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

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nicoga3000

Saint Nic
The 650M SLI is about as fast as a GTX 670MX. That's 50% faster than a single GTX 660M.

So between:

  • Intel Core i5-3230M 2.6GHz
  • 6GB DDR3
  • Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI
  • 1920 x 1080
  • $900

and

  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor( 2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB
  • 15.6" HD Glare with integrated camera 1366x768
  • 1TB 5400 rpm
  • Blu-ray /DVD Combo
  • Accidental protection (1 year)
  • $990

Which option gives the stronger gaming performance? The lack of optical drive on the Y500 stinks, but the 2nd card can be removed and a drive can be installed for use later/when I need it. Also, the Y500 does not include accidental. I'm VERY careful with my stuff, but I tossed it on the Y580 as a "just in case".

I'm sorry for the questions and lack of understanding here. But I want to make sure I'm getting a solid machine for my $1000.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
So between:

  • Intel Core i5-3230M 2.6GHz
  • 6GB DDR3
  • Dual NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M SLI
  • 1920 x 1080
  • $900

and

  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor( 2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB
  • 15.6" HD Glare with integrated camera 1366x768
  • 1TB 5400 rpm
  • Blu-ray /DVD Combo
  • Accidental protection (1 year)
  • $990

Which option gives the stronger gaming performance? The lack of optical drive on the Y500 stinks, but the 2nd card can be removed and a drive can be installed for use later/when I need it. Also, the Y500 does not include accidental. I'm VERY careful with my stuff, but I tossed it on the Y580 as a "just in case".

I'm sorry for the questions and lack of understanding here. But I want to make sure I'm getting a solid machine for my $1000.
One last question: can you add the i7-363QM to the Y500?

PSY・S;47562371 said:
I was going for both but went with this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I9J5OG/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Same speed but it holds a little more data and is hopefully more reliable than my current Samsung drive. The SSD prices are ridiculous, and I'm not sure if those hybrid SSDs are any good.

Well, I was either going to recommend the 500GB Momentus XT hybrid drive, or that very same WD 750GB 7200RPM HDD.

The XTs do offer good performance increases, when used as primary OS drives.
 

Ran rp

Member
One last question: can you add the i7-363QM to the Y500?



Well, I was either going to recommend the 500GB Momentus XT hybrid drive, or that very same WD 750GB 7200RPM HDD.

The XTs do offer good performance increases, when used as primary OS drives.

Hmm, does it realistically offer an 80% performance increase? With my current drive I realized that I'm only using 476 GB, and about half of that is a huge library of Steam/Origin games I don't play. I'd like the extra space for comfort but I guess I don't really need it atm, and I could always get an external drive/second internal later on.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I can bump it to:

Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.3GHz

It jumps the price up to $1050.

If you can afford it, that's the best option of the three. You really won't want to be stuck with a dual core CPU, when the 6-core using next-gen consoles come out.

PSY・S;47563743 said:
Hmm, does it realistically offer an 80% performance increase? With my current drive I realized that I'm only using 476 GB, and about half of that is a huge library of Steam/Origin games I don't play. I'd like the extra space for comfort but I guess I don't really need it atm, and I could always get an external drive/second internal later on.

80%.... I can't say that much. I can only recommend that you look at some in-depth reviews from some tech sites, to see if the XT would benefit your usage or not.
 

Ran rp

Member
If you can afford it, that's the best option of the three. You really won't want to be stuck with a dual core CPU, when the 6-core using next-gen consoles come out.



80%.... I can't say that much. I can only recommend that you look at some in-depth reviews from some tech sites, to see if the XT would benefit your usage or not.

Will do. Thanks for the help,
 

Nerdstrom

Banned
would it be worth swapping a y580 for a y500? price is around the same but specs wise it seems the 500 is a better deal. Would the SLI configuration cause issues that a single 660m wouldn't? And is the i7 a better deal over the i5 in the y500? I may just use the y580 for work and the 500 for play
 
USA

1000$ max

xbox360 level graphx, maybe a little better.

Want ito be able to run smoothly CS6.

Question: Am I better off in just spending 1000$ on a macbook pro? Are they good for gaming??

Thanks in advance :)
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
would it be worth swapping a y580 for a y500? price is around the same but specs wise it seems the 500 is a better deal. Would the SLI configuration cause issues that a single 660m wouldn't? And is the i7 a better deal over the i5 in the y500? I may just use the y580 for work and the 500 for play

The only issue with SLI is how well a particular game supports it. With AMD's driver support I'd take pause, but Nvidia is really good at keeping up to date as new games are released.

i7 vs i5? This close to the 6-core operating next generation consoles, the quad core is a must, imo.

So I finally pulled the trigger.

i5 Y500 w/650m SLI

Really...REALLY...excited.

E: Is there a good way to get rid of bloat besides a fresh install?
Wait... this says it has an "Integrated DVD reader/writer drive". Does it come with the DVD drive and the 2nd 650M?

Those are nice specs. I think this might deserve to be in the OP.

About bloatware, you should be able to get rid of most of it in the Add/Remove Programs list.
USA

1000$ max

xbox360 level graphx, maybe a little better.

Want ito be able to run smoothly CS6.

Question: Am I better off in just spending 1000$ on a macbook pro? Are they good for gaming??

Thanks in advance :)
The only Macbooks that can game are the $2,000+ models. So forget about that.

As far as what you're asking, is a 1080p screen necessary?
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
Wait... this says it has an "Integrated DVD reader/writer drive". Does it come with the DVD drive and the 2nd 650M?

Those are nice specs. I think this might deserve to be in the OP.

About bloatware, you should be able to get rid of most of it in the Add/Remove Programs list.

The Y500 has the Ultrabay tech. You can pull the other 650M out and put an optical drive or additional HDD in there. That model doesn't come with the optical drive, though - the Ultrabay slot is taken by the SLI card.

And awesome - as long as I can get rid of the poop, I'll be happy.

E: Any gaming lap desk recommendations? Preferably one with mouse room?
 

Coverly

Member
Hi guys,

USA
$1000 preferably; $1300 tops
The smaller the screen the better, 15.6" max
Planned usage: I already have an aging gaming desktop but I would like a laptop I can connect to my TV in the living room and play steam controller friendly games like SR3, Skyrim, Batman AC. It'll also be used a lot for xbmc but I'm not worried about that portion.
That's why I'm looking for a small screen size, since I will not be playing on it directly and it will always be connected to the TV. Fine with playing with either 720 or 1080p.

So looking at this thread,
* The Sager NP6110 has a small screen size which i like, but will the 650M be enough?
* Nicoga's Lenovo Y500 looks to be the best buy nearest $1000?
* The Sager NP9130 for $1119 has the 670MX but I still have to add an OS to the cost?
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
Hi guys,

USA
$1000 preferably; $1300 tops
The smaller the screen the better, 15.6" max
Planned usage: I already have an aging gaming desktop but I would like a laptop I can connect to my TV in the living room and play steam controller friendly games like SR3, Skyrim, Batman AC. It'll also be used a lot for xbmc but I'm not worried about that portion.
That's why I'm looking for a small screen size, since I will not be playing on it directly and it will always be connected to the TV. Fine with playing with either 720 or 1080p.

So looking at this thread,
* The Sager NP6110 has a small screen size which i like, but will the 650M be enough?
* Nicoga's Lenovo Y500 looks to be the best buy nearest $1000?
* The Sager NP9130 for $1119 has the 670MX but I still have to add an OS to the cost?

I used this site to judge card performance. It looks like 650M SLI is about equal to the 670MX.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
In a perfect scenario, yes. Given the choice, I'd always take the single GTX 670MX over the SLI.

Coverly you seem to understand the options well. Y500 or NP9130. I vote for the latter.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
E: Well, I did some more research and decided to just go balls deep. Went with a Sager NP9150, i7-3630QM, GTX 675MX, Blu-Ray optical.
 

Coverly

Member
I used this site to judge card performance. It looks like 650M SLI is about equal to the 670MX.

Thanks for the site, it was really really helpful last night when looking over things.

Thanks Jack, I think I will go with the NP9130.

Two questions though: Is the copper cooling upgrade worth it and is the default i7-3630QM have the ability to be oc'ed?
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Thanks for the site, it was really really helpful last night when looking over things.

Thanks Jack, I think I will go with the NP9130.

Two questions though: Is the copper cooling upgrade worth it and is the default i7-3630QM have the ability to be oc'ed?

#1. Oh man, don't get me started on how the copper upgrade is a freaking scam. You can buy packs of those small heatsink on eBay for $6, then apply them yourself. I've personally done this to my laptop, and it only lowered the temps a couple degrees Centigrade. Asking $79 for such an upgrade is criminal.

#2. No, the i7-3630QM cannot be OC'd, nor can any other CPU in this model. But at least they all OC themselves over 3Ghz, automatically, thanks to Turbo Boost.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
Thanks for the site, it was really really helpful last night when looking over things.

Thanks Jack, I think I will go with the NP9130.

Two questions though: Is the copper cooling upgrade worth it and is the default i7-3630QM have the ability to be oc'ed?

Yeah, it's the reason I went with the NP9150 (after you started talking about it). The cost is a bit more than I wanted to spend, but I feel like I basically just future-proofed my portable gaming.
 

GiJoccin

Member
i jumped in on the nicoga amazon y500 with the dual SLI

hopefully the trackpad won't be TOO bad, and the keyboard holds up

really wanted to get a gaming laptop because my old one is about to die after 4 years of solid service
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
i jumped in on the nicoga amazon y500 with the dual SLI

hopefully the trackpad won't be TOO bad, and the keyboard holds up

really wanted to get a gaming laptop because my old one is about to die after 4 years of solid service

I'm curious why K.Jack would pick a single card over the SLI card still. :\
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I'm curious why K.Jack would pick a single card over the SLI card still. :\
Because, when the single card offers 100% of the SLI's performance, why deal with the added layer of intricacy a dual card setup adds to the process? If 650M SLI was faster than the 670MX, I'd feel differently. As it stand, if you have $1,000 the Y500 is a great buy. As a bonus it also has a backlit keyboard, which the NP9130 doesn't. But strictly talking SLI vs. an equal single, the single wins every time.

Also, I didn't notice your edit up above. That is an awesome laptop you got.
 

Le-mo

Member
Didn't see the new thread. Any recommendations for a laptop capable of playing the Sims 3? I'm looking to spend $400-500.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
Because, when the single card offers 100% of the SLI's performance, why deal with the added layer of intricacy a dual card setup adds to the process? If 650M SLI was faster than the 670MX, I'd feel differently. As it stand, if you have $1,000 the Y500 is a great buy. As a bonus it also has a backlit keyboard, which the NP9130 doesn't. But strictly talking SLI vs. an equal single, the single wins every time.

Also, I didn't notice your edit up above. That is an awesome laptop you got.

That makes sense. I actually almost opted for the NP9130, but the lack of backlit keyboard turned me off. After looking at the NP9150 and the fact that the GTX 675MX is such a power player, I decided I would drop a few more bones. And given that I'm still rockin a GTS 250 in my desktop, it's going to be insane seeing how much stronger my LAPTOP will be.
 
Country: USA
Budget: $500 - $1000
Size: 15" or so, if possible
Usage: For my daughter, mainly just surfing the Internet, reading PDFs, and using Microsoft Office, and pretty modest gaming (she likes point and click adventure games)
Misc: This will likely narrow this down substantially -- she really likes the "nub" or "eraser" that my wife's ThinkPad has. Is that exclusive pretty much to Lenovo (and then, even to a subset)?

Thanks!
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
XoticPC is pretty legit. They call to confirm, verify, and double check your order. And even then, I guess they have a baller return policy.

Country: USA
Budget: $500 - $1000
Size: 15" or so, if possible
Usage: For my daughter, mainly just surfing the Internet, reading PDFs, and using Microsoft Office, and pretty modest gaming (she likes point and click adventure games)
Misc: This will likely narrow this down substantially -- she really likes the "nub" or "eraser" that my wife's ThinkPad has. Is that exclusive pretty much to Lenovo (and then, even to a subset)?

Thanks!

I'm not trying to sound like I know what's going on like K.Jack does, but Tiger Direct has a simple machine on sale that should be fine for mobile work and minimal gaming. If she plays on lower settings, she should be able to run something like Borderlands 2 with ~30 FPS. So it's not terrible, but it's not a gaming machine.

Sony VAIO - i3-3120M, HD 4000, 4 GB DDR3 RAM
 

Poyunch

Member
So here is my plea:

United States of America
$800
No maximum size/dimensions/weight

I need to be able to run photoshop and maya somewhat problem-free. Oh I'd love to be able to capture games too. I don't need to be able to run Crysis or Dolphin. I've never really thought about PC gaming because I was saving up to build a rig first, but laptop is busted so I need one now. Um, I guess running something like Deus Ex or Sleeping Dogs on medium would be my minimum.

Help me GAF.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Didn't see the new thread. Any recommendations for a laptop capable of playing the Sims 3? I'm looking to spend $400-500.
This.

Country: USA
Budget: $500 - $1000
Size: 15" or so, if possible
Usage: For my daughter, mainly just surfing the Internet, reading PDFs, and using Microsoft Office, and pretty modest gaming (she likes point and click adventure games)
Misc: This will likely narrow this down substantially -- she really likes the "nub" or "eraser" that my wife's ThinkPad has. Is that exclusive pretty much to Lenovo (and then, even to a subset)?

Thanks!

That nub is exclusively confined to the business laptops. As you mentioned, you''ll need to look at Lenovo's Thinkpad line to get one of those.

So here is my plea:

Help me GAF.
$879.00 Lenovo Y500

But you'd need a 1080p screen right? Those are going to cost you a bit more. Like $900 minimum.
 

Ragnamith

Member
Thanks for this thread!

For the last 3 years I've been fine with a laptop (Dell XPS m1330), but there were a lot of games I just couldnt play since I had a 256 mb videocard in it.
I bought it without interest for PC gaming, but that has changed over the last couple of years.
This time I want to purchase something that should be fine for the current and upcoming games for PC, which shouldn't be a surprise in this thread I suppose.

I have one demand though and that's that it has to be 14 inch. Anything bigger makes it to unportable in my oppinion.
So with my 14 inch demand in mind I basically only have two options, an Alienware M14x and a Asus GW46VW.
But, when it comes to graphics I honestly dont require everything to be on the maximum setting. All I really want is the game to run and for it to run smooth. I really dont need everything to be on maximum settings.
And that's why I'm wondering if maybe there are some laptops out there who are able to run the games without it really being considered a gaming laptop.
I think this could possibly save some money.
So does gaf know of any other 14 inch options?

Since I've heard the Alienware laptop have slight cooling problems my current target is the Asus G46VW one.
The thing is, I'm from the Netherlands and the G46 is only being sold in the US.
So I actually found the G46 for sale on another website called www.hidevolution.com, does anybody have any experience with this website?
They even have a global warranty for me which would mean I can send the laptop back for free in case any repairs are necessary. This is one of the things I was worried about, I didn't want to end up paying €100 just for sending it to the US.
The AC adapter also seems to support both 100V and 240V, I would just need a converter for it to fit into my wall, not a problem for me.

I'm very close to ordering this, unless gaf goes red alert about this website or laptop choice when graphics are not the most important matter.

Thanks for any comments!
 

sk3tch

Member
Any new thoughts on the MSI GX60 from the OP? Looks crazy...especially considering it has an AMD quad-core - it's a potential bottleneck BUT next-gen consoles will be AMD (albeit 6-core) so perhaps it won't be too much of a ding for on-the-road gameplay...plus it's now $1100! EDIT: wow, it received a thrashing from NBR...I guess that CPU is a real holdback. Looking at GT60/GT70s with 675MX/680M now.

MSI GX60 Price: $1,199
Specs: AMD A10-4600M / AMD 7970M GDDR5 / 8GB 1600MHz RAM / 750GB 7200RPM HDD / 15.6" 1920x180 Matte LED
Performance: High/Ultra*
Notes: The * is clearly because of the A10-4600M. As this is a very new machine, the jury is still out on to what degree the AMD processor will bottleneck the 7970M in heavily CPU intensive games. What we do know is that no machine within $400 offers this amount of GPU power. The 7970M is easily a bit over 2x the speed of the GTX 660M, but it will lose some of that lead due to the A10. Still, if anyone has $1200 and only $1200, the GX60 is quite an enticing prospect. But maybe wait for Anandtech to run its head-to-head vs an i7+7970M machine, or for the NBR community to do it.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
So my Sager is in production! Woo!

My new question is this:

Lapdesk/cooler recommendations? Ideally, there would be a mouse slide out, but I want to make sure I protect my junk while couch gaming with this thing.
 

Zeroth

Member
Thanks for this thread!

For the last 3 years I've been fine with a laptop (Dell XPS m1330), but there were a lot of games I just couldnt play since I had a 256 mb videocard in it.
I bought it without interest for PC gaming, but that has changed over the last couple of years.
This time I want to purchase something that should be fine for the current and upcoming games for PC, which shouldn't be a surprise in this thread I suppose.

I have one demand though and that's that it has to be 14 inch. Anything bigger makes it to unportable in my oppinion.
So with my 14 inch demand in mind I basically only have two options, an Alienware M14x and a Asus GW46VW.
But, when it comes to graphics I honestly dont require everything to be on the maximum setting. All I really want is the game to run and for it to run smooth. I really dont need everything to be on maximum settings.
And that's why I'm wondering if maybe there are some laptops out there who are able to run the games without it really being considered a gaming laptop.
I think this could possibly save some money.
So does gaf know of any other 14 inch options?

Since I've heard the Alienware laptop have slight cooling problems my current target is the Asus G46VW one.
The thing is, I'm from the Netherlands and the G46 is only being sold in the US.
So I actually found the G46 for sale on another website called www.hidevolution.com, does anybody have any experience with this website?
They even have a global warranty for me which would mean I can send the laptop back for free in case any repairs are necessary. This is one of the things I was worried about, I didn't want to end up paying €100 just for sending it to the US.
The AC adapter also seems to support both 100V and 240V, I would just need a converter for it to fit into my wall, not a problem for me.

I'm very close to ordering this, unless gaf goes red alert about this website or laptop choice when graphics are not the most important matter.

Thanks for any comments!

Have you checked the Clevo resellers in Europe from the link in the OP? I imagine you could get a Clevo equipped with better hardware for less, but a 660M would be fine for light gaming.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Yeah sk3tch, I needed to update the OP with the results of Notebookcheck's GX60 review. I've done so now.

Conclusion:

GX60_Relative_Perf.jpg


The A10 from AMD is pathetic, and destroys the 7970M's value.

So my Sager is in production! Woo!

My new question is this:

Lapdesk/cooler recommendations? Ideally, there would be a mouse slide out, but I want to make sure I protect my junk while couch gaming with this thing.
This one seems well reviewed.

Thanks for this thread!

For the last 3 years I've been fine with a laptop (Dell XPS m1330), but there were a lot of games I just couldnt play since I had a 256 mb videocard in it.
I bought it without interest for PC gaming, but that has changed over the last couple of years.
This time I want to purchase something that should be fine for the current and upcoming games for PC, which shouldn't be a surprise in this thread I suppose.

I have one demand though and that's that it has to be 14 inch. Anything bigger makes it to unportable in my oppinion.
So with my 14 inch demand in mind I basically only have two options, an Alienware M14x and a Asus GW46VW.
But, when it comes to graphics I honestly dont require everything to be on the maximum setting. All I really want is the game to run and for it to run smooth. I really dont need everything to be on maximum settings.
And that's why I'm wondering if maybe there are some laptops out there who are able to run the games without it really being considered a gaming laptop.
I think this could possibly save some money.
So does gaf know of any other 14 inch options?

Since I've heard the Alienware laptop have slight cooling problems my current target is the Asus G46VW one.
The thing is, I'm from the Netherlands and the G46 is only being sold in the US.
So I actually found the G46 for sale on another website called www.hidevolution.com, does anybody have any experience with this website?
They even have a global warranty for me which would mean I can send the laptop back for free in case any repairs are necessary. This is one of the things I was worried about, I didn't want to end up paying €100 just for sending it to the US.
The AC adapter also seems to support both 100V and 240V, I would just need a converter for it to fit into my wall, not a problem for me.

I'm very close to ordering this, unless gaf goes red alert about this website or laptop choice when graphics are not the most important matter.

Thanks for any comments!

Seems like a solid place to buy from, to me.
 
I'm not trying to sound like I know what's going on like K.Jack does, but Tiger Direct has a simple machine on sale that should be fine for mobile work and minimal gaming. If she plays on lower settings, she should be able to run something like Borderlands 2 with ~30 FPS. So it's not terrible, but it's not a gaming machine.

Sony VAIO - i3-3120M, HD 4000, 4 GB DDR3 RAM

Thanks for the link --have it on the list along with a ThinkPad and HP's m6-1225dx.

That nub is exclusively confined to the business laptops. As you mentioned, you''ll need to look at Lenovo's Thinkpad line to get one of those.

Thanks. Crazy that they are only on that line, not even on the IdeaPads. Speaking of which, seriously considering a Y500 since it is on sale for $880 and it got some love above -- decent gaming rig? Not too eager to cross $1,000 threshold.

Thanks!
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Thanks. Crazy that they are only on that line, not even on the IdeaPads.

Speaking of which, seriously considering a Y500 since it is on sale for $880 and it got some love above -- decent gaming rig? Not too eager to cross $1,000 threshold.

Thanks!

Yeah it's the best overall package below $900, especially since it includes a 1080p panel.
 
I got Lenovo Ideapad Y580 for my son and that is one awesome budget gaming laptop. That thing is better than this piece of crap MSI GT780 DX I got last year and for $350 less. (I got it for $950.00 during last week deal) The Lenovo has 1080p 15" screen (which is perfect, I now regret getting big ass 17" laptop that is hard to lug around and find space for), i7 with 8gb of ram, NVidia 660M, 1 TB of hard disk and even come with Blu-ray drive.

I play Guild Wars 2 with him today and he has most of the graphic turn up and it still run silky smooth. It's also quiet unlike this MSI that sound like jet engine and feel like portable heater (did I said it was a piece of shit already? yes it is, it's loud, hot and then get even louder). His built in speakers sound great unlike mine MSI which the Bass has since stop working. The screen is gorgeous compare to my msi. On top of that the keyboard is awesome and the touchpad is smooth and responsive ... not to mention unlike my laptop, his battery last more than 2 hours. *sigh*
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I got Lenovo Ideapad Y580 for my son and that is one awesome budget gaming laptop. That thing is better than this piece of crap MSI GT780 DX I got last year and for $350 less. (I got it for $950.00 during last week deal) The Lenovo has 1080p 15" screen (which is perfect, I now regret getting big ass 17" laptop that is hard to lug around and find space for), i7 with 8gb of ram, NVidia 660M, 1 TB of hard disk and even come with Blu-ray drive.

I play Guild Wars 2 with him today and he has most of the graphic turn up and it still run silky smooth. It's also quiet unlike this MSI that sound like jet engine and feel like portable heater (did I said it was a piece of shit already? yes it is, it's loud, hot and then get even louder). His built in speakers sound great unlike mine MSI which the Bass has since stop working. The screen is gorgeous compare to my msi. On top of that the keyboard is awesome and the touchpad is smooth and responsive ... not to mention unlike my laptop, his battery last more than 2 hours. *sigh*

Have you cleaned out the vents of your GT780DX recently? Sometimes the accumulation of dust in the heatsink vents and fans contributes to loud noise.
 

Ragnamith

Member
Thanks for the Clevo reminder, Zeroth.
I checked it out and I was able to save €200,- but that was mainly because of a big downgrade of the videocard (didn't have a lot of options for 13/14inch) and because I would be buying the laptop without an OS. So I've decided for it to be the Asus G46VW.

Right so, I've got one decision left to make and that's the processor I'd want. Here's my options if I want to stay within my budget:

  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3210M   2.5GHz (3MB Cache, up to 3.1GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.4GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3740QM 2.7GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Are there any huge differences between these or is it really just purely the GHz?
The MB cache is pretty irrelevant to me.
Apparently Turbo Boost is a piece of software which will be pre-installed on the laptop.
I'm personally not interested in over-clocking laptop processors, it just doesn't seem like a good idea with the cooling and all.
 

Gruso

Member
Hey all. I used to post regularly in one of the previous threads as Sew. I'm trying to get that account restored; in the meantime I am junior.

Useless info dealt with, I spotted this new thread so I thought I'd post an update on the Clevo P150HM I bought largely thanks to K.Jack's advice. Here's my last post about it. Come April 2013 and the Clevo range refresh, my unit will be two generations old. I was seriously considering updating to a P150SM, but nearly $2k for the kind of upgrade that would cost a few hundred on a desktop seems excessive. Especially considering that the P150HM still holds its own, and in terms of reliability has been bulletproof.

So I'm looking at some minor performance improvements. The old 500GB HDD is a bit of a bottleneck, so I'm ditching the optical drive, moving the 500GB to that bay and installing a Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD as primary. The SSD is here, just waiting on the optical bay adaptor to arrive.

In a few months I may upgrade the 6970M to a 7970M, which should set me back about $600. In the meantime I decided to crank up the AMD overdrive to max - amazingly I had never touched it in all this time. Straight away I saw an average 10fps increase in DayZ, a difficult game to eek performance improvements out of. I can top out at 80fps when the stars are aligned, but average about 55fps outside of cities. Anyone who plays the game will know that's pretty decent.

I didn't buy many major new games last year, but I did pick up Far Cry 3. It chugs a little, and I had to drop a lot of settings to push it over 40fps. One game does not make for a benchmark of course, and I don't have any other current games to compare to. I think with the GPU upgrade I could get another two years of service out of the old girl, assuming no hardware failures.

In the end I'm still as happy with the laptop as I was when I posted my last impressions. I even fixed the crappy rubberised touchpad with a smartphone screen protector cut to size :) It's a little bubbly, but works well and is much nicer to use when I have to. I'm rarely without a mouse though.

I'll report back on my upgrades.

  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3210M   2.5GHz (3MB Cache, up to 3.1GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.4GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3740QM 2.7GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Are there any huge differences between these or is it really just purely the GHz?
I'm not qualified to give you an in-depth answer, but I will point out that the i5 listed is only dual core, as opposed to the quad cores of all three i7's.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Thanks for the Clevo reminder, Zeroth.
I checked it out and I was able to save €200,- but that was mainly because of a big downgrade of the videocard (didn't have a lot of options for 13/14inch) and because I would be buying the laptop without an OS. So I've decided for it to be the Asus G46VW.

Right so, I've got one decision left to make and that's the processor I'd want. Here's my options if I want to stay within my budget:

  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3210M   2.5GHz (3MB Cache, up to 3.1GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.4GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
  • 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3740QM 2.7GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Are there any huge differences between these or is it really just purely the GHz?
The MB cache is pretty irrelevant to me.
Apparently Turbo Boost is a piece of software which will be pre-installed on the laptop.
I'm personally not interested in over-clocking laptop processors, it just doesn't seem like a good idea with the cooling and all.

Just take the i7-3630QM. Also, Turbo Boost is an inherent property of the Intel processors. They overclock automatically.

Hey all. I used to post regularly in one of the previous threads as Sew. I'm trying to get that account restored; in the meantime I am junior.

Useless info dealt with, I spotted this new thread so I thought I'd post an update on the Clevo P150HM I bought largely thanks to K.Jack's advice. Here's my last post about it. Come April 2013 and the Clevo range refresh, my unit will be two generations old. I was seriously considering updating to a P150SM, but nearly $2k for the kind of upgrade that would cost a few hundred on a desktop seems excessive. Especially considering that the P150HM still holds its own, and in terms of reliability has been bulletproof.

So I'm looking at some minor performance improvements. The old 500GB HDD is a bit of a bottleneck, so I'm ditching the optical drive, moving the 500GB to that bay and installing a Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD as primary. The SSD is here, just waiting on the optical bay adaptor to arrive.

In a few months I may upgrade the 6970M to a 7970M, which should set me back about $600. In the meantime I decided to crank up the AMD overdrive to max - amazingly I had never touched it in all this time. Straight away I saw an average 10fps increase in DayZ, a difficult game to eek performance improvements out of. I can top out at 80fps when the stars are aligned, but average about 55fps outside of cities. Anyone who plays the game will know that's pretty decent.

I didn't buy many major new games last year, but I did pick up Far Cry 3. It chugs a little, and I had to drop a lot of settings to push it over 40fps. One game does not make for a benchmark of course, and I don't have any other current games to compare to. I think with the GPU upgrade I could get another two years of service out of the old girl, assuming no hardware failures.

In the end I'm still as happy with the laptop as I was when I posted my last impressions. I even fixed the crappy rubberised touchpad with a smartphone screen protector cut to size :) It's a little bubbly, but works well and is much nicer to use when I have to. I'm rarely without a mouse though.

I'll report back on my upgrades.
Hey it's nice to see someone come back and check in with an update.

I'm still going strong with a 6970M as well, in my P170HM. I'll be two years later, come this April, and I haven't run into a game which can't be run at 1080p. I have to consider that a good investment.

As far as your machine, I definitely recommend the SSD. Don't buy a 7970M though. The 8970M will be coming in the next few months, at the same $500 to $600 the 7970M is going for right now. You might as well wait to see if it's compatible with the P1x0HMs,

I think I'm going to try to stretch this P170HM for one more year, so the machine I buy next year comes equipped with next-gen GPU architecture. There's going to be another massive jump in performance, similar to what wee saw from the 6970M to the 7970M.
 

Ragnamith

Member
I'm not qualified to give you an in-depth answer, but I will point out that the i5 listed is only dual core, as opposed to the quad cores of all three i7's.

Ah, so that's what that missing Q means, thanks.

Just take the i7-3630QM. Also, Turbo Boost is an inherent property of the Intel processors. They overclock automatically.

Could you explain why the 3630 over the 3740?
There is roughly a €140($185) difference between the two.

Here's the cost details:
  • i7-3630QM 2.4GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w TurboBoost) +€75 ($100)
  • i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w TurboBoost) +€185 ($250)
  • i7-3740QM 2.7GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w TurboBoost) +€210 ($285)
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Could you explain why the 3630 over the 3740?
There is roughly a €140($185) difference between the two.

Here's the cost details:
  • i7-3630QM 2.4GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w TurboBoost) +€75 ($100)
  • i7-3720QM 2.6GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w TurboBoost) +€185 ($250)
  • i7-3740QM 2.7GHz (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w TurboBoost) +€210 ($285)

Look at the speeds and do the math. In what world is barely a 10% gain worth that much money? Spend it on an SSD, a faster GPU, or anything but waste it on a CPU from which you will gain absolutely nothing while gaming.
 

Ragnamith

Member
Look at the speeds and do the math. In what world is barely a 10% gain worth that much money? Spend it on an SSD, a faster GPU, or anything but waste it on a CPU from which you will gain absolutely nothing while gaming.

Well that was the reason why I asked. I thought maybe there was a good reason for the other two to cost so much more, but I guess there isn't.

You should see the last option.
  • i7-3940XM 3.0GHz (8MB Cache, up to 3.9GHz w TurboBoost) +€810 ($1,085) 
Anyway my order has been placed :) thanks for the help!
I'll try to come back after using it for a while with an update like Gruso did.
 

Soi-Fong

Member
Hey guys I'll be interning at LA soon and will need something that can do a lot of rendering from Maya as well as handle games at relatively medium to max settings. You guys have any suggestions?

Budget: 2k
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Well that was the reason why I asked. I thought maybe there was a good reason for the other two to cost so much more, but I guess there isn't.

You should see the last option.
  • i7-3940XM 3.0GHz (8MB Cache, up to 3.9GHz w TurboBoost) +€810 ($1,085) 
Anyway my order has been placed :) thanks for the help!
I'll try to come back after using it for a while with an update like Gruso did.

Intel gets away with the price hikes because of there monopoly. It's sick.

Hey guys I'll be interning at LA soon and will need something that can do a lot of rendering from Maya as well as handle games at relatively medium to max settings. You guys have any suggestions?

Budget: 2k
One of the Ultra tier MSI laptops in the OP.
 
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