Thanks for the answer, I'll look into those.
France, so not all models mentioned here are available for sell with our weird keyboard layout.
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Gamer-approved laptop recommendation thread
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Thanks for the answer, I'll look into those.
France, so not all models mentioned here are available for sell with our weird keyboard layout.
So I'm pretty set on the y580. I'll buy within the next couple weeks. 2 questions tho, how does it compare to current gen systems and will it be able to keep up with atleast some of the next gen stuff? Or am I better off paying 3 or 400 more and getting something with a 680m in it? Only problem I have is the y580 is the only one that doesn't look like something that belongs on a space ship. The design on some of these gaming laptops is god awful.
Check out the Lenovo Y Series.
The GTX 660M is good, but not incredible. It's a downclocked version of the desktop GTX 650 (non-Ti), so do your benchmark hunting there but compare the stock 650 clocks to the 660M's.
It will run pretty much all current gen games at 1080p, but the heavy hitters won't be maxed out. Next-gen? It's literally too early to tell, but I'd at least wager that it won't be gaming at 1080p, period, a couple of years in when devs are harnessing the true power of the PS4 and Next-box.
As far as access to the GTX 680M, 3-400 more? You must mean something around $800, right? Well the 680M is a downclocked GTX 670, so it's over twice the speed of the 660M.
You may want to look into Clevo/Sager notebooks, if you want an understated style of gaming laptops.
Tizoc
Member
Hmm OK, I'll ask by then, but atm what are laptops that fit my requirements?
Thanks for the tip, this seems to be more in my budget. Too bad their french site is a clusterfuck, I can't even find or compare the specs of their products. Seems they're only available as PDFs.
edit :Apparently the Y series is not officially sold in France, despite being on their website.
Lenovo Y580 and Sager 6350 for starters
What? Lenovo''s site is an embarrassment.
edit: just found a good french tech site, will have a recommendation shortly.
Thanks for looking, much appreciated ! Looks like a good contender. Added to the list !
Make sure to check the resolution for the screen. They have te 1366 and the 1080p up.
As for the price, I can only speak for Canadian Lenovo but it seems like a pretty good price if it's with a coupon. They tend to rotate them every week or so. Might be worth it to see if
you cab get a discounted price. I missed a 1080p Y580 for 849$ ca.
Unknown Soldier
Member
Retailers are usually higher than direct from the manufacturer. Cost of doing business for the retailer and all that.
Tizoc
Member
Can't find any reviews for the Sager 6450, but the main cons of that Lenovo model are the battery life which worries me a little.
Thanks for the info though, will see if I can get it overe here in the middle east.
Whats wrong with this one? It has thx https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/gazp8 I heard they used these to make wreck it Ralph
Well it doesn't have a dedicated GPU for starters. It just has the Intel 4000. It's not bad integrated graphic solution, but it's going to struggle with 1080res and high settings.
It seems that it also doesn't come with Windows but with Ubuntu. And Ubuntu is currently not a really viable option for games. Maybe in a few years when Valve fully supports the platform, but that might never actually happen.
stn
Member
Ok, need help. Using a laptop. At one point I started to get messages from Norton that my internet browser is using too much memory. Happens with Chrome, Waterfox, and whatever browser I try.
Used Norton scan, no viruses or anything. Used Malwarebytes, no malware found. Used Norton Power Eraser, nothing found.
What do I do? Normally I'd format my laptop but then I wouldn't be able to re-install MS Word (I'm at school away from home, where the MS Word disc is). Thanks.
Used Norton scan, no viruses or anything. Used Malwarebytes, no malware found. Used Norton Power Eraser, nothing found.
What do I do? Normally I'd format my laptop but then I wouldn't be able to re-install MS Word (I'm at school away from home, where the MS Word disc is). Thanks.
My y580 took 4-5 weeks to manufacture/deliver here to Canada but it was stuck in customs for almost a week. As for the laptop, I've had it for about a month now and I absolutely love it. Its been able to handle every game I throw at it and run them quite well. Currently playing Borderlands 2 and its smooth as butter.
I'm looking into a laptop for gaming and the y580 looks pretty much like what I've been searching for. My question is there are two different versions. One has a 1TB hard drive for $999 and the other has a 1TB + 16GB SSD for $1099. Will there be any noticeable improvement with the small ssd, or should I not bother and save $100. Also, all of their hard drives are 5400 rpm, will this be a big problem or should I shop around a bit more? Thanks.
fluffydelusions
Member
Won't be a problem really. It will be slower of course but I suppose for the price you can't really complain. You could also purchase a faster HDD on say Black Friday or cyber Monday which is only a couple weeks away...sure there will be some nice deals.
The 16GB SSD is used for caching. If you're sure the specs are identical (screen especially), then I'd get the non SSD one. It'll still have a slot for an mSSD and you can put your own in for the OS etc, and keep the slower HDD for storage and games.
I went non ssd too. Now the wait! My last gaming laptop died after 5 years. Honestly don't pc game much at all but no longer believe in dedicated desktops. Waste of space. More interested in having something with a small footprint that can handle anything I happen to throw at it and the y580 fit the bill perfectly. Even looks nice. Thanks guys.
Well, the 7970M is clearly superior, in some games even faster than the GTX 680M with the latest driver.
I would be deciding between the 670MX, 7970M, and 680M. Is the 675MX worth an extra $100, just to go from 192-bit to 256-bit?
Sounds good right? I feel better getting your seal of approval KJack!
Baconsaurus Rex
Member
Alcoholikaust
Member
Careful, I ordered from Lenovo last Tuesday and they pushed back my shipping by a MONTH. That was the Y580 i7, gtx 660m, 1080, blu ray etc... For 999.00
If you can wait for the delivery on dec 17-go for it.
Cancelled my preorder and went newegg. Same laptop with a case, 1 year service plan:1100.00. Worth it-it will be here tomorrow. Just saying.
Lenovo makes great products-but the online store is terrible.
Thanks. The 680M is another $250 again, so I think I'll go for the 7970M. Possibly ordering the P150EM tomorrow, we'll see.
What gaming laptop do you recommend that would be best for dual GPUs.
What about the 2GB 7970m's on the sager 9370?
idk anything about MSI/asus/etc.
I need a laptop that will last me atleast 3-4 years.
I currently have a desktop from 08. with a 4870.
I'm thinking about this, lemme know what ya think.
-17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080)
(is this really worth it the 72% ntcs, or stick with regular matte-screen?)
-Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)
-CrossfireX ENABLED DUAL (2) 2048MB PCI-Express AMD Radeon 7970M's
-256GB Crucial M4 Series Solid State Drive
-8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory
I've read here/there that the 7970m with the correct drivers runs better than the 680m?
Question: "Is it worth going DUAL GPU right now?"
Also: "If i go single gpu right now Can i install a second one later on in a laptop?"
And: Sager or something else?
What about the 2GB 7970m's on the sager 9370?
idk anything about MSI/asus/etc.
I need a laptop that will last me atleast 3-4 years.
I currently have a desktop from 08. with a 4870.
I'm thinking about this, lemme know what ya think.
-17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080)
(is this really worth it the 72% ntcs, or stick with regular matte-screen?)
-Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)
-CrossfireX ENABLED DUAL (2) 2048MB PCI-Express AMD Radeon 7970M's
-256GB Crucial M4 Series Solid State Drive
-8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory
I've read here/there that the 7970m with the correct drivers runs better than the 680m?
Question: "Is it worth going DUAL GPU right now?"
Also: "If i go single gpu right now Can i install a second one later on in a laptop?"
And: Sager or something else?
Risk Breaker
Member
Well, I promised to post my impressions of the Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition, the model with the i7, 8GB of RAM, GT 650M GDDR5 2GB, no 3D screen and no SSD.
I guess the two most important aspects of a laptop are the screen (even though in this case, being a desktop replacement one would probably use an external monitor, but still) and the performance/temperature.
The screen is very good, I guess as good as one could expect from it for the price. Great viewing angles, matte finish which I like, not bad blacks and no ghosting, so no surprises of the bad kind. Looks quite better than the Samsung 21.5" LCD 1080P monitor I currently have at home, so I don't even think of hooking it up to that.
Now, about the performance. As I expected, the i7 3610QM is a beast laptop-wise, at least coming from a 2nd gen mobile dual core, and controlling the turbo with throttlestop you can easily keep it around 3.1GHz without temps or throttling issues of any kind.
The GT 650M can be overclocked up to +135 (~970 MHz) Core / +1000 (3 GHz / 96GB/s) Memory with MSI Afterburner. I've safely overclocked up to +110 (~950 MHz) / + 650 (2.6 GHz / 85GB/s) but not beyond that, as I haven't felt the need to do so. With this level of OC I can play something like Dishonored at 1080@60 or Dark Souls at 1080p with quality DoF and SMAA at 30FPS without dips and with GPU utilization around 65%, which makes the temp hover around 63º C.
In more GPU intensive games like NFS:MW (played at 900p, high reflections, low everything else, ~50FPS), Crysis 2 or Sleeping dogs, where it's used at 99%, the temps can get as high as ~70º for the GPU and ~72º for the CPU (which I cap at 2.6 GHz when I'm not doing something that is CPU intensive). Keep in mind that winter is coming and the room temperature is around 17-18º C, so it would get hotter in summer. Still I think they are great temps and they make me feel safe when I tax the hardware. Temps when the computer is idle or doing low load work at around 55º C CPU and 45º C GPU and the chassis remains fresh to the touch.
HOWEVER there is a glitch in the BIOS or VBIOS which completely and permanently locks the GPU core at its stock clock of 750 MHz after the laptop is unplugged from AC. The only way to fix this is to turn off the computer, unplug the AC cable and remove the battery for a few seconds. After rebooting the core clock will be unlocked again until the laptop is unplugged. It can be a pain in the ass or just a minor issue, depending on whether you'll move it around a lot or not.
Other things like the keyboard, which I really like even if it flexes a little in the middle, the touchpad, which is big, has good feeling buttons and detects gestures more than fine or the startup time are pretty good but I guess they're not really mindblowing, specially the startup time from the 5400RPM HD.
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. I'm really happy with my purchase for 1,049 and I really recommend it to anyone that is even slightly interested in a cheap 17" gaming laptop, even more if they don't have easy access to brands like Lenovo or MSI, as is the case in Spain.
I guess the two most important aspects of a laptop are the screen (even though in this case, being a desktop replacement one would probably use an external monitor, but still) and the performance/temperature.
The screen is very good, I guess as good as one could expect from it for the price. Great viewing angles, matte finish which I like, not bad blacks and no ghosting, so no surprises of the bad kind. Looks quite better than the Samsung 21.5" LCD 1080P monitor I currently have at home, so I don't even think of hooking it up to that.
Now, about the performance. As I expected, the i7 3610QM is a beast laptop-wise, at least coming from a 2nd gen mobile dual core, and controlling the turbo with throttlestop you can easily keep it around 3.1GHz without temps or throttling issues of any kind.
The GT 650M can be overclocked up to +135 (~970 MHz) Core / +1000 (3 GHz / 96GB/s) Memory with MSI Afterburner. I've safely overclocked up to +110 (~950 MHz) / + 650 (2.6 GHz / 85GB/s) but not beyond that, as I haven't felt the need to do so. With this level of OC I can play something like Dishonored at 1080@60 or Dark Souls at 1080p with quality DoF and SMAA at 30FPS without dips and with GPU utilization around 65%, which makes the temp hover around 63º C.
In more GPU intensive games like NFS:MW (played at 900p, high reflections, low everything else, ~50FPS), Crysis 2 or Sleeping dogs, where it's used at 99%, the temps can get as high as ~70º for the GPU and ~72º for the CPU (which I cap at 2.6 GHz when I'm not doing something that is CPU intensive). Keep in mind that winter is coming and the room temperature is around 17-18º C, so it would get hotter in summer. Still I think they are great temps and they make me feel safe when I tax the hardware. Temps when the computer is idle or doing low load work at around 55º C CPU and 45º C GPU and the chassis remains fresh to the touch.
HOWEVER there is a glitch in the BIOS or VBIOS which completely and permanently locks the GPU core at its stock clock of 750 MHz after the laptop is unplugged from AC. The only way to fix this is to turn off the computer, unplug the AC cable and remove the battery for a few seconds. After rebooting the core clock will be unlocked again until the laptop is unplugged. It can be a pain in the ass or just a minor issue, depending on whether you'll move it around a lot or not.
Other things like the keyboard, which I really like even if it flexes a little in the middle, the touchpad, which is big, has good feeling buttons and detects gestures more than fine or the startup time are pretty good but I guess they're not really mindblowing, specially the startup time from the 5400RPM HD.
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. I'm really happy with my purchase for 1,049 and I really recommend it to anyone that is even slightly interested in a cheap 17" gaming laptop, even more if they don't have easy access to brands like Lenovo or MSI, as is the case in Spain.
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
Hi GamingLaptop-Age.
MS is having a 50+% off for the Asus Zenbook UX31E for $700.
Thinking about getting it, but wanted to ask if it's worth it and what games might it be able to play? I'm literally spec-illiterate.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...OK-UX31E-DH72/productID.237487000/search.true
MS is having a 50+% off for the Asus Zenbook UX31E for $700.
Thinking about getting it, but wanted to ask if it's worth it and what games might it be able to play? I'm literally spec-illiterate.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...OK-UX31E-DH72/productID.237487000/search.true
Country?
1. You only have two laptop options: the 9370 or the M18x.
2. I'd stick with the regular matte. There's a good chance you'll get a 72% screen anyway.
3. It's better to consider the 7970M as completely equal to the GTX 680M. They both win certain games.
4. Question: "Is it worth going DUAL GPU right now?" Answer: Well we haven't heard anything about a new generation of cards yet.
5. Yes, you can go single GPU now; the second 7970M later will cost $480, so it's slightly cheaper to get it now.
It has no dedicated gaming GPU. Its integrated HD 3000 chip will only play some console ports at minimum resolution and settings.
fluffydelusions
Member
So neogaf its my 21st today and this means i am in the market for a nice laptop 
my budget is £600 but im willing to go slightly higher if you can convince me. im hopefully looking at something that has good build quality with decent battery life and some sort of dedicated graphics GTX650? ive seen some acers that seem pretty god but ive heard their build quality can be a bit off.
any ideas gaf?
Edit: been looking at the asus zenbooks, i know they dont have dedicated graphics but wow, they look great
my budget is £600 but im willing to go slightly higher if you can convince me. im hopefully looking at something that has good build quality with decent battery life and some sort of dedicated graphics GTX650? ive seen some acers that seem pretty god but ive heard their build quality can be a bit off.any ideas gaf?
Edit: been looking at the asus zenbooks, i know they dont have dedicated graphics but wow, they look great
kakashis the biggest baller of all time
So neogaf its my 21st today and this means i am in the market for a nice laptop
any ideas gaf?
Edit: been looking at the asus zenbooks, i know they dont have dedicated graphics but wow, they look great
Link me to one of the Acers you're looking at.
There's been zero talk of the 8000M series, so that might be a long wait. My best guess, looking back from 2010 to 2012, is that it'll be until at least March of next year.
Do you want/need a powerful laptop right now? Answer that first.
Well I do need to get one right now. I don't have anything. Got rid of my PC, and I want to play black ops and other games so bad. Really don't want to wait on "rumors".
But the thing is, if I "do" wait . Will the 8000 series be that much better than the 7000 series.
Main questions is, if I go SLi right now, do ya think I will be good for @least next 3 years if not 4-5.
Well, "worth" measured in time waited is hard to quantify. Why? Because the next one is always better.
What I mean is that I do know it's safe to assume that the 8970M will come from the desktop 8800 series, and it's safe to wager it'll be 40-50% faster than the 7970M.
But is that worth waiting maybe 4 to 6 months?
I'd buy this brand new machine instead.
MiniBossman
Member
So my 2006 MacBook Pro needs to be replaced.
Anyone have a suggestion for a Windows Laptop that is comparable specs and weight/thickness to the MacBook Pro 15 Retina. Price is stupid high for the Retina.
Looking for options.
Anyone have a suggestion for a Windows Laptop that is comparable specs and weight/thickness to the MacBook Pro 15 Retina. Price is stupid high for the Retina.
Looking for options.
Ugh... good stuff I asked.
Any recommendations for a 1600 x 900 or higher resolution <= 15" laptop? I've got my eye on the Lenovo T430 and Y580, which are both very attractive on sale (regrettably, I wasn't interested in a laptop when the Y580 was $800...), but if there are other models I should look out for I'd like to know about them. Gaming isn't strictly a priority.
the Acer M5: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00829KE1Q/
the Acer M3:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007PPCEO8/
both have a GTX 640 which would be good for light gaming the m3 has a sandybridge and the m5 an ivybridge
the m5 also seems to have a metal case, but its about £50 outside my maximum budget
i realise the zenbook doesnt have the dedicated graphics but its so thin and sleek...
also seen the Acer Aspire V3-571G-9435 for if I want a cheap power house but it has cheap build quality and screen. I'm completely torn between power and build quality
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