20 replies to this topic

[ACG137]

So for the past few months I've been travelling and it will be the same case for years, so I'll be needing a gaming laptop on the go (don't get me wrong I know desktops will always be better; hence I don't want to put all my money into this)

Currently the laptop I'm leaning towards is the MSI GE60 15.6 laptop because of its size and hardware specs

url: http://www.gentechpc...I GE60-0N-042US
http://www.xoticpc.c...der-p-4576.html

some questions regarding it though:

1) is it worth investing into the new i7 processors for laptops?
2) is the 660M worth investing over the 650M (which is the main price difference of the two models to be released in June)
3) I'm currently looking at GentechPC's customization options - I still don't understand some hardware parts like the cache SSD

Again I don't wanna burn my money into this but the need arises that I get a new laptop for gaming purposes

Currently the laptop I'm using is still the HP HDX-16 with a core 2 duo 2.4ghz and a 9600M


Of course I'll be playing more than just Diablo 3. Going for future games such as CS:GO, Generals 2 (upon release), Crysis 3 I suppose, and pretty much everything I'm going to put my Desktop as well.

Any advice? I'll probably get the laptop at the end of June/early July

Edited by ACG137, 02 June 2012 - 02:28 PM.

[Spowis]

I personally wouldn't consider a laptop for gaming, EVER. However in your situation, completely understandable.

1) is it worth investing into the new i7 processors for laptops?
2) is the 660M worth investing over the 650M (which is the main price difference of the two models to be released in June)
3) I'm currently looking at GentechPC's customization options - I still don't understand some hardware parts like the cache SSD

It completely depends on what games you plan to play, having a laptop for gaming could mean playing D3 or playing Arma3, what is it that you plan to run exactly? That way you're not spending more than you need to.

1) I would look at benchmarks and justify if it's worth the cost. Anything Quad-Core Sandybridge is usually badass.
2) I would look at benchmarks and justify if it's worth the cost. I hear the 650 is basically a 560 in disguise, so opt for the 660.
3) I would use Google first and then not bother getting an SSD yet, they are still stupidly overpriced for storage space and I strongly regret buying one.

[ACG137]

Definitely getting the laptop for more than just Diablo 3 (cleared it already) - not sure how much hardware CS:GO would need and any future FPS game.

Also looking at the Seagate Hybrid SSD as an alternative. Otherwise I'm just getting the base product @ $1199

[way2lazy2care]

The Cache SSD pretty much uses the SSD as backup persistent RAM kind of instead of as a storage space. It helps frequently used programs load very quickly, but for the most part it won't make a huge difference; especially if you have an SSD data drive anyway. It will really only affect load times for the most part.

On the graphics cards: http://www.tomshardw...iew,3107-7.html
MAKE SURE TO READ THE TOP AND MAKE SURE TO CHECK IT AGAINST SANDYBRIDGE BENCHMARKS. It's likely that with a sandybridge/ivybridge CPU the on board video will be totally adequate for your needs.

[ACG137]

Ok safe to assume I won't be getting the Cache SSD / Hybrid SSD for the time being then. Extra 130 dollars kinda hurts the wallet (might as well invest in a good laptop backpack)

Right now I'll just keep it at base product + changing the thermal paste with the IC Diamond for an extra 30 dollars.

Am I missing anything?

[CakeCom]

Maybe get an external hard drive if you use a PC at work / school.

It's much easier than always lugging the laptop around.

[way2lazy2care]

Ok safe to assume I won't be getting the Cache SSD / Hybrid SSD for the time being then. Extra 130 dollars kinda hurts the wallet (might as well invest in a good laptop backpack)

Right now I'll just keep it at base product + changing the thermal paste with the IC Diamond for an extra 30 dollars.

Am I missing anything?

Are you sure you need new thermal paste? Unless your OCing pretty heavily you probably don't need it at all. It seems like you'd just be throwing $30 in the garbage.

[ACG137]

Well yeah I considered that but what is extra 30 dollars to ensure my laptop doesn't blow up or something? I mean it may be overkill but I'd like my laptop to last at least 3 years like my current HP (going beyond 4 years currently).

Also I might just use the turbo option when running full time gaming (I used it on my cousin's Asus more times than expected though a bit overkill)

But yeah I'll take that into consideration. Anything else I may need to consider/etc? I'm most likely opting to get from XoticPC. I'm still iffy about the Hybrid SSD - some people told me to get the Hybrid SSD instead of using the stock 7200RPM

Edited by ACG137, 02 June 2012 - 02:21 PM.

[x_byakugan_x]

Don't know what a hybrid SSD is.
Does it put OS in SSD and the rest on mechanical?
I got my SSD 6 months ago~ for OS and it's REALLY nice.

[ACG137]

Don't know what a hybrid SSD is.
Does it put OS in SSD and the rest on mechanical?
I got my SSD 6 months ago~ for OS and it's REALLY nice.

Copied from wiki (cuz i'm lazy)

A hybrid drive, hybrid hard drive (HHD), or hybrid hard disk drive (H-HDD) is a type of large-buffer computer hard disk drive. It is different from standard hard drives in that it integrates a cache using non-volatile memory or even a small solid-state drive (SSD or SSH drive).[1] Although the cache typically uses non-volatile flash memory, some drives use battery-backed volatile RAM (a hybrid RAM disk). The flash memory buffer can speed up repeated reads to the same location; a RAM buffer speeds both reads and writes, but must be written to backup storage before power is lost.

Read the performance of the Momentus XT and it seems really promising - even surpassing the 10k RPM hard drives.

[Kazaii]

Hybrid SSD = for retards.

Basically expensive hard drives with SSD caching.

Stick with SSD's for your OS/apps and any HDD's for your storage.

Edited by Kazaii, 08 June 2012 - 11:24 PM.

[ACG137]

Hybrid SSD = for retards.

Basically expensive hard drives with SSD caching.

Stick with SSD's for your OS/apps and any HDD's for your storage.

Unfortunately the laptop only has one hard drive bay :| so either I take the SSD and have really small space, or i run a regular 7200RPM hard drive - though I'm leaning towards getting the 7200RPM.

[CakeCom]

kk so noone replied to my thread for some reason so

Does anyone know anything about the GTX 560 and whether or not I should get it for around $220, or is there something around that price-range I could get that's better?

[x_byakugan_x]

Replyed in your thread didnt see it.

ACG how about you ssd for your OS/ a couple of programs and maybe a few games... and use an external drive for music/movies and other shit? One terrabyte these days is like 60 bucks or something for an external I think.

[ACG137]

Replyed in your thread didnt see it.

ACG how about you ssd for your OS/ a couple of programs and maybe a few games... and use an external drive for music/movies and other shit? One terrabyte these days is like 60 bucks or something for an external I think.

Reason why I don't like to use an external drive is mainly because I keep on forgetting that I have an external drive and just leave it at home - which kinda sucks because I'm still in college (and will definitely suck once I move to the United States for Graduate Studies)

But overall I decided to stick to the base design of the product. Still undecided if I'm getting from newegg or from XoticPC (really considering redesigning the front with my WoW guild's logo. yes I play WoW f u all )

Other than that - any thing from XoticPC that you think is necessary? I still think a better thermal paste is a good investment though.

edit: Just found out that the laptop has an mSATA port - I might just get a 60/120GB mSATA SSD for it once i verify that it works.

Edited by ACG137, 10 June 2012 - 08:03 PM.

[7h3 n00b m4573r]

SSDs are the absolute best, highly recommend
As for the storage dilemma, given that if you're in the modern age of things it's unlikely you'll need the optical drive for anything there is the option to replace it with a "12.7mm SATA Optical Drive Bay Caddy" which converts your optical bay to a second harddrive bay. You'd lose the ability to read outdated optical media (get a USB optical drive if you need to) then could stick in both a high capacity drive (750GB~1TB) and an SSD.
I've got my laptop with a 120GB SSD and a 500GB HDD, love the setup, stores bulk of TV and loads everything uber fast, just need to upgrade the capacity of both drives in the coming couple of weeks.
That or get a laptop with dual bays, check out asus models for this feature, a lot of asus 15.6" gaming laptops have dual drive bays.

[ACG137]

SSDs are the absolute best, highly recommend
As for the storage dilemma, given that if you're in the modern age of things it's unlikely you'll need the optical drive for anything there is the option to replace it with a "12.7mm SATA Optical Drive Bay Caddy" which converts your optical bay to a second harddrive bay. You'd lose the ability to read outdated optical media (get a USB optical drive if you need to) then could stick in both a high capacity drive (750GB~1TB) and an SSD.
I've got my laptop with a 120GB SSD and a 500GB HDD, love the setup, stores bulk of TV and loads everything uber fast, just need to upgrade the capacity of both drives in the coming couple of weeks.
That or get a laptop with dual bays, check out asus models for this feature, a lot of asus 15.6" gaming laptops have dual drive bays.

Noted Though yeah as I said there appears to be an mSATA port - assuming it does work I'm considering to use the mSATA for those tiny SSDs; or would it be more optimal to get a full 2.5" SSD?

I was considering getting an Asus one but the pricetag is too steep for me (+ the fact that it's about twice the weight as the MSI i'm purchasing). Honestly the max budget I'm throwing is maybe $1300; with i guess a small leverage for significant upgrades.

[way2lazy2care]

Rereading this thread, you are just wasting your money tbh. You said you already had a desktop. Just get a <$1000 laptop with a 2nd gen i5 or better processor and don't even worry about the SSD. It will be able to play most things just fine, but gaming laptops have always been a colossal waste of money for all but extreme circumstances. If you have a desktop save your money and get a cheap usable laptop for school.

These will all fit 90% of your needs for a laptop and save you $300-600, which you can put into your desktop which will fill the other 10% of your needs and then some. This is a much smarter way to spend your money. Odds are the laptop you get will probably not be able to run everything regardless of how much money you put into it.

http://www.cnet.com/.....ults;prodInfo
http://www.cnet.com/...7-35267798.html
http://www.cnet.com/.....ults;prodInfo
http://www.cnet.com/.....ults;prodInfo

edit:
if you really want to get an ssd do the above still and upgrade that and you'll still save $200-500. Here are instructions.

http://www.sevenforu...ing-system.html

Edited by way2lazy2care, 13 June 2012 - 10:44 AM.

[ACG137]

You do realize that when I move to the United states for my graduate studies, I won't be bringing my desktop with me; hence I do really need a laptop (more than studies, I will be travelling every now and then to other countries). Again, I know desktops > laptops. I have a 1st gen i7 and a 3rd gen i7 desktop that pretty much destroy an Alienware on max price but after this year I will be studying overseas for at least 3-4 years with minimal times of going back to the Philippines to use my desktop.

I'd buy a desktop when I move for studies but that would be more of a waste for me as I'll end up buying 2 computers rather than just one that (hopefully) will last 4 years (and overall would cost more than just buying a $1200-$1400 laptop with the SSD upgrade). I'd use my 4 year old HP HDX all the way but the BSOD's are just killing me + my parents decided that I'll just give my HDX to my cousin (after reformatting and personal repairs to the machine)

[way2lazy2care]

You do realize that when I move to the United states for my graduate studies, I won't be bringing my desktop with me; hence I do really need a laptop (more than studies, I will be travelling every now and then to other countries). Again, I know desktops > laptops. I have a 1st gen i7 and a 3rd gen i7 desktop that pretty much destroy an Alienware on max price but after this year I will be studying overseas for at least 3-4 years with minimal times of going back to the Philippines to use my desktop.

I'd still look at the 4 I posted above. They'll be able to play most things, but pretty much you aren't going to be satisfied with any laptop's performance. The difference between an $800 laptop and a $1200 laptop is minimal; it's more features/design than performance. You won't start seeing laptops that actually fit all the needs in your OP until you hit the $2000-3000 range.

If you don't mind waiting there are a lot of IB laptops that are either just being released or dropping significantly in price shortly, so it might be worth waiting for them. They pack solid integrated graphics, better performance in general, and longer battery lives.