Support NeoGAF

[iJudged]

Also, thoughts on this? Worth it?
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/sys/4138511148.html

Really 8 core? Guy lives down the street from me, if I sell my rt I can afford this. Thoughts?

 

[asdad123]

Also, thoughts on this? Worth it?
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/sys/4138511148.html

Really 8 core? Guy lives down the street from me, if I sell my rt I can afford this. Thoughts?

No, too much money for a laptop that old. 3 years in technology is a lifetime.

Also, there are no 8 core mobile processors.

 

[iJudged]

No, too much money for a laptop that old. 3 years in technology is a lifetime.

Also, there are no 8 core mobile processors.

Lol thnx, someone show me the way ;(

 

[asdad123]

Lol thnx, someone show me the way ;(

sent you a pm =]

 

[K.Jack]

This might be a stupid question, but is there any place that sells laptop GPUs? My 675M keeps overheating all the damn time, and supposedly Sager GPUs are "easy" to replace.

Also, is there anyway I could try improving the GPU's heating problem? Thought about opening up the laptop, dusting it a little... is thermal paste used for laptop GPUs?

Before we get to the buying of mobile GPUs, let's talk about the 675M and its overheating. You have one or two issues occurring: the heatsink vents are clogged with dust (if you'e never opened the notebook to remove dust, this is guaranteed), and/or the thermal paste needs refreshing.

Lol thnx, someone show me the way ;(

If only someone had spent time working on an informative OP...

What matters is how much money you have to budget toward a new laptop.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

So if you want a discrete GPU in your 2013 Macbook Pro, you gotta cough up $2599 + tax. Wow lol

 

[Tablo]

So if you want a discrete GPU in your 2013 Macbook Pro, you gotta cough up $2599 + tax. Wow lol

Wow haha, good thing it at least has Iris Pro built in right? HD 5200 and the 128 MB eDRAM?

 

[iJudged]

Before we get to the buying of mobile GPUs, let's talk about the 675M and its overheating. You have one or two issues occurring: the heatsink vents are clogged with dust (if you'e never opened the notebook to remove dust, this is guaranteed), and/or the thermal paste needs refreshing.


If only someone had spent time working on an informative OP...

What matters is how much money you have to budget toward a new laptop.

Was at work didn't have time for it that's why I posted, had to make a decision, thanks tho.

 

[Outsanity]

So if you want a discrete GPU in your 2013 Macbook Pro, you gotta cough up $2599 + tax. Wow lol

Do we know what the performance of the Iris Pro graphics are like as far playing LoL/DOTA etc are concerned? Would it handle high detail? Have been thinking about shelling out for the Retina 15 but the removal of the dedicated GPU in the cheaper model has really put me off.

 

[K.Jack]

So if you want a discrete GPU in your 2013 Macbook Pro, you gotta cough up $2599 + tax. Wow lol

I was hoping they'd choose the GTX 760M. That much money for a 750M is just gross.

Was at work didn't have time for it that's why I posted, had to make a decision, thanks tho.

I'd pay $350 for an old Envy 17. You won't find graphics power of that level, that cheap, and the build quality is immaculate.

But then you're looking at a $900 laptop, which makes me say you should spend that much on something brand new, like the Lenovo Y510p.

Do we know what the performance of the Iris Pro graphics are like as far playing LoL/DOTA etc are concerned? Would it handle high detail? Have been thinking about shelling out for the Retina 15 but the removal of the dedicated GPU in the cheaper model has really put me off.

Anandtech ran some tests on the Iris Pro. Looks like LoL and DOTA would be nothing at all to the Iris Pro.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

I was hoping they'd choose the GTX 760M. That much money for a 750M is just gross.



I'd pay $350 for an old Envy 17. You won't find graphics power of that level, that cheap, and the build quality is immaculate.

But then you're looking at a $900 laptop, which makes me say you should spend that much on something brand new, like the Lenovo Y510p.


Anandtech ran some tests on the Iris Pro. Looks like LoL and DOTA would be nothing at all to the Iris Pro.

You wont run DOTA 2 at native 1080, max settings at 60fps.

 

[Giard]

Before we get to the buying of mobile GPUs, let's talk about the 675M and its overheating. You have one or two issues occurring: the heatsink vents are clogged with dust (if you'e never opened the notebook to remove dust, this is guaranteed), and/or the thermal paste needs refreshing.

Thanks for your response. From outside, the fans look okay, but I'll try opening it up. Found this video which should help me do the job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3tE4_qxG7s

 

[K.Jack]

You wont run DOTA 2 at native 1080, max settings at 60fps.

Maybe true, but we weren't discussing that level of expectation.

Thanks for your response. From outside, the fans look okay, but I'll try opening it up. Found this video which should help me do the job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3tE4_qxG7s

I don't mean the fans, but the spaces between the heatsink's copper vents. My temps were once up in the 90s, and cleaning the heatsinks lowered them to the 70s.

You have the Sager NP8170, right? I have the same exact machine, but with an AMD 6970M. That video is for a more recent model, but the CPU and GPU removal appear to be the same. Just make sure you have some thermal compound on hand, before you remove the heatsinks.

 

[Giard]

I don't mean the fans, but the spaces between the heatsink's copper vents. My temps were once up in the 90s, and cleaning the heatsinks lowered them to the 70s.

You have the Sager NP8170, right? I have the same exact machine, but with an AMD 6970M. That video is for a more recent model, but the CPU and GPU removal appear to be the same. Just make sure you have some thermal compound on hand, before you remove the heatsinks.

Ahh I see. I do have some thermal paste. Could I use an air duster to clean the heatsink's copper vents? Or something else?

I have the NP9150. The 680M was too expensive for me, so I went with the 675M.

 

[iJudged]

I was hoping they'd choose the GTX 760M. That much money for a 750M is just gross.



I'd pay $350 for an old Envy 17. You won't find graphics power of that level, that cheap, and the build quality is immaculate.

But then you're looking at a $900 laptop, which makes me say you should spend that much on something brand new, like the Lenovo Y510p.


Anandtech ran some tests on the Iris Pro. Looks like LoL and DOTA would be nothing at all to the Iris Pro.

Thanks, I am paying $50 more then you would. I am not sure what I can upgrade, cpu, ram etc down the line though, but I am sure I will be satisfied with this configuration for now .

 

[K.Jack]

Ahh I see. I do have some thermal paste. Could I use an air duster to clean the heatsink's copper vents? Or something else?

I have the NP9150. The 680M was too expensive for me, so I went with the 675M.

9150, ok then that video is the one you want.

Once you've removed the heatsinks, yeah, whatever you have should be fine to clean them out.

 

[terrisus]

Well, I might end up being able to get my own laptop (unfortunately not breaking the bank on it, but still) as opposed to taking my wife's, so trying to get an idea about some things again.

What would be the change between a 1st-gen quad-core i7 (i7-720QM) and a 4th-gen dual-core i7 (i7-4500U)?

 

[K.Jack]

Well, I might end up being able to get my own laptop (unfortunately not breaking the bank on it, but still) as opposed to taking my wife's, so trying to get an idea about some things again.

What would be the change between a 1st-gen quad-core i7 (i7-720QM) and a 4th-gen dual-core i7 (i7-4500U)?

Oops I swear I replied to you. Anyway, the two processors are close in performance, with the quad probably still winning out in completely multithreaded situations.

Can you give me a budget? I'd like to help out if I can.

 

[terrisus]

Yeah, I'm sorry I'm kind of beating around the bush on this, mainly since I never have too clear an idea what I'm going to be able to do. At this point, I may end up waiting until December and have like $1200 or thereabouts to spend (and then a bit extra, if it doesn't come like this, to add a SSD boot drive and Windows 7 Professional). If that's the case, thinking about the Asus G750JW.

As I said though, since I haven't really been too certain about what I can get, when I can get it, and how much I can actually spend on it, I've felt like asking general information questions has been better, since, in the case of specific recommendations, I've felt like, by the time I actually could get to them, it would be gone.

But, yeah, as I said, at this point my best guess is $1200 around December.

 

[stetiger]

Does anybody know if cyberpowerpc is a reliable brand. In particular this deal is too good to be true:

Intel Core i7 4800MQ(2.70GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD 120GB SSD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
1920 x 1080
Windows 8 64-Bit
8x DVDRW Super Multi DRIVE

all for 1929$. If anybody has experienced with them please let me know. I intend to ensure the computer as well. Thanks.

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198035

 

[fluffydelusions]

Does anybody know if cyberpowerpc is a reliable brand. In particular this deal is too good to be true:

Intel Core i7 4800MQ(2.70GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD 120GB SSD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
1920 x 1080
Windows 8 64-Bit
8x DVDRW Super Multi DRIVE

all for 1929$. If anybody has experienced with them please let me know. I intend to ensure the computer as well. Thanks.

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198035

There is an MSI with 780 on amazon for $1900

 

[stetiger]

There is an MSI with 780 on amazon for $1900

Yeah I noticed it. But this one has a better cpu with the 4800mq and 120gb ssd drive , however without the blu-ray drive which I don't intend to use that much. But I am edging to the almost equivalent msi at 1999$ on amazon.
I am just unsure whether cyberpowerpc's are reliable

 

[K.Jack]

Yeah, I'm sorry I'm kind of beating around the bush on this, mainly since I never have too clear an idea what I'm going to be able to do. At this point, I may end up waiting until December and have like $1200 or thereabouts to spend (and then a bit extra, if it doesn't come like this, to add a SSD boot drive and Windows 7 Professional). If that's the case, thinking about the Asus G750JW.

As I said though, since I haven't really been too certain about what I can get, when I can get it, and how much I can actually spend on it, I've felt like asking general information questions has been better, since, in the case of specific recommendations, I've felt like, by the time I actually could get to them, it would be gone.

But, yeah, as I said, at this point my best guess is $1200 around December.

For the price of a G750JW w/ GTX 765M, you can have an MSI GT70 w/ GTX 770M, and without all of the issues which come with the Asus.

Does anybody know if cyberpowerpc is a reliable brand. In particular this deal is too good to be true:

Intel Core i7 4800MQ(2.70GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD 120GB SSD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
1920 x 1080
Windows 8 64-Bit
8x DVDRW Super Multi DRIVE

all for 1929$. If anybody has experienced with them please let me know. I intend to ensure the computer as well. Thanks.

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198035

There is an MSI with 780 on amazon for $1900

Yup, the MSI GT70 2OD-064US is a much better buy. Better keyboard, better speakers, 2 years of warranty as a standard (including 1 year of accidental), better headphone jacks. Just a higher quality machine.

I'm kind of down on Clevo right now.

 

[Tablo]

Does anybody know if cyberpowerpc is a reliable brand. In particular this deal is too good to be true:

Intel Core i7 4800MQ(2.70GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD 120GB SSD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
1920 x 1080
Windows 8 64-Bit
8x DVDRW Super Multi DRIVE

all for 1929$. If anybody has experienced with them please let me know. I intend to ensure the computer as well. Thanks.

Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198035

Like fluffy said that's not a surprising price, just remember the 780M is a down clocked GTX 680.


Edit: ^Above poster is also spot on, GT70 is a really good machine, my sister has a GE70, I can vouch for MSI's gaming laptops for sure.

 

[terrisus]

For the price of a G750JW w/ GTX 765M, you can have an MSI GT70 w/ GTX 770M, and without all of the issues which come with the Asus.

What issues? I had thought they were one of the more reliable ones.

 

[Hawk269]

My fiancée is looking to buy a gaming laptop for her nephew. He is mainly a WOW player, so we are looking for something that will play that game at high settings and a good frame rate. What would you guys/gals suggest?

 

[stetiger]

There is an MSI with 780 on amazon for $1900

Like fluffy said that's not a surprising price, just remember the 780M is a down clocked GTX 680.


Edit: ^Above poster is also spot on, GT70 is a really good machine, my sister has a GE70, I can vouch for MSI's gaming laptops for sure.

The cyberpowerpc does have a better cpu and more ram. The 4800mq cost more than 20$ dollars more along with an extra 4 gb of ram and 120 gb of ssd.
It offers more value for specs, but is this a case of reliability vs performance?

 

[K.Jack]

What issues? I had thought they were one of the more reliable ones.

fluffydelusions just returned one, so look at posts #2002 and #2010 to see why. Those issues are widespread.

My fiancée is looking to buy a gaming laptop for her nephew. He is mainly a WOW player, so we are looking for something that will play that game at high settings and a good frame rate. What would you guys/gals suggest?

There's a request posting format in the OP, so people don't have to ask you your country and budget.

WoW literally runs on anything, so how much do you want to spend?

Yeah I noticed it. But this one has a better cpu with the 4800mq and 120gb ssd drive , however without the blu-ray drive which I don't intend to use that much. But I am edging to the almost equivalent msi at 1999$ on amazon.
I am just unsure whether cyberpowerpc's are reliable

The cyberpowerpc does have a better cpu and more ram. The 4800mq cost more than 20$ dollars more along with an extra 4 gb of ram and 120 gb of ssd.
It offers more value for specs, but is this a case of reliability vs performance?

Heh, we posted at the same time.

The CPU difference is only 10% in clocks, which will never make a difference.

The SSD is a nice addition, but if you think of how much the extra year of warranty will cost with the Clevo rebrand, that like buying an SSD for the MSI.

Cyberpower/Clevo/Sager are the budget gaming laptops. Great only in the spec line, mediocre in the details.

 

[terrisus]

fluffydelusions just returned one, so look at posts #2002 and #2010 to see why. Those issues are widespread.

Ah, that sucks.
But, at the same time, that MSI looks really attractive. Let's hope it's still there like that in a couple of months, and I can manage enough for that.

You're awesome, as always.

 

[stetiger]

Heh, we posted at the same time.

The CPU difference is only 10% in clocks, which will never make a difference.

The SSD is a nice addition, but if you think of how much the extra year of warranty will cost with the Clevo rebrand, that like buying an SSD for the MSI.

Cyberpower/Clevo/Sager are the budget gaming laptops. Great only in the spec line, mediocre in the details.

Thanks man, one more thing. DO you know how I could extend the warranty to two years without having to buy a full two year warranty. I just want an extension.
AND/OR could I buy a warranty one year from now when the one that came with the machine expires?

 

[K.Jack]

Ah, that sucks.
But, at the same time, that MSI looks really attractive. Let's hope it's still there like that in a couple of months, and I can manage enough for that.

You're awesome, as always.

Oh they'll still be there. And, to be clear, we are talking about the $1399 GT60 and GT70 with the 2OC designation. I have links to them in the second OP post. In fact there all the way down to the ~$500 range, so take a look if you haven't already.

Thanks man, one more thing. DO you know how I could extend the warranty to two years without having to buy a full two year warranty. I just want an extension.
AND/OR could I buy a warranty one year from now when the one that came with the machine expires?

On the Cyberpower machine? I imagine you'd have to contact them immediately after the purchase, to discuss any extension. I know most Clevo resellers have a 30 day window for those deals.

Re-upping the warranty in a year is almost certainly not an option.

 

[stetiger]

Oh they'll still be there. And, to be clear, we are talking about the $1399 GT60 and GT70 with the 2OC designation. I have links to them in the second OP post. In fact there all the way down to the ~$500 range, so take a look if you haven't already.


On the Cyberpower machine? I imagine you'd have to contact them immediately after the purchase, to discuss any extension. I know most Clevo resellers have a 30 day window for those deals.

Re-upping the warranty in a year is almost certainly not an option.

I want to know about the msi machine, how can i extend the 1 year warranty without having too buy a two year package

 

[SuomiDude]

Which of these do you think is better, and would you recommend these at all to begin with:

Asus X550CC
Intel Core i5-3337U 1.8GHz
6GB
750GB
NVIDIA GeForce GT720M - 2GB
for 600€

or

Acer Aspire V3-571
Intel Core i7 3632QM (2,2 GHz)
6 GB SO-DIMM DDR3
500 GB 5400 RPM
Intel HD Graphics 4000
for 550€ (normal price 700€)

I checked some info and seems the former is better for gaming (of course not the latest games, but for a bit older ones) and in general a bit better laptop. But I really suck with these computer terms so maybe you can help me. I don't want to build my own build, so I need a full set.

 

[mhayze]

About three years ago, I bought a 2nd gen Envy 15 - quad core i7, Radiance 1080p display, 5830m video card, and optional slice add on battery.

This was back when envy wasn't a re-branded pavillion - aluminum shell, thin (for then), etc. Whole thing cost me $1100 on sale.

I would love to refresh that laptop with todays equivalent, but I am having a hard time seeing the progress and finding a new laptop thats much better. Ideally, I would like something like the Razer blade but cheaper and faster, but still high quality and not too flashy in the wrong way (fins, lights stickers, logos, protrusions). I have a lot of respect for Razer, but their small size high margin model makes it a tough choice.

 

[K.Jack]

I want to know about the msi machine, how can i extend the 1 year warranty without having too buy a two year package

MSI laptops have two years of warranty as standard, no extension needed. Plus, if you register your machine on their website within 30 days, one year of accidental warranty coverage activates.

Which of these do you think is better, and would you recommend these at all to begin with:

Asus X550CC
Intel Core i5-3337U 1.8GHz
6GB
750GB
NVIDIA GeForce GT720M - 2GB
for 600€

or

Acer Aspire V3-571
Intel Core i7 3632QM (2,2 GHz)
6 GB SO-DIMM DDR3
500 GB 5400 RPM
Intel HD Graphics 4000
for 550€ (normal price 700€)

I checked some info and seems the former is better for gaming (of course not the latest games, but for a bit older ones) and in general a bit better laptop. But I really suck with these computer terms so maybe you can help me. I don't want to build my own build, so I need a full set.

The Asus is the better of the two. Is 600€ your budget, pretty much?

About three years ago, I bought a 2nd gen Envy 15 - quad core i7, Radiance 1080p display, 5830m video card, and optional slice add on battery.

This was back when envy wasn't a re-branded pavillion - aluminum shell, thin (for then), etc. Whole thing cost me $1100 on sale.

I would love to refresh that laptop with todays equivalent, but I am having a hard time seeing the progress and finding a new laptop thats much better. Ideally, I would like something like the Razer blade but cheaper and faster, but still high quality and not too flashy in the wrong way (fins, lights stickers, logos, protrusions). I have a lot of respect for Razer, but their small size high margin model makes it a tough choice.

Did you read the OP? Both posts.

 

[stetiger]

MSI laptops have two years of warranty as standard, no extension needed. Plus, if you register your machine on their website within 30 days, one year of accidental warranty coverage activates.
.

I am referring two the one year of accidental warranty, how can i extend that?

 

[terrisus]

I am referring two the one year of accidental warranty, how can i extend that?

Well, keep in mind that, according to their information, it only covers 1 accidental claim per notebook anyway. I mean, I suppose 2 years would give another year for that to happen, but, even if it was extended, it would still be limited to 1 claim.

 

[K.Jack]

I am referring two the one year of accidental warranty, how can i extend that?

They do not offer extensions on the ADC. You get one claim per notebook, for one year. This is the only warranty extension program offered.

 

[pillowpants]

Does anyone have a list of laptops that are equipped with Iris Pro 5200 graphics?

 

[Adam Blade]

Oof, my poor 780m began chugging on Metro at max settings on 1440p.

Going down to 1080p is a bit of a bummer. :/

 

[Blablurn]

Oof, my poor 780m began chugging on Metro at max settings on 1440p.

Going down to 1080p is a bit of a bummer. :/

dont complain. im afraid my gt650m will not be enough for future pc games

 

[K.Jack]

Does anyone have a list of laptops that are equipped with Iris Pro 5200 graphics?

Macbook
Sager NP2740 (Clevo W740SU)

These are all can confirm right now.

Oof, my poor 780m began chugging on Metro at max settings on 1440p.

Going down to 1080p is a bit of a bummer. :/

Time to flash a VBIOS which brings the 780M in line with the GTX 680's voltage and clocks. You're missing a lot of the reference card's performance.

dont complain. im afraid my gt650m will not be enough for future pc games

Your fears are... founded in reality.

 

[Megalosaro]

So my desktop is on it's last legs. My laptop is already dead. I'm in the market for both, but I think I want to prioritize a laptop since I'm a young, mobile person.

My question is this:

I'm using Rome 2 Total War as my baseline for what I need from a lap/comp. How much would I have to spend on a laptop to run it at max (or at the very least very high) settings with excellent performance vs how much would I have to spend to run it with the same settings on a desktop?

 

[K.Jack]

So my desktop is on it's last legs. My laptop is already dead. I'm in the market for both, but I think I want to prioritize a laptop since I'm a young, mobile person.

My question is this:

I'm using Rome 2 Total War as my baseline for what I need from a lap/comp. How much would I have to spend on a laptop to run it at max (or at the very least very high) settings with excellent performance vs how much would I have to spend to run it with the same settings on a desktop?

The GTX 780M was averaging 33fps on Extreme at 1080p, back in September. You get one of those for a little over $1.8k, in the MSI GT70. You can obviously build a monster desktop for that price.

 

[Blablurn]

Macbook
Sager NP2740 (Clevo W740SU)

These are all can confirm right now.


Time to flash a VBIOS which brings the 780M in line with the GTX 680's voltage and clocks. You're missing a lot of the reference card's performance.



Your fears are... founded in reality.

damit

 

[ndawgdrake]

Which brands besides Sager typically allow easy access to the cpu fan/heatsink besides Sager?

 

[K.Jack]

Which brands besides Sager typically allow easy access to the cpu fan/heatsink besides Sager?

On the ultra high end? MSI and Alienware.

I highly recommend MSI over Sager.

 

[Munin]

While I agree Clevo's build quality leaves a lot to be desired they still give you the most power for the best price. If anyone else other than Alienware was doing SLI configurations at the high end I would have looked into something else, but alas...

Speaking of build quality, uh, my left Ctrl key on my P370SM just came off. Anyone know how to reattach it? Am I supposed to glue it back on?

 

[K.Jack]

While I agree Clevo's build quality leaves a lot to be desired they still give you the most power for the best price. If anyone else other than Alienware was doing SLI configurations at the high end I would have looked into something else, but alas...

The single GPU Clevo/Sager looks cheaper at first glace, because of the low starting price, but once you add the features which bring it up to parity with the MSI laptop (GPU, OS, Blu-ray, warranty) there is little difference between the prices. Then that's when the extra hundred or so the MSI machine costs can be justified by Its superior build, speakers, keyboard, accidental warranty, etc.

Speaking of build quality, uh, my left Ctrl key on my P370SM just came off. Anyone know how to reattach it? Am I supposed to glue it back on?

Is there not a piece of metal there, which is a sort of clip? With my Clevo you can press the keys back on with a little pressure. But mine is 2 years old and they may have changed the mechanism since 2011.

 

[X05]

On the ultra high end? MSI and Alienware.

I highly recommend MSI over Sager.

I'll add the Dell Precision line to that list.