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[Fracas]

Hey everyone, I'm looking into some laptops for a friend. I was hoping for some suggestions. It will be used for basic things, like browsing the web, music, movies, etc. He plays alot of league of legends, so I'd like to find one that can run it on decently high settings (60fps). He'll be buying it very soon, his old HP is literally falling apart.

It will be bought in the US.
Maximum budget: $550-$650
Size: Around 15"

I was thinking something along the lines of: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...lack/7658047.p?id=1218857084845&skuId=7658047

He originally suggested: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+EN...=7701076&st=hp envy m6&cp=1&lp=1#tab=overview

Another one we just found: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...goryID.44066900/categoryID.50787200/list.true

Thanks for any suggestions.

I don't know if I'd go with any of those; they don't have a dedicated video card, which just about kills game performance.

I'd recommend checking out the Acer Store. Bought an Acer a week and a half ago, and I'm loving it so far. Some pretty capable and affordable ones I spotted:

http://store.acer.com/store/acerna/en_US/pd/productID.258312300/parentCategoryID.60084600/

http://store.acer.com/store/acerna/en_US/pd/productID.272117600/parentCategoryID.60084600/

If you're not interested in any of these, check out the OP. There's some general guidelines there that should help out a ton. They did for me, at least.

 

[Des0lar]

Gf is thinking about buying a new laptop (living in Austria),...
She will need it most of the time for office applications, but she does some gaming so I need to find something acceptable (Budget is around 400-600€):

http://www.hofer.at/at/html/offers/2867_36157.htm
^She was thinking about this model, but it weighs 3kg and I am not sure how good the bang/buck ratio is.


Then I found this one:
http://geizhals.at/toshiba-satellite-l850-1te-pskg8e-06s00sgr-a904202.html
Looks pretty good to me?

Recommendations? Thanks guys!

 

[K.Jack]

Thanks, so do you think this one is better for that price?

http://compraonline.mediaworld.it/w...productId=20213376&langId=-1&category_rn=1504

Yes very much so.

Hey everyone, I'm looking into some laptops for a friend. I was hoping for some suggestions. It will be used for basic things, like browsing the web, music, movies, etc. He plays alot of league of legends, so I'd like to find one that can run it on decently high settings (60fps). He'll be buying it very soon, his old HP is literally falling apart.

It will be bought in the US.
Maximum budget: $550-$650
Size: Around 15"

I was thinking something along the lines of: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...lack/7658047.p?id=1218857084845&skuId=7658047

He originally suggested: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+EN...=7701076&st=hp envy m6&cp=1&lp=1#tab=overview

Another one we just found: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...goryID.44066900/categoryID.50787200/list.true

Thanks for any suggestions.

There is a second post to the OP.

Gf is thinking about buying a new laptop (living in Austria),...
She will need it most of the time for office applications, but she does some gaming so I need to find something acceptable (Budget is around 400-600€):

http://www.hofer.at/at/html/offers/2867_36157.htm
^She was thinking about this model, but it weighs 3kg and I am not sure how good the bang/buck ratio is.

Then I found this one:
http://geizhals.at/toshiba-satellite-l850-1te-pskg8e-06s00sgr-a904202.html
Looks pretty good to me?

Recommendations? Thanks guys!

The first one has a must faster GPU, the second a beefier CPU. typically I recommend people choose the GPU.

I need you to link me to some Austrian laptop retailers, if I'm to assess whether the i3 + 730M is your absolute best option.

 

[Kthreev]

Looking for a new laptop for school that also contains some decent gaming functionality. I'm looking at 15" and <6 lbs for portability. Ideally I want to keep the price under $1000, but I could swing up to around $1200 if I find something worth it. And this part may seem weird, but I have strange and specific preferences to how it looks.... I care about that waaaaaaay more than I should. Even though I recognize this, I know I won't be satisfied unless I have a laptop that's visually appealing to me.

I really like the ASUS Q500A-BHI7T05 in terms of looks and specifications, however I realize the integrated graphics basically renders it useless for gaming. But I hope that can at least give an idea of what I'm aiming for.

Alternatives I'm looking at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230597
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312439

I don't particularly like the way the Lenovo looks (definitely prefer the asus model based soley off visual appeal) and its a little heavier than what I'm aiming for, but it seems nearly exactly what I would want in tech specifications.

Any advice or alternative suggestions would be immensely appreciated!

 

[Danj]

Awww yeah, five new 700 series mobile GPUs announced.

 

[Des0lar]

The first one has a must faster GPU, the second a beefier CPU. typically I recommend people choose the GPU.

I need you to link me to some Austrian laptop retailers, if I'm to assess whether the i3 + 730M is your absolute best option.

http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/liste.ph...nich=Notebooks,+Tablets+>+Notebooks+15"-15,6"


http://www.mediamarkt.at/mcs/productlist/Notebooks,10255,27056.html?langId=-15


http://www.saturn.at/mcs/productlist/Notebooks,90452,384051.html?langId=-15

http://www.ditech.at/landingpage/53855525/PCs__Notebooks.html

http://www.redcoon.at/c02040100-Notebooks/listpage1

http://www.chiligreen.com/shop/produkte.asp?typ=253

I think these are the more prominent resellers. Unfortunetaly I don't know any secret online only resellers...

 

[Blablurn]

Awww yeah, five new 700 series mobile GPUs announced.

nice, very nice.

 

[Danj]

nice, very nice.

Shame there isn't a list of what laptops have them in, and Notebookcheck doesn't have any details of that kind yet either.

 

[Pengew]

My brother is looking for a decent laptop but nothing to fancy. His price range is between $300-$400. I figured this was the best place to ask.

 

[Madn]

@ thespot84, mrklaw and k.Jack

Thanks, you've really been helpful! I've decided to buy the one with the i7

 

[mrklaw]

Awww yeah, five new 700 series mobile GPUs announced.

any specs? Those framerates are at 'moderate settings' and 1366x768 res, so a pretty low bar.

 

[thespot84]

@ thespot84, mrklaw and k.Jack

Thanks, you've really been helpful! I've decided to buy the one with the i7

thank us in 4-5 years lol

 

[DarkKyo]

My significant other is looking to get a laptop that will be good for miscellaneous work things + some gaming on the side. She's not hardcore but she does like playing things like MMOs(was big into WoW, interested in Guild Wars 2).

She's looking for something below 500 dollars. The stats on this one look pretty good and it has a card listed in the OP. Any major flaws that you pros here see in this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312434

Edit: Or is this one better??

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OV19EC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The first one looks to have a better graphics card, but the second has a better CPU it seems like.

What is best based on price and these factors?

 

[Ala Alba]

I think I need a laptop.

Where: US of A
Budget: <$1000
Max size: Not sure, probably 16"?
Usage: In order:
1. Programming assignments
2. Lecture notes
3. Video playback
4. Games - FFXIV at medium settings minimum, otherwise I don't mind (Dolphin would be a huge plus, though)

The IdeaPad Y500 from the OP seems nice, with good reviews for its power, keyboard, and screen, but a lot of bad reviews for the touchpad. Is it really that bad? Or is there another laptop you would recommend?

 

[thespot84]

I think I need a laptop.

Where: US of A
Budget: <$1000
Max size: Not sure, probably 16"?
Usage: In order:
1. Programming assignments
2. Lecture notes
3. Video playback
4. Games - FFXIV at medium settings minimum, otherwise I don't mind (Dolphin would be a huge plus, though)

The IdeaPad Y500 from the OP seems nice, with good reviews for its power, keyboard, and screen, but a lot of bad reviews for the touchpad. Is it really that bad? Or is there another laptop you would recommend?

I'm sitting in front of a brand new y500. The touchpad is just ok. Because I do some design, lots of excel work, and gaming, I always have a mouse with me anyways, total non-issue. Otherwise it has been great. Unfortunately I couldn't get the same thing in a 14" package, as 15.6" is obviously a little less 'mobile', but I would highly recommend it.

 

[K.Jack]

My significant other is looking to get a laptop that will be good for miscellaneous work things + some gaming on the side. She's not hardcore but she does like playing things like MMOs(was big into WoW, interested in Guild Wars 2).

She's looking for something below 500 dollars. The stats on this one look pretty good and it has a card listed in the OP. Any major flaws that you pros here see in this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312434

Edit: Or is this one better??

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OV19EC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The first one looks to have a better graphics card, but the second has a better CPU it seems like.

What is best based on price and these factors?

If she's going to get into Guild Wars 2, she'll really thank herself for spending an extra $100 on this $599 laptop. To me it makes no sense to spend $499 on an utterly rubbish AMD CPU and weakish GPU, when $599 nets one a respectable Intel and the GT 730M, which is nearly 2x the speed of the 7670M.

 

[state_vector_collapse]

After seeing all the glowing recommendations for the Y500 I'm about to take the plunge myself. But I'm a bit puzzled about adding the second GPU.

I'm in the U.K and the Lenovo site doesn't seem to mention how to purchase one at all. I'm assuming it is a proprietary fitting seeing as it has to fit in what they call the ultrabay?

Has anyone here from the U.K bought one and managed to source a second GPU?

One last question - there isn't anything imminent that is likely to be a similar price but with any significant performance increase? Thanks.

 

[ksimm]

After seeing all the glowing recommendations for the Y500 I'm about to take the plunge myself. But I'm a bit puzzled about adding the second GPU.

I'm in the U.K and the Lenovo site doesn't seem to mention how to purchase one at all. I'm assuming it is a proprietary fitting seeing as it has to fit in what they call the ultrabay?

Has anyone here from the U.K bought one and managed to source a second GPU?

One last question - there isn't anything imminent that is likely to be a similar price but with any significant performance increase? Thanks.

.
I am another potential UK Lenovo Y500 buyer, just hovering the buy button.
I noticed on Amazon DE they have the SLI version for £849, so I am thinking this would be a good buy considering we do not seem to have the option to buy an extra 650M

 

[state_vector_collapse]

Yeah that looks like a good option to be honest.

I managed to get through to Lenovo after a LOT of faffing on the phone (which put me off a little to be honest. Three attempts saw them "put me through to customer services", only to get a recorded message saying they were only open between 9am and 6pm. This was at 10am this morning!

Anyway, eventually spoke to a girl who told me the second GPU needs a special adaptor (I thought they would just slot into the so called Ultrabay?) and that they don't have the adaptors, don't have the GPU's - and have no idea when they will get any of them in stock sadly.

 

[ksimm]

Yeah that looks like a good option to be honest.

I managed to get through to Lenovo after a LOT of faffing on the phone (which put me off a little to be honest. Three attempts saw them "put me through to customer services", only to get a recorded message saying they were only open between 9am and 6pm. This was at 10am this morning!

Anyway, eventually spoke to a girl who told me the second GPU needs a special adaptor (I thought they would just slot into the so called Ultrabay?) and that they don't have the adaptors, don't have the GPU's - and have no idea when they will get any of them in stock sadly.

That is quite annoying, I mean why advertise these Ultrabays options if they do not even know themselves if and when they are available?

I think also in order to have SLI you need the beefier PSU which the German option should come with.

The other option is to somehow try and get hold of the larger PSU and extra card.

 

[Cimarron]

If she's going to get into Guild Wars 2, she'll really thank herself for spending an extra $100 on this $599 laptop. To me it makes no sense to spend $499 on an utterly rubbish AMD CPU and weakish GPU, when $599 nets one a respectable Intel and the GT 730M, which is nearly 2x the speed of the 7670M.

Damn. Its sold out! Anything laptops that have similar specs and price tag floating around any where else?

 

[K.Jack]

Damn. Its sold out! Anything laptops that have similar specs and price tag floating around any where else?

Wow that was quick. It was in stock when I posted. They'll probably have more back in eventually. They're just popular laptops.

Alternattively, the same exact laptop is on Amazon, but at $629.99 instead of $599.

 

[Drame]

Awww yeah, five new 700 series mobile GPUs announced.

These are going to be the next high-end mobile cards, right?

If so I'll totally wait for the Asus refresh now. Almost ordered G75VX couple days ago.

 

[Cimarron]

Wow that was quick. It was in stock when I posted. They'll probably have more back in eventually. They're just popular laptops.

Alternattively, the same exact laptop is on Amazon, but at $629.99 instead of $599.

Thanks man! Looks great! I looked in the OP and couldn't find the desktop "equilivant" of the the GPU. Anyone have any ideas.

 

[Reich]

Hi Gaf. ^^

Need a new labtop.

Canada.
Price range : 800-900 (maybe less!).
Games : Civilization V & Starcraft 2 & Diablo III.

 

[K.Jack]

These are going to be the next high-end mobile cards, right?

If so I'll totally wait for the Asus refresh now. Almost ordered G75VX couple days ago.

No, those are low to mid-level cards. There will be at least a GTX 760M, GTX 770M, and GTX 780M to replace Nvidia's current enthusiast class mobile cards.

Thanks man! Looks great! I looked in the OP and couldn't find the desktop "equilivant" of the the GPU. Anyone have any ideas.

Right. In general the 700M series is delivering power optimized versions of the 600M series cards they replace. In the GT 730M's case that is the GT 645M. so you can still look at that card and its origins as the base of this new chip.

The 730M is clocked at 725/1000 vs the 710/900 of the 645M.

Hi Gaf. ^^

Need a new labtop.

Canada.
Price range : 800-900 (maybe less!).
Games : Civilization V & Starcraft 2 & Diablo III.

At $800 this looks MSI CX61 good.

 

[DarkKyo]

If she's going to get into Guild Wars 2, she'll really thank herself for spending an extra $100 on this $599 laptop. To me it makes no sense to spend $499 on an utterly rubbish AMD CPU and weakish GPU, when $599 nets one a respectable Intel and the GT 730M, which is nearly 2x the speed of the 7670M.

Out of stock

That one would have been nice though.

 

[K.Jack]

Out of stock

That one would have been nice though.

Post #722 has you covered.

 

[SharkJAW]

Hey guys, just wanted to get an opinion on this: I plan on getting a laptop for college (preferably gaming, thought about a convertible for conveniences sake, but realized they're relatively close in price) and I have a $1000 stipend to spend on a laptop and I wouldn't mind dropping a couple extra hundred on a good gaming laptop. Would it be safe to say the Sager NP9130 is my best option? I'd really like to have a 7970m, but apparently it's terrible with the A10, so are there alternatives with it in my price range? Thanks in advance.

 

[terrisus]

No, those are low to mid-level cards. There will be at least a GTX 760M, GTX 770M, and GTX 780M to replace Nvidia's current enthusiast class mobile cards.

Do we have a better idea of when we're looking at that yet, or still up in the air as far as a timeframe?

 

[K.Jack]

Do we have a better idea of when we're looking at that yet, or still up in the air as far as a timeframe?

Nothing happens until Intel launches Haswell in June. AMD and Nvidia will have shipped their GPU stock out to the various laptop manufacturers, prior to said date, so that the machines are ready to be ordered as soon as Intel raises the veil on the new platform.

Previously it was said to be June 6, and no news has contradicted that launch window. So I would not expect to have a laptop in hand before mid-June, though that also depends greatly on from who you order your machine.

 

[terrisus]

Yeah, I've kind of settled on the fact that I'm going to wait for the new Intel processors before buying my new laptop, just trying to decide if the nVidia update is going to come soon enough after that where I should just wait for that as well.

Waiting is difficult, but, I suppose I've waited 3 and a half years already, a couple more months is probably worth it.

 

[K.Jack]

To be the succinct man I wasn't able to channel earlier, consider the CPU and GPU upgrades to be simultaneous. Every shiny new Haswell laptop will be sporting either an Nvidia 700M or AMD 8000M.

 

[terrisus]

Sorry for misunderstanding, got it now. Sounds good, and makes me feel a bit better about waiting. Still difficult though, but I guess it will be worth it.

 

[state_vector_collapse]

What is the closest competitor to the Y500? I'm rapidly put off by their pretty awful customer service.

I called them again this morning to see if I could buy a dual GPU version from them, only to be told by the sales person that laptops have dedicated graphics and you can't upgrade them at all.

I've no doubt I would be very happy with a Y500, but I'd dread anything going wrong with it and have to deal with Lenovo.

 

[Asimov]

To be the succinct man I wasn't able to channel earlier, consider the CPU and GPU upgrades to be simultaneous. Every shiny new Haswell laptop will be sporting either an Nvidia 700M or AMD 8000M.

So, when can we expect laptops with Haswell and nVidia 700M?

 

[Minsc]

I thought I read the 700M series is more or less re-branded 600M cards (only ever so slightly better)?

 

[Chinner]

anyone in the UK suggest any good site for laptops? i found this which seems like a pretty good deal
http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/range/novatecheliten1535.html

only thing i don't really like about the laptop above is that its not 1080p

 

[Ala Alba]

What is the closest competitor to the Y500? I'm rapidly put off by their pretty awful customer service.

I called them again this morning to see if I could buy a dual GPU version from them, only to be told by the sales person that laptops have dedicated graphics and you can't upgrade them at all.

I've no doubt I would be very happy with a Y500, but I'd dread anything going wrong with it and have to deal with Lenovo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312439

This is a dual 650M version for $999.

Edit: I ended up buying it. I just haven't been able to find anything that comes close to that performance for that price.

 

[Cimarron]

Wow that was quick. It was in stock when I posted. They'll probably have more back in eventually. They're just popular laptops.

Alternattively, the same exact laptop is on Amazon, but at $629.99 instead of $599.

It's now $599.00 BOUGHT!!!

 

[K.Jack]

What is the closest competitor to the Y500? I'm rapidly put off by their pretty awful customer service.

I called them again this morning to see if I could buy a dual GPU version from them, only to be told by the sales person that laptops have dedicated graphics and you can't upgrade them at all.

I've no doubt I would be very happy with a Y500, but I'd dread anything going wrong with it and have to deal with Lenovo.

Something like this, configured with an i7-3630QM, 8GB RAM, and whatever HDD/SSD you want.

So, when can we expect laptops with Haswell and nVidia 700M?

June and into July, depending on supply constraints.

I thought I read the 700M series is more or less re-branded 600M cards (only ever so slightly better)?

Well Nvidia is saying that the cards they've announced have gone from GK108 to a new GK208 core, so I can't call them straight up rebrands. Some of them are sporting significantly higher clocks and they all have GPU Boost 2.0 implemented.

Definitely nothing to be excited about, if you have a card from the 600M series already.

It's now $599.00 BOUGHT!!!

Great. I hope it's enjoyed.

 

[Vazra]

I'm looking for a laptop to run most games on High to Ultra and also looking to play Wii and Ps2 games on the emulators HD with some bells and whistles.

As Budget I'm looking around $1000-$2000. I'm not the best noticing differences between some computers with the Graphic Cards and the Processors (Its a bit confusing at times) which is why Im asking around here.


EDIT: I'm From Puerto Rico btw don't know if that changes much.

I'm eyeing this
MSI GT Series GT70
iBUYPOWER Gamer Valkyrie

This one seems like overkill tho.
ASUS G75VX

 

[Chinner]

anyone in the UK suggest any good site for laptops? i found this which seems like a pretty good deal
http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/range/novatecheliten1535.html

only thing i don't really like about the laptop above is that its not 1080p

anyone? looking for agood laptop at around the £650 mark.

 

[Chinner]

anyone?

 

[thespot84]

when I was buying my lenovo amazon and the lenovo site had pretty comparable prices, if that's any help. Why wouldn't amazon.co.uk work?

 

[K.Jack]

I'm looking for a laptop to run most games on High to Ultra and also looking to play Wii and Ps2 games on the emulators HD with some bells and whistles.

As Budget I'm looking around $1000-$2000. I'm not the best noticing differences between some computers with the Graphic Cards and the Processors (Its a bit confusing at times) which is why Im asking around here.


EDIT: I'm From Puerto Rico btw don't know if that changes much.

I'm eyeing this
MSI GT Series GT70
iBUYPOWER Gamer Valkyrie

This one seems like overkill tho.
ASUS G75VX

If you can afford the GT70, I'd take that.

anyone? looking for agood laptop at around the £650 mark.

PCSpecialist.co.uk <-- built to order machines
laptopsdirect.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk

 

[Chinner]

how is the AMD Radeon HD 7730M regarded nowadays?

 

[Blablurn]

how is the AMD Radeon HD 7730M regarded nowadays?

http://www.notebookcheck.com/AMD-Radeon-HD-7730M.70795.0.html

You should be able to play some games with it but its certainly nothing special. Definitely not futureproof'd.

 

[Chinner]

shame, the Inspiron 15R SE was looking quite decent otherwise.

The MSI CX61 looks good but the lack of 1080p screen turns me away, and pcspecialist is good but otherwise slightly expensive.

tis quite hard to find a good buy for £650.

 

[Munin]

New Razer Blade will sport a GTX765M and i7-4702HQ. Anyone know yet if this should be enough to play currently released games at max details @ 1080P? I really like the Razer Blade's design because all other gaming laptops look absolutely horrible and cheesy, but it's of little use if it still doesn't have sufficient horsepower.