Support NeoGAF

[jamesinclair]

Either way it's looked at, the Lenovo is the only one which will fulfill your listed needs.

How do you mean?

The laptops all seem so similar, what is it in your opinion that pushes the lenovo ahead? Do you own one?

It's the priciest, but also the heaviest and lacking in optical drive.

Is the difference between a 740M and a 750M worthwhile?

As far as I can tell, theres no clear winner, they all seem to have pros and cons.

What am I missing?

Im not good with computers.

 

[K.Jack]

No problem with mine at all.

Do you have this fan control? Picture of the UI here.

 

[K.Jack]

EDIT:

How do you mean?

The laptops all seem so similar, what is it in your opinion that pushes the lenovo ahead? Do you own one?

It's the priciest, but also the heaviest and lacking in optical drive.

Is the difference between a 740M and a 750M worthwhile?

As far as I can tell, theres no clear winner, they all seem to have pros and cons.

What am I missing?

Im not good with computers.

The 740M has a 64-bit interface with DDR3 memory, the 750M is 128-bit with GDDR5 memory. Yes, the difference in performance will be massive, whether it's being used for Civilizatins V or CAD. Based on that alone, the Y510p is the best of the bunch. If you want one with an optical drive, there's a $999 SKU on Lenovo.com with a single GT 750M and a DVD drive. But the dual 750Ms do add much needed longevity. It's been said that you can contact Lenovo about ordering the optical drive.

 

[jamesinclair]

EDIT:
The 740M has a 64-bit interface with DDR3 memory, the 750M is 128-bit with GDDR5 memory. Yes, the difference in performance will be massive, whether it's being used for Civilizatins V or CAD. Based on that alone, the Y510p is the best of the bunch. If you want one with an optical drive, there's a $999 SKU on Lenovo.com with a single GT 750M and a DVD drive. But the dual 750Ms do add much needed longevity. It's been said that you can contact Lenovo about ordering the optical drive.

If I ordered the unit with two graphics cards, how easy it is to work with a standalone optical drive?

Does having two 750Ms create compatibility issues with certain programs? Do they all just naturally know what to do?

The asus at the bottom of the chart appears to include the same graphics card but less RAM. Would you also consider that a deal-breaker?

Also, how do you feel about 3 year extended warranties? For my current Dell, it was a godsend....but only because everything kept breaking (and thus I wont consider another dell).

 

[K.Jack]

If I ordered the unit with two graphics cards, how easy it is to work with a standalone optical drive?

Does having two 750Ms create compatibility issues with certain programs? Do they all just naturally know what to do?

The asus at the bottom of the chart appears to include the same graphics card but less RAM. Would you also consider that a deal-breaker?

Also, how do you feel about 3 year extended warranties? For my current Dell, it was a godsend....but only because everything kept breaking (and thus I wont consider another dell).

USB optical drives just plug in and work.

Pretty much every program should support SLI, you likely won't run into any problems there.

The Asus has a GT 750M, but its only runs n DDR3 instead of GDDR5, so it takes a severe bandwidth hit. That's going to hurt longevity.

As far as warranty, I'm an advocate for at least having 2 year warranties. I have no problem with 3 years, as long as you aren't spending near the price of the laptop on it.

 

[jamesinclair]

USB optical drives just plug in and work.

Pretty much every program should support SLI, you likely won't run into any problems there.

The Asus has a GT 750M, but its only runs n DDR3 instead of GDDR5, so it takes a severe bandwidth hit. That's going to hurt longevity.

As far as warranty, I'm an advocate for at least having 2 year warranties. I have no problem with 3 years, as long as you aren't spending near the price of the laptop on it.

Thanks for the advice. I guess Ill go with the Lenovo if it means more years of longevity. Wish it was lighter, but I dont travel too much.

 

[OverHeat]

Do you have this fan control? Picture of the UI here.

Can't see the pics of the UI since Im not registered on the forum, but I guess not.

 

[jamesinclair]

Ok final question about the Lenovo...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312835&Tpk=Y510p

Has it for $1175
12GB RAM
8Gb SSD

On the Lenovo website
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/#customize

$1,199.00
has less RAM (8GB) but larger SSD (24GB)

For an extra $50, $1,249.00...
16GB of RAM and the 24Gb SSD

Which one is more important to have? Do I pay more for less RAM but more SSD, or pay even more for MORE RAM and SSD?

 

[K.Jack]

Can't see the pics of the UI since Im not registered on the forum, but I guess not.

Sorry sir, this is it:

It's definitely useful. His 'High' setting is at 80%, while MSI's Turbo is at 100%, and I've found that the High setting is more than enough to keep the machine cool. Heck 70% is good.

Ok final question about the Lenovo...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312835&Tpk=Y510p

Has it for $1175
12GB RAM
8Gb SSD

On the Lenovo website
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/#customize

$1,199.00
has less RAM (8GB) but larger SSD (24GB)

For an extra $50, $1,249.00...
16GB of RAM and the 24Gb SSD

Which one is more important to have? Do I pay more for less RAM but more SSD, or pay even more for MORE RAM and SSD?

8GB + 24GB SSD is the best combo. If you don't have anything which needs 12 or 16 GB, you're fine.

 

[jamesinclair]

^Ill be ordering tomorrow, my birthday is Monday

I looked up what I paid for my current laptop...

$1,540
....after a - $492.75 discount

XPS M1530, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz/800MHzFSB, 3M L2 Cache)
1 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, for XPS M1530
1 15.4 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ TrueLife LED LCD with Camera for XPS M1530
1 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
1 500G 5400RPM Samsung Hard Drive
1 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive for XPSM1530


I remember when the GHz were the number 1 PC factor....it's amusing that 4.5 years later it's the same number but not on the same planet.

 

[Blablurn]

No prob. I actually have a GT70, just the one with a GTX 780M. It's truly a great laptop.

I recommend you consider adding an SSD to be the main drive..


You should be able to easily set which card is used, in the Nvidia Control Panel.

Hope so.

I'm pretty sure sometimes games will report only seeing the integrated graphics even when using the dedicated video card.

This is always the first thing I'm doing with new games. Still, PES 2014 says it only uses the Intel HD 4000.

 

[MogCakes]

8GB + 24GB SSD is the best combo. If you don't have anything which needs 12 or 16 GB, you're fine.

On AutoDesk's site they recommend 16gb for 'performance' results, though I suspect that's more for rendering work since they also recommend Quadro cards which are specialized for CAD and other design suites (and terrible for gaming, to my dismay).

With the cooling concern out of the way it looks like all signs point to the GT70 for me. Even AutoDesk recommends it, albeit in its workstation version.

 

[kakashi08]

Finally got the Envy 17, the only lame thing is that it does not have an SSD, but a 5400rpm.

I don't need that much storage, so 128gb ssd would be great for me.
Which one do you recommend? I have the Samsung 840pro in my desktop.
What do you recommend for this laptop.

I don't do gaming but it would still be nice to have a fast ssd.

 

[K.Jack]

On AutoDesk's site they recommend 16gb for 'performance' results, though I suspect that's more for rendering work since they also recommend Quadro cards which are specialized for CAD and other design suites (and terrible for gaming, to my dismay).

With the cooling concern out of the way it looks like all signs point to the GT70 for me. Even AutoDesk recommends it, albeit in its workstation version.

Well, if you ever do need more RAM, at least tow of the RAM slots are easily accessible via removing the bottom panel. You could add two 8GB stick for just over $100.

Finally got the Envy 17, the only lame thing is that it does not have an SSD, but a 5400rpm.

I don't need that much storage, so 128gb ssd would be great for me.
Which one do you recommend? I have the Samsung 840pro in my desktop.
What do you recommend for this laptop.

I don't do gaming but it would still be nice to have a fast ssd.

120GB Samsung 840 EVO.

 

[Stoof]

My girlfriend was looking at getting one of these these laptops, the currently $999 one, and it comes pre-installed with Win8 and an extra 24 GB SSD. We were wondering how easy it would be to move the Win8 install over to the SSD (assuming it's installed on the HDD). Thanks for any help!

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Since this is the most active general laptop thread I could find, I was wondering if maybe you could assist with a few issues even though they're not "gaming" oriented. If not, I'll just make a new thread in OT or something.

First, my sister needs a new laptop. This wouldn't be used for much outside of typical web surfing, office use, and Skype. We live in the USA. Gaming and multimedia editing in particular are not concerns at all. The items of importance she wants to cover are:

- battery life that is "not total shit"
- internal webcam
- DVD-ROM & CD burner
- HDMI out
- No real preference between Win7 and Win8, but it needs to be one or the other and she'd opt for Win8 if it doesn't add anything to the price.
- around 14" in size, give or take a little
- She's currently using 112GB of 218GB on her existing HDD and doesn't feel pressed for more free space. Since that's not very large, I'm thinking of springing on an SSD (preferably ~256GB or so, but maybe even half of that could cut it) if it doesn't cost too much. Certainly not essential though and this is the only bullet point on this list I'm really flexible on.

We're more concerned with getting good value out of what she spends than trying to fit an arbitrary budget. As long as we can find something that covers all of the above bases well and doesn't have its price bloated from extra features not listed above, we're probably good. We have a good idea of what we want but not a great idea of where to shop around for it. We're willing to wait a month for Win 8.1 if there are some notable hardware rollouts coming along with it.

Second, I want a cooling solution for my two-year-old Dell Vostro 3750. Even though I've been very satisfied with the computer in every respect except this one so far, this is something that makes me concerned about its longevity. I'm running a Core i7-2630, which according to the spec sheet can run up to 100 Celcius. I use this computer for livestreaming rather often, for several hours at a time, and it tends to run up to 90 C during these sessions. (For reference, it runs at roughly 50 C when idle.) I don't overclock at all. I've picked up a fan-powered cooling mat and it doesn't help that much. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to take the computer apart and apply new thermal paste myself at this point; I'm willing to learn but I'd just need a how-to on this since I haven't done it before. The computer's user manual seems straightforward enough when it comes to disassembly and reassembly but it doesn't go into detail for something like this. Any advice?

 

[ScepticMatt]

My current Lenovo W500 is as good as dead, so I'm thinking about getting a laptop (versus a tablet+ mini-desktop route). Currently my university has a special offers program. (ends this week)

Is the model below gamer-approved?


As for the OT-questions:

• Frequent travelers, absolutely, 8hr train rides
• Students - Yes, but I could use the top-notch computer rooms for university work
• Casuals - Rather casual, I don't have time to play very often
• Country Switzerland
• Max size 16 inch
• Planned usage I'm mostly playing current-gen or older RPGs (Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, Dragon Age) at 720p/30. The new system should be able to run upcoming games (e.g. DA:I, Witcher:WH) at 1080p/30 for the next 2-3 years.
  Most of my gaming time is spend during lecture-free time abroad, elongated weekends or 8+ hour train rides.

Processor Intel Core i7-3740QM (Quad Core)
Cache 4 × 256 KB L2, 6 MB L3
CPU rate 2.7 GHz (TurboBoost 3.7 GHz)
HD/SSD 750 GB / 7200 RPM
RAM 8 GB (1 x 8 GB, DDR3), 1 slot unoccupied
Display 15.6", FullHD, 1920 x 1080, antiglare, WVA
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 7570M, 1GB GDDR5

Price w/o OSd CHF 1'240. (1360 USD)
http://www.projektneptun.ch/spezifikationen-hp-8570p-pro.html

or

Processor Intel Core i7-3740QM (Quad Core)
Cache 4 × 256 KB L2, 6 MB L3
CPU rate 2.7 GHz (TurboBoost 3.7 GHz)
HD/SSD 256 GB SSD (Self Encrypting Drive)
RAM 16 GB (2 x 8 GB, DDR3), 2 slots unoccupied
Display 15.6", FullHD, 1920 x 1080, antiglare, WVA
Graphics AMD FirePro M4000, 1 GB GDDR5
Price w/o OSd CHF 1'740.- (1909 USD)
http://www.projektneptun.ch/spezifikationen-hp-8570w-mobile-workstation.html

 

[stetiger]

I am looking for a new gaming laptop.
I am considering this one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/MSI+-+1...id=mp1307432563&sellerId=34687513#tab=reviews

I do not care much for price but could anybody tell me if I am getting the performance for my bucks.

I have a budget of about 1200+ but the laptop needs to have a good performance/cost ratio. Besides that, I am open for anything. (customizability would be nice)

 

[Munin]

So I finally got my P370SM and everything is great except something is really wrong with my 3D performance.

So I have tried 2 games so far, Sleeping Dogs and Deus Ex HR. In both games, in full screen mode I get random flickering and streaky lines all over the screen when playing (in menus it is fine). Now the weird thing is, when I play windowed, then I do not get these problems, same when I activate stereoscopic 3D. I am using two 780Ms in SLI. Could it be a weird bug in the newest driver? Anyone else ever experienced this?

I googled but could not find a lot of helpful information. I do not even know what it is related to, I will try without SLI when I get the chance tomorrow.

I would attach a screenshot but when I take screenshots they just turn out..black? Both with using pure Print Screen and FRAPS.

Well I feel glad about getting back into PC gaming but at the same time didn't expect to encounter so much trouble straight away

Edit: Tried without SLI now, no more streaking lines and flashing. So must be some issue with SLI. But I don't understand what could cause it. I thought Nvidia's SLI implementation was really good. So it must be an individual hardware problem perhaps. :/ Not looking forward to the trouble having my cards checked out again...sigh. I also don't understand why it would work fine in SLI in windowed/stereoscopic. Just not normal full screen.

 

[sn00zer]

Best gaming laptop for under $900? Need an answer kinda fast....person will use it for primarily school, but wants to build a nice steam library.
EDIT:
Largish screen, will be used mostly for school work and gaming, not a whole lot of travel, basically the biggest and baddest under $900

 

[sn00zer]

Anyone ....looking in the 700-800 range

 

[K.Jack]

My girlfriend was looking at getting one of these these laptops, the currently $999 one, and it comes pre-installed with Win8 and an extra 24 GB SSD. We were wondering how easy it would be to move the Win8 install over to the SSD (assuming it's installed on the HDD). Thanks for any help!

You should be able to change the SSD to a non-caching drive in the BIOS. Then it would simply be a matter of installing Win 8 onto the drive.

Since this is the most active general laptop thread I could find, I was wondering if maybe you could assist with a few issues even though they're not "gaming" oriented. If not, I'll just make a new thread in OT or something.

First, my sister needs a new laptop. This wouldn't be used for much outside of typical web surfing, office use, and Skype. We live in the USA. Gaming and multimedia editing in particular are not concerns at all. The items of importance she wants to cover are:

- battery life that is "not total shit"
- internal webcam
- DVD-ROM & CD burner
- HDMI out
- No real preference between Win7 and Win8, but it needs to be one or the other and she'd opt for Win8 if it doesn't add anything to the price.
- around 14" in size, give or take a little
- She's currently using 112GB of 218GB on her existing HDD and doesn't feel pressed for more free space. Since that's not very large, I'm thinking of springing on an SSD (preferably ~256GB or so, but maybe even half of that could cut it) if it doesn't cost too much. Certainly not essential though and this is the only bullet point on this list I'm really flexible on.

No budget, no suggestion.

As far as your issue with heat and repasting, there are disassembly vids on Yuoutube.

[*] Planned usage I'm mostly playing current-gen or older RPGs (Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, Dragon Age) at 720p/30. The new system should be able to run upcoming games (e.g. DA:I, Witcher:WH) at 1080p/30 for the next 2-3 years.
[/LIST]

The GPUs of the listed laptops won't be able to do the bolded. You'd want at least a GTX 765M.

I am looking for a new gaming laptop.
I am considering this one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/MSI+-+1...id=mp1307432563&sellerId=34687513#tab=reviews

I do not care much for price but could anybody tell me if I am getting the performance for my bucks.

I have a budget of about 1200+ but the laptop needs to have a good performance/cost ratio. Besides that, I am open for anything. (customizability would be nice)

The MSI GT70's GTX 780M can play anything out at max settings. But why are you linking that when your budget is ~$1200?

So I finally got my P370SM and everything is great except something is really wrong with my 3D performance.

So I have tried 2 games so far, Sleeping Dogs and Deus Ex HR. In both games, in full screen mode I get random flickering and streaky lines all over the screen when playing (in menus it is fine). Now the weird thing is, when I play windowed, then I do not get these problems, same when I activate stereoscopic 3D. I am using two 780Ms in SLI. Could it be a weird bug in the newest driver? Anyone else ever experienced this?

I googled but could not find a lot of helpful information. I do not even know what it is related to, I will try without SLI when I get the chance tomorrow.

I would attach a screenshot but when I take screenshots they just turn out..black? Both with using pure Print Screen and FRAPS.

Well I feel glad about getting back into PC gaming but at the same time didn't expect to encounter so much trouble straight away

Edit: Tried without SLI now, no more streaking lines and flashing. So must be some issue with SLI. But I don't understand what could cause it. I thought Nvidia's SLI implementation was really good. So it must be an individual hardware problem perhaps. :/ Not looking forward to the trouble having my cards checked out again...sigh. I also don't understand why it would work fine in SLI in windowed/stereoscopic. Just not normal full screen.

Seems like it's a driver issue.

Anyone ....looking in the 700-800 range

$819 Y510p.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

No budget, no suggestion.

$895

 

[OminoMichelin]

any suggestion for a 400-ish euros laptop?

 

[Azure J]

$895

Do you care much for resolutions? That screen size seems to get you 1366 x 768 (bleh) in most "build it yourself" situations.

 

[Casanova]

$819 Y510p.

I am so close to buying this right now. I have the money in my bank account and I need a new computer. I was considering building a new desktop for about $600 or so, but then again, I am a new college student and soon, when I move on to University in a year or so, I will need a laptop for school....

Is this absolutely the best laptop in this price-range? How will it run games like, for instance, League of Legends[FPS and graphics settings(low,med,high)]?

This is so tempting right now...

EDIT: K.Jack, you need a tag my friend. This is YOUR thread and you fucking own it daily.

 

[Hazaro]

I am so close to buying this right now. I have the money in my bank account and I need a new computer. I was considering building a new desktop for about $600 or so, but then again, I am a new college student and soon, when I move on to University in a year or so, I will need a laptop for school....

Is this absolutely the best laptop in this price-range? How will it run games like, for instance, League of Legends[FPS and graphics settings(low,med,high)]?

This is so tempting right now...

EDIT: K.Jack, you need a tag my friend. This is YOUR thread and you fucking own it daily.

I dropped by and was looking at a $700-$800 price point and nothing else seems to come close to this that I can see right now.
*There's also the 14" model with a 755M and a 900p screen for $10 more. (IdeaPad Y410p Laptop - 59392484 - Dusk Black: Weekly Deal)

K.Jack, agree y/n?

 

[K.Jack]

$895

I'd g with something like the Sony VAIO Fit 14E. The hybrid SSHDD option would probably be more than enough for her needs, as it will boot quickly, and load frequently used apps with speed.

I am so close to buying this right now. I have the money in my bank account and I need a new computer. I was considering building a new desktop for about $600 or so, but then again, I am a new college student and soon, when I move on to University in a year or so, I will need a laptop for school....

Is this absolutely the best laptop in this price-range? How will it run games like, for instance, League of Legends[FPS and graphics settings(low,med,high)]?

This is so tempting right now...

EDIT: K.Jack, you need a tag my friend. This is YOUR thread and you fucking own it daily.

First off, thanks for the kind words.

Next, I have to say what I do in the OP, which is that your proposed desktop would probably crush the Y510p. The GT 750M is a literally a desktop GTX 650. That's enough to run LoL at High settings and 60fps, but I wouldn't use that to frame the 750M as a powerful GPU, or one which has much longevity heading into the next generation of consoles. If you wouldn't even need to be mobile until a year from now, forget buying one today. You could have a much stronger desktop for all of the in between time, then when it's time to consider the laptop options, the much stronger Nvidia 800M series will have come out. Or you may decide to stick with the desktop and buy a cheaper, non-gaming laptop to carry around school.

edit: @Hazaro - yeah the Y410p is a good deal as well

 

[Hazaro]

edit: @Hazaro - yeah the Y410p is a good deal as well

Ordered. I'll give my impressions when I get it in and put Win 7 on it. Sadly not for me, but it doesn't look pretty nice.

..$829
+$ 75 TAX
=$904

Love you California.

 

[stetiger]

The MSI GT70's GTX 780M can play anything out at max settings. But why are you linking that when your budget is ~$1200?


My budget is of 1200+, it can only go higher from 1200. My only concern is price for performance. Even though i can afford it, i want to make sure I am not throwing my money away

 

[Nickle]

I am so close to buying this right now. I have the money in my bank account and I need a new computer. I was considering building a new desktop for about $600 or so, but then again, I am a new college student and soon, when I move on to University in a year or so, I will need a laptop for school....

Is this absolutely the best laptop in this price-range? How will it run games like, for instance, League of Legends[FPS and graphics settings(low,med,high)]?

This is so tempting right now...

EDIT: K.Jack, you need a tag my friend. This is YOUR thread and you fucking own it daily.

I'm no computer expert, but I've done some research and looked into that same model you have. Their is always at least one person on computer forums warning people not to get the 1366 x 768 model. They say it makes on-screen objects appear larger and blurrier, and that the 1080p screen is a far better choice. But don't take my word for it, because I really am not an expert like KJack. I would recommend doing some research yourself about screen resolution before buying any laptop.

 

[OverHeat]

The MSI GT70's GTX 780M can play anything out at max settings. But why are you linking that when your budget is ~$1200?


My budget is of 1200+, it can only go higher from 1200. My only concern is price for performance. Even though i can afford it, i want to make sure I am not throwing my money away

Not crysis 3 it dip below 30fps sometime at Max seeting with FXAA at 1080p

 

[Stoof]

Will the 750m be able to play most games (definitely not at max settings, but Medium or Low) for the next few years?

 

[K.Jack]

My budget is of 1200+, it can only go higher from 1200. My only concern is price for performance. Even though i can afford it, i want to make sure I am not throwing my money away

You set the budget by how you require the gaming notebook to perform. I laid it out in the OP in a manner which I feel keeps it very simple (Low, Medium,....), so use that.

The GTX 780M is at the top. It's on average 51% faster than the GTX 770M, in 2013's most taxing games. The 780M comes from the GTX 680, while the 770M is GTX 660 (non-Ti) based. Then there's the 765M and 750M SLI.

Now, there's a $350-$500 difference between models featuring the two cards. If money is no object, you take the GTX 780M.

I'm no computer expert, but I've done some research and looked into that same model you have. Their is always at least one person on computer forums warning people not to get the 1366 x 768 model. They say it makes on-screen objects appear larger and blurrier, and that the 1080p screen is a far better choice. But don't take my word for it, because I really am not an expert like KJack. I would recommend doing some research yourself about screen resolution before buying any laptop.

There's no reason for things to be blurry, if 1366x768 is the native resolution. I'm a huge proponent of 1080p screens over 768p ones, but blurriness isn't one of the strikes I have against them. If a person's budget doesn't afford one, I just leave it at that, because I'd rather budget the money toward the best possible GPU.

Not crysis 3 it dip below 30fps sometime at Max seeting with FXAA at 1080p

Good to know, thanks.

Will the 750m be able to play most games (definitely not at max settings, but Medium or Low) for the next few years?

Yes, certainly not at 1080p for the entire span of time, but it's capable of doing so.

 

[Diomedes]

Looking for a laptop for my sister to replace a several year old Inspiron. Primarily for uni and web browsing, trying to get her gaming but not a focus.

Preferences:
-screen somewhere btw 14~15.6"
-resolution >1366x768, this irritates me
-intel processor
-ideally around $500 CAD, but willing to look up to $1000

Resolution has been the main roadblock so far, everywhere I look see "HD! (1366x768)" and am disappoint.

 

[K.Jack]

Looking for a laptop for my sister to replace a several year old Inspiron. Primarily for uni and web browsing, trying to get her gaming but not a focus.

Preferences:
-screen somewhere btw 14~15.6"
-resolution >1366x768, this irritates me
-intel processor
-ideally around $500 CAD, but willing to look up to $1000

Resolution has been the main roadblock so far, everywhere I look see "HD! (1366x768)" and am disappoint.

$849 Lenovo Y410p is your best option.

 

[Joseca]

Is it a good idea to buy a factory recertified laptop? I saw this one on tigerdirect: http://m.tigerdirect.com/products/8512097?SRCCODE=WEM3791

Also, I just want to know if Intel HD 4000 will play old games (never played pc games before) like Vice City, Half Life. Or simple indie games from steam. I know modern FPS are almost impossible to play but I'm not interested playing them.

 

[K.Jack]

Is it a good idea to buy a factory recertified laptop?

No, because it only comes with a 3 month warranty. That's not safe at all when dealing with laptops.

The HD 4000 can play games of the era you listed with ease.

Was it the touch screen you were after, or just a decent $600 laptop?

 

[Joseca]

No, because it only comes with a 3 month warranty. That's not safe at all when dealing with laptops.

The HD 4000 can play games of the era you listed with ease.

Was it the touch screen you were after, or just a decent $600 laptop?

A $600-$750 good 15" laptop mainly for college and to play games like the ones I mentioned. It doesn't really matter if it has touchscreen or not. Also I've been looking for full hd but I don't know if in laptops you can tell a big difference between the screen resolutions.

 

[K.Jack]

A $600-$750 good 15" laptop mainly for college and to play games like the ones I mentioned. It doesn't really matter if it has touchscreen or not. Also I've been looking for full hd but I don't know if in laptops you can tell a big difference between the screen resolutions.

This Lenovo Y500 at $799 has a 1080p screen and lots of GPU power. You'd just have to be okay with not having a DVD drive.

There's a pretty large difference in quality, between a 1366x768 screen and a full HD one. But the laptops with 1080p screens usually run $999 and above. If you only want to spend around $600, there's a laptop in the OP which fits that need, and it would play the games you listed, easily. The Y500 is more about serious gaming, and future longevity.

 

[ColaCole]

So was there any talk of new mobile cards at the AMD event?

 

[Peru]

$819 Y510p.

Here in Norway the stores only seem to have the equivalent of the 999$ model and one with GT755 SLI and 16GB ram that's quite a lot more expensive - those are the only y510p models I find. I was looking at this thread earlier and kinda deciding on a y500 SLI but that's all out of stores now.

Now I'm not sure what the difference between 750 and 755 is, and how much performance I throw away not going for the SLI in this case with other stuff looking equal?

The two models, if interesting:
Cheaper ($999-like) http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=783799
Expensive (GT755 SLI) http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=783805

 

[Drame]

Hey gaming-laptop gaf. I've been meaning to update my old "gaming rig", i5 with 5650 hd. It has lasted me for good 4ish years and it's starting to show its age. Mainly, having really low fps for the game I play the most on PC, World of Warcraft.

So, this summer I was thinking of upgrading my laptop, but nothing too interesting came along and the prices were pretty high. But now for this weekend only there's a rather interesting deal going around:

Asus G750

Processor: i7-4700HQ
Ram: 8gb ddr3 1600MHZ
Graphics card: 765M 2gb
Screen: 17,3" 1080p matte-screen
HDD: 750gb


For 999€. The normal retail price is 1299€ so it's rather ok deal.

As the games I play, mainly WoW and D3, this laptop should be pretty future proof, I suppose? My needs are only to run games on the native resolution, 1080p, graphic effects and so on can be toned down. Also, is 765m enough to run XIV:ARR at 1080p, effects toned down of course.

So, should I pull the trigger.

 

[Chance Hale]

Country where it will be purchased: United States
Maximum budget: $1500-2000
Max screen size: 16-20"

Planned usage:
-Gaming at 1080P and as high as settings as possible. Use of photoshop, Office, etc. Everything one would use a desktop for basically.

-Battery life isn't a big deal as I plan on having a charger handy whenever needed. Preferably a decent life of course but if an hour or two less means having considerably more graphics power then I'd rather have that.

-Weight is irrelevant within reason(no 50 pound laptops ), I don't travel long distances enough for it to be a factor.

-Fan noise isn't a big issue either, although I definitely want a laptop that isn't going to overheat easily. Safety is key.

- Aesthetics are very low on my priority list, if it looks like a fat cow then so be it if that means it has the power to make up for it.

-Blu-ray drive if possible


I have a decent desktop already that I plan on upgrading every other year but I still want a laptop that runs games well. I'll be using this for 4 or 5 years so it needs to be able to hold up. Thanks for the help!

 

[NEO0MJ]

I have a decent desktop already that I plan on upgrading every other year but I still want a laptop that runs games well. I'll be using this for 4 or 5 years so it needs to be able to hold up. Thanks for the help!

This should be what you're looking for, though it might be good to wait for K.Jack's opinion.

 

[Chance Hale]

This should be what you're looking for, though it might be good to wait for K.Jack's opinion.

Thanks, that seems a great fit although it comes with Windows 7 so I'd have to upgrade to 8(I think Windows 8 is stellar and a wonderful improvement) My one question would be whether I could later put in an SSD for the OS. Really not sure how laptop upgrades work.

I'll definitely wait for the opinion of the user you mention though, I'm in no big rush.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Thanks, that seems a great fit although it comes with Windows 7 so I'd have to upgrade to 8(I think Windows 8 is stellar and a wonderful improvement).

Oh, didn't think that you would prefer W8. If so newegg has the same thing but with W8 and $100 cheaper.

 

[Chance Hale]

Oh, didn't think that you would prefer W8. If so newegg has the same thing but with W8 and $100 cheaper.

Great, thanks! It's looking like a very likely choice as other, more "attractive" name brand laptops with similar specs seemed to run several dollars higher. Can one put an SSD into a laptop though? Just not sure how customizable they are. I'm become very used to Windows 8 on my SSD where I go from power on to lock screen in 10 seconds and the instant I sign in everything is instantaneous.

But yeah, I actually really like Windows 8 and think once you get used to it it's just an improved version of Windows 7 with take it or leave it Metro elements(I love Xbox music!) Plus I haven't really used Start menu since XP, shortcuts and file explorer are my thing.

 

[K.Jack]

Here in Norway the stores only seem to have the equivalent of the 999$ model and one with GT755 SLI and 16GB ram that's quite a lot more expensive - those are the only y510p models I find. I was looking at this thread earlier and kinda deciding on a y500 SLI but that's all out of stores now.

Now I'm not sure what the difference between 750 and 755 is, and how much performance I throw away not going for the SLI in this case with other stuff looking equal?

The two models, if interesting:
Cheaper ($999-like) http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=783799
Expensive (GT755 SLI) http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=783805

The 755M is just a slightly overclocked 750M. SLI is going to be 60-80% faster, I guess?

Great, thanks! It's looking like a very likely choice as other, more "attractive" name brand laptops with similar specs seemed to run several dollars higher. Can one put an SSD into a laptop though? Just not sure how customizable they are. I'm become very used to Windows 8 on my SSD where I go from power on to lock screen in 10 seconds and the instant I sign in everything is instantaneous.

But yeah, I actually really like Windows 8 and think once you get used to it it's just an improved version of Windows 7 with take it or leave it Metro elements(I love Xbox music!) Plus I haven't really used Start menu since XP, shortcuts and file explorer are my thing.

I agree with the GT70 w/ GTX 780M suggestion.

As far as the bolded, adding an SSD is extremely easy. I know this because I have this exact laptop. I bought it along with a Crucial M500 960GB. All you have to do is remove the screws which release the bottom panel, and both drive bays are right there. So I put the SSD into the main slot and moved the stock HDD to the storage drive slot.

I'm enjoying Windows 8, but I had to install Start8 to get the menu back.

 

[(._.)]

Is a USB 3.0 Controller able to be fixed if it is broken on a laptop? Some guy told me it's unfixable and I'm illiterate when it comes to these things. I sold a laptop on ebay and I don't think he wants a refund or anything but that doesn't make any sense to me how they couldn't just be switched out.

he got a laptop with these specs for $680

SpecsSystem Manufacturer: CLEVO
System Model: Sager NP8150 (CLEVO P150HM equivalent)
Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.0GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
AMD Graphics Card: Radeon HD 6900M Series
AMD Radeon Chip Type: (0x6720)
AMD Card memory: 1763mb
15.6 1920 x 1080 Glossy screen display
Hard Drive: 500gb

did he get a good deal? he is saying he should of paid $600 instead of $680...