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[K.Jack]

Hoping for under $500 (hoping that's realistic..). I mean, if we could do something for closer to $300 that would be fabulous, but understand that probably isn't possible (although if it is, hey, that's great). So, as cheap as possible while still being able to at least manage those couple of things, but understanding that we can't go ultra-cheap like last time and ending up with a netbook which can't do much of anything, and realizing that we may have to go a bit higher.

This is the absolute cheapest I can recommend.. It will play everything you've listed at medium settings.

If you want something anywhere near the $300 range, you'll have to buy another netbook.

 

[terrisus]

Nifty, thank you very much for the recommendation. And, yeah, I know finding anything nearer to the $300 end wasn't likely to happen, but, was just trying to figure out some way to at least get something not horrible/decent given a limited budget, and that does look pretty good.

And, I know that probably wasn't the most interesting thing in the world to try to find a solution to. But, I do appreciate it.

 

[twinturbo2]

I'm already thinking about a RAM upgrade. It has 6 gigs, should I go for 8?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I'm already thinking about a RAM upgrade. It has 6 gigs, should I go for 8?

neither will impact gaming. that said, the more ram the merrier of course.

 

[Giard]

Ya know what, strike what I just said from the record.

The issue is not exclusive to Sager/Clevo, as the Alienware has problems too.

It's simply an Enduro problem. Just like Nvidia, with the early implementation of Optimus, AMD is running into issues.

The difference between the Clevo and AW machines, is that the M17x allows you to manually disable the integrated graphics, running directly off of the 7970M and thus bypassing Enduro. But with Enduro enabled you are still likely to run into problems.

Both Alienware and Clevo-derivative owners are being told that a fix is coming.

Obviously, the way to altogether avoid the troubles, is to pay extra for the GTX 680M, which is sailing along smoothly under the winds of Nvidia's now more mature Optimus, in its 2012 developed 2.0 iteration.

I was going to order a laptop with the 7970M, I don't have the money for a 680M... What kind of problems are we talking about here? I really don't want to get an Alienware, should I just get a 670M/675M instead? I'm aiming for 1080p, 60 FPS with high settings on recent games (Skyrim, Guild Wars 2 for example).

 

[flintstryker]

Gaf help me what is the best possible laptop I cqn get for 850 that can use to game as well?

 

[BigDug13]

Ya know what, strike what I just said from the record.

The issue is not exclusive to Sager/Clevo, as the Alienware has problems too.

It's simply an Enduro problem. Just like Nvidia, with the early implementation of Optimus, AMD is running into issues.

The difference between the Clevo and AW machines, is that the M17x allows you to manually disable the integrated graphics, running directly off of the 7970M and thus bypassing Enduro. But with Enduro enabled you are still likely to run into problems.

Both Alienware and Clevo-derivative owners are being told that a fix is coming.

Obviously, the way to altogether avoid the troubles, is to pay extra for the GTX 680M, which is sailing along smoothly under the winds of Nvidia's now more mature Optimus, in its 2012 developed 2.0 iteration.

I don't like this. I have the 7970m card in my new Sager. I'll have to contact XoticPC to find out what I can do. I'm willing to ship back and pay the extra for the 680M at this point.

 

[KageZero]

Has anyone used the DELL Inspiron N5520? I think i might get it, what you think about it? Also if anyone has worked on it i would like some information about the keyboard since i can't find any review about it.

Specs:Notebook DELL Inspiron N5520 15.6" White-LED Backlight (1366x768) TFT, Core i7 Mobile 3612QM, DDR3 6GB, DVD±RW, AMD Radeon HD 7670M 1GB, Wi-Fi, BT, 1TB HDD,

 

[Unknown Soldier]

15.6" screen with 768p resolution? Ugh, vomit.

 

[KageZero]

Whats wrong with it? It's the standard resolution for this price range

 

[K.Jack]

Besides the fact that the resolution is just really poor for productivity, literally every 768p LCD on the market is a cheap, low contrast and viewing angle piece of crap.

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[KageZero]

Besides the fact that the resolution is just really poor for productivity, literally every 768p LCD on the market is a cheap, low contrast and viewing angle piece of crap.

Well that may be the case but 95% of laptops in that price range have the same resolution, there are some 17 inch that have more but they have lower specs and are around 150 euros more expensive... I would like to get some info about the keyboard at lest if someone has worked on it

 

[Giard]

On XoticPC's website, it says that all graphics cards for the Sager 9150 are "user-upgradeable". Does that mean that if I want to change my graphics card in a couple of years, I can do so myself by buying a new one and installing it without too much trouble?

 

[saveweyard]

So now I'm trying to decide between the Sager NP6165 and 9130. Is the extra RAM and GTX 670M really worth the extra $250? Because $1200 (for 9130 with i7) is a little over my budget.

 

[Mr Swine]

So guys I need to retire (or rather give away) my old laptop that has an old dual core CPU, I think it's called Intel Centrino or something similar. I can surf on it but it's so slow when I need to do stuff for school on it. Having more than 10 tabs on chrome will slow the laptop down so it becomes bothersome for me.

So I wonder what is best to buy, a Dual Core Ivy Bridge Laptop or a Quad Core Ivy Bridge Laptop?

Edit: Also I want to play games like Warcraft 3 on it and probably Diablo 3 so the highest setting isn't required for me since I have a Pc for it

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

I just bought a laptop with I3 2310M CPU @210GHz. It has 6GB DDR3 memory with 5.84 Gb usable. It has 64 bit operating system. 750 GH HDD. Intel HD graphic cards 3000 up to 1760 MB dynamic video memory. I bought it mostly for college and for a great price. It cost me around $500.

The salesman said to me that i can´t play the newest games on it. So what kind of games can i play on it? Can i play games like Kingdom of Amalur and games like Torchlight, and indie games?

 

[xJavonta]

On XoticPC's website, it says that all graphics cards for the Sager 9150 are "user-upgradeable". Does that mean that if I want to change my graphics card in a couple of years, I can do so myself by buying a new one and installing it without too much trouble?

You'd have to make sure the wattage is the same I believe. But yeah, if I were to fix my old laptop with a "user upgradable" GPU I could.

I just bought a laptop with I3 2310M CPU @210GHz. It has 6GB DDR3 memory with 5.84 Gb usable. It has 64 bit operating system. 750 GH HDD. Intel HD graphic cards 3000 up to 1760 MB dynamic video memory. I bought it mostly for college and for a great price. It cost me around $500.

The salesman said to me that i can´t play the newest games on it. So what kind of games can i play on it? Can i play games like Kingdom of Amalur and games like Torchlight, and indie games?

Torchlight ran fine on my Cr-48 with an Intel GMA 3150. You'll be fine for that.

Older games will be fine too. Minecraft is good, Terraria, Orcs Must Die!, and low spec indies are good.

Also, YouTube videos of people playing games on the HD 3000 are good ways of seeing if you can run a game.

 

[Wazzim]

Besides the fact that the resolution is just really poor for productivity, literally every 768p LCD on the market is a cheap, low contrast and viewing angle piece of crap.

Not the case with my Asus, 1080p is just too much for 15,6'' IMO.

 

[xJavonta]

Not the case with my Asus, 1080p is just too much for 15,6'' IMO.

Agreed. I had a 1440x900 screen on my 15,6" and it was perfect.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Torchlight ran fine on my Cr-48 with an Intel GMA 3150. You'll be fine for that.

Older games will be fine too. Minecraft is good, Terraria, Orcs Must Die!, and low spec indies are good.

Also, YouTube videos of people playing games on the HD 3000 are good ways of seeing if you can run a game.

Thanks. I gotta say i am a bit disappointed. I thought the 6 GB RAM would be good enough to play most of new games, and be a good college laptop at the same time.

I just checked on how do i upgrade graphic card on laptops, and damn it´s not easy.

 

[SapientWolf]

15.6" screen with 768p resolution? Ugh, vomit.

I purposely went 768p because I know that laptops can't drive 1080p with any kind of efficiency, and LCDs have horrible upscalers.

 

[Wazzim]

I purposely went 768p because I know that laptops can't drive 1080p with any kind of efficiency, and LCDs have horrible upscalers.

Or no scalers at all.

 

[Giard]

Will be ordering a Sager laptop, possibly tomorrow. Is there any reason why I should NOT take the free upgrade from 8 gb ram to 16 gb?

Also, is getting a 500 gb hybrid drive with a 4 gb SSD better than a 750 gb HDD? 4 gb seems pretty small, is that even enough space for, say, Windows 7?

 

[xJavonta]

Will be ordering a Sager laptop, possibly tomorrow. Is there any reason why I should NOT take the free upgrade from 8 gb ram to 16 gb?

Also, is getting a 500 gb hybrid drive with a 4 gb SSD better than a 750 gb HDD? 4 gb seems pretty small, is that even enough space for, say, Windows 7?

Not at all, get it, you'll be glad you did. My PC (used for gaming) has 4GB of RAM and I feel like it's not enough. I'll be upgrading to 8GB soon.

And depends on the RPM of the 750GB HDD. I don't think 4GB is enough for Windows 7, my Cr-48 had a 16GB SSD and with Windows 7 Ultimate installed it had 4GB left. That means W7 took 12GB of space.

If the 750GB HDD is 5400RPM (I'm actually not sure if 7200RPM drives exist for laptops) then don't get it. Chances are the hybrid is 5900RPM+ which is much better than 5400RPM which is slow as hell.

Thanks. I gotta say i am a bit disappointed. I thought the 6 GB RAM would be good enough to play most of new games, and be a good college laptop at the same time.

I just checked on how do i upgrade graphic card on laptops, and damn it´s not easy.

Yeah the RAM plays a part, but not as large as a part like the GPU. Some games only require 2GB of RAM, although I wouldn't recommend that anyone does that.

If you're looking on Newegg, just search by Dedicated Graphics and when you come across a GPU, copy and paste it into Google. The first result will usually be from Notebookcheck which is pretty reliable with their benches.

 

[K.Jack]

Gaf help me what is the best possible laptop I cqn get for 850 that can use to game as well?

Use this Lenovo coupon ASAP!

On XoticPC's website, it says that all graphics cards for the Sager 9150 are "user-upgradeable". Does that mean that if I want to change my graphics card in a couple of years, I can do so myself by buying a new one and installing it without too much trouble?

The answer is "yes", with many factors at hand

1. What card you buy initially
2. Do the cards that come out next year use the same MXM format (currently 3.1)
3. Do these cards require BIOS updates to be recognized and boot successfully

So now I'm trying to decide between the Sager NP6165 and 9130. Is the extra RAM and GTX 670M really worth the extra $250? Because $1200 (for 9130 with i7) is a little over my budget.

I'd wait for the upcoming sager NP6350. It's essentially the 6165's replacement; GTX 660M equipped, meaning equal to the GTX 670M, and pricing should start at just over $900. It also weighs a pound less than the 9130.

Here you can see some pics of the 17" version

So guys I need to retire (or rather give away) my old laptop that has an old dual core CPU, I think it's called Intel Centrino or something similar. I can surf on it but it's so slow when I need to do stuff for school on it. Having more than 10 tabs on chrome will slow the laptop down so it becomes bothersome for me.

So I wonder what is best to buy, a Dual Core Ivy Bridge Laptop or a Quad Core Ivy Bridge Laptop?

Edit: Also I want to play games like Warcraft 3 on it and probably Diablo 3 so the highest setting isn't required for me since I have a Pc for it

Your budget is all that really matters.

I just bought a laptop with I3 2310M CPU @210GHz. It has 6GB DDR3 memory with 5.84 Gb usable. It has 64 bit operating system. 750 GH HDD. Intel HD graphic cards 3000 up to 1760 MB dynamic video memory. I bought it mostly for college and for a great price. It cost me around $500.

The salesman said to me that i can´t play the newest games on it. So what kind of games can i play on it? Can i play games like Kingdom of Amalur and games like Torchlight, and indie games?

Thanks. I gotta say i am a bit disappointed. I thought the 6 GB RAM would be good enough to play most of new games, and be a good college laptop at the same time.

I just checked on how do i upgrade graphic card on laptops, and damn it´s not easy.

Return it, if you can. There are laptops in the $500 range, available online, which sport dedicated GPUs 3-4x the speed of the HD 3000.

Also whatever laptop it is you bought, upgrading the GPU is literally impossible, as everything is fused to your mobo and theirs no dedicated card slot.

I purposely went 768p because I know that laptops can't drive 1080p with any kind of efficiency, and LCDs have horrible upscalers.

What do you mean by that? Gaming below native resolution?

Will be ordering a Sager laptop, possibly tomorrow. Is there any reason why I should NOT take the free upgrade from 8 gb ram to 16 gb?

Also, is getting a 500 gb hybrid drive with a 4 gb SSD better than a 750 gb HDD? 4 gb seems pretty small, is that even enough space for, say, Windows 7?

The Seagate hybrid drives' 4GB NAND does not work the way it seems you may believe it does. You should read a few reviews before deciding on the purchase.

 

[X05]

And depends on the RPM of the 750GB HDD. I don't think 4GB is enough for Windows 7, my Cr-48 had a 16GB SSD and with Windows 7 Ultimate installed it had 4GB left. That means W7 took 12GB of space.

That's not user-accessible 4GB, but meant for cache. Extremely likely it's a Seagate Momentus XT drive, where the 4GB flash is inside the HDD and handled by its firmware.
I'm not too fond of Seagate, but really haven't heard any ill from these drives.

 

[xJavonta]

That's not user-accessible 4GB, but meant for cache. Extremely likely it's a Seagate Momentus XT drive, where the 4GB flash is inside the HDD and handled by its firmware.
I'm not too fond of Seagate, but really haven't heard any ill from these drives.

Ahh I see. That makes much more sense.

And as with most HDDs it's a hit or miss. I've never had a bad WD drive. I currently have a 1TB Seagate 7200RPM drive as a Steam drive and it clicks and 'shuts off' often. Rarely ever when it's in use, so part of me thinks it's some sort of power save feature.

Stay away from Hitachi though. I've had 3 Hitachi drives and all of them have gone bad. Every single one of them.

 

[lemonade]

Ok, getting my sager 9170, 680m tomorrow. What test should I run to make sure everything is running correctly.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

If you just want to see if the cooling system can keep it propped up when running full tilt, beat on it for an hour with Unigine Heaven and see if it falls over from heat.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Return it, if you can. There are laptops in the $500 range, available online, which sport dedicated GPUs 3-4x the speed of the HD 3000.

Also whatever laptop it is you bought, upgrading the GPU is literally impossible, as everything is fused to your mobo and theirs no dedicated card slot.
What do you mean by that? Gaming below native resolution?

I can definitely return it. We have 2 weeks return policy here in Denmark.
The only thing i could find online that is comparable in price is this model

Description 11,6'' / 1,65 GHz Dual core AMD Dual Core Processor E-450
4 GB RAM / 500 GB
Producer Samsung

CPU manufacturer AMD

CPU model AMD Dual Core Processor E-450 (2.2 GHz)

Ram 4 GB DDR3

Harddisk 500 GB

Graphic card/GPU AMD Radeon Graphics

Dedicated graphics RAM/shared RAM (MB) Up til 1717 MB shared memory


And this

· Genuine Windows ® 7 Home Premium 64bit
· AMD Fusion platform for a richer multimedia experience
· AMD Dual-Core Processor E450 (1.65Ghz)
· AMD Radeon Mobility HD6320 Graphics Card
· Up to 12 hours of battery life
· 4GB DDRIII 1333 & 2.5 "SATA 320GB 5400rpm hard drive
• USB 3.0 port that is up to 10 times faster than USB2.0
· Very light with a total weight of 1.75 kg
· 2 Year Global Warranty Asus U32U-RX007V is packaged in a lightweight and stylish design with incredible long battery life. to this computer, there have been careful choice of materials in the form of both aluminum and IMR-coated plastic to give the computer the exclusive expression it deserves. U32U not only offers USB 2.0 but USB 3.0 with up to 10 times faster transfer. ASUS laptops come with 2 Year Carry.

And this

ASUS U32U RX007V - E-450 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD - 13.3" Width 1366 x 768 / HD - AMD Radeon HD 6320

And this
Processor type AMD Fusion
Processor Model E-450
CPU cores   2
Processor speed 1.65 GHz
Memory (RAM)   6 GB
Memory Slots (Total / Free) 2 / 0
Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM
Harddisk type   HDD
Harddisk 320 GB


I also found this but it´s a bit more pricey though
General
System Type Notebook
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Processor / Chipset
CPU AMD A8-4500M 1.9 GHz
Number of cores Quad-Core
64-bit Computing Yes
Chipset AMD A70M
memory
RAM 6 GB (1 x 4 GB + 1 x 2 GB)
Technology DDR3 SDRAM
Speed ​​1600 MHz
Number of openings 2
Empty slots 0
Saving
Hard drive 500 GB HDD / 5400 rpm
Interface Serial ATA-300
Optical drive DVD ± RW (± R DL) / DVD-RAM
Screen
Type 15.6 "
LCD Backlight Technology LED Backlight
Resolution 1366 x 768 (HD)
widescreen Yes
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Features Reflex, 45% NTSC color gamut
Audio & Video
Graphics Processor AMD Radeon HD 7470M / AMD Radeon HD 7640G - 1 GB DDR3 SDRAM
Camera Integrated webcam
Resolution 0.3 Megapixel
Sound Altec Lansing speakers, microphone
input
Type Keyboard, touchpad
Built-in numeric keyboard, Wave Keyboard
communications
Wireless 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0
Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet
battery
6-cell Lithium Ion
Capacity 50 Wh
AC Adapter


This one costs a $1000

System Type Notebook
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Processor / Chipset
CPU Intel Core i7 (3rd Gen) 3610QM / 2.3 GHz
Number of cores Quad-Core
64-bit Computing Yes
Chipset Mobile Intel HM76 Express
memory
RAM 8 GB (2 x 4 GB)
Max Supported RAM 8 GB
Technology DDR3 SDRAM
Speed ​​1600 MHz
SO DIMM 204-pin
Number of openings 2
Empty slots 0
Saving
Hard drive 500 GB HDD / 5400 rpm
Interface Serial ATA-300
Optical drive DVD ± RW (± R DL) / DVD-RAM
Screen
Type 17.3 "
LCD Backlight Technology LED Backlight
Resolution 1600 x 900 (HD +)
widescreen Yes
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Features Reflex
Audio & Video
Graphics Processor NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M - 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM
Camera Integrated webcam
Resolution 0.3 Megapixel
Audio Stereo speakers, microphone
Audio Features Altec Lansing speakers, ASUS SonicMaster Lite
input
Type Keyboard, touchpad
Built-in numeric keyboard
communications
Wireless 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0
Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet
battery
6-cell Lithium Ion
Capacity 50 Wh
AC Adapter
Input AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 90 Watt, 19 V, 4.74 A
Connections & Expansion
Interfaces Microphone Input
Headphone output
VGA
2 x USB 3.0
LAN
HDMI
2 x USB 2.0
Memory Card Reader Yes (SD card)
Software
Microsoft Office Ready Includes a pre-loaded image of select 2010 Microsoft Office suites. Buy an Office 2010 product key card or disc to activate preloaded software on this PC.
Miscellaneous
Material of Aluminum sleeve
Features System password, hard drive password, InstantOn, ASUS IceCool design, ASUS Super Hybrid Engine II, ASUS SuperBatt Technology
Dimensions and weight
Width 42 cm
Depth 28.2 cm
Height 3.86 cm
Weight 3.1 kg

Is this worth a $1000? Does this play all new games that comes out?

I would like a $600 range laptop that is able to play modern games. So if anyone can give me a name/model for such a laptop, it would be very appreciated.

 

[SapientWolf]

What do you mean by that? Gaming below native resolution?

Yeah, I mean that they don't have the poop to do 1080p@60fps so you either have to have low framerates or drop res and settings. 768p native is fine for gaming.

 

[saveweyard]

I'd wait for the upcoming sager NP6350. It's essentially the 6165's replacement; GTX 660M equipped, meaning equal to the GTX 670M, and pricing should start at just over $900. It also weighs a pound less than the 9130.

Here you can see some pics of the 17" version

Thanks for the recommendation! Any idea when the new version will be out? I'm looking to pick one up next month, late September at the latest.

 

[alstein]

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP6370

Looking at this setup for a new laptop.

I mostly play strategy games that use a quad core, and don't need a big hard drive.

Is there a big leap between the 3610 and 3720 processors?

 

[K.Jack]

Ok, getting my sager 9170, 680m tomorrow. What test should I run to make sure everything is running correctly.

Play video games.

I would like a $600 range laptop that is able to play modern games. So if anyone can give me a name/model for such a laptop, it would be very appreciated.

Okay, now that I know you're from Denmark, are you speaking prices in Euros or USD? And please let me know what the equivalent price to 600-whatevers is in your native currency.

Yeah, I mean that they don't have the poop to do 1080p@60fps so you either have to have low framerates or drop res and settings. 768p native is fine for gaming.

Yeah but.... wait, what laptop and specs do you have? Can it do 768p@60fps?

Just for clarity: my comments on the entire crop of 768p screens had nothing to do with gaming, as it's hard to argue that it isn't a great resolution for gaming. I just find it to be poor for a lot of other things.

And, when asked, I like to make it clear to prospective buyers that the contrast ratios, vividness, and viewing angles are below average to mediocre, on nearly all of them. I just feel it'd be wrong to not say so.

Thanks for the recommendation! Any idea when the new version will be out? I'm looking to pick one up next month, late September at the latest.

Well the 17" just came stateside last week, so the 15.6" shouldn't be too far behind. It'll definitely be out by September.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP6370

Looking at this setup for a new laptop.

I mostly play strategy games that use a quad core, and don't need a big hard drive.

Is there a big leap between the 3610 and 3720 processors?

It's a good notebook, but you should consider buying through a reseller, such as Xotic PC. The prices are lower than going through Sager directly, even more discounts are available, and you're guaranteed to receive better customer service.

Sager actually prefers this method.

And you can just do the math on the CPUs. Is there even a 10% increase there? Don't waste your money. Spend it on an SSD.

 

[flintstryker]

Use this Lenovo coupon ASAP!


The answer is "yes", with many factors at hand

1. What card you buy initially
2. Do the cards that come out next year use the same MXM format (currently 3.1)
3. Do these cards require BIOS updates to be recognized and boot successfully


I'd wait for the upcoming sager NP6350. It's essentially the 6165's replacement; GTX 660M equipped, meaning equal to the GTX 670M, and pricing should start at just over $900. It also weighs a pound less than the 9130.

Here you can see some pics of the 17" version



Your budget is all that really matters.



Return it, if you can. There are laptops in the $500 range, available online, which sport dedicated GPUs 3-4x the speed of the HD 3000.

Also whatever laptop it is you bought, upgrading the GPU is literally impossible, as everything is fused to your mobo and theirs no dedicated card slot.
What do you mean by that? Gaming below native resolution?


The Seagate hybrid drives' 4GB NAND does not work the way it seems you may believe it does. You should read a few reviews before deciding on the purchase.

Thanks a bunch man I have ordered it, I am a bit dissapointed by the resolution though but, it is one hellmif a deal too good to pass up

 

[lemonade]

want to monitor my CPU and gpu temps... What good software to use

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Okay, now that I know you're from Denmark, are you speaking prices in Euros or USD? And please let me know what the equivalent price to 600-whatevers is in your native currency.

I just want a moderate laptop that can play modern games, like Kingdome of Amalur for instance. Can i have something like that for $600?

$1=6 Danish Krones.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

want to monitor my CPU and gpu temps... What good software to use

I use Core Temp and MSI Afterburner.

 

[MNC]

What's the best program to keep track of temperatures/load etc? Nvidia Inspector I see? It's not included with the regular drivers, is it?

 

[Boombloxer]

Ok, guys, it's time to upgrade.

Currently looking at either a Sager NP9170 or an Alienware M17x R4.

My main question is comfort--I know the Sager is a better value, but I don't really like the placement of the directional keys. The general config will be about the same:

Sager NP9170 - Gaming Laptop (Clevo P170EM)
- 17.3" Sager FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen w/ 90% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (SKU - S1R602)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology [User Upgradeable] (SKU - S3R406)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- FREE! - 16GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (4 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4P761)
- Remove All Branding
- Custom Fitted Laptop Back LCD Skin (A Surface) [Choose from our designs or your own Graphic or Logo (Details of design made after order)]
* Will add 5-13 business days on order (XPC Service)
- No mSATA SSD
- FREE! - 500gb (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid (Serial-ATA II 300 - 32MB Cache) (SKU - S5R413)
- None Standard
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (When selecting a Hard Drive in the Optical Bay, No Optical Drive is Included) (SKU - S7R455)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Intel® Ultimate-N 6300 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module (SKU - S8R112)
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard

vs

Alienware M17x (R4)
- 17.3" (60Hz) WideFHD WLED (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare-Type Screen (SKU - A1R604)
- No Spare 3D Glasses
- Alienware "No Bright Dot" Guarantee
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – X2N300)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - GPU & CPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 - PRE-ORDER (SKU - A3R708)
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 12GB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (3x4GB SODIMMS) (SKU - X4N186)
- Mars Red
- Alienware Soft Touch NEBULA RED (Stock Finish)
- CUSTOM ETCHING - Up to 21 Characters - (Etched Plate on Bottom of Laptop) - Enter in Comments Box During Checkout
- Customize your Alienware system with your favorite Avatar and Wallpaper! (Contact Sales for more info or can be completed upon arrival)
- No mSATA SSD Drive
- 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default (SKU - X5R205)
- No Second Hard Drive (Primary Hard Drive Required When Adding a Secondary Hard Drive) (SKU - X6R953)
- Disable Raid and Set up Hard Drives as Independant Drives
- Slot Load - Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Intel® Advanced-N 6205 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module (Dual Band) (SKU - X8R103)
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)

Can anyone that has the Sager or Alienware comment on build quality, ease of typing and overall? I'm not really hung up on getting an Alienware, but the upgrade to my current laptop isn't going to be the leap I want.

 

[mrklaw]

I just want a moderate laptop that can play modern games, like Kingdome of Amalur for instance. Can i have something like that for $600?

$1=6 Danish Krones.

You can't really convert to usd. US prices are a lot more competitive than euro prices. I managed to get a sandy bridge i5 with a gt540m last year for around £500, but prices seem higher this year.

 

[saveweyard]

Use this Lenovo coupon ASAP!

Wow, I just saw this deal on Kotaku too. What a steal! I think I'm going to have to jump on it, and take the one with upgraded resolution and blu-ray.

 

[flintstryker]

Wow, I just saw this deal on Kotaku too. What a steal! I think I'm going to have to jump on it, and take the one with upgraded resolution and blu-ray.

I wanted that one but sadly my budget is what it is.

 

[lemonade]

I use Core Temp and MSI Afterburner.

Awesome. Much appreciated!

 

[saveweyard]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230404

Hmm, this Asus one looks tempting too. I don't think I'm going to be able to purchase the Lenovo before the deal is up on the 8th.

This one has half the storage space but the HDD is 7200 vs. 5400 rpm. Also lacking blu-ray, but that feature is just a bonus for me, I already have a PS3 for blu-rays.

Too tough to decide! I just can't pull the trigger on one.

 

[Snipes424]

The Y580 is at a very nice price, I just wish I could customize it with an SSD drive!

 

[Revoh]

Laptop-GAF,
A friend of mine wants to buy a laptop for gaming, he found a used Asus RoG G73JH for around 800$. How good is it? Will he be able to play recent games at all? Like Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, the newest COD, and so on.

 

[saveweyard]

Laptop-GAF,
A friend of mine wants to buy a laptop for gaming, he found a used Asus RoG G73JH for around 800$. How good is it? Will he be able to play recent games at all? Like Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, the newest COD, and so on.

It'll be able to run those games, maybe not at the highest settings, but it'll definitely run them.

It seems a little outdated, though. The processor and graphics card are 2 generations old (from 2010). They were the best available at the time, but now I think you could get more bang for your buck elsewhere. That Lenovo Y580 people have been talking about above, for example.

This website, http://www.notebookcheck.net/, is a good place to look at reviews and specs of laptops, processors, graphics cards, etc.

 

[K.Jack]

I just want a moderate laptop that can play modern games, like Kingdome of Amalur for instance. Can i have something like that for $600?

$1=6 Danish Krones.

This?

Ok, guys, it's time to upgrade.

Currently looking at either a Sager NP9170 or an Alienware M17x R4.

They're both built like tanks, so it does come down to how you feel about the small details.

Laptop-GAF,
A friend of mine wants to buy a laptop for gaming, he found a used Asus RoG G73JH for around 800$. How good is it? Will he be able to play recent games at all? Like Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, the newest COD, and so on.

It's worth $600, at best. In all honesty, the 5870M is still a beastly card, but the weak CPU and lack of warranty are major red flags.