Anyone else not a fan of laptops?

[Anubis]

Hmmm. Well all I want is a blu-ray player and something that will play moderate games (like maybe TF2, some older RPGs like Dragon Age 2, and other stuff like that) without them looking like complete crap/slowing to a crawl.

Yes, I am using this serious thread to ask for recommendations. :whiste:

KT

http://www.sagernotebook.com/Gaming-Notebook-NP8278-S.html

or customize one at your price point and put a BR drive in it

http://www.sagernotebook.com/Gaming-Notebooks/

 

[KeithTalent]

budget?

Hmm, maybe $1,250 USD all in?

KT

 

[Anubis]

Hmm, maybe $1,250 USD all in?

KT

i edited my post before you replied

sager will have what you want most likely, very well built laptops

 

[KeithTalent]

i edited my post before you replied

sager will have what you want most likely, very well built laptops

OK, thanks, I'll fiddle with that. They look pricey!

KT

 

[Thump553]

I personally hate laptops. For the most past they are basically throw-away computers, designed to fail after 2-3 years, usually because of overheating. Even if they don't fail most manufacturers make it extremely difficult for the average user to service them. Plus most have horrendous keyboards-and don't get me started on idea that a touchpad is even a remotely acceptable substitute for a mouse. My productively on a laptop plummets at least 50% compared to a decent desktop setup.

We have taken a major step backward with the widescale replacement of desktops with laptops.

 

[Fritzo]

I personally hate laptops. For the most past they are basically throw-away computers, designed to fail after 2-3 years, usually because of overheating. Even if they don't fail most manufacturers make it extremely difficult for the average user to service them. Plus most have horrendous keyboards-and don't get me started on idea that a touchpad is even a remotely acceptable substitute for a mouse. My productively on a laptop plummets at least 50% compared to a decent desktop setup.

We have taken a major step backward with the widescale replacement of desktops with laptops.

My Dell has been running 6 years now. They're not as bad to service as people think. People that don't like touchpads never took the time to use a touchpad.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I personally hate laptops. For the most past they are basically throw-away computers, designed to fail after 2-3 years, usually because of overheating. Even if they don't fail most manufacturers make it extremely difficult for the average user to service them. Plus most have horrendous keyboards-and don't get me started on idea that a touchpad is even a remotely acceptable substitute for a mouse. My productively on a laptop plummets at least 50% compared to a decent desktop setup.

We have taken a major step backward with the widescale replacement of desktops with laptops.

I'm more productive b/c I can work in more situations with a laptop. On a plane, train, in a meeting, etc... All of our developers use MacBooks and they collaborate and work more efficiently b/c they can meet at one's desk and bring their laptops or in a meeting room, project from one laptop and work.

Nothing stops you from using a mouse with a laptop or a docking station with keyboard and multiple monitors. And I think all of my laptops have lasted a minimum of five years.

Outside of gaming which I haven't done in over a year, see no purpose for a desktop.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I've never owned a laptop for more than a few months. I've bought about 3 during the past 10 years thinking that I'll use them frequently, but they always end up gathering dust so I ended up selling them. Nothing beats a desktop PC with at least 2 monitors. I do use my Galaxy Tab S 10.1 frequently though.

Use a tablet instead of a laptop. You like to do things slowly. Unless games are your concern.

 

[Aikouka]

OK, thanks, I'll fiddle with that. They look pricey!

I think that's about what you're going to want to go for. Unfortunately, AMD has never had that great of a presence in laptops, so Nvidia is usually the way to go. Unfortunately, Intel and Nvidia tend to have higher costing parts, so subsequently, the laptops cost more -- but not Apple expensive. The hard choice is going to be the video card, but I think his recommendation of a 970m is probably your best bet. The Maxwell mobile series is about as potent as one step lower in the desktop category. In other words, a 970m is about as good as a GTX 960. That's important since a GTX 960 is about what you want for good performance at 1080p.

I've always been a bit wary about how NotebookCheck gets its numbers, but their page on the 970m can give you an idea of how well it runs certain games, and if you use the comparison capability, you'll see how the cheaper 960m would perform (hint: it's not that good ).

 

[KeithTalent]

I think that's about what you're going to want to go for. Unfortunately, AMD has never had that great of a presence in laptops, so Nvidia is usually the way to go. Unfortunately, Intel and Nvidia tend to have higher costing parts, so subsequently, the laptops cost more -- but not Apple expensive. The hard choice is going to be the video card, but I think his recommendation of a 970m is probably your best bet. The Maxwell mobile series is about as potent as one step lower in the desktop category. In other words, a 970m is about as good as a GTX 960. That's important since a GTX 960 is about what you want for good performance at 1080p.

I've always been a bit wary about how NotebookCheck gets its numbers, but their page on the 970m can give you an idea of how well it runs certain games, and if you use the comparison capability, you'll see how the cheaper 960m would perform (hint: it's not that good ).

Heh, thanks. Was actually just reading some comparisons of the 970 vs the 960 and the difference seems to be huge! 970 seems to be the way to go.

In the 970M version, I put in the Blu-ray reader, then I also doubled the ram to 16GB dual channel. It was pretty cheap to do it (I think $90) but do you think that is worthwhile or a complete waste of money?

KT

 

[blankslate]

If you're going to get a laptop with the purposes of gaming in mind then there is almost no way around the fact that you will pay a higher price.

One thing you could do zero in on the types of games you play and see what system is beefier in the category you need. I play mostly mmo's and I noticed that CPU has nearly as much to do with performance in those types of games as the GPU.

Since even a 1200 dollar budget can be quickly outpaced when customizing a gaming laptop try a model a tier lower than sagers current top of the line and try to get the most bang for the buck options on that model.


since GPU's are not easily upgraded in laptops (pretty much not at all without going to extraordinary measures) you might consider an AMD model with a mobile A10 CPU/GPU combination processor. There might be examples around that fit your needs for a good price. This is of course a long shot considering the cpu landscape in the past several years but it's something to look at.

get a usb keyboard and mouse if you're going to game on a laptop. it's extra stuff to carry but laptop keyboards are almost always lacking by comparison to a full size one... and the trackpad vs. mouse? forget that discussion.


....

 

[Aikouka]

In the 970M version, I put in the Blu-ray reader, then I also doubled the ram to 16GB dual channel. It was pretty cheap to do it (I think $90) but do you think that is worthwhile or a complete waste of money?

Was it $90 for just the RAM? If so, that's not very cheap. An 8GB DDR3 SO-DIMM is about $50 at Newegg and Amazon. However, there is one thing to consider -- the current memory setup and possible future expansions. In other words, if you've only got two memory slots, which is common on a lot of laptops, and they've populated that with 2x 4GB, then to get 16GB, you will have to replace both sticks. If they're using 1x 8GB, then you should definitely put another stick in, because you won't see any benefit from the dual channel setup (it can issue commands to two different sets of RAM at the same time). The only issue with that is that you usually want to avoid different RAM specs, so you probably shouldn't just buy RAM all willy-nilly.

As for my thoughts on RAM amount, I use 32GB in my desktop and 16GB in my laptop. The main reason why I use so much is that I'm a tab fiend -- I've used over 8GB of memory with just Waterfox (64-bit Firefox variant) alone. I definitely wouldn't do 4GB, and I think 8GB is perfectly acceptable.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Was it $90 for just the RAM? If so, that's not very cheap. An 8GB DDR3 SO-DIMM is about $50 at Newegg and Amazon. However, there is one thing to consider -- the current memory setup and possible future expansions. In other words, if you've only got two memory slots, which is common on a lot of laptops, and they've populated that with 2x 4GB, then to get 16GB, you will have to replace both sticks. If they're using 1x 8GB, then you should definitely put another stick in, because you won't see any benefit from the dual channel setup (it can issue commands to two different sets of RAM at the same time). The only issue with that is that you usually want to avoid different RAM specs, so you probably shouldn't just buy RAM all willy-nilly.

As for my thoughts on RAM amount, I use 32GB in my desktop and 16GB in my laptop. The main reason why I use so much is that I'm a tab fiend -- I've used over 8GB of memory with just Waterfox (64-bit Firefox variant) alone. I definitely wouldn't do 4GB, and I think 8GB is perfectly acceptable.

4GB became limiting around 3-4 years ago. 8GB is starting to get limiting but still perfectly usable IMO.

 

[SlickSnake]

I hate laptops, because ultimately the screens will fail with regular use because they can't seem to properly handle the heat disapation when they scale down the electronics, and even with a cooler under it the screen will fail prematurely.

 

[KeithTalent]

If you're going to get a laptop with the purposes of gaming in mind then there is almost no way around the fact that you will pay a higher price.

One thing you could do zero in on the types of games you play and see what system is beefier in the category you need. I play mostly mmo's and I noticed that CPU has nearly as much to do with performance in those types of games as the GPU.

Since even a 1200 dollar budget can be quickly outpaced when customizing a gaming laptop try a model a tier lower than sagers current top of the line and try to get the most bang for the buck options on that model.


since GPU's are not easily upgraded in laptops (pretty much not at all without going to extraordinary measures) you might consider an AMD model with a mobile A10 CPU/GPU combination processor. There might be examples around that fit your needs for a good price. This is of course a long shot considering the cpu landscape in the past several years but it's something to look at.

get a usb keyboard and mouse if you're going to game on a laptop. it's extra stuff to carry but laptop keyboards are almost always lacking by comparison to a full size one... and the trackpad vs. mouse? forget that discussion.


....

Was it $90 for just the RAM? If so, that's not very cheap. An 8GB DDR3 SO-DIMM is about $50 at Newegg and Amazon. However, there is one thing to consider -- the current memory setup and possible future expansions. In other words, if you've only got two memory slots, which is common on a lot of laptops, and they've populated that with 2x 4GB, then to get 16GB, you will have to replace both sticks. If they're using 1x 8GB, then you should definitely put another stick in, because you won't see any benefit from the dual channel setup (it can issue commands to two different sets of RAM at the same time). The only issue with that is that you usually want to avoid different RAM specs, so you probably shouldn't just buy RAM all willy-nilly.

As for my thoughts on RAM amount, I use 32GB in my desktop and 16GB in my laptop. The main reason why I use so much is that I'm a tab fiend -- I've used over 8GB of memory with just Waterfox (64-bit Firefox variant) alone. I definitely wouldn't do 4GB, and I think 8GB is perfectly acceptable.

Cool, thanks guys. Been fiddling around with them and I keep ending up at around ~$1,700. I am going to try a lower model and build it up to see if I can shave off a few hundred bucks.

KT

 

[SlickSnake]

Cool, thanks guys. Been fiddling around with them and I keep ending up at around ~$1,700. I am going to try a lower model and build it up to see if I can shave off a few hundred bucks.

KT

Get some sort of after market warranty to cover the screen or power supply problems, mostly. And if you plan on using it a lot, a cooler to sit it on.

 

[KeithTalent]

Get some sort of after market warranty to cover the screen or power supply problems, mostly. And if you plan on using it a lot, a cooler to sit it on.

Yeah, thanks. Was thinking about that for the screen; essentially screwed if that goes.

KT

 

[Aikouka]

You could also consider buying a pre-built laptop from companies like MSI. They just released their Broadwell laptops at COMPUTEX, which means you might be able to find deals on the Haswell laptops, which for all intents and purposes, are just about the same thing. The biggest problem that I can see is that including the BD drive really ups the price (Newegg).

Get some sort of after market warranty to cover the screen or power supply problems, mostly. And if you plan on using it a lot, a cooler to sit it on.

You may want to do some research on the companies first. I got a free one from Newegg with my ASUS Zenbook UX31A, and honestly, ServiceNet was AWFUL. I'm pretty sure I posted about it earlier in this very thread, but as a summary... I sent the laptop in multiple times, and they kept sending it back without any fixes. Their in-house testing was mediocre at best (browsing Worldstar Hip Hop and playing Mafia Wars != stress testing), and they ruined some of the screw holes and sent the laptop back while turned on. I finally was able to find a work-around to ASUS's terrible proprietary parts. After replacing the SSD, which I incessantly insisted was the problem, it worked fine.

 

[Mai72]

I love my lappy. It's compact and it does what I need it to do.

Then again I'm not into gaming anymore.

 

[blankslate]

Cool, thanks guys. Been fiddling around with them and I keep ending up at around ~$1,700. I am going to try a lower model and build it up to see if I can shave off a few hundred bucks.

KT

You might try browsing Frys.com while the options may be more limited there aren't any customization options they do have solid MSI and Asus brand laptops at the local brick and mortar store that I visit.

They usually have examples that are a year or two older with that last generation of GPU (8xx mobile gpu vs 9xx mobile gpu for example) paired with a still respectable cpu for around 900-1200 depending on the model.

As long as you don't want to play the latest and greatest at full resolution and everything turned up they can fit the bill quite nicely I think

http://www.frys.com/search?resultpa...384&fq=100331+Gaming&storeNo=18&inq=&x=60&y=3

A couple of examples from the above page

http://www.frys.com/product/8046214?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

http://www.frys.com/product/8457638?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG


The thing that may not have been pointed out about Nvidia gpus is that while the first number is the generation the second number designates a relative speed comparison in that generation. So that an 840 gpu is slower than an 870 gpu.

While a newer generation gpu will have newer features than an older gpu. A GTX 870m gpu may be just as fast (or maybe a little faster) as a GTX 950m gpu in a lot of situations depending on how old the games you plan on playing are. As I recall you mentioned games that were a couple of years old.

a good resource for comparing mobile graphics is http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html



Lastly is an example of the extremely limited choices for the AMD A10 mobile cpu powered option I mentioned for the extremely tight budget.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._re=laptop_amd_a10-_-9SIA0AJ30W5544-_-Product


*E2A*

If you're going to configure the laptop from a site like sager get the lowest options for RAM and Storage space. You can almost certainly find compatible RAM from Crucial and a better price on an HDD or SDD that you replace yourself than configuring the higher option in the laptop.

I haven't poked around in a recent Sager gaming laptop but unless they changed they don't put warranty voided if removed stickers on the RAM or Storage areas.

A dream option if you suddenly fall assbackward into a crapton of money

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-pro

very nice internals and the chassis is CNC Aluminum. Perfect to show off to people who tout the superiority of Macbooks to PC laptops.




.....

 

[lxskllr]

My Dell has been running 6 years now. They're not as bad to service as people think. People that don't like touchpads never took the time to use a touchpad.

Oh? I don't find an array of 100 screws, and mystery clips pleasant to work with. All touchpads suck. They're a compromise to increase portability. Only a masochist would use a touchpad if there was a mouse available.

 

[blankslate]

Only a masochist would use a touchpad if there was a mouse available.

True enough even a small cheap wireless mouse to carry around with a laptop is much better than a trackpad.


...

 

[Zodiark1593]

I hate laptops, because ultimately the screens will fail with regular use because they can't seem to properly handle the heat disapation when they scale down the electronics, and even with a cooler under it the screen will fail prematurely.

How soon is prematurely? My lappy is closing in on 4 years old now under some pretty heavy abuse courtesy of Blender, Handbrake, and other such programs. Aside from being a PITA to clean thoroughly (and oh god, the gfx drivers), the only thing ever replaced was the hdd.

 

[SlickSnake]

How soon is prematurely? My lappy is closing in on 4 years old now under some pretty heavy abuse courtesy of Blender, Handbrake, and other such programs. Aside from being a PITA to clean thoroughly (and oh god, the gfx drivers), the only thing ever replaced was the hdd.

4 years is a long time considering the last 3 I had. They all developed their own separate power issues to the monitor, too. One randomly flickered which was annoying, another one the image grew dim making it unusable, and the other one the screen would only work if the lid was in a certain position, partially closed. And all out of normal warranties, so not even really worth a repair, basically. Those replacement parts prices can be crazy.

 

[Zodiark1593]

4 years is a long time considering the last 3 I had. They all developed their own separate power issues to the monitor, too. One randomly flickered which was annoying, another one the image grew dim making it unusable, and the other one the screen would only work if the lid was in a certain position, partially closed. And all out of normal warranties, so not even really worth a repair, basically. Those replacement parts prices can be crazy.

At one point, when I reassembled my laptop after cleaning (because apparently, HP thinks users shouldn't have access to the vents), I misrouted the display cable ever so slightly, and caused additional tention on it when the lid is opened and closed, causing flickering and a blank screen. The tension was causing the display connector to disconnect. The connector itself was just right under the keyboard, so I could press it down and be on my way. The permanent fix was a PITA since it involved dissassembly of the entire laptop again, though in this case, it was self inflicted pain.