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[The Xtortionist]

780M sounds pretty fucking good. Wondering how much it would cost to add on a site like xoticpc. A 680M is about $400 to add to a Sager NP9150.

 

[K.Jack]

Hot off the presses!

GTX 780M specs (in new MSI):

Compare to GTX 680M:

Dat bandwidth! Will make a huge difference at 1080p. The full speed 1250MHz RAM is a major upgrade as well.

Preach.

The first laptop that gets a form factor like those with a 1000 shader core (going from AMD reference) and 4GB GDDR5 is the first priority for me. Especially if it has MXM 3.0 going on inside.

It is true, Samsung does not use the MXM format. But my philosophy is to buy the best machine and GPU I can, every two years. MXM is worthless to me. When an aftermarket Nvidia GPU costs $800, I'd rather spend that packaged in a brand new laptop. If I want the next year's graphics card, I'll sell the laptop.

780M sounds pretty fucking good. Wondering how much it would cost to add on a site like xoticpc. A 680M is about $400 to add to a Sager NP9150.

Should be around +450 at launch.

 

[h0pper]

Does Lenovo consistently run deals like they are having right now on the Y400 and Y500? I am looking to pick one of thes up but would like to wait a bit. However, I don't want to miss out on a $400 savings.

 

[Blablurn]

When u play on a laptop. Besides the usual 1080p, whats the other resolution to to go for? there are so many.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

When u play on a laptop. Besides the usual 1080p, whats the other resolution to to go for? there are so many.

It's very subjective.


Depends on latop, screen, GPU, and settings. Some people rather want 1080p and 30 FPS, while others would lower for 720p and get dat 60fps.


There is a rule of thumb saying that its a good idea to play at your native rez. your native rez is the maximum resolution of your laptop. Then there is a thing with performance. there is actually a performance boost(though minor) related to the scaling between the OS resolution and the in game resolution.


Meaning that, you might nit a few more FPS if windows run the same resolution as the game. I think the jury is out on that, and its not a big thing though, but its worth thinking about.




Lastly, different games have different UI scaling software. for example, I got a capable 13 inch ultrabook with a 640m LE in it, and if I need to scale the UI up to readible sizes when playing RPGs and MMOs. that takes a lot of the screen.

We're not really at that resolution independence. Retina Macbook Pro is trying to drive that battle. But on the other hand desktop are being outsold by the convenience of laptops, making developers more aware of the demands and needs of being able to game on laptops.

 

[Blablurn]

With 720 you mean 1280 x 720, right? Is there like a big display / quality change when i go for example for 1366 x768 instead? or does it not really matter in the end?

 

[sl4yor]

Not sure if I can post this here, but as this is a gaming laptop thread with people looking for a gaming laptop, I have one for sale.

I it bought 6 months ago while I was away for school. 6 months ago, I paid over $2000 dollars for this computer and the specs will show you why. It is still under warranty until October 2013.

The processor is an Intel Ivy Bridge I7-3740QM (2.7GHz - 3.7GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)

For memory it has 12GB of DDR3 at 1600mhz

For Graphics it has a AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11

For storage it has both a 500gb 7200rpm hard drive, and also a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD drive for faster loading times.

Optical drive is a Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW

If you have any other questions about the laptop, feel free to email me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I have literally not touched this laptop since I've returned from school as I have a desktop and therefore have no use for it. I'd like to get rid of it as fast as possible for any reasonable offers in the price range of $1000 will be considered. PM me for more pictures.

 

[ColaCole]

So, uh, anybody know about the alienware refresh coming in June? I've heard that the next laptops might have a design change to them. Sounds interesting.

 

[h0pper]

Does Lenovo consistently run deals like they are having right now on the Y400 and Y500? I am looking to pick one of thes up but would like to wait a bit. However, I don't want to miss out on a $400 savings.

anyone?

If not, can someone give me some insight into how the GT750M performs with games like DOTA2, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2...?

 

[K.Jack]

So, uh, anybody know about the alienware refresh coming in June? I've heard that the next laptops might have a design change to them. Sounds interesting.

I only have rumors someone posted from a leaker on a Chinese forum: Magnesium alloy chassis, IPS display option, new touchpad (?)

Their stuff will be unveiled at E3.

anyone?

If not, can someone give me some insight into how the GT750M performs with games like DOTA2, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2...?

The sales are very constant.

The 750M is like a 660M, so check the OP for performance predictions.

 

[Munin]

I only have rumors someone posted from a leaker on a Chinese forum: Magnesium alloy chassis, IPS display option, new touchpad (?)

Their stuff will be unveiled at E3.



The sales are very constant.

The 750M is like a 660M, so check the OP for performance predictions.

oh god, if Alienware manages to release a chassis that doesn't look completely embarrassing this time around...maybe even attractive, dare I say...I'll be there day 1

 

[h0pper]

I only have rumors someone posted from a leaker on a Chinese forum: Magnesium alloy chassis, IPS display option, new touchpad (?)

Their stuff will be unveiled at E3.



The sales are very constant.

The 750M is like a 660M, so check the OP for performance predictions.

thanks

 

[K.Jack]

oh god, if Alienware manages to release a chassis that doesn't look completely embarrassing this time around...maybe even attractive, dare I say...I'll be there day 1

Me too. I'm definitely open to options outside of Clevo this generation.

They're supposed to be shown from June 11th-13th.

 

[ColaCole]

Quick question, what is the difference in putting a SSD in the mSATA drive versus the Hard Drive? I'm kind of new to SSDs so I dont know what a mSATA even is.

 

[foomfoom415]

How does one go about buying a dual 750M Y500? It seems like the Lenovo (US) website only offers single 750M configurations. Do I buy the 2nd 750M separately?

 

[Bucca]

Alright GAF, what's the best possible laptop I can get for under $1000?

Or am I better off compiling parts and having one custom made?

I'm not too tech savvy when it comes to computer parts.

 

[Danj]

I already saw this information at an NDA'ed event on Thursday but I guess now that Intel has officially made it public I can post it here. Basically, one of the things Intel showed at this event on Thursday was a benchmark chart showing that the HD Graphics 4000 was slightly above par with an nVidia GT610 discrete GPU (low-end budget card) - this can easily be verified with publically-available benchmark charts on the Internet.

Haswell's integrated GPUs, which are now known officially as Iris and Iris Pro, have a level of performance approximately 2X that, which I estimate puts them about on the same level as a GT640M.

Here's the Intel post:

4th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Graphics, when compared to 3rd Gen Intel Core processors, deliver significantly more 3D graphics performance*. Customers will see incredible performance gains such as:

2X 3D performance increase over Intel HD Graphics for the high performing U-series processors designed specifically for Ultrabooks, with Intel Iris graphics.
2X 3D performance increase for Mobile H-series processors (designed for more robust notebook PCs) compared to Intel HD Graphics with Intel Iris Pro graphics and High Speed Memory (eDRAM)
3X 3D performance increase for desktop R-series processors with Intel Iris Pro graphics and High Speed Memory (eDRAM)

*As measured by 3DMark11, an industry standard benchmark from Futuremark

 

[SteveWD40]

oh god, if Alienware manages to release a chassis that doesn't look completely embarrassing this time around...maybe even attractive, dare I say...I'll be there day 1

Yeah, I would also hope for removal of the obsolete dvd drive in the m14x, hell I would love a return of the m11x or maybe a 13" model frankly.

 

[Azure J]

oh god, if Alienware manages to release a chassis that doesn't look completely embarrassing this time around...maybe even attractive, dare I say...I'll be there day 1

I always felt the current M17x was muted enough that I'd feel great getting it, but the closer they (or anyone else) gets to a Razor Blade chassis (even without the thinness), the better.

@K.Jack: I'd adopt that philosophy if I weren't chronically broke and getting this with the intention of it lasting more than 3 years (or until my income becomes a bit more disposable).

Edit: Hot DAMN that MSI/GTX780.

 

[wetflame]

So I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the Enigma IV, but I can't decide which CPU to go for. I'm debating putting in the i7 Quad Core (2.40GHz) but if I do but if I do it's a pretty steep increase in price from the base CPU. Is it worth going for a cheaper CPU to keep it under around £550 (without Windows) or will my gaming suffer?

I should point out that I don't do any PC gaming currently, aside from Portal 2 which I got free with the PS3 version I've barely got anything recent, although that's not to say I wouldn't try a few more recent games out if I had the better CPU. I'm on a bit of a budget but don't mind spending more if it'll be worth it. Any opinions?

 

[X05]

So, July for the 8970M/780M?

Good, I want to see if any of those would work on my laptop (7970/680 do)

The 8870M isnn't going to get it done though. My 6970M is still faster than that.

My M6000 says otherwise
It's a pretty nice overclocker too, currently running like a desktop 7770 and cool as ice

Spoiler

if only I could overvolt D:

 

[K.Jack]

Clevo launched date leaked as June 4th, from Canadian seller Eurocom. They probably go up for preorder as soon as Computex starts.

Quick question, what is the difference in putting a SSD in the mSATA drive versus the Hard Drive? I'm kind of new to SSDs so I dont know what a mSATA even is.

mSATA SSDs are just in a smaller form factor. That's all there really is to it. It's an option which allows you to put a full sized mechanical drive in the standard slot.

Alright GAF, what's the best possible laptop I can get for under $1000?

Or am I better off compiling parts and having one custom made?

I'm not too tech savvy when it comes to computer parts.

Just wait a few more weeks.

So I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the Enigma IV, but I can't decide which CPU to go for. I'm debating putting in the i7 Quad Core (2.40GHz) but if I do but if I do it's a pretty steep increase in price from the base CPU. Is it worth going for a cheaper CPU to keep it under around £550 (without Windows) or will my gaming suffer?

I should point out that I don't do any PC gaming currently, aside from Portal 2 which I got free with the PS3 version I've barely got anything recent, although that's not to say I wouldn't try a few more recent games out if I had the better CPU. I'm on a bit of a budget but don't mind spending more if it'll be worth it. Any opinions?

It's hard to recommend an expenditure of £140, when it's on a CPU you might not even use in the near future. If you know 100% that you're going to get into modern (2012+) gaming PC, the i7 CPU is a good investment. It sounds like you'd be able to get by just fine with an i5-3230M, but then the i7 is just another £60 anyway.

So, July for the 8970M/780M?

Good, I want to see if any of those would work on my laptop (7970/680 do)


My M6000 says otherwise
It's a pretty nice overclocker too, currently running like a desktop 7770 and cool as ice

Spoiler

if only I could overvolt D:

Three things:

1. I have a price on the standalone 780M. It's $890 standalone.
2. The 8970M is just an overclocked 7970M. So disappointing.
3. I'm not saying the 8870M is a bad card, just not enough to warrant an upgrade when I'm holding a 6970M running at desktop 6850 clocks. Our

 

[X05]

Three things:

1. I have a price on the standalone 780M. It's $890 standalone.
2. The 8970M is just an overclocked 7970M. So disappointing.
3. I'm not saying the 8870M is a bad card, just not enough to warrant an upgrade when I'm holding a 6970M running at desktop 6850 clocks. Our

1. Ouch. And considering I'd surely have to get new parts for that to fit, guess I'll just scratch that off the list :/
2. Sad indeed... any rumours on a potential 8990M?
3. Oops, I kinda misread there then. Yeah, not worthy at all from you were you are at (for some reason I thought you had a 6990M though...)

 

[wetflame]

It's hard to recommend an expenditure of £140, when it's on a CPU you might not even use in the near future. If you know 100% that you're going to get into modern (2012+) gaming PC, the i7 CPU is a good investment. It sounds like you'd be able to get by just fine with an i5-3230M, but then the i7 is just another £60 anyway.

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to think about it. The one thing that might get me into modern PC gaming is the new generation of consoles. If I don't want to shell out for one of those then this might fill that gap.

 

[K.Jack]

2. Sad indeed... any rumours on a potential 8990M?

Yes, in fact there is such a rumor, which states an 8990M is set for release in November.

 

[Danj]

Clevo launched date leaked as June 4th, from Canadian seller Eurocom.

Don't suppose there are any specs to go with that? That's a whole 3 weeks away!

 

[X05]

Yes, in fact there is such a rumor, which states an 8990M is set for release in November.

Interesting... I'm betting hoping it's going to be a mobile version of Tahiti LE, since anything above it would probably be too power hungry, and being just an overclocked 8970M would be in bad taste.

 

[ColaCole]

1. I have a price on the standalone 780M. It's $890 standalone.

Ouch, I'm now kinda worried what the price of the next refresh of laptops is.

 

[K.Jack]

Don't suppose there are any specs to go with that? That's a whole 3 weeks away!

Nope, NDAs and all.

Interesting... I'm betting hoping it's going to be a mobile version of Tahiti LE, since anything above it would probably be too power hungry, and being just an overclocked 8970M would be in bad taste.

Or a 20nm Volcanic Islands chip, if you really want to dream.

Ouch, I'm now kinda worried what the price of the next refresh of laptops is.

The 680M costs just as much by itself, so I wouldn't sweat too much.

 

[Bucca]

So Lenovo is running a deal until the 21st for some of their laptops. The Y500 is one of them.

So GAF, $880 a good deal for this laptop?

IdeaPad Y500 Specs

Processor: 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor( 2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
Operating system: Windows 8 64
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GDDR5 2GB
Memory: 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
Display: 15.6" FHD LED Glossy Wedge 1920x1080
Hard Drive: 1TB 5400 RPM+16GB SSD
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium-Ion
Network Card: Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230
Bluetooth: Bluetooth Version 4.0

 

[HerbertFish]

I asked in another thread, but can someone reccomend me a internal hd for my laptop? Cheaper the better. I'm not sure that hds do anything other than store so I'm a little lost. Looking for at least 500gb.

 

[X05]

Or a 20nm Volcanic Islands chip, if you really want to dream.

Heh, I'd rather keep reality in check, since it's very likely that won't happen until 9970M

 

[nicoga3000]

So Lenovo is running a deal until the 21st for some of their laptops. The Y500 is one of them.

So GAF, $880 a good deal for this laptop?

IdeaPad Y500 Specs

Processor: 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor( 2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
Operating system: Windows 8 64
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GDDR5 2GB
Memory: 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
Display: 15.6" FHD LED Glossy Wedge 1920x1080
Hard Drive: 1TB 5400 RPM+16GB SSD
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium-Ion
Network Card: Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230
Bluetooth: Bluetooth Version 4.0

Mine is similar - I have the dual 750 cards and more RAM (16 gigs) and it just eats up games.

 

[Bucca]

So is 8GB of RAM considered the sweet spot?

Would it be worth upgrading to 12 for an extra 60$? Or is that just frivolous?

 

[L.O.R.D]

i will repost my comment from another thread

one of my friends got his hand on the new MSI GT 70 with Haswell processor extreme
and Geforce 780m GTX
http://translate.google.com/transla...www.adslgate.com/dsl/showthread.php?t=1555545
its an Arabic forum..so, i'll translate most of it

first thing, he got this laptop from some one from msi saudi arabia , just for testing

spec:
processor :i7 4930MX (Extreme Edition)
GPU: Geforce GTX 780M - 4GB DDR5
RAM: 16 GB DDR3 1600mhz
disk: 3X msata drive RIAD0 from Sandisk ( 1500 mb read speed and 860 write speed )
1x WD 750GB black
internal GPU :intel 4600HD
blue ray drive
dynaudio audio speakers

photos

3D mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofXupG58-e8
windows 8 boot in less then 10 seconds


he said the laptop will released after 2 month
it will released first as with normal i7 and GTX 770M
and GTX 780M with any i7 processor you chose

 

[Danj]

That 3DMark score is a bit low isn't it?

EDIT: oh, maybe it isn't, I see on the 3dmark website that Ivy Bridge/680M configurations are only scoring around 5900.

EDIT 2: I found a site with some benchmarks of the current GT70 which might be useful for comparison.

 

[Munin]

The performance boost seems decent enough. Now just waiting if anyone will offer IPS displays as rumored and a chassis that doesn't look like a total turd.

 

[Danj]

The performance boost seems decent enough. Now just waiting if anyone will offer IPS displays as rumored and a chassis that doesn't look like a total turd.

Yeah I don't know what the heck is going on with that rainbow backlit keyboard. If it had some sort of Ambilight style capability I could maybe see the point but from the pictures it just looks like regular rainbow colours.

 

[L.O.R.D]

Yeah I don't know what the heck is going on with that rainbow backlit keyboard. If it had some sort of Ambilight style capability I could maybe see the point but from the pictures it just looks like regular rainbow colours.

you can configure the colors like you want in GT series

 

[Danj]

you can configure the colors like you want in GT series

Oh, okay, that makes more sense I guess. Anyway I like the look of the rest of it and will be watching with interest once Haswell gaming laptops start coming out for real.

 

[twinturbo2]

Oh god, that MSI GT70... now I can't decide, that or the next Alienware...

 

[ColaCole]

I much more interested in the next GT60. 17 inch is a little too cumbersome for me.

Here's to hoping some leaks from Clevo and Alienware's next laptops get out soon!

 

[Bucca]

How powerful is a single NVIDIA GeForce GT750M card? Is it worth upgrading to a 750M SLI down the road?

 

[L.O.R.D]

How powerful is a single NVIDIA GeForce GT750M card? Is it worth upgrading to a 750M SLI down the road?

the GT 650m SLI was much powerful then 660m GTX

 

[Kwixotik]

I'm looking for a laptop around $500 for schoolwork and occasional gaming. The best I can find for the price right now is this. Does anyone know a better choice off-hand? Gonna pull the trigger in two weeks.

 

[L.O.R.D]

msi posted new laptop from GX series ( AMD based )
GX70 3BE

CPU : AMD Quad Core A10-5750M Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz)
OS: Windows 8
Chipset:Bolton M3
MemoryDR3L up to 1600MHz, 2 slots, support up to 32GB
LCD Size:17.3" Full HD (1920x1080), Anti-glare
Graphics:AMD Radeon HD 8970M (2 GB)
HDD (GB) : UP to 1TB SATA 7200rpm ( they didn't mention anything about m-sata slots )
Battery : 9-Cell Li-Ion(7800mAH)
Weight (KG) : 3.9Kg (w/ Battery)

http://www.msi.com/product/nb/gx70-3be.html

i don't know, but i think the GT series is better

 

[Danj]

i don't know, but i think the GT series is better

Anandtech supports this opinion unfortunately AMDs CPUs are still lagging behind Intel.

 

[K.Jack]

I'm looking for a laptop around $500 for schoolwork and occasional gaming. The best I can find for the price right now is this. Does anyone know a better choice off-hand? Gonna pull the trigger in two weeks.

This Acer obliterates the one you've chosen. Faster AMD CPU and a massively more powerful dedicated GPU, for just $25 more.

 

[Thagomizer]

Hey GAF.

I don't necessarily need a gaming laptop, but my current laptop is falling apart and I'm going to be needing a new one by the end of the summer before the next school year starts. I don't really game on the PC, but I want to be able to play Dark Souls II decently on PC if possible. More importantly, however, it needs to be as durable as possible in my price range- I'm rough on electronics and I carry my laptop everywhere, so I can't have something that falls apart if you breath at it funny For reference, I currently have a 2 year old Lenovo Thinkpad held together with superglue in several places and a bunch of missing keys.

USA (Boston)
$700 MAX ( though lower would be preferable)
Don't care about specific size, but smaller=better
Dark Souls II when it comes out is pretty much the most taxing I'd be going, and medium setting would be fine.
-Needs to be relatively tough and durable. Also, Windows 7 would be much preferred.

 

[K.Jack]

Hey GAF.

I don't necessarily need a gaming laptop, but my current laptop is falling apart and I'm going to be needing a new one by the end of the summer before the next school year starts. I don't really game on the PC, but I want to be able to play Dark Souls II decently on PC if possible. More importantly, however, it needs to be as durable as possible in my price range- I'm rough on electronics and I carry my laptop everywhere, so I can't have something that falls apart if you breath at it funny For reference, I currently have a 2 year old Lenovo Thinkpad held together with superglue in several places and a bunch of missing keys.

USA (Boston)
$700 MAX ( though lower would be preferable)
Don't care about specific size, but smaller=better
Dark Souls II when it comes out is pretty much the most taxing I'd be going, and medium setting would be fine.
-Needs to be relatively tough and durable. Also, Windows 7 would be much preferred.

Can't recommend anything right now because the entire landscape is seeing a refresh in about three weeks. Check back after Computex, which runs from June 4-8.