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The 2012-2013 Gaming Laptop Thread | Read OP before asking questions!

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K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
How future-proof is this Lenovo Y500 looking? Should I check back after Computex? I'm fairly computer illiterate but I would love something that'll last me the next 4 years at this price point in terms of gaming ...http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=457&Code=59371963&category_id=5B0116E237099FA0FCA012D9B20ED2FB

What does future-proof really mean? A desktop GTX 680 may not last 4 years, depending on what happens with gaming development tech.

The GT 750M is just a 1080p/medium capable card with current-gen console ports, and the next-gen consoles are looming. No one can yet say how the PS4/Durango ports will run, other than that they will be a lot harder on PCs. The 750M won't be gaming at 1080p, is my bet.

Checking the link, you'd be crazy to spend $1,149.00 on a Y500 with a single 750M. Wait until one of their $850~$900 sales, which are quite often.
 

etrain911

Member
What does future-proof really mean? A desktop GTX 680 may not last 4 years, depending on what happens with gaming development tech.

The GT 750M is just a 1080p/medium capable card with current-gen console ports, and the next-gen consoles are looming. No one can yet say how the PS4/Durango ports will run, other than that they will be a lot harder on PCs. The 750M won't be gaming at 1080p, is my bet.

Checking the link, you'd be crazy to spend $1,149.00 on a Y500 with a single 750M. Wait until one of their $850~$900 sales, which are quite often.

So do you think in the summer there will be something comparable at that price point that will be able to handle most next-gen games at medium or higher settings? I'm not so fixed on Lenovo as a brand but I am kind of attached to that price point at the moment.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
So do you think in the summer there will be something comparable at that price point that will be able to handle most next-gen games at medium or higher settings? I'm not so fixed on Lenovo as a brand but I am kind of attached to that price point at the moment.

Well the 750M is Nvidia's current-gen card in that $900+ price point, and that won't change this summer, as the cards they have set to be released are all of the higher-end GTX series.

What I recommend you do, is wait to see what laptops come out in that $1,200 range. The GTX 760M should creep in there, and it will be a good deal faster than the 750M.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Guys, I just had my mind blown. I couldn't wait for GAF to come back up so I could share!

My friends, ASUS has actually, finally done it. They given us a laptop with high-end GPU options. I'll let you judge the looks. The upcoming ASUS G750:

96250d1369060230-asus-g750-officially-announced-uploadfromtaptalk1369060221270.jpg


RgRbCQF.jpg


dnqohg0.jpg


eLCmEW4.jpg


X0EKwMG.jpg

June release. Haswell. GTX 770M at launch, with a GTX 780M SKU following later.

So what do you think of the looks? I think it strikes the perfect aesthetic balance. In fact, I'm probably done shopping. For so long I have said, if ASUS offers flagship GPUs in their designs, I'll be a customer. Here it is.

There's probably no way I could buy the new MSI or Clevo models now.
 
Guys, I just had my mind blown. I couldn't wait for GAF to come back up so I could share!

My friends, ASUS has actually, finally done it. They given us a laptop with high-end GPU options. I'll let you judge the looks. The upcoming ASUS G750:



June release. Haswell. GTX 770M at launch, with a GTX 780M SKU following later.

So what do you think of the looks? I think it strikes the perfect aesthetic balance. In fact, I'm probably done shopping. I always have said, if ASUS offers flagship GPUs in their designs, I'll be a customer. Here it is.

There's probably no way I could buy the new MSI or Clevo models now.

What's your guess-stimation on price range for the fattie 780M? $2k?
 

ColaCole

Banned
Well that's actually peaked my interest now! But what time do you estimate the 780m version come out? I kind of want my new laptop by the end of the summer.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Well that's actually peaked my interest now! But what time do you estimate the 780m version come out? I kind of want my new laptop by the end of the summer.

Dunno. Gotta wait out Computex. All I know is options of 765M and 770M launch first, on June 6th. I'm going to assume that the wait is not unique to ASUS, and that all manufacturers will be receiving the 780Ms from Nvidia around the same time. Like mid-to-late June. Orders will ship in early July, is my speculation.

Man, unless Samsung steps up with a 780M machine, I may be in love. Hopefully the speakers don't suck.
 

Momentary

Banned
Well this saved me allot of trouble of finding a decent laptop with a 780 option. I hope it's not much later than June. I wanted to purchase by then.
 

etrain911

Member
Damn. I was planning on saving all my money from my new summer job, but I might put it all towards that ASUS if it'll last me through the next console generation.
 

Munin

Member
Guys, I just had my mind blown. I couldn't wait for GAF to come back up so I could share!

My friends, ASUS has actually, finally done it. They given us a laptop with high-end GPU options. I'll let you judge the looks. The upcoming ASUS G750:



June release. Haswell. GTX 770M at launch, with a GTX 780M SKU following later.

So what do you think of the looks? I think it strikes the perfect aesthetic balance. In fact, I'm probably done shopping. For so long I have said, if ASUS offers flagship GPUs in their designs, I'll be a customer. Here it is.

There's probably no way I could buy the new MSI or Clevo models now.

Yes almost almost but SLI plz :(

Edit: Also if Clevo will offer IPS screens that may sway me as well
 

Danj

Member
How likely is it that Haswell/780M laptops will be properly in stock and available before August? If they're out by then, I may well get one at that point.
 

Azure J

Member
Guys, I just had my mind blown. I couldn't wait for GAF to come back up so I could share!

My friends, ASUS has actually, finally done it. They given us a laptop with high-end GPU options. I'll let you judge the looks. The upcoming ASUS G750:

Aw fuckkkkk, I want but $2K+?

Here's hoping I can pull off a miracle.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I like it.

Question regarding Haswell in laptops. Any idea how long until we see the i3's or low power i5's in stuff like 11-14" notebooks? Looking for a replacement to a Dell D430. Budget is up to $750(650 preferred). SSD compatible is a must.
 

etrain911

Member
The Sager NP9170 comes with a free upgrade to the GTX 675MX. They are making it really, really, hard to wait until after June. :'( I'll just have to hang in there! Damn me and my impulses.
 

spectros4

Neo Member
I'm looking for a laptop that will be used for school.
I'd prefer it to be Windows 7 and around 15.4".
The most I can spend is $800.
 

overcast

Member
I know this is a gaming laptop thread. But I have a question.

My GF is looking for a good, easy to use laptop, but not an apple. She won't be playing games. Just needs to last a long time, be wasy to use and reliable.

Any help would be really appreciated.
 

twinturbo2

butthurt Heat fan
Guys, I just had my mind blown. I couldn't wait for GAF to come back up so I could share!

My friends, ASUS has actually, finally done it. They given us a laptop with high-end GPU options. I'll let you judge the looks. The upcoming ASUS G750:



June release. Haswell. GTX 770M at launch, with a GTX 780M SKU following later.

So what do you think of the looks? I think it strikes the perfect aesthetic balance. In fact, I'm probably done shopping. For so long I have said, if ASUS offers flagship GPUs in their designs, I'll be a customer. Here it is.

There's probably no way I could buy the new MSI or Clevo models now.
Will this come with extra goodies, like a mouse or backpack? This looks real tempting.
 

Heysoos

Member
I was looking for a new laptop to replace my M11x, and man having a tough time. It's mainly going to be for school, though, I don't know if I actually want a gaming one. I was thinking of getting a Y500, simply because of the SLI option if I do want to use it for gaming down the line plus the 1080p display. However, I'm not sure if I really want to lug around a 15 inch laptop with a 3 hour battery to school.. I already have a gaming desktop, so the real gaming is going to take place there. However, looking at prices the Y400/Y500 are just so nice. I wish the Y400s had 1080p screens, my decision would be so much easier then. Bah. I wouldn't mind the battery life so much if I could get the 1080 display on the Y400 instead, but combine the Y500's size with battery life and the 1080 display can't outweigh the bad. Maybe I'm just too used for my M11x, but 15.6 or whatever it is seems like a pain to take to school.

Anyways.... Does anyone have experience carrying the Y500?
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I like it.

Question regarding Haswell in laptops. Any idea how long until we see the i3's or low power i5's in stuff like 11-14" notebooks? Looking for a replacement to a Dell D430. Budget is up to $750(650 preferred). SSD compatible is a must.

ULVs are Q3, I think.

I'm looking into a laptop for school this coming fall. The school offers one through their website, but it's a Lenovo Thinkpad T430. Last year, before I transferred, I had one of these laptops and it was terrible.

I'm looking to get the best laptop I can get around 15.4" and for preferably under $800.
I've been looking at this Acer laptop as it's $800 on Amazon, since I had good luck with an Acer a couple years back, but am looking for other suggestions as well.

I think I need a dedicated graphics card, and the hard drive size doesn't matter much to me. I would like to get a quad core though.

I'd like to go with an Intel and Nvidia setup, so I could hopefully be able to play upcoming titles such as Rising Storm and the DayZ standalone. I just want to be able to play them smoothly, even if it's on medium settings.

Is it possible to get a laptop these days with Windows 7? That's what would I most likely need for school.
Also, would it be better to get a good laptop with a low amount of RAM for less, and just upgrade the RAM myself?

I don't know much about laptops, only desktops, so this may be too ambitious. I'm just looking to see if it's possible to get a laptop like this for around $800. It may not be possible, I understand.

Wait.

I know this is a gaming laptop thread. But I have a question.

My GF is looking for a good, easy to use laptop, but not an apple. She won't be playing games. Just needs to last a long time, be wasy to use and reliable.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Need budget.

Will this come with extra goodies, like a mouse or backpack? This looks real tempting.

I'm not sure, but they might.

I was looking for a new laptop to replace my M11x, and man having a tough time. It's mainly going to be for school, though, I don't know if I actually want a gaming one. I was thinking of getting a Y500, simply because of the SLI option if I do want to use it for gaming down the line plus the 1080p display. However, I'm not sure if I really want to lug around a 15 inch laptop with a 3 hour battery to school.. I already have a gaming desktop, so the real gaming is going to take place there. However, looking at prices the Y400/Y500 are just so nice. I wish the Y400s had 1080p screens, my decision would be so much easier then. Bah. I wouldn't mind the battery life so much if I could get the 1080 display on the Y400 instead, but combine the Y500's size with battery life and the 1080 display can't outweigh the bad. Maybe I'm just too used for my M11x, but 15.6 or whatever it is seems like a pain to take to school.

Anyways.... Does anyone have experience carrying the Y500?

Clevo has a 13" with a GTX 765M coming soon. Stay tuned.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
Here's a general question I didn't see answered by a quick glance in the OP (correct me if it is), especially given the recent Asus models getting higher end GPUs.

Heating is always an issue with gaming laptops, probably more so with certain brands than others. I imagine it's pretty common for laptops to be built poorly and CPU/GPUs to not run to their max due to poor cooling configurations. I know Dells & HPs are particularly bad from past experience. Which brands tend to be the best for cooling (making sure your expensive laptops CPU and GPU don't throttle themselves)? Does it even vary a lot even within a brand?

Maybe it's just Dell and HP and the sort are all notorious for that, and the Sager/MSI/Asus models are generally fine?

More specifically, when you spec out a laptop on xoticpc, they offer quite a few cooling options/enhancements such as:

- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service) ( + 35 )
- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service) ( + 79 )
- Full Size Black Aluminum Notebook Cooler - Dual Fans - USB Powered (For up to 17" Laptops) ( + 69 )

Is any of that recommended on these Sager/Asus/MSI laptops? Does everyone here use notebook coolers with their gaming laptops? I'm not looking to buy today or anything, just curious. :)
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Heating is always an issue with gaming laptops, probably more so with certain brands than others. I imagine it's pretty common for laptops to be built poorly and CPU/GPUs to not run to their max due to poor cooling configurations.

I'll say the current state of the industry is the exact opposite of these thoughts. Poorly cooled laptops are rare today, and can only think of two gaming laptopa (I'm talking Clevo/ASUS/MSI/Alienware/Lenovo/Dell/HP) from this past generation that had minor issues with temperatures, and those ares the Alienware M14x R2 and Clevo's behemoth 18".

The real credit for this all around improvement goes to the advancing of CPU and GPU technology. As the 'nm' processes have gotten smaller, and power consumption plummeted, it's become almost too easy to design an adequate cooling solution. What was a 65W GPU 3 or 4 years ago is now 25W, and that takes a lot of pressure off of a notebook manufacturer (like an HP) when they might have been proficient at cooling components.

Now, those who are coming from desktops might look at the load temps of a gaming laptop and freak out, but 75C-85C is withinthe normal range you'd expect for a mobile CPU or GPU. They're rated much, much higher than they're desktop counterparts.

More specifically, when you spec out a laptop on xoticpc, they offer quite a few cooling options/enhancements such as:

- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service) ( + 35 )
- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service) ( + 79 )
- Full Size Black Aluminum Notebook Cooler - Dual Fans - USB Powered (For up to 17" Laptops) ( + 69 )

Is any of that recommended on these Sager/Asus/MSI laptops? Does everyone here use notebook coolers with their gaming laptops? I'm not looking to buy today or anything, just curious. :)

These are just Sager extracting extra money from you. Sure IC Diamond 7 is a good thermal paste, but I don't like paying them $35 to apply it, when a tube costs $6. I can do it myself if I'm that concerned about the stock factory paste they use. I personally did not choose the ICD7 when I bought my NP9170, and the 6970M maxed around 75C out of the box.

The copper is a straight scam. Again, they want SEVENTY-NINE dollars, when you can buy the RAM heatsink on eBay for $5.99 a pack and stick them to the CPU and GPU heatsinks yourself in a few minutes. I did just that, and the difference was negligible, maybe 2 or 3 degrees dropped.

Notebook coolers are lame. I'll always feel that any laptop that can't cool itself sufficiently shouldn't be bout.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
I'll say the current state of the industry is the exact opposite of these thoughts. Poorly cooled laptops are rare today, and can only think of two gaming laptopa (I'm talking Clevo/ASUS/MSI/Alienware/Lenovo/Dell/HP) from this past generation that had minor issues with temperatures, and those ares the Alienware M14x R2 and Clevo's behemoth 18"...

Thanks! Glad to hear my fears are misplaced, or outdated anyway. I was drawing from my experiences quite a bit back with laptops I've owned, the dell being from probably 3-4 years ago, and the HP another 3 years before that.
 

Momentary

Banned
I accidentally left my ASUS running inside of my wall locker one date WITH a game running and it STILL didn't over heat. I was pretty damn lucky.
 

etrain911

Member
These are just Sager extracting extra money from you. Sure IC Diamond 7 is a good thermal paste, but I don't like paying them $35 to apply it, when a tube costs $6. I can do it myself if I'm that concerned about the stock factory paste they use. I personally did not choose the ICD7 when I bought my NP9170, and the 6970M maxed around 75C out of the box.

This is slightly off-topic, but would you recommend the NP9170? Sager is offering to up the graphics card to a GTX 675MX for free, and it's tempting me to death.

Alternatively, I've been told I'd be "crazy" to miss out on this deal from Newegg.com:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...p=&AID=10446076&PID=6146836&SID=1svn689kq52o2

I don't know whether I should jump on one of those deals or just wait it out patiently.
 

graywolf323

Member
Guys, I just had my mind blown. I couldn't wait for GAF to come back up so I could share!

My friends, ASUS has actually, finally done it. They given us a laptop with high-end GPU options. I'll let you judge the looks. The upcoming ASUS G750:



June release. Haswell. GTX 770M at launch, with a GTX 780M SKU following later.

So what do you think of the looks? I think it strikes the perfect aesthetic balance. In fact, I'm probably done shopping. For so long I have said, if ASUS offers flagship GPUs in their designs, I'll be a customer. Here it is.

There's probably no way I could buy the new MSI or Clevo models now.

just be warned that Asus has made the G75 a bitch to upgrade (and I thought my G74 was annoying)

http://rog.asus.com/98832012/g-series-laptops/upgrading-the-g75vw/

the fact you can only access two of the SO-DIMM slots without voiding your warranty is insane
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
This is slightly off-topic, but would you recommend the NP9170? Sager is offering to up the graphics card to a GTX 675MX for free, and it's tempting me to death.

Alternatively, I've been told I'd be "crazy" to miss out on this deal from Newegg.com:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...p=&AID=10446076&PID=6146836&SID=1svn689kq52o2

I don't know whether I should jump on one of those deals or just wait it out patiently.
Depends on your budget, and whether the 675MX is strong enough to satisfy your needs.

That is a good deal.

just be warned that Asus has made the G75 a bitch to upgrade (and I thought my G74 was annoying)

http://rog.asus.com/98832012/g-series-laptops/upgrading-the-g75vw/

the fact you can only access two of the SO-DIMM slots without voiding your warranty is insane

Yeah we'll have to see how this one is built.

Hmm...
How bad a decision is this + a Samsung 840 SSD? Replacement for a Dell D430 for a lady.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215973

The only negative I've seen given for that one is the three hour battery life. If that doesn't matter it seems pretty good.
 

graywolf323

Member
Yeah that's a bit pants... wonder what Acer will come up with, my current laptop's an Acer and I've been very happy with it up until this year.

I went with Asus after being very pleased with my old Gateway FX (too bad they stopped making them) and my G74 hasn't been bad but has a lot of little annoyances which sounds like they didn't learn from with the G75

that said if they have the best deal on a laptop next I upgrade I'll go ahead and bite the bullet and get another Asus, they just wouldn't be my first choice
 

Gruso

Member
just be warned that Asus has made the G75 a bitch to upgrade (and I thought my G74 was annoying)

http://rog.asus.com/98832012/g-series-laptops/upgrading-the-g75vw/

the fact you can only access two of the SO-DIMM slots without voiding your warranty is insane
Doesn't seem too bad. I mean it sucks voiding warranty to access two RAM slots, but order it with 8 or 16 in the concealed slots and you can still expand safely later. Granted it's a problem if you prefer to keep your RAM matched when you upgrade.

do u guys prefer 720p with ultra settings or 1080p with some reduced settings?
I won't compromise on resolution - it has to be native. Settings take one for the team if need be.

If you're talking in terms of what to purchase, personally I wouldn't buy a laptop with a resolution lower than 1920x1080.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Looks like Dell has toned down the Alienware look. I like it.

Oh and I have some U.S. Asus G750 SKUs:

G750JH-DB71
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
24 GB RAM
BR-ROM
Nvidia Geforce GTX 780M
Windows 8 Home Premium
$2,499.99

G750JX-DB71
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
16GB RAM
DVD-Writer
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M
Windows 8 Home Premium
$1,899.99

G750JW-DB71
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
1TB HDD
12GB RAM
DVD-Writer
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M
Windows 8 Home Premium
$1,399.99

Non-glare screens on all.


I'm not sure, you're really scraping the bottom with that one. It'll play them.

Sometthing like this would work better.
 

Munin

Member
Looks like Dell has toned down the Alienware look. I like it.

Oh and I have some U.S. Asus G750 SKUs:

G750JH-DB71
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
24 GB RAM
BR-ROM
Nvidia Geforce GTX 780M
Windows 8 Home Premium
$2,499.99

G750JX-DB71
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
16GB RAM
DVD-Writer
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M
Windows 8 Home Premium
$1,899.99

G750JW-DB71
Intel Core i7-4700HQ
1TB HDD
12GB RAM
DVD-Writer
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M
Windows 8 Home Premium
$1,399.99

Non-glare screens on all.



I'm not sure, you're really scraping the bottom with that one. It'll play them.

Sometthing like this would work better.

OK that's a bit higher than I expected...at the price of the 780M model you could almost get a SLI Clevo...I wonder though, with the benchmarks that are already out - do you guys expect a single 780M to be able to pull off all current games @ 1080P, max details and 30+ FPS? That's really the decisive factor for me.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
So basically I could expect desktop GTX 680 benchmarks - ~30%? How big of a factor is clock speed usually?

Yes, it will perform exactly like a GTX 680 with reduced clocks, because it has all of its features. If you overclock you'll get the performance back. A few people on the Notebook Review forums already bought some qualification samples; I've already seen a a stable overclock of 1000/1450, meaning they're already getting close to stock desktop 680 performance.

Next week?

Yes.
 
Uhg, my laptop just died like a half hour ago.

Anyone got any recommendations? I was looking at a Sager, but my friend has one and it's super loud. Is an i5 better than an i7?
 

hteng

Banned
was this posted? the new M17x and M14x look

ix4CHZW.jpg


x15JIvm.jpg


1hYWroo.jpg


4335UMc.jpg



the keyboard looks meh, and the whole chassis looks like it's MSI inspired imo.

I'm been pretty torn at either upgrading to a brand new laptop or just take the money and buy a new monitor + the alienware X51 desktop. Which would be a better choice gaf?
 
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