It's freaking hideous.

They aren't going to break into the high end market, looking like that.

I'm looking at two laptops just now and can't decide what's best for the money first is that DELL Inspiron 7559:

Intel i5-6300HQ 2.3 GHz Quad-Core (6 M Cache, Turbo up to 3.2 GHz)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
8 GB DDR3L 256 GB Solid-State Drive
15.6-Inch FHD IPS, Wide-Angle, Anti Glare Screen

£829

Second is a clevo from PC Specialist:

Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core&#8482; i5 Quad Core Processor 6300HQ (2.3GHz, 3.2GHz Turbo)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (1 x 8GB)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

£800

The clevo from reviews I have seen seems to have some light bleed at the bottom of the screen, the dell seems to bend a bit too much and have a worse touchpad. I can't find any direct comparisons either.

I already have a gaming desktop so this is just for when im away or can't be bothered moving from the couch.

The Clevo will have the better screen, and that's what would sway me in that direction. Dell cheaped out on their IPS, resulting in the color reproduction being pretty bland.

 

[Imperfected]

Have there been any reports of a bad batch of hard drive controllers recently? Myself and my roommate both had identical issues recently with drive controllers for our main boot SSDs, despite the fact that the laptops are about as different in terms of models as they can be (a new Mac vs. an MSI). Both were bought and failed under such hilariously similar timeframes that it's hard to imagine it being a coincidence.

They're both still under warranty and I've got RMA service, of course, but if this is a case of an entire bad batch of disk controllers on SSDs I might want to have them replace the drives with a different model.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

What's a good gaming laptop that could run new games on high settings at 60 fps?