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[K.Jack]

@K.Jack - when you say "average at best keyboard" for Clevo laptops, what exactly do you mean? Like, do the keys on the keyboard break quickly?

I was only referring to the "feel" while typing.

A friend of mine is aiming to buy a new laptop, here are the details he provided.

Main uses:
He mainly wants to use it to play League of Legends
He wants one that can run photoshop without any hassles/slowdowns
He has Wacom Bamboo Trace Pad since he likes to draw
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OOWC3S/?tag=neogaf0e-20
and would like one that won't have problems running with it attached
Price: Something cheap within the $500 or whereabouts

So basically something simple yet competent.

This.
-

Bought my laptop almost one year ago to the day thanks to recommendations in this thread and have been pleased with it so far. Paid a little over £400 for the following which I think was a good deal at the time:

i3 3100M @ 2.4 GHz
6GB memory
GeForce GT 630M 1GB

When I first got it I used to play games (a LOT of Dark Souls and a little Arkham City - usually @ 720p) without any problems but it does always run pretty hot whenever I play anything that uses the GPU. Over time the fans have started to get a lot nosier - as if the insides have maybe warped a little? I just get this vibrating noise quite often that wasn't there when I first bought it.

Just tried to play a little Dark Souls tonight and I'm repeatedly getting kicked out as "the framerate is insufficient for online play". Nothing out of the ordinary happening - just the game slowing to a crawl frequently. Took a snapshot of my temps straight after this happened so anyone can tell me if these look particularly high?

Just wondering if this is something I should be worried about and if I should raise it with the people I bought it from as I only have 4 days left on the one year warranty? Or if I should consider extending the warranty while I have the chance if I'm sitting on a ticking time bomb? I'm clueless about all this so any advice would be appreciated!

Did you have HWMonitor running in the background the entire time the game was running, or did you just open it up when the problem occurred? If it's the latter, we aren't getting a true reading of how high your temps are getting.

As a general rule of thumb, if you've never opened your laptop to clean the dust/dirt out of the fans and heatsink vents, that's your problem.

I need a new notebook and leaning towards a Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p. They are on sale but am unsure which model to get. Both have the same specs except a few differences:

$769.00 vs. $799.00
1TB 5400 RPM vs. 1TB 5400 RPM+24GB SSD
Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230 vs. Intel Wireless-N 7260
6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion vs. 6 Cell 62 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion

Are those differences worth the extra $30? Or should I get the slightly cheaper model and apply the savings towards a larger SSD than the 24GB?

Going down the list: if you plan to buy an SSD, the 24GB caching drive is worthless; if you don't have an AC router, the 7260 is worthless; if you don't need the extra battery life... you get my point.

On one hand, it's only $30, but on the other, yes save that $30 for an SSD upgrade.

 

[Tizoc]

Thanks Jack.

EDIT: Gah forgot to mention that I live in the Middle East, so I believe electricity might be an issue...
Is that model available in Europe/UK by any chance?
I've done a quick search and these are the Inspiron 17 models that are available in our region:
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17-3721/pd
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17-7737/pd
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17r-5721/pd
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17r-se-7720/pd

 

[K.Jack]

Thanks Jack.

EDIT: Gah forgot to mention that I live in the Middle East, so I believe electricity might be an issue...
Is that model available in Europe/UK by any chance?
I've done a quick search and these are the Inspiron 17 models that are available in our region:
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17-3721/pd
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17-7737/pd
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17r-5721/pd
http://www.dell.com/ae/p/inspiron-17r-se-7720/pd

The first link is the Inspiron 17 which can be configured with the 8650M 2GB GDDR5 (at least over here). I guess contact Dell customer sales about it?

 

[Tizoc]

Alright thanks, if you don't mind me asking, why would the Radeon be the recommended graphics card in this case?

 

[MarkMan]

I think I'm getting this. I want a good laptop for streaming and gaming. I know the price is a bit up there, but it is not a factor. Whatcha think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231090

 

[tim.mbp]

Going down the list: if you plan to buy an SSD, the 24GB caching drive is worthless; if you don't have an AC router, the 7260 is worthless; if you don't need the extra battery life... you get my point.

On one hand, it's only $30, but on the other, yes save that $30 for an SSD upgrade.

Thanks for the reply, I went ahead and ordered the cheaper one. The $30 will go towards a SSD and USB enclosure.

 

[Rogue Agent]

I was only referring to the "feel" while typing.

I see. So do you mean that the keys are 'clicky'?

 

[K.Jack]

Alright thanks, if you don't mind me asking, why would the Radeon be the recommended graphics card in this case?

It's simply stronger than the integrated graphics you find in this price range.

I think I'm getting this. I want a good laptop for streaming and gaming. I know the price is a bit up there, but it is not a factor. Whatcha think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231090

It's a decent laptop, though a lot people have received ones with bad screens.

In the OP I recommend the MSI GT70 over the G750, because of the screen issues. It's $1,399 with the same CPU and GTX 770M. and a 1TB HDD. The difference can be spent on an even larger SSD than the one with comes with the Asus.

I see. So do you mean that the keys are 'clicky'?

I don't want to make it sound worse than it is. Only the spacebar has a click to it. Honestly they've improve the keyboard a lot in the newer models.

 

[Rogue Agent]

I don't want to make it sound worse than it is. Only the spacebar has a click to it. Honestly they've improve the keyboard a lot in the newer models.

I see - sorry. Sounds good, then. Clevo laptops are the way to go for me.

 

[MarkMan]

It's a decent laptop, though a lot people have received ones with bad screens.

In the OP I recommend the MSI GT70 over the G750, because of the screen issues. It's $1,399 with the same CPU and GTX 770M. and a 1TB HDD. The difference can be spent on an even larger SSD than the one with comes with the Asus.

One of the main reasons I want it is for the thunderbolt/USB3 compatibility with certain capture devices for streaming/editing. I can't believe how finnicky USB3.0 capture devices are (Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle) with laptops. Either way, it's not so much the gaming power I need, but the reliability for creating content.

Thanks for the heads up on the MSI though. I'm gonna research it a bit.

 

[Grit]

Simple question I'd like answered if possible please.
2 laptops that i'm interested in have similar specs with the difference being one has intel i5-4200U and the other has amd A10-5750M.
which of the two is superior and why?

 

[Rogue Agent]

Should I choose a 32-bit operating system or 64-bit? I've always used 32-bit in the past.

 

[Ultimadrago]

Country: U.S.A.
Maximum budget: $1400~
Max size: 17.3 in.
Planned usage: I want to be able to play at very high settings. The laptop I have now is...well...is.

Model-- Intel 3000 HD with i3-2370M Asus Aspire Timeline X

It was a replacement generously given to me after an unfortunate occurrence with my previous one, but it simply cannot reach the levels I want for gaming and overall heavy processing usage (with frequent freezes and very low hard drive space). I was forced to play Witcher 2, TERA and Resident Evil 5 (with a online friend) at the lowest settings and resolution with PowerPoint framerates. For Metro: Last Light and Sleeping Dogs, I couldn't even get the games to be somewhat playable. I really desire something that can play modern games at a good rar\te with high quality (1080p/30fps). Witcher 3 coming up would be a good aiming point for me, though I don't think its recommended specs are out yet.

I am very new to exploring gaming laptops and am not really sure exactly what I want, but I want it to be "very nice" with a backlit keyboard.

To add: I find that this gaming laptop placed by the OP is perfect for what I'm looking for. However, I have some questions.

1. How is MSI? I am fresh to this field and have never heard of them. How is their build quality? (That's a thing, right?) Customer service? Overall reputation?

2. So I would be able to upgrade my space with this laptop or add SSD memory if I so choose?

3. Hypothetical. How long do you believe such a laptop would "last" physically and in terms of relevancy for high settings/high frame rate play in units of years?

4. It doesn't have a Blu-Ray drive? Yikes. I suppose it's in the eye of the behold, but how necessary would you say one is for a laptop like this? I don't have a huge library awaiting laptop viewing and watch most of my shows/films straight from Hulu/Netflix/Crunchyroll/etc., but should I be expecting one at a price like this?

5. Is the screen quality good? I'm not sure if there is any indicator for that in the specs.

6. Would you recommend purchasing extra warranty?

That's all off the top of my head. Thanks to any who read it and another for those that lend a hand with some of these inquiries.

 

[Trike]

Going down the list: if you plan to buy an SSD, the 24GB caching drive is worthless; if you don't have an AC router, the 7260 is worthless; if you don't need the extra battery life... you get my point.

On one hand, it's only $30, but on the other, yes save that $30 for an SSD upgrade.

So I was planning on getting the 510p for $900. I dont plan on getting a SSD upgrade for it. Would it be worth it? Or are there other Laptops around that price that are more worth it?

 

[sohois]

Should I choose a 32-bit operating system or 64-bit? I've always used 32-bit in the past.

There is no reason not to get a 64-bit operating system

 

[Ultimadrago]

Okay, reading The Verge's review tells me that the screen is poor. That's unfortunate, but I'm still interested in the laptop.

 

[Rogue Agent]

There is no reason not to get a 64-bit operating system

Thank you!

 

[Rogue Agent]

OK, I've gone to www.pcspecialist.co.uk since it's a Clevo reseller, but I can't find any Clevo laptops. There are other names such as Vortex, Cosmos, etc. but no Clevo.

Is it because all the laptops are Clevo?

 

[Ultimadrago]

You have to break warranty on the MSI GT70 2OC just to access the HDD/RAM? I was planning to upgrade anything I was planning to get eventually...

 

[K.Jack]

Simple question I'd like answered if possible please.
2 laptops that i'm interested in have similar specs with the difference being one has intel i5-4200U and the other has amd A10-5750M.
which of the two is superior and why?

Let's call them nearly equal.

Country: U.S.A.
Maximum budget: $1400~
Max size: 17.3 in.
Planned usage: I want to be able to play at very high settings. The laptop I have now is...well...is.

Model-- Intel 3000 HD with i3-2370M Asus Aspire Timeline X

It was a replacement generously given to me after an unfortunate occurrence with my previous one, but it simply cannot reach the levels I want for gaming and overall heavy processing usage (with frequent freezes and very low hard drive space). I was forced to play Witcher 2, TERA and Resident Evil 5 (with a online friend) at the lowest settings and resolution with PowerPoint framerates. For Metro: Last Light and Sleeping Dogs, I couldn't even get the games to be somewhat playable. I really desire something that can play modern games at a good rar\te with high quality (1080p/30fps). Witcher 3 coming up would be a good aiming point for me, though I don't think its recommended specs are out yet.

I am very new to exploring gaming laptops and am not really sure exactly what I want, but I want it to be "very nice" with a backlit keyboard.

To add: I find that this gaming laptop placed by the OP is perfect for what I'm looking for. However, I have some questions.

1. How is MSI? I am fresh to this field and have never heard of them. How is their build quality? (That's a thing, right?) Customer service? Overall reputation?

2. So I would be able to upgrade my space with this laptop or add SSD memory if I so choose?

3. Hypothetical. How long do you believe such a laptop would "last" physically and in terms of relevancy for high settings/high frame rate play in units of years?

4. It doesn't have a Blu-Ray drive? Yikes. I suppose it's in the eye of the behold, but how necessary would you say one is for a laptop like this? I don't have a huge library awaiting laptop viewing and watch most of my shows/films straight from Hulu/Netflix/Crunchyroll/etc., but should I be expecting one at a price like this?

5. Is the screen quality good? I'm not sure if there is any indicator for that in the specs.

6. Would you recommend purchasing extra warranty?

That's all off the top of my head. Thanks to any who read it and another for those that lend a hand with some of these inquiries.

Okay, reading The Verge's review tells me that the screen is poor. That's unfortunate, but I'm still interested in the laptop.

I guess I'll address the screen first. That review is for the 2012 model. The 2013 version comes with a much better screen. Now...

1. MSI is good.

2. There are two drive slots, so you can have an SSD + HDD combo. In my GT70, I have a 960GB SSD and 1TB HDD.

3. Physically? No laptop should fail in that regard. How long the GTX 770M will last when next-gen ports start ccoming is still an unknown. I'd give it at least 2-3 years.

4. You don't typically get Blu-ray drives included at this price range. You can buy from a reseller, who would charge extra for the drive.

5. Answered above.

6. MSI laptops come with 2 years of standard + 1 year of accidental. You can buy more.

So I was planning on getting the 510p for $900. I dont plan on getting a SSD upgrade for it. Would it be worth it? Or are there other Laptops around that price that are more worth it?

Buy this SKU instead.

OK, I've gone to www.pcspecialist.co.uk since it's a Clevo reseller, but I can't find any Clevo laptops. There are other names such as Vortex, Cosmos, etc. but no Clevo.

Is it because all the laptops are Clevo?

Most of them are Clevos. The Voretx and Optimus named laptops are Clevo, specifically.

You have to break warranty on the MSI GT70 2OC just to access the HDD/RAM? I was planning to upgrade anything I was planning to get eventually...

I can confirm that there is a warranty seal, but they only violate you if you break something.

That's the word directly from MSI Support.

 

[Ultimadrago]

Thanks for the answers, K.Jack! I'm certainly going to keep my eye on it for purchase in the coming few months (or "month", hopefully).

Oh, one more thing:

How drastic would you say it'd be for me to upgrade my HDD from a 5400 rpm to 7200? I don't do "heavy editing work", but watching high-quality video while being online and/or having a game running in the background is a likely scenario.

 

[K.Jack]

Thanks for the answers, K.Jack! I'm certainly going to keep my eye on it for purchase in the coming few months (or "month", hopefully).

Oh, one more thing:

How drastic would you say it'd be for me to upgrade my HDD from a 5400 rpm to 7200? I don't do "heavy editing work", but watching high-quality video while being online and/or having a game running in the background is a likely scenario.

I found the 5400rpm drive to be painfully sluggish, but then again I'd been using SSDs for so long my judgement may have been colored. Using a slow HDD for your boot drive just sucks.

A 7200rpm would improve things, but then why not put that money toward an SSD?

 

[Ultimadrago]

I found the 5400rpm drive to be painfully sluggish, but then again I'd been using SSDs for so long my judgement may have been colored. Using a slow HDD for your boot drive just sucks.

A 7200rpm would improve things, but then why not put that money toward an SSD?

Duly noted and thanks again.

 

[Odrion]

If you're upgrading your harddrive, simply going from 5400 to 7200 seems like a waste of money.

SSDs for life. Sure, you'll be paying twice the price for quarter the storage, but they're so fast that using anything else is torturous by comparison. And c'mon, do you really need more than 250 Gig for a laptop these days?

 

[Grit]

Let's call them nearly equal.

Thank you for answering

 

[Aim_Ed]

I honestly don't even know if the 8450G will be sufficient for your needs. I mean, there's playing things on Low, then there's playing things on Low. I'd ike to recommend that you stretch your budget to $799, for this.

This post helped a lot btw, thanks.

Keep up the good work.

 

[sohois]

A couple of general laptop questions, if anyone can help:

So I've been eying a new gaming laptop for a while now, but I'm really not looking to spend $1000 or anything like that. I know, I know, a lot of people will say you can't really spend less than that to play games, but my current laptop I bought 2 and a half years ago for about $500 and it can handle every current gen game fairly well. But it's beginning to get pretty old and outdated and will probably be left behind fairly soon. plus I've run the processor fairly ragged (emulating Dolphin Xenoblade on a Core i3 is not very wise, it seems).

Thus, what I am looking for are very much the best value, 'mid-range' graphics and processor. I don't give a shit about 4k, or 60fps, or any of that pc master race bullshit, I just want to run the games, medium settings and a 720p resolution is fine by me.

What processor and what graphics card are the current, mid-range option? Good enough to at least handle next gen.

 

[NEO0MJ]

What processor and what graphics card are the current, mid-range option? Good enough to at least handle next gen.

If you really want something to handle next gen well it should have at least a Nividia Geoforce 765M and an Intel Core i5-4200M Processor, just my opinion. Of course you'll need to spend at least $1000 for something like that. What's your max budget? $500 won't cut it.

 

[Wichu]

A friend wants to get a new laptop. The most intensive thing he's going to play is Minecraft. Are there any good sub-£500 deals in the UK at the moment?

EDIT: He's looking for something around 15".

 

[K.Jack]

A couple of general laptop questions, if anyone can help:

So I've been eying a new gaming laptop for a while now, but I'm really not looking to spend $1000 or anything like that. I know, I know, a lot of people will say you can't really spend less than that to play games, but my current laptop I bought 2 and a half years ago for about $500 and it can handle every current gen game fairly well. But it's beginning to get pretty old and outdated and will probably be left behind fairly soon. plus I've run the processor fairly ragged (emulating Dolphin Xenoblade on a Core i3 is not very wise, it seems).

Thus, what I am looking for are very much the best value, 'mid-range' graphics and processor. I don't give a shit about 4k, or 60fps, or any of that pc master race bullshit, I just want to run the games, medium settings and a 720p resolution is fine by me.

What processor and what graphics card are the current, mid-range option? Good enough to at least handle next gen.

What are the CPU/GPU specs of your current laptop?

A friend wants to get a new laptop. The most intensive thing he's going to play is Minecraft. Are there any good sub-£500 deals in the UK at the moment?

EDIT: He's looking for something around 15".

This would play Minecraft

 

[Ultimadrago]

Hey K.Jack, I'm considering going through the reseller you linked, XoticPC, to purchase the laptop for a few upgrades and had a few more questions for ya~:

1. This whole Color Gamut-whatever-thing. Is it worth spending extra for if the default screen is solid?

2. Same with Monitor Calibration, worth the dough?

3. I was talking with the Live Chat and they said if I get an SSD with the order I can simply have them make it the boot drive. Is it worth rushing into? You've convinced me to get one, but if I can buy it at a better price elsewhere and Do It Myself...

4. Would you upgrade the sound card?

I'm not positive I'm going through XoticPC, but it's nice to have the option to upgrade out the box. I'm just trying to find the legitimate upgrades/services versus the "Overpriced because we can" ones. They'll make it go a bit over my budget, but if I can work it, I might bite.

 

[K.Jack]

Hey K.Jack, I'm considering going through the reseller you linked, XoticPC, to purchase the laptop for a few upgrades and had a few more questions for ya~:

1. This whole Color Gamut-whatever-thing. Is it worth spending extra for if the default screen is solid?

2. Same with Monitor Calibration, worth the dough?

3. I was talking with the Live Chat and they said if I get an SSD with the order I can simply have them make it the boot drive. Is it worth rushing into? You've convinced me to get one, but if I can buy it at a better price elsewhere and Do It Myself...

4. Would you upgrade the sound card?

I'm not positive I'm going through XoticPC, but it's nice to have the option to upgrade out the box. I'm just trying to find the legitimate upgrades/services versus the "Overpriced because we can" ones. They'll make it go a bit over my budget, but if I can work it, I might bite.

1. The expensive screens are premium quality, certainly. As a matter of fact, I have the 90% gamut glossy LCD in my previous Sager, and it's really freaking beautiful. Colors are extremely vibrant. That said, I still prefer the screen in my MSI just on the strength of it being matte. If I was going to purchase on of the screen upgrades, it'd be the 72% matte option. Whether they're "worth it" is completely down to whether you just want to know you have the best screen available.

2. No.

3. I've cross checked some of the prices they're charging for the SSDs, and most of them are right at the retail cost. They definitely aren't price gouging. Having someone else do the upgrade for you is convenient, so you aren't having to break out the screwdriver the moment you receive the laptop.

4. Those are external sound cards they're selling. Not necessary. I'd recommend something else if you have decent headphones.

 

[TomO]

I'm looking for the best gaming spec laptop, 15 inch screen I can get at ideally £700. I've speccec one on pcspecialst, including i5 4200, 765m 2gb ddr5, hybrid drive 500gb, win 7/8. That comes to £780.

Would that handle new games for a while, and are there any similar specs elsewhere for cheaper? Appreciate your help. UK based.

 

[K.Jack]

I'm looking for the best gaming spec laptop, 15 inch screen I can get at ideally £700. I've speccec one on pcspecialst, including i5 4200, 765m 2gb ddr5, hybrid drive 500gb, win 7/8. That comes to £780.

Would that handle new games for a while, and are there any similar specs elsewhere for cheaper? Appreciate your help. UK based.

How much is it if you drop the Seagate hybrid and add the i7-4700MQ? Are we both looking at the Optimus V?

 

[TomO]

How much is it if you drop the Seagate hybrid and add the i7-4700MQ? Are we both looking at the Optimus V?

That takes it to about £800, which is a bit steep. Is that CPU worth the extra?

 

[K.Jack]

That takes it to about £800, which is a bit steep. Is that CPU worth the extra?

Honestly, yes it is very much worth it. I understand if you can't afford it, but the truth is that with the new-gen consoles out games are going to start requiring quad cores, even in the minimum system requirements. Going with a dual core is going to make things very rough for you, and will only hold back the GTX 765M's potential.

 

[K.Jack]

New Thread! Transfer discussion to there please.