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The 2012-2013 Gaming Laptop Thread | Read OP before asking questions!
- Thread starter K.Jack
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Yes. The disk drive is the standard that comes with it. It can be swapped out for another GPU, HDD, or fan.
1. If your decision is truly that far away, kick back and wait until we see what's out in late Q3. It's too early to predict such things.
2. Intel has only been publicizing benchmarks for the higher-end i5/i7 integrated parts, and they claim near 1080p gaming.
If you want some impressions of the Samsung, there's a uge thread on Notebook Review.
This MSI is the only near $1500 680M option.
shinra-bansho
Member
Question about the 680M v. 7970M - Looking forward is the extra 2GB of RAM going to be of benefit to the 680M that could justify the price premium, given performance seems to have equalized for most current games?
Conversely, could a laptop with a 7970M benefit from being from the same maker as the PS4 and next XBOX GPUs?
And about the potential 780M and 8970M? Will it be worth the wait - and will they come at a significant price premium over the 680M/7970M?
Conversely, could a laptop with a 7970M benefit from being from the same maker as the PS4 and next XBOX GPUs?
And about the potential 780M and 8970M? Will it be worth the wait - and will they come at a significant price premium over the 680M/7970M?
twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
I understand where you're going here, but I like this one and I'll wait until it's available. ETA on the GX70?
And what's this AMD 8990M anyways? Is that their new high-ender?
With laptops the best is to recommend models in particular because there is more to it that just the CPU+GPU, you don't get to choose all the parts. Like a while ago I was testing this highend Toshiba and well, it was highend and well over $1000 but the screen was crap, the keyboard had tons of flex everywhere, the trackpad wouldnt register a hammer punching it and whoever made it screwed up the entire airflow so it would overheat for nothing, you couldnt use it without a cooler base.
As for storage IMHO you are better off removing the optical drive, moving the HDD there and adding a SSD to the HDD bay, then get a USB case for the optical. I don't know anyone who still buys PC games on retail and with a laptop on the go you need all the storage you can get because hotel Wifi always sucks ass.
As for storage IMHO you are better off removing the optical drive, moving the HDD there and adding a SSD to the HDD bay, then get a USB case for the optical. I don't know anyone who still buys PC games on retail and with a laptop on the go you need all the storage you can get because hotel Wifi always sucks ass.
re: 680M vs 7970M - In my opinion, the factors which can be used to justify the $200 premium Nvidia asks, are its ~15% lead in gaming, better driver support and features (the global ambient occlusion option), and a much more mature switchable graphics solution (Optimus). Then, finally, the 4GB of GDDR5 is an attractive figure, given what we know about the PS4.
I have no problem with someone choosing the GTX 680M. I would.
As far as benefiting from the consoles using AMD GPUs, I simply state: all current-gen console ports have come from the Xbox 360, and I don't recall that giving AMD users any advantage. I see no reason why that would change.
GTX 780M and 8970M? -The currently leaked/rumored specs for the 780M (GK110: 2122 cores @ 513 - 620MHz (boost). GDDR5 @ 320Bit @ 1250MHz.... which I question heavily) say it's easily 30% faster than the 680M. If that's true then waiting is a no brainer. Big IF, though.
Prices generally remain the same through every generation, with the new cards replacing the old. The pattern from the sales of the last three generations of mobile GPUs and Clevo/Sagers dictates that the 8970M will be +$200 over the default GPU, while the GTX 780M will be +$450 over the default, or $250 more than the 8970M.
Yeah we'll definitely wait until legit benchmarks come out for the APU+8970M combo. I gave the GX60 the same fair chance, but the truth ended up being that the 7970M was on average 60% faster when paired with an Intel processor.
ETA for preorders will probably still be around June.
This thread is kinda all about specific laptop recommendations, and most of them actually do allow you to choose the individual parts a la carte style. I'm missing why you felt the need to make that point.
And as far as storage, fortunately the majority of modern gaming laptops are now shipping with either two drive bays and/or an mSATA slot, so messing around with optical bay caddies is no longer necessary.
Hell, the new Clevo laptops are going to have two storage bays and two mSATA slot. That's potentially an insane amount of storage you can contain within a single portable machine.
shinra-bansho
Member
Thanks. I guess I'll just see how long my old laptop can hold out before it dies on me, but if necessity doesn't get me jumping earlier I'll wait.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
So I ended up returning my Sager that I was having problems with. They gave me a full refund with no questions, so I'm happy.
I guess it's not so bad since I've since realized I don't need a mega powerful gaming laptop. But, I do want something that I can do AutoCAD work on, play Diablo 3, and do some Unity and/or Game Maker Studio development with.
What's my best option while trying to stay in the $5-700 range?
I guess it's not so bad since I've since realized I don't need a mega powerful gaming laptop. But, I do want something that I can do AutoCAD work on, play Diablo 3, and do some Unity and/or Game Maker Studio development with.
What's my best option while trying to stay in the $5-700 range?
state_vector_collapse
Member
So I finally settle on what laptop I want to buy - a Samsung Chronos 7 touchscreen model - and it is out of stock :/
But worse, it seems only Currys/PCWorld (here in the U.K) are bothering to supply it. So no stock, but also the retailer I'd least like to buy it from as their customer service is pretty awful. Bugger!
But worse, it seems only Currys/PCWorld (here in the U.K) are bothering to supply it. So no stock, but also the retailer I'd least like to buy it from as their customer service is pretty awful. Bugger!
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I did some scrounging through this thread...
Will this machine handle D3, PSO2, AutoCAD, and Unity work? I could grab a Y500 with SLI, but that will run me $900+, and I would really like to keep it less than that if possible.
I've been thinking about buying a gaming laptop within the price range of 700$, and I see many people mentioning the Lenovo Y500 here, but its probably too expensive for me since its like over 1000$.
Anything up here that you can suggest for me that could be, at least, as strong as the Geforce 560 Ti that my PC has? If todays laptops within 700$ have GPUs better than this, well at least that's a relief.
Y400 seems ok, but i'm not sure if that's the best I can afford.
Also stupid question, if I plug my 22'' monitor to a gaming laptop and play with a 1980x1080 resolution, will that affect performances during gaming, or does it work just as good as with a desktop GPU? Sorry, I know nothing about laptop performances when it comes to that.
Anything up here that you can suggest for me that could be, at least, as strong as the Geforce 560 Ti that my PC has? If todays laptops within 700$ have GPUs better than this, well at least that's a relief.
Y400 seems ok, but i'm not sure if that's the best I can afford.
Also stupid question, if I plug my 22'' monitor to a gaming laptop and play with a 1980x1080 resolution, will that affect performances during gaming, or does it work just as good as with a desktop GPU? Sorry, I know nothing about laptop performances when it comes to that.
anchorman128
Member
Also stupid question, if I plug my 22'' monitor to a gaming laptop and play with a 1980x1080 resolution, will that affect performances during gaming, or does it work just as good as with a desktop GPU? Sorry, I know nothing about laptop performances when it comes to that.
If your laptop's resolution is 1920 x 1080 then no hooking it up to an external monitor with that resolution wont effect gaming. If it happens to be a 1366 x 768 resolution like almost every laptop in that price range, then yes hooking it up to a 1080p monitor will greatly effect performance.
That's like 50% more pixels, resolution will always effect performance. While you may be able to do it on non demanding games, the higher the resolution the lower the performance, and the lower the resolution the higher the performance. It's all about finding that balance that looks good to you and maintains a steady framerate.
Oh, so the Y400 would be bad for an external monitor if I want a 1920x1080 resolution, since it seems to be 1366x768 if remember right.
Damn, at this point I feel like I would be better just buying a new video card for my PC instead. It's not like I absolutely NEED a gaming laptop.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Did not know this. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind as well as I mull over the Aspire and the Y500.
God I can't wait
60_gig_PS3
Banned
I ordered the same laptop. Saw it on display at Fry's and I like the way it looks. Just got an email saying it will arrive tomorrow!
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I almost decided to go for it as well, but 3 weeks is a pretty long wait...
The only current-gen mobile GPUs faster than the 560 Ti are the 675MX, 680M, and 7970M.
The 640M, 645M, 650M, and 660M are all various downclocks of the GTX 650 (non Ti). The GT 750M is the same, just with GPU Boost 2.0 implemented, so it self-overclocks way higher.
BTW does anyone know about the display quality in Clevo/Sager notebooks? That's my only concern, since I am planning to get one when the new ones come out but I can't look at one in person first. I'm scared that coming from a Macbook Air I'll be in for a huge disappointment.
And I assume they don't offer upgradeable screens.
And I assume they don't offer upgradeable screens.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Yeah, the wait is annoying, but I can handle another couple weeks of my dying desktop I've put up with for years
.BTW does anyone know about the display quality in Clevo/Sager notebooks? That's my only concern, since I am planning to get one when the new ones come out but I can't look at one in person first. I'm scared that coming from a Macbook Air I'll be in for a huge disappointment.
And I assume they don't offer upgradeable screens.
The 17" 1080p screen my clevo has is good enough. I had another for some days with 15.6" screen/ lesser resolution, and wasnt that good.
funny thing is that this laptop behaves very nice on overclocking. +130hz on the clock and +200 on memory and not even temperature rises...
BTW does anyone know about the display quality in Clevo/Sager notebooks? That's my only concern, since I am planning to get one when the new ones come out but I can't look at one in person first. I'm scared that coming from a Macbook Air I'll be in for a huge disappointment.
And I assume they don't offer upgradeable screens.
The stoxk screens are pretty good.
But, you're wrong. On the both the 17" and 15" models, they offer screen upgrades. They're 90+ percent gamut displays, ranking with the best non-IPS laptop screens available.
Well, the Asus only has the 660M, and the AMD CPU in the GX60 bottlenecks the 7970M so badly that it performs on the level of the 660M/670MX. I guess it depends on what kind of desktop you're replacing.
Which Sager did you have again? What was the problem?
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
My desktop was an i7-930 with a GTS 250. It still plays things well, but I find myself not sitting at my desktop much anymore. HDMI Out is important as it allows me to plug it into my TV and play or stream video, and battery life is a big deal because I want to be able to do work related things on the go. That's actually the main reason I'm avoiding the Y500 series laptops...The battery life is dismal across the board.
I had the NP9150. The drivers were a mess and the screen brightness kept adjusting and causing stuttering on low settings. I had a few hard crashes as well. It could have been the ugly duckling of the bunch, but after waiting as long as I did and having it show up with issues like that, having to pay to return it (or RMI with another 2-3 week wait for free...But I was getting REALLY impatient and wasn't in the mood to wait another month to play on my new laptop), I just feel like going another Sager machine would make me sour.
Maybe none of these are a good option, but my budget has changed to $1200 give or take, since I'm trying to sell my desktop for a few coins.
Just FYI, mine didn't take that long. Ordered on the 18th, and it has shipped. Estimated arrival date is Monday, so it will have been 11 days. Not too bad.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Yeah, I guess that's not bad. But, I did just sell my desktop, so something that's a little more readily available would be nice. If its on prime, even better, haha.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
The 650 or the 750 SLI model?
^You can comment on any model they all are in my price range. If there is another laptop I should look at within the same price range of the Y500 I would also be interested to read about them.
Its been a while since I bought a new laptop/pc to game on, I am still holding on to this G50Vt I got more then 4 years ago. Its time I finally retire it, I could not get through Bioshock Infinite.
I can also wait for the newer rumored cpu/gpu coming out if its worth the money/wait.
Its been a while since I bought a new laptop/pc to game on, I am still holding on to this G50Vt I got more then 4 years ago. Its time I finally retire it, I could not get through Bioshock Infinite.
I can also wait for the newer rumored cpu/gpu coming out if its worth the money/wait.
Man, my Y500 is on a weird journey.
Shipped from Shanghai, landed in Alaska. Went from Alaska to Kentucky. Then it gets weird. From Kentucky, it went BACK to Shanghai and it's now in Narita, Japan.
The 650 model probably won't be enough for games that might come out for 3-4 years. Maybe, but you'd likely be running shit on low. The 750SLI might be better equipped for that (obviously).
I ordered the single 750 model and I'm expecting to either add another 750 to the Ultrabay or to have this serve as my desktop replacement for 2-3 years before I build a new desktop.
Shipped from Shanghai, landed in Alaska. Went from Alaska to Kentucky. Then it gets weird. From Kentucky, it went BACK to Shanghai and it's now in Narita, Japan.
The 650 model probably won't be enough for games that might come out for 3-4 years. Maybe, but you'd likely be running shit on low. The 750SLI might be better equipped for that (obviously).
I ordered the single 750 model and I'm expecting to either add another 750 to the Ultrabay or to have this serve as my desktop replacement for 2-3 years before I build a new desktop.
I'm guessing this is timezones. It probably actually went Shanghai -> Japan -> Alaska -> Kentucky but the time zone was weird in Shanghai/Japan so it registers as being the next day or something.
The Y500 will not be doing well in 2016, if that's the answer you seek. But then, that depends on your definition of "enough". What's the standard?
Probably, though I'm not sure why it would go to KY from Alaska. I live in British Columbia. It was so close!
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I ended up buying the Y500 with 750SLI. I figured I will just live without a computer for a little while.
I guess enough for me means will I play games at a playable frame rate at least on medium graphic settings 3 years from now.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I don't know as much as K.Jack and others, but if you're like me and only sit on Medium graphics almost exclusively (I'll pump it up if my machine defaults to it, but Medium has always been enough), I would venture to say yes.
The only reservation I have with this machine is going to be how hot it runs. I have a cooling pad, but even still, I've heard that the SLI models are clocking 80-85C pretty much at all times.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I have a question regarding a fresh Windows 8 install on a new machine.
The Y500 comes with Win8. I want to do a fresh install of it on my machine, but I don't have the product key. I've been reading that it's embedded in the bios of my system. So does that mean when I create a USB install for my new OS, I don't have to bother with my product key at all? I just wipe my HD during setup and proceed as I normally would with the reformat -> install?
The Y500 comes with Win8. I want to do a fresh install of it on my machine, but I don't have the product key. I've been reading that it's embedded in the bios of my system. So does that mean when I create a USB install for my new OS, I don't have to bother with my product key at all? I just wipe my HD during setup and proceed as I normally would with the reformat -> install?
I feel 3-4 years is a long time to ask from any card, especially when it's just in the mid-range on day one of the discussion, and with the next-gen consoles about to come through and raise the system requirements on PC ports.
But, it's still too early to determine the impact of the PS4 on PC gaming.
That's what I hear and read, that with Win 8 you simply run the install and the product key is automatically taken care of by the system.
But, it's still too early to determine the impact of the PS4 on PC gaming.
That's what I hear and read, that with Win 8 you simply run the install and the product key is automatically taken care of by the system.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I can't find a clean regular Win8 iso, but I didn't realize that the OS has a built in "reinstall windows" option. Or at least the Y500 does...And I'm shocked that the Y500 I ordered already shipped. It wasn't supposed to ship until 5/10, but it shipped on 4/26. I'm guessing it was somebody who cancelled their order or Lenovo stepped up their production to meet the demand that came with the 750SLI announcement/sale.
That reinstall option is actually a feature integrated into all versions of Windows 8. I forgot about it.
It's good to see Lenovo is stepping up their shipment speeds. That's been the one negative I've had with recommending their laptops.
Please post your impressions when you get the machine.
The 750M is just a version of the card that overclocks itself higher. You haven't been outclassed by a large margin.
Don't get that Asus. It's the old model. This is the updated Asus model, the VX: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...lack/7674057.p?id=1218858193064&skuId=7674057
It has a 670MX. I have one.
state_vector_collapse
Member
How the hell can that Asus mentioned above, be literally twice the price here in the UK?
twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
If that's also going to be the case here, then I'll wait and see what the Intel+8970M choices are.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Yeah, I ended up getting the Y500 with dual 750 and 16 gigs of DDR3 RAM for $1165 after tax. I intend to post my impressions on Tuesday or so after it arrives.
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