Best sites to customize/purchase a laptop?

[Ben E Lou]

I'm going laptop-only soon. Looking for something fairly high-end, mainly to replace my desktop, but that I'll take with me when traveling. Where should I go?

[Comey]

Every company does customized laptops nowadays. This really depends on what you plan to do with it. Lenovo does some great business laptops...HP's line is solid, as is Sony's (I own a Sony Z, which is the ultimate in ultraportable powerhouses).

You can also look at Sager, which is high-end...check out http://www.xoticpc.com/ for that line.

[Ben E Lou]

Usage...

home video editing
text sims (but I want very fast multi-season sims for, say, OOTP)
some gaming (Civ5 and future Civ games mainly)
I like to multi-task like crazy (4 instances of FOF, 1 OOTP, 3 firefox, IE, Word, and Excel all open right now, for example)

[chesapeake]

I'm going laptop-only soon. Looking for something fairly high-end, mainly to replace my desktop, but that I'll take with me when traveling. Where should I go?

I tried this about 6 years ago using the laptop for roughly the same purposes. I found that hauling that beast around was a pretty miserable experience, and the performance was never better than mostly adequate. Sorta like what my wife says about me.

I expect that advances in miniaturizing will help make the final package easier to carry. Just don't lose track of the final weight.

[Honolulu_Blue]

SkyDog,

I went laptop-only back in 2008.

I would highly recommend the Sager brand. I have a 15.4" inch screen laptop. It's a bit big for travelling, though I have taken it on car trips and have used it on a train before.

They are very high end gaming laptops. Good quality. The biggest drawback is the battery life. Very short, but that's to be expected when you have such a powerful machine.

Here is my original post on the subject, still feel the same today:

I would take a look at Sager laptops. Back in November, I was in the market for a new laptop or desktop. I decided to go laptop simply because I would use it a lot more. I wanted something that could handle the newest games, so I did a ton of research on gaming laptops.

It turns out that Sager laptops (I'd never heard of them before) get excellent reviews. I bought one in December and have been thrilled with it so far. I haven't had any issues with it. I am not sure what you can get at the price range you're looking for, but I'd recommend poking around.

Here are some websites that sell them (I bought mine from powernotebooks):

http://www.powernotebooks.com/

http://www.xoticpc.com/

I'd never heard of either dealer, but they are both incredibly reputable.

I also consulted this site (A LOT) during my research. These people are crazy about their laptops and very responsive. You can post a thread saying what you're looking for, specs, price range, etc. and will get a number of good responses quickly.

Here it is:

Notebook and Laptop Reviews (http://www.notebookreview.com/)

[Ben E Lou]

SkyDog,

I went laptop-only back in 2008.

I would highly recommend the Sager brand. I have a 15.4" inch screen laptop. It's a bit big for travelling, though I have taken it on car trips and have used it on a train before.

They are very high end gaming laptops. Good quality. The biggest drawback is the battery life. Very short, but that's to be expected when you have such a powerful machine.

Here is my original post on the subject, still feel the same today:
Thanks!

And to be clear, I have very little need to use it *during* travel other than to relieve boredom during layovers. It's more the fact that I wake up between 4 and 5 am most mornings, and like to get some gaming in before my relatives/in-laws wake up. So in that regard, I'm not terribly concerned about size. My wife travels with her 17-inch screen laptop from time to time.

[Ben E Lou]

And how short is "very short?"

[Ben E Lou]

So, Blue-Ray is a technology that I've paid no attention to whatsoever, and I own zero Blue-Ray products. Is there strong reason to believe that I'd regret not getting Blue-Ray? Will many videos be Blue-Ray only? Will games be Blue-Ray only? (I'll likely buy something new again three years from now, fwiw.)

[Honolulu_Blue]

And how short is "very short?"

I would say, an hour to an hour and a half tops, I think. I don't go powerless very often, so it's hard for me to estimate. And I am always running my machine at "full power" or whatever the highest power settings are, so you may be able to extend the battery life by lowering the power consumption settings.

So, Blue-Ray is a technology that I've paid no attention to whatsoever, and I own zero Blue-Ray products. Is there strong reason to believe that I'd regret not getting Blue-Ray? Will many videos be Blue-Ray only? Will games be Blue-Ray only? (I'll likely buy something new again three years from now, fwiw.)

I haven't seen nor heard of any games coming out that are Blu-Ray only. In fact, other than ordering some old games, pretty much everything I buy is digital, so I don't even think about CDs vs. Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray is nice for high definition and you can connect your laptop to your TV with a HDMI cable and use it that way if you'd like. Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible, so you wont have any problem with your old DVDs/CDs.

As for something new again on the horizon... Beats me. I don't really follow it too much either. I am typically a couple years behind the curve on that stuff.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Thanks!

And to be clear, I have very little need to use it *during* travel other than to relieve boredom during layovers. It's more the fact that I wake up between 4 and 5 am most mornings, and like to get some gaming in before my relatives/in-laws wake up. So in that regard, I'm not terribly concerned about size. My wife travels with her 17-inch screen laptop from time to time.

Since I got my laptop, I haven't touched my desktop. I really love the portability of it. Even with my laptop getting on to about 2.5 years old now, I still can play all the games I want, wherever I want. I was playing Civ V last night.

I had to nuke and pave it back in December of last year. It was freezing up on me and finally crashed. Luckily, it gave me fair warning and I was able to back everything up. Since the nuke and pave it's been back to normal, so it wasn't a hardware issue.

If you want to play something during a layover, just find a seat near a power socket and you're all set.

I am a big fan of the brand. I know a couple other guys on here, sovereignstar for sure, have one as well.

[Ben E Lou]

Sounds good. And it sounds like "no Blue-Ray" would be a win-win. I win now by saving a few bucks, and if by chance it's a heavily desirable technology when I want a new machine in 2-3 years, it's a convenient "need" excuse.

[stevew]

Unless you would be hooking it up to an HDTV to watch a blu ray movie, or had a large collection of movies on blu ray, there's basically no reason to add it now.

[Ajaxab]

I just ordered a Sager 8130 from powernotebooks.com after learning about Sager from the Notebook Review Forum. The 8130 doesn't have the best video card for games that is currently available, but it should serve me well for the next 2+ years. Upgrading to the best video card, the Nvidia 485 GTX, was going to be an additional $$600 with a step up to the Sager 8150 or 8170. That was a bit too steep for me.

There seem to be a lot of helpful people over at the Notebook Review board. You might post a list of things you're looking for in the 'What Notebook Should I Buy' section and get some helpful suggestions there.

[CrimsonFox]

I just got a laptop with a bluray player and it is slower ripping and burning CDs than the faster regular DVD burners. I just don't think the technology is there yet bluraywise.

If you belong to costco, the costco website is where i got mine. Has lots of good stuff, but even the workers at costco say do NOT get an hp laptop. You will end up returning it.

[Wolfpack]

I just got a new HP 17", mainly so I can have the portability to be in any room to be on the computer. It did come with a Blu-Ray, but that was a free upgrade that was offered at the time. I don't expect to be making extensive use of it because as others have noted, PC games aren't really on Blu-Ray and are a hard commodity to come by on CD/DVD as is. I may make use of it as a portable movie-watching platform, probably, but I'm now inventorying what I've got from my very old and dusty collection of PC games (circa late 1990s-early 2000s, mostly) and determining just what has a chance of being run on such a new computer. (Short answer? Not much, unless you're into around-the-elbow problem solving.)

[Travis]

I just got a laptop with a bluray player and it is slower ripping and burning CDs than the faster regular DVD burners. I just don't think the technology is there yet bluraywise.

If you belong to costco, the costco website is where i got mine. Has lots of good stuff, but even the workers at costco say do NOT get an hp laptop. You will end up returning it.

Same deal as when DVD burners first came out and were slower than CD burners. They're slower but you're getting access to a different medium to watch/backup to. Definitely a question of whether you need/want that tech at this point, but probably will be a similar replacement cycle that we saw with CD to DVD.

[sovereignstar v2]

I travel with my 17" inch... Sager "desktop replacement" every now and then. Doesn't faze me at all. If you get something with the new Sandy Bridge processors battery life should be better than what some of us current owners have. I ordered mine from malibal.com. Technically not a Sager as Malibal didn't brand their's after getting it from Taiwan/Clevo, so mine doesn't even have any logos. :)

[sovereignstar v2]

These are the Sandy Bridge quads FWIW and will be all you can configure in some boutique laptops:

Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.0-2.9GHz
Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.2-3.3GHz
Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM, 8MB L3 Cache, 2.30-3.40GHz
Intel® Core™ i7-2920XM, Extreme 8MB L3 Cache, 2.50-3.50GHz

[Comey]

Thanks!

And to be clear, I have very little need to use it *during* travel other than to relieve boredom during layovers. It's more the fact that I wake up between 4 and 5 am most mornings, and like to get some gaming in before my relatives/in-laws wake up. So in that regard, I'm not terribly concerned about size. My wife travels with her 17-inch screen laptop from time to time.

To echo what others have said, I think you'll find your preferences change after you get a laptop. I haven't used a desktop since 2002 (I own one, but it doesn't work, and even when it did, I didn't bother with it), so I'm biased. ; )

[Johninja]

I would recommend Toshiba highly. Mine has taken quite a few falls and still works fine. Remember to fiddle with the power settings, sometimes the default setting only uses a low % of the total CPU power.

[CrimsonFox]

The other nice thing is they now make great graphics cards for laptops. I considered getting a monster gaming desktop but really didn't need one as the new laptop has a great card that isn't that expensive.

[Ben E Lou]

These are the Sandy Bridge quads FWIW and will be all you can configure in some boutique laptops:

Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.0-2.9GHz
Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.2-3.3GHz
Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM, 8MB L3 Cache, 2.30-3.40GHz
Intel® Core™ i7-2920XM, Extreme 8MB L3 Cache, 2.50-3.50GHzWhat sort of performance difference would I expect to see between these four? There's a pretty big price difference.

[Ben E Lou]

Oh, and forgive my ignorance; I'm still on XP at home and work. What are the major differences between Win7 Premium, Professional, and Ultimate? Is there a reason I'd want to pay the extra to get one of the latter two?

[Comey]

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare

Win7 Premium should be just fine for your needs; I have Ultimate, but only because it came with the machine. Frankly, I don't really know what I use on it that would set it apart from Home Premium.

[Ajaxab]

What sort of performance difference would I expect to see between these four? There's a pretty big price difference.

From what I've read, the 2630 should be just fine for everyday use and games. The 2720 might be the price/performance sweet spot though. Whether you actually need a 2720 for its minimal performance boost though is debatable from the sounds of things. I was quite content to stay with the 2630.

[CrimsonFox]

Oh, and forgive my ignorance; I'm still on XP at home and work. What are the major differences between Win7 Premium, Professional, and Ultimate? Is there a reason I'd want to pay the extra to get one of the latter two?

I'm guessing the latter two are more server based things and I"m guessing you only need it for home stuff and games and things like that.
So Premium is fine. I'm really loving Win7 actually. Originally I was reluctant to leave XP.

[Bigsmooth]

Check these Toshiba Qosmio's out:

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/laptops.to?Screen%20Size=17%22%20and%20up#1301701992496

The Q8102X is available at Costco online for $100 off ($1499). 18.4" screen with all the high end graphics, i7 chip, etc. Plus at Costco you get an extra 2 years warranty I believe. I'm about to order one!

[Ben E Lou]

So I'm reading over at the OOTP Boards that SSD may not be the wisest option for running OOTP because of how often it writes/rewrites to the HD. Any thoughts on this?

[Ben E Lou]

This thread:

What affects gameplay speed more - CPU or HD? - OOTP Developments Forums (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-12-general-discussions/207123-what-affects-gameplay-speed-more-cpu-hd.html)

[sovereignstar v2]

I have a 120GB SSD and a 500GB HDD. I store the 'My Documents' folder on the HDD and believe that helps a little bit. I can't recall if OOTP has a user data folder (like FM has) that you can change, but I imagine it does. That would alleviate some of the problem.

The myth is that your SSD is just going to die on you at some point. Trust me - you'll end up replace the laptop before your SSD dies. Just google 'SSD write limit' if you want to know more.

Anyways, I'd get a laptop where you can have two drives like I did. With many of the smaller ones you can replace the optical drive with a HDD, though you might want to purchase a cheap USB optical drive in that case.

[Ben E Lou]

OK, makes sense. OOTP writes data to the My Documents folder, so I suppose something like that would work.

I'm looking hard at the Sager NP8170, mainly because it has room for two drives and an optical. Here's where I am right now:

<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Display</td> <td class="css_cart_option">17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1080)</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Video & Graphics Card</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M GPU with 1.5GB GDDR5 Video Memory</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">CPU Processor</td> <td class="css_cart_option">2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.20GHz) [$160.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Thermal Compound</td> <td class="css_cart_option">IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU [$40.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Operating System</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition ( 64-Bit Preloaded )</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Memory</td> <td class="css_cart_option">16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4 X 4GB [$270.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">RAID Storage Options http://www.sagernotebook.com/images/h_elp.gif (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/)</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Non-RAID Storage</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Primary Hard Disk Drive</td> <td class="css_cart_option">120GB Intel SATA2 Solid State Disk Drive [$235.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">2nd Hard Disk Drive</td> <td class="css_cart_option">750GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Secondary Hard Disk Drive [$125.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Optical Drive Bay — Optical Drive or Hard Disk Drive in Optical Drive Bay with Caddy case</td> <td class="css_cart_option">8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Wireless Network Card</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1102 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module [$40.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Primary Battery</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Smart Li-ION Battery Pack</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Integrated Security Device</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Fingerprint Reader</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Microsoft Office</td> <td class="css_cart_option">New! Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - Included in Price</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Warranty</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Sager 2 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty [$79.00]</td></tr><tr><td class="css_cart_option" align="right">Carrying Bag</td> <td class="css_cart_option">Standard Carrying Bag</td></tr></tbody></table>

[sovereignstar v2]

You are pimping that thing out good!

That's a lot of RAM but if you think you'll need it for the video editing, go for it. What site are you configuring this at?

[Ben E Lou]

You are pimping that thing out good!I rarely watch television and movies, so the computer tends to be my primary source of home entertainment/diversion.

That's a lot of RAM but if you think you'll need it for the video editing, go for it.I'm thinking that plus my absurd multi-tasking, plus the delta in cost between 8MB and 16MB just isn't all that much.What site are you configuring this at?custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks (http://www.sagernotebook.com/)

[sovereignstar v2]

Sager are good builders, bad at customer service. I'd go with a reseller like XoticPC or Malibal.

http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Sager-Midern-Computer-Inc-33000135

[Ben E Lou]

Yowza. I just assumed it would be cheaper/better to buy from the source. Thanks for the heads-up.

[sterlingice]

I like seeing the little tack on items they try to sell people on. Does the snazzy thermal compound or "better nic card" really get you anything for the $40 each you're paying?

Personally, I'm going to wait a few more months to go get a SSD. Not enough bang for that buck and those prices are going to start coming down, I suspect. Same with the 16GB of RAM- seems overkill, but that's me.

SI

[sterlingice]

The myth is that your SSD is just going to die on you at some point. Trust me - you'll end up replace the laptop before your SSD dies. Just google 'SSD write limit' if you want to know more.

Haven't heard about this but is the myth that you should put the docs you write to on another drive or something to keep it from wearing out? Considering you pound your paging file with reads and writes much more than any other spot on the drive- I don't think were you keep your docs would make much of a difference.

SI

[sovereignstar v2]

I can agree with that. I changed the MyDocs folder location primarily so I wouldn't lose stuff when I format my OS drive, which I do fairly often out of compulsiveness.

[sovereignstar v2]

I like seeing the little tack on items they try to sell people on. Does the snazzy thermal compound or "better nic card" really get you anything for the $40 each you're paying?

Personally, I'm going to wait a few more months to go get a SSD. Not enough bang for that buck and those prices are going to start coming down, I suspect. Same with the 16GB of RAM- seems overkill, but that's me.

SI

The thermal paste upgrade is overpriced, but if you don't want to put it on yourself and you want to keep your machine as cool as possible you don't have much choice. You could get a whole tube of ICD7 for under 15-20 bucks, but I can tell you from experience it is a bitch to put on and can be a bit overwhelming for a newb. The stock paste is trash. Will your computer die from it? No, but you have to consider the stress the most common buyers of these machines put on their rigs. Dual video cards and extreme processors are not made for laptops...

As for the wireless card, you get what you pay for. A little overpriced? Sure. The only people that need 16 gigs of RAM are multimedia people. Ben talked about video editing, so he just might be able to take advantage of that if he's dealing with raw, uncompressed files.

[Ben E Lou]

Yes, raw and uncompressed. As for that price, very early in my marriage, my wife and I bought a put-it-together-yourself corner computer desk for maybe $250. Office Depot wanted an additional 40 bucks to come out and put it together. We went cheap and didn't pay them. DUMB decision. The time we spent fooling with that stupid thing was worth two or three times that much money. I learned from that experience, and will be nickeled and dimed on that sort of thing the rest of my life. It just isn't worth my time.

[Ben E Lou]

Thanks again for the help. My new laptop arrived this morning. After some more research and some testing on a machine belonging to a friend, I dropped down to 8GB RAM. but moved up to 256GB SSD. Should I just store pics and videos on the 2nd drive and do pretty much everything else on the SSD? (Unless I have a major problem I won't be reinstalling the OS ever. I just don't do that.)

[Honolulu_Blue]

Did you end up going with the Sager that you spec'd out above?

[Ben E Lou]

I actually bought {hangs head in shame} a Dell. BUT MY REASONING IS SOUND! ;) I didn't realize that my company had changed policies since my last purchase. It used to be that they paid a percentage that reset every time you bought something. But now, they pay based on total service time as long as you wait three years between purchases. So the short version is that I was able to get a Dell with basically the same specs that the Sager would have had, but with some additional stuff like a comprehensive 3-year warranty (including drops, spills, and power surges,) and it cost me ~$400 less than the Sager would have. I figure with the extra protection I have I'm ok. But yeah, same processor, 3 GB GeForce, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 640GB SATA HDD, backlit keyboard, 36-month McAfee.

[cartman]

Just curious, did you use the new laptop to run the WOOF sim this morning? If so, I think it might have a computing issue. My QB was atrocious. :)

[Ben E Lou]

Just curious, did you use the new laptop to run the WOOF sim this morning? If so, I think it might have a computing issue. My QB was atrocious. :)
No, it came at around 8am. And I'm waiting for a consensus on this question to determine where I want to put FOF. My guess is that the Friday WOOF sim will be run on the new machine. (I'm posting from it now.)

[Barkeep49]

Thanks again for the help. My new laptop arrived this morning. After some more research and some testing on a machine belonging to a friend, I dropped down to 8GB RAM. but moved up to 256GB SSD. Should I just store pics and videos on the 2nd drive and do pretty much everything else on the SSD? (Unless I have a major problem I won't be reinstalling the OS ever. I just don't do that.)
256 MB runs out surprisingly fast if you have a lot of different programs installed. I think your plan is generally a sound one, just know that.

[Ben E Lou]

Well, my solo HDD on the machine this is replacing only has approx. 140 GB used, including vids and pics, so I figure I will be ok on space for a good while. :)

[Honolulu_Blue]

I actually bought {hangs head in shame} a Dell. BUT MY REASONING IS SOUND! ;) I didn't realize that my company had changed policies since my last purchase. It used to be that they paid a percentage that reset every time you bought something. But now, they pay based on total service time as long as you wait three years between purchases. So the short version is that I was able to get a Dell with basically the same specs that the Sager would have had, but with some additional stuff like a comprehensive 3-year warranty (including drops, spills, and power surges,) and it cost me ~$400 less than the Sager would have. I figure with the extra protection I have I'm ok. But yeah, same processor, 3 GB GeForce, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 640GB SATA HDD, backlit keyboard, 36-month McAfee.
Sounds like a sweet deal and a good machine. I don't think I would have passed that up either.

[DaddyTorgo]

I got the okay from my partner to get a new laptop and charge it to work...need to start shopping.

[sovereignstar v2]

I actually bought {hangs head in shame} a Dell. BUT MY REASONING IS SOUND! ;) I didn't realize that my company had changed policies since my last purchase. It used to be that they paid a percentage that reset every time you bought something. But now, they pay based on total service time as long as you wait three years between purchases. So the short version is that I was able to get a Dell with basically the same specs that the Sager would have had, but with some additional stuff like a comprehensive 3-year warranty (including drops, spills, and power surges,) and it cost me ~$400 less than the Sager would have. I figure with the extra protection I have I'm ok. But yeah, same processor, 3 GB GeForce, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 640GB SATA HDD, backlit keyboard, 36-month McAfee.

Glad to hear about the warranty. Dell doesn't come close to matching the durability and reliability that a Sager/Clevo provides.

[Ben E Lou]

I travel with my 17" inch... Sager "desktop replacement" every now and then. Doesn't faze me at all. If you get something with the new Sandy Bridge processors battery life should be better than what some of us current owners have.Yeah, I'm finding the 17-inch fine for portability. My daughter is home sick today, and I'm on it now in the den while she watches a Sesame Street vid. The battery meter has shown a life as long as 7 hours, and I was probably using it 3-4 in the den on Sunday without ever going upstairs to recharge, and was still showing 25%/100ish minutes when I finally did. Very happy with that.

Glad to hear about the warranty. Dell doesn't come close to matching the durability and reliability that a Sager/Clevo provides.Yeah, I've read/heard that, but the price break combined with the comprehensive warranty up until the time I can get a new one with an even greater price break through work sealed the deal.

[Ben E Lou]

Humpty bumpty for 2015. It's time for another one.

1. I'm no longer limited to Dell.

2. I'd like to use two external monitors, with different content on the laptop monitor and each of the two externals. What do I need to be able to do that?

3. My amount of traveling has been reduced pretty significantly since the last purchase, enough that I *might* consider a desktop again. Any particularly good ones that present significant savings over laptops, or have laptops closed the price gap? I think I'd still need to see a pretty big price gap to go the desktop route. (And no, I am absolutely not going to go through the time and trouble to build one.)

4. Is there any reason to get Windows 8? So far in the limited usage I've had of it, I don't like it.

5. Any changes to the recommendations above? I was tooling around looking at Sagers earlier this morning and they still look pretty solid...

[CU Tiger]

Im a big Lenovo fan. Their high end stuff is durable as heck and their low end stuff specs great but with cheap plastics.

Ive heard Windows 8 owners will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it comes out. Going 8 now with a 10 future upgrade future prrofs you for the life of the device.

I didnt realize they still made desktops

[Barkeep49]

Im a big Lenovo fan. Their high end stuff is durable as heck and their low end stuff specs great but with cheap plastics.

Ive heard Windows 8 owners will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it comes out. Going 8 now with a 10 future upgrade future prrofs you for the life of the device.

I didnt realize they still made desktops
I'm guessing you like the hardware not having your computer's security compromised

Lenovo honestly thought you’d enjoy that Superfish HTTPS spyware | Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/02/lenovo-honestly-thought-youd-enjoy-that-superfish-https-spyware/)

[Scoobz0202]

Yea, I'm a big fan of lenovo laptops, but this Superfish thing is baaaaad

[Julio Riddols]

Regarding question 4, with the Windows 10 update being free and coming with both Windows 7 and 8, I wouldn't worry too much about OS.

[ISiddiqui]

Also, the hate for 8 is overrated. It's actually pretty easy to figure out 8 (and esp 8.1)

[cuervo72]

I just wish the big icons and purple surround STOPPED POPPING UP EVERY TIME I GET NEAR MY FIREFOX SCROLLBAR. Because that shit pisses me off.

[BillJasper]

I just wish the big icons and purple surround STOPPED POPPING UP EVERY TIME I GET NEAR MY FIREFOX SCROLLBAR. Because that shit pisses me off.

+1

[korme]

yeah the overriding "hey did you need to use any of these cool win8 features" when you're just innocuously moving your mouse around are the only really annoying things about Win8.

I love my MSi btw.

[CU Tiger]

I'm guessing you like the hardware not having your computer's security compromised

Lenovo honestly thought you’d enjoy that Superfish HTTPS spyware | Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/02/lenovo-honestly-thought-youd-enjoy-that-superfish-https-spyware/)

actually just saw that earlier this morning and came back to post a maybe 'not so much'...to my earlier recomendation.

I havent bought any new Lenovo since 2013, but that is a concerning article.
As someone who has never had a facebook account for privacy reasons...not happy about this.

[britrock88]

Article says Superfish hasn't been preloaded/active since December, though. I purchased a Lenovo in May and haven't seen anything like this.

[Jughead Spock]

Humpty bumpty for 2015. It's time for another one.

2. I'd like to use two external monitors, with different content on the laptop monitor and each of the two externals. What do I need to be able to do that?

4. Is there any reason to get Windows 8? So far in the limited usage I've had of it, I don't like it.




2. Easiest way these days is using DisplayPort. If your laptop has that (and the monitors), you just daisy chain them. There are ways to split DVI and HDMI, but a lot of that is card-dependent. And depending on the laptop, you could use the HDMI for 1, VGA for the other. But I hate VGA anymore. Another thought is to pick up a docking station, especially nice if you have a manufacturer specific one. Then you can just leave them plugged in and they usually allow for the dual displays (again, as long as it's supported by the card). Depending on the laptop, you may also get WiDi. That one still feels a little niche/early to me, not to mention tumor-growing. Opinion.

4. Windows 8.1 isn't so bad, and it really is hard to go back to 7 after you get used to the boot/restore time of 8, IMO. There is talk of the Windows 10 upgrade being free, BUT that is for a year from what I've read. Another way to hook you in. Not the worst thing, but I don't expect it's going to be 'free' free. That being said, buying a new laptop at this point would probably entitle you to 10.

Can't help too much on recommendations, though Sager's usually on the list. iBuyPower is pretty popular as well. You can find horror stories from any of them. I was really high on Lenovo with the Y4xx & Y5xx series, but sounds like the Y40 and Y50 are a step down. Although, it's mostly in the display itself - which, if you're planning on having two monitors hooked up at home, and your travel is down - probably isn't that big a deal. Check 'em out, I think for the money, they're certainly in the discussion.

Apart from the SuperFish thingy - but they fixed that Finally. :D

[Ben E Lou]

I seem to be settling on the NP9772-S. I notice that there's an option for 230W vs. 330 W on the power supply. What advantage is the higher wattage power supply?

[cartman]

I seem to be settling on the NP9772-S. I notice that there's an option for 230W vs. 330 W on the power supply. What advantage is the higher wattage power supply?

It depends on the earlier options you select. If you go with a beefier graphics card, top of the line CPU, or multiple non-SSD hard drives, the 330W power supply would provide more juice to run things. It may also help a battery that was run down charge faster.

[Ben E Lou]

It depends on the earlier options you select. If you go with a beefier graphics card, top of the line CPU, or multiple non-SSD hard drives, the 330W power supply would provide more juice to run things. It may also help a battery that was run down charge faster.

Processor: 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4790K Unlocked [Z97 Chipset] (4.0GHz - 4.4GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – SPUZ02)

Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 980M (8.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 (Maxwell) [User Upgradeable] (SKU – GPU03X)

SSD HD: 512GB Micron M600 M.2 mSATA SSD
non-SSD HD: 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)

Thoughts?

[Ben E Lou]

Full specs if it matters:


- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - SSC002)
- Sager - 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4790K Unlocked [Z97 Chipset] (4.0GHz - 4.4GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – SPUZ02)
- FREE! - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 980M (8.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 (Maxwell) [User Upgradeable] (SKU – GPU03X)
- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service - requires shipment to XOTIC PC: will add to build time)
- 32GB DDR3 1866MHz Kingston Hyper X CL10(4x8GB)
- mSATA Slot 1 Preconfigured as an OS Drive ( Operating System – Drive C: ) / mSATA Slot 2 ( Storage Drive )
- 512GB Micron M600 M.2 mSATA SSD
- 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)
- External USB 2.0 Slim DVD±R/RW Drive
- Sager - Intel® Dual Band AC 7265 [M.2 Chip] 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (SKU - WIFIX1)
- Internal 6-in-1 Card Reader
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Standard 330W Sager AC Adapter
- 7 Port Powered USB Hub (power cord included)
- ~Windows 8.1 - 64-Bit (64-Bit CD Included) + MS Office 2013 Trial
- Installation of Global Anti-Theft Protection (globally track your PC if it is stolen) (O.S. Required) (XPC Service)
- 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty 24/7 Tech Support w/ LCD Accidental Damage Protection for Sager Machines (SKU - WTY013)
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based technical support

[cartman]

I'd probably opt for the bigger power supply. Better to have too much than too little.

[Ben E Lou]

I'd probably opt for the bigger power supply. Better to have too much than too little.Thanks!

One more question (ok..at least for now..maybe more later...)

Is this upgrade to my OS drive worth $215? Why or why not?

512GB Micron M600 M.2 mSATA SSD

vs.

512GB Samsung XP941 M.2 PCIe mSATA SSD (9772-S/52-S) ( + 215 )

[cartman]

That is an interesting choice. The Micron drive is your 'classic' laptop drive form factor. The speed is limited to 6gb/sec, the top speed of the SATA interface. The Samsung uses the new form factor, which plugs directly into the PCI bus. It is tons faster. Regular SSDs on SATA are pretty dang fast, but the ones like the Samsung are blink and you'll miss it fast. $215 is a pretty big price delta, so it will be a personal call.

[Radii]

I asked a buddy of mine who works for a laptop company why the second is $215 more:

"cuz it's pcie, it's not really msata. so that part of the description [on the second one] is wrong.

msata is on the sata bus, so its maxed at 6GB/s. pci is directly on the pci bus, and the samsung is a x4 card, so you have a much much higher bus. It's a gen 2, so its' cap at 20gb/s, and the card itself is rated at 10gb, so you have extra 4gb."


He recommended the second one, BUT, I'm not sure I've ever asked him a question and had him not recommend the bigger/more powerful thing, that's just how this guy rolls with computer parts, I usually poke a bit more to figure out if its actually worth it to me:

"to his eye and usage, he won't know the speed differences between the 2 for the price differences cuz ssd is quite fast already."

More poking on this:


"it still is faster, just you probably won't notice it, cuz it's like 1 to 2 sec, unless you are really picky or if you put it side by side"



To me that would mean I'm saving the $215 :P But if your budget is unlimited and you want to maximize, maybe.

[Ben E Lou]

Heh. Thanks, Radii. Sounds like I'm saving the $215, too. ;) I thought maybe the Samsung was more reliable or long-lasting or something. My nearly-4-year-old SSD still boots plenty fast for my tastes. The current boot speed of my old machine is one of the few things about it that I could still live with just fine, actually. I'm sure the lesser of the two options will be just fine.

[sovereignstar v2]

Wow Ben you are going hardcore to the max. I'm kind of jelly. After spending over 3000 on a Clevo and multiple upgrades after its purchase in 2009 I am planning on spending half of that on my next buy. I am definitely going to hold off until the next Intel processors come out though. Skylake is supposedly going to be the biggest Intel release in 10 years. DDR4 ram, wireless charging, and more. I also believe the pricing of the pcie ssd's will come down as more become available later this year.

I don't game as much anymore so I'm thinking of going with something that uses the iris pro graphics, which again are supposed to be vastly improved with Skylake. A refresh and improvement upon the Clevo w740su might be up my alley.

[sovereignstar v2]

Good timing, Ben. Notebookcheck just reviewed the laptop you're looking at. It got a very impressive score of 88, which puts it at a tie in the #2 spot.

Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme (Clevo P750ZM) Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Eurocom-P5-Pro-Extreme-Clevo-P751ZM-Notebook-Review.136663.0.html)

[Ben E Lou]

Good timing, Ben. Notebookcheck just reviewed the laptop you're looking at. It got a very impressive score of 88, which puts it at a tie in the #2 spot.

Eurocom P5 Pro Extreme (Clevo P750ZM) Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Eurocom-P5-Pro-Extreme-Clevo-P751ZM-Notebook-Review.136663.0.html)Sweet!

Yeah, I've done a fair amount of homework, so I'm not shocked there. Of course, now I want to see what's #1. :p

[sovereignstar v2]

I just noticed they actually consider it a workstation. Whether that changes the weighting of the scores I'm not sure.

[sovereignstar v2]

I'm guessing you ran across NBR at some point in your quest for the ultimate laptop. Here is an owner's thread if you want to read some impressions about it. On that note, I just noticed that you are going for the 17" version. The review was for the 15", but there isn't going to be too much difference. One would think the cooling would be even better.

**Official Clevo P770ZM / Sager NP9772 Owner's Lounge** | NotebookReview (http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/official-clevo-p770zm-sager-np9772-owners-lounge.768770/)

[Ben E Lou]

I just noticed they actually consider it a workstation. Whether that changes the weighting of the scores I'm not sure.A workstation meaning that it's so big that it's not particularly mobile? (That's no biggie for me for the aforementioned reasons. I basically want a desktop that's relatively easy to take to other locations every so often when I need to.)

I'm guessing you ran across NBR at some point in your quest for the ultimate laptop. Here is an owner's thread if you want to read some impressions about it. On that note, I just noticed that you are going for the 17" version. The review was for the 15", but there isn't going to be too much difference. One would think the cooling would be even better.

**Official Clevo P770ZM / Sager NP9772 Owner's Lounge** | NotebookReview (http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/official-clevo-p770zm-sager-np9772-owners-lounge.768770/)Yup. Actually that thread is what tipped it to the NP9772-S. :D

[sovereignstar v2]

I think they chose to go with workstation because of the desktop processor, and to a less extent the ability to add a workstation graphics card (used for rendering among other things).

[Ajaxab]

I'm about to spring for a new Sager to replace my 4 year old Sager. Anyone know how much RAM is enough and how much is overkill? Looks like Ben went with 32 GB in his build. I assumed it was smarter to put money into the video card as opposed to RAM, but is that still the case? I plan to use the machine for text sims and graphically non-intensive PC games (I'll leave those types of games for the big tv and the PS4).

[INDalltheway]

You'd probably be OK with 8gb, but 16gb has become the norm on higher end machines it seems.

[Ben E Lou]

Full specs if it matters:


- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - SSC002)
- Sager - 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4790K Unlocked [Z97 Chipset] (4.0GHz - 4.4GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – SPUZ02)
- FREE! - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 980M (8.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 (Maxwell) [User Upgradeable] (SKU – GPU03X)
<s>- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service - requires shipment to XOTIC PC: will add to build time)</s>
- 32GB DDR3 1866MHz Kingston Hyper X CL10(4x8GB)
- mSATA Slot 1 Preconfigured as an OS Drive ( Operating System – Drive C: ) / mSATA Slot 2 ( Storage Drive )
- 512GB Micron M600 M.2 mSATA SSD
- 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)
<s>- External USB 2.0 Slim DVD±R/RW Drive</s>
- Sager - Intel® Dual Band AC 7265 [M.2 Chip] 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (SKU - WIFIX1)
- Internal 6-in-1 Card Reader
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Standard 330W Sager AC Adapter
<s>- 7 Port Powered USB Hub (power cord included)</s>
- ~Windows 8.1 - 64-Bit (64-Bit CD Included) + MS Office 2013 Trial
- Installation of Global Anti-Theft Protection (globally track your PC if it is stolen) (O.S. Required) (XPC Service)
<s>- 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty 24/7 Tech Support w/ LCD Accidental Damage Protection for Sager Machines (SKU - WTY013)</s>scaled down to the free one-year. Buying warranty through Square Trade
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based technical supportOrdered today. Changes noted above, based mainly on feedback from here and NotebookReview forums. Thanks again for all the help!

[INDalltheway]

Ben did you order through xotic pc?

[Ben E Lou]

Ben did you order through xotic pc?Yup. Why?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Heh! Well, it only took about 4 years, but you finally heeded my advice!

Looks like a powerful machine, Ben. I am jealous.

I am currently on my second Sager. I bought it back in November 2013. It still runs pretty much everything game-wise. The only issue I have is getting blue screens of death whenever I put it into sleep mode.

Another a really weird thing is where the long I have it on the slower my wireless connection gets. If I have it on all day, eventually it slows to a crawl. All I need to do is reboot and speeds a right back up to max. I have no idea what's going on, since my wireless connection is perfectly fine on all of my other devices.

[Ben E Lou]

Heh! Well, it only took about 4 years, but you finally heeded my advice! Heh. At the time I made the original post, I wasn't aware of a significant change in my employer's personal computer purchase discount program. Once I got into the weeds of making the purchase, I realized the the savings I could get by ordering a machine directly from Dell made it an absolute no-brainer. Even with the drops/spills/everything warranty, the cost to me from buying through Dell was a cheaper by a few hundred dollars iirc, and I was able to do one-year no-interest payroll deduction to pay for it. But the policy has changed again, and the changes caused non-Dell purchases to be competitive.

[INDalltheway]

Yup. Why?

I am trying to decide where to order my Sager from. Xotic PC seems to be the best bet.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I am trying to decide where to order my Sager from. Xotic PC seems to be the best bet.

I've never used Xotic PC, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Powernotebooks. I think they are the other major re-seller and both my brother and I ordered from them and they were great. I am sure Xotic PC is good as well.

[dzilla77]

I ordered from PowerNotebooks as well. I have also converted at least 4 of my friends to Sager and they all went through there as well.

[Ben E Lou]

From my reading, it seemed like PowerNotebooks and XoticPC are pretty much equals in terms of service, reliability, etc. I went with XoticPC because when I created the exact same specs on each, XoticPC came in with a slightly lower price.

[I. J. Reilly]

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Sager, but had a few questions. these are the two I'm looking at:

Sager NP6659 (Clevo W650SC) Gaming Laptops (http://www.powernotebooks.com/Sager-NP6659-Clevo-W650SC-gaming-laptops-notebooks-sys-7131.html)
Sager NP7155 (Clevo W355SSQ) Gaming Laptops - </span><b> <span style="color:red;font-size:20px"> Instant Rebate $100</span> </b> (http://www.powernotebooks.com/Sager-NP7155-Clevo-W355SSQ-gaming-laptops-notebooks-sys-7139.html)

I think I'm leaning towards the NP6659, mainly because of the glossy screen vs the matte. I'm guessing movies on glossy will look better, or am I wrong?
The NP7155 does have those big old vents on the back, will it run a lot cooler because of those? And with cooling in mind is it worth $35 to have the extra thermal paste put on? I won't be doing anything too hardcore, just FM or Paradox games for a few hours at time.

I know they're almost identical, but which one would you all choose?

[rjolley]

I'm in the market for the same thing. I was looking at the MSI line, but the Sagers are interesting as well.

You can change out the graphics card at a later date with these models? Man, that might be the better move. Only expandable to 16G, though. I'm looking for one to 32G.

As for your question, the quick difference I see is the GPU, a 950M in the NP6659 vs a 960M in the NP7155. The one that works better for you would depend on what you're going to use it for. I would get the one with the better graphics card with the price so close.

[Radii]

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Sager, but had a few questions. these are the two I'm looking at:

Sager NP6659 (Clevo W650SC) Gaming Laptops (http://www.powernotebooks.com/Sager-NP6659-Clevo-W650SC-gaming-laptops-notebooks-sys-7131.html)
Sager NP7155 (Clevo W355SSQ) Gaming Laptops - </span><b> <span style="color:red;font-size:20px"> Instant Rebate $100</span> </b> (http://www.powernotebooks.com/Sager-NP7155-Clevo-W355SSQ-gaming-laptops-notebooks-sys-7139.html)

I think I'm leaning towards the NP6659, mainly because of the glossy screen vs the matte. I'm guessing movies on glossy will look better, or am I wrong?
The NP7155 does have those big old vents on the back, will it run a lot cooler because of those? And with cooling in mind is it worth $35 to have the extra thermal paste put on? I won't be doing anything too hardcore, just FM or Paradox games for a few hours at time.

I know they're almost identical, but which one would you all choose?


I have a tech friend who works for Sager that I talk to almost every day, will run this by him tomorrow.

[sovereignstar v2]

You can change out the graphics card at a later date with these models? Man, that might be the better move. Only expandable to 16G, though. I'm looking for one to 32G.

Unfortunately, everyone (Clevo and Alienware included) is going away from socketed parts. The two linked above could have the CPU's upgraded down the line, but not the video cards. Select Clevos still have upgradeable GPU's, but they are becoming rarer and rarer.

[rjolley]

Ok, thanks. Thinking about it, I don't really need a great GPU. I really need a great CPU, 32G RAM max, with at least 2 HDs and a good cooling system. While I do enjoy a game from time to time, I don't play graphics intensive games often.

The problem I have is that in order to find the features I need, I usually have to go with a gaming laptop of some type. And if I go with a gaming laptop, I want the best deal I can get, even if I would rarely, if ever, use most of the GPU power. Also, I would like to be able to take it into an office and not have it stand out immediately, which takes out the ROG Asus model that I'm currently using.

Right now, the Clevo-based laptops, MSI, and Lenovo have my eye. At some point in the near future, I'll pull the trigger on one of them.

[sovereignstar v2]

It's pretty hard to find a gaming laptop that ticks every box. Even the laptops that cost $2,000+ have their shortcomings. I read lots of stuff about Razer brand laptops dying. The newest fad is thinner, thinner, and thinner. Well, thinner means heat/emission problems and loud-ass fans. Gigabyte is another company that is churning out laptops you can cook eggs on.

If I was going to buy something right now I'd probably go with one of the
Acer V Nitros if I was on a budget. Otherwise, I'd go for one of the Clevo Clevo P650 models. They have been getting a lot of love since their release. They are offered with the 965, 970, or 980. (970 being best bang for the buck).

[I. J. Reilly]

rjolley, it sounds like we are after about the same thing. the ROG, Msi, Alienware etc.'s are all out from the get go for me based on looks alone. I was looking at the Asus N550JX but it looks like it will be much easier to upgrade the Sagers with more RAM and a SSD down the road.

Sovereignstar, I had no idea that upgrading a CPU would even be an option. Is that a pretty major project, or something that could be done after watching a youtube tutorial? I'm buying way more processing power then I need for now, so it won't be an issue for quite a while.

thanks all for the input.

[sovereignstar v2]

It's pretty easy to do and I'm sure there are YouTube videos. You won't be able to upgrade to anything that has a different socket though, so you'llmbe limited to Haswell and broadwell processors I think. A good way to tell if a laptop has upgradable cpu/gpu is if you are able to customize on the reseller sites. If you can't the parts are soldered. An obvious issue with soldered parts is if they go bad the whole motherboard needs replacing. I'd make sure to get a 2 year warranty at a minimum because of this.

[rjolley]

I.J., I've been looking at the MSI Dominator because it can hold 3 or 4 HDs and 32G and last year's model with an 870M can be had for a good price, but the Sager/Clevo models are very interesting and could work better.

Is XoticPC the best place to shop, or is there another one that's better? I've seen models from The Computer Upgrade King, but don't know much about them.

[sovereignstar v2]

Based solely off of browsing the NoteBookReview forums, Xotic seems to be the most popular. All reseller pricing is so similar and competitive that it's hard to differentiate them all.

[I. J. Reilly]

I.J., I've been looking at the MSI Dominator because it can hold 3 or 4 HDs and 32G and last year's model with an 870M can be had for a good price, but the Sager/Clevo models are very interesting and could work better.

Is XoticPC the best place to shop, or is there another one that's better? I've seen models from The Computer Upgrade King, but don't know much about them.

Makes sense, I don't need anywhere near that much storage or RAM. I guess I don't need the powerful CPU or GPU either, but you know:)

On another note, does anyone know if an IPS screen would be significantly better then what is on the NP7155? They seem to be available for not too much more, which leads me to believe they aren't that much of an upgrade.

[sovereignstar v2]

I would definitely go for an IPS if it's available. Good ones allow you to view the laptop from multiple angles and not lose viewing quality. The best laptops offer them standard, while the rest omit them as a cost saving feature. There are good TN panels available but they are rare. Notebookcheck rates displays thoroughly in their reviews.

[I. J. Reilly]

Anyone have thoughts on the Lenovo Y50. I just found out I get a corporate discount for Lenovo. That red keyboard though, oy.

[sovereignstar v2]

The Y50 is another popular budget model that seems to be a popular model on the the Slickdeals forums. Lenovo runs discounts on their gaming models quite a bit. Here is the Notebookcheck review from last year. I believe the only thing that was updated in 2015 was the display.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712) Notebook Review Update - NotebookCheck.net Reviews (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y50-70-59424712-Notebook-Review-Update.124754.0.html)

Lenovo Y50 with GeForce GTX 960M coming in March - NotebookCheck.net News (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Y50-with-GeForce-GTX-960M-coming-in-March.136218.0.html)

[I. J. Reilly]

The Y50 is another popular budget model that seems to be a popular model on the the Slickdeals forums. Lenovo runs discounts on their gaming models quite a bit. Here is the Notebookcheck review from last year. I believe the only thing that was updated in 2015 was the display.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70 (59424712) Notebook Review Update - NotebookCheck.net Reviews (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y50-70-59424712-Notebook-Review-Update.124754.0.html)

Lenovo Y50 with GeForce GTX 960M coming in March - NotebookCheck.net News (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Y50-with-GeForce-GTX-960M-coming-in-March.136218.0.html)

I've been reading those, and good to hear about the display because apparently they were pretty bad. Also the backlit keyboard is pretty easy to toggle on and off so that's not an issue for me either.

I'm looking at the 59440644 model which I can get for $1,050, about 300 less then I'm seeing it other places. Basically it's the same price as the Sager but I wont have to add the RAM and SSD.

specs:
15.6″ Full HD IPS LED Backlight Display, (1920×1080)
i7-4720HQ
Nvidia GTX 960M 4GB
16 GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
512 GB SSD
WIFI AC Wireless 2x2

[rjolley]

I've got a Lenovo for my work laptop and the one thing I don't like about it is the mouse touchpad. The entire touchpad actually depresses when you press it instead of only the area that's been designated for the left and right buttons. I didn't like the change to make the entire touchpad a mouse button and this takes that to another level. Not sure if I'm explaining it well, but I would go to Best Buy and take a look at the build of the machine if you're going to be using the touchpad.

Otherwise, that sounds like a good deal for the specs.

[sovereignstar v2]

Yeah, clickpads are replacing touchpads in many new laptops. Lenovo got a lot of flack when the removed all of the dedicated buttons on their thinkpad models. I believe they added the buttons for the trackpoint for 2015, but not the other two that sat south of the touchpad so it's still a clickpad. Needless to say it's hard to find good touchpads. The elitebooks are decent in my opinion. Apples solution pretty much rules them all though and has for quite awhile.

[StLee]

I'm about to pull the trigger, probably on this: ASUS G751JT-CH71

I don't game much, but my current PC can barely play OOTP without overheating, so my 5-year-old definitely needs to be replaced. It's an Asus, as was my previous laptop, as is my tablet, and I have loved all of them, so I am pretty sure I want to stick with Asus. Is there any reason why that is a bad idea?

Assuming I am going higher end, I want to be able to play more game. Of course, OOTP will be the game I play most, along with other sports text sims (FOF7 and basketball games, mostly after OOTP). Also, I want to play the Witcher trilogy and maybe get Skyrim and a few newer games for the system. I'm not interested in online play, if that matters.

My purchasing questions:

1) Looking through the xoticpc web site, I am wondering how much I would need cooling upgrades. From the customizable sections:

Thermal compound upgrade - worth it?

Copper Cooling Upgrade - worth it?

Notebook coolers - worth it?

2) Is 16 GB Ram enough, or do I want to go higher? (On the site, the default is: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-824P] (Dual Channel Memory (2x8GB SODIMMS))

3) Do I need to change anything about the hard drive or is standard OK?

[rjolley]

Personally, I think the Asus ROG line have the best laptops at a good price. If they didn't have the funky design that would stand out in an office, buying a third ROG laptop would've been a no brainer. I still may get one. They run quiet and cool. The biggest problem I've had with the 2 I have is the battery for my first one failed early. Otherwise, great machines. They haven't figured out their new thin laptops just yet. According to reviews, they throttle under load to keep the heat down and the machine running.

1. The cooling upgrades may help, but I never needed one for mine. I'm not a super heavy gamer, though.

2. I've heard that 8G is enough for gaming and anything above that is a waste. I think 16G is more than enough for most uses.

3. I would go with an SSD. I like Samsung's line.

Be sure to check out reviews of the laptops. I like notebookcheck.net for reviews.

[sovereignstar v2]

I'm about to pull the trigger, probably on this: ASUS G751JT-CH71

I don't game much, but my current PC can barely play OOTP without overheating, so my 5-year-old definitely needs to be replaced. It's an Asus, as was my previous laptop, as is my tablet, and I have loved all of them, so I am pretty sure I want to stick with Asus. Is there any reason why that is a bad idea?

Assuming I am going higher end, I want to be able to play more game. Of course, OOTP will be the game I play most, along with other sports text sims (FOF7 and basketball games, mostly after OOTP). Also, I want to play the Witcher trilogy and maybe get Skyrim and a few newer games for the system. I'm not interested in online play, if that matters.

My purchasing questions:

1) Looking through the xoticpc web site, I am wondering how much I would need cooling upgrades. From the customizable sections:

Thermal compound upgrade - worth it?

Copper Cooling Upgrade - worth it?

Notebook coolers - worth it?

2) Is 16 GB Ram enough, or do I want to go higher? (On the site, the default is: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-824P] (Dual Channel Memory (2x8GB SODIMMS))

3) Do I need to change anything about the hard drive or is standard OK?

I can't really speak to the copper cooling upgrade, but my thought would be that it's overkill. Personally, I would probably take advantage of the thermal compound upgrade. Many times you will read about people repasting themselves and they notice how terrible of a job it was done at the factory. It's not hard to do yourself either, but if you don't want the hassle then it's really a minor expense. As rjolley pointed out, 16 GB is definitely sufficient. Unless you a media professional or developer that runs a bunch of VM's the RAM will never get used. And I also agree that you should get an SSD as long as you're under your budget. The HDD would be bottleneck #1 on the machine you linked to.

Another good reason to order laptops from resellers, even non-customizable ones like Asus, is that they put the machines through stress testing. The chances of the machine arriving to you DOA are a lot slimmer because of this.

[Arles]

Decided to resuscitate this thread as I am looking for a new Laptop. I will be having back surgery in December and need a pretty high end laptop to use. I will also be replacing my custom made desktop with it after the back issue. So, here's what I would like:

1. Able to play most high end games/applications without issue.
2. Able to get a nice docking station to snap it into to use as my main desktop (station goes to a nice 27" monitor, keyboard and mouse).

I haven't been in the market for a higher end laptop in a while and wanted to know what people thought about the different companies. Obviously price matters, but it's lower on the list than the top 2. If I can find a pure desktop replacement laptop with a nice docking setup possible, I am willing to pay more.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Decided to resuscitate this thread as I am looking for a new Laptop. I will be having back surgery in December and need a pretty high end laptop to use. I will also be replacing my custom made desktop with it after the back issue. So, here's what I would like:

1. Able to play most high end games/applications without issue.
2. Able to get a nice docking station to snap it into to use as my main desktop (station goes to a nice 27" monitor, keyboard and mouse).

I haven't been in the market for a higher end laptop in a while and wanted to know what people thought about the different companies. Obviously price matters, but it's lower on the list than the top 2. If I can find a pure desktop replacement laptop with a nice docking setup possible, I am willing to pay more.

I would check out Custom Built Gaming Laptops, Gaming Notebooks, Custom Laptops, Custom Desktops, Custom Notebooks, & Lenovo Computers | PowerNotebooks (www.powernotebooks.com) or Gaming Laptops - XOTIC PC - Gaming Notebooks - Custom Laptops - Custom Notebooks (http://www.xoticpc.com/). They are both very highly regarded re-sellers. Their prices tend to be pretty much the same as does their inventory.


I've been a big fan of Sager laptops myself. I've had two over the last 6-7 years. It's been my only PC/gaming machine. They've both been fantastic and I've been able to play any and all games pretty much without problem.

I will likely look to be getting a new machine at the end of this year, early next, and will likely get another one.

EDIT: Apparently, this is the same exact advice I gave SkyDog back in 2011. I am nothing if not consistent.

[Arles]

My head is spinning, thanks HB :)

Is there some kind of consensus with companies? It appears the Sager, Alienware 17, MSI and ASUS seem like the leaders. I've read that the Alienware can run a little hot (doesn't sound too appealing if it's on my lap). What about RAM, it appears the Alienware caps out at 16MB while the Sager goes to 64? I guess I'm looking for more of the plus and negatives of each brand since I've been out of the game so long.

Here are the most interesting to me:

(Asus ROG G751JT and MSI GT72 Dominator 214) http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-gaming-laptop/
(Alienware 17) http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/alienware-17-2015

I haven't seen much about the Sager options. So, I'm interested in them too.

[rjolley]

I've been looking at the same laptops as an upgrade on my ASUS ROG machine. I have had two ASUS ROG's in the past and have had no major issue with them. They've been solid machines that run cool and have had no issues with what I've thrown at it.

I've been leaning towards the MSI GT72, especially the new one with a Skylake CPU and a max of 64T RAM. However, Asus has performed so well for me that I'm waiting to see how the new Skylake machines from them are priced before I decide. I also may get a Broadwell machine if they go on sale with the next gen CPUs out.

[Arles]

I really like the ASUS G751JT and the MSI GT72. The ASUS is around $300 cheaper and I notice it has the NVIDA GTX 970M (3GB) and i7-4710HQ compared to the 980 M (4 GB) and i7-6700HQ on the MSI. My preference leans to the ASUS since it tends to run quieter and cooler, but would the difference in card/processor be an issue if I go with the ASUS?

The Sager NP8678 also seems like a nice option. You get the GTX980 (8 GB), i7-6700HQ, 16 GB RAM and a combo 250 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD for $1760. HB, how's the noise/temp on the Sager?

[Arles]

Well, after doing my homework, I decided on the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro G-034:

XOTIC PC | MSI GT72 Dominator Pro G-034 - 17.3" Gaming Laptop with NVIDIA 980M (http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt72-dominator-pro-g034-p-8597.html)

It has the 6th gen i7, GeForce GTX 980M graphics card and 24 MB RAM. I upgraded the SSD to the PCI version and added every cooling compound they would let me ;)

A big thanks to Honolulu_Blue for the Xotic PC site recommendation. The sales guy there spent about 20-30 min with me answering questions and was super helpful. He even told me to drop a few upgrades I was looking at because it wouldn't make much of a difference for the price. I'd highly recommend them from a customer service standpoint.

[rjolley]

Out of curiosity, which upgrades did you drop?

[Arles]

I wanted to go with more memory, remove the bloatware and the higher grade PCI SSD drive (Samsung SM951 over Samsung XP941). He said I really didn't need over the stock 24 GB RAM, that I really didn't need to pay to remove the bloatware since I was getting Windows 10 pro (and they were doing a new install anyway) and that the cheaper Samsung PCI SSD was fine.

Again, not huge expenses, but he saved me a little money with those comments.

[rjolley]

Sounds good. I would go with less RAM and install it myself, if that model exists. The GT72 you bought expands to 64G RAM, right?

[Arles]

Yeah, defaults to 24 but can be expanded to 64.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Well, after doing my homework, I decided on the MSI GT72 Dominator Pro G-034:

XOTIC PC | MSI GT72 Dominator Pro G-034 - 17.3" Gaming Laptop with NVIDIA 980M (http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt72-dominator-pro-g034-p-8597.html)

It has the 6th gen i7, GeForce GTX 980M graphics card and 24 MB RAM. I upgraded the SSD to the PCI version and added every cooling compound they would let me ;)

A big thanks to Honolulu_Blue for the Xotic PC site recommendation. The sales guy there spent about 20-30 min with me answering questions and was super helpful. He even told me to drop a few upgrades I was looking at because it wouldn't make much of a difference for the price. I'd highly recommend them from a customer service standpoint.

Glad it worked out for you, Arles!

Keep us posted on the performance and all that.

[dzilla77]

So, I am probably going to be in the market for a new laptop again soon. I am likely to buy another Sager as I had good luck with the first one I bought (based on this thread).

Can anyone tell me what the benefits and drawbacks are for buying a laptop with a "Desktop" type CPU?

Also, where is the cost/benefit sweet spot in terms of Gen 6 processors?

[sovereignstar v2]

Can anyone tell me what the benefits and drawbacks are for buying a laptop with a "Desktop" type CPU?

Benefit would be a faster processor. All laptop processors have a lower thermal design, so they can't reach the levels of their desktop counterparts. The drawback is going to be higher heat output, which will put more stress/importance on the cooling design of the laptop. It's likely the fans run 100% of the time and fairly loud at times. Whether or not that is a big deal is going to vary to everyone.

I don't have any experience with the desktop CPU-in-a-laptop models, but I think Ben purchased one this year, so he'd be a good resource if you had more questions.

[dzilla77]

Info since I know some people have used Powernotebooks.com to purchase laptops before. Unfortunately, they have announced they have gone out of business.