130 replies to this topic

[Sandpit]

Thanks Doc, yea I noticed directly from Sager is higher. I'm looking at definitely getting nothing less than an i7 and the best GPU I can get. Standard now is 8GB Ra so I'm not overly concerned with that. I'm going to go up from the one you listed Doc. The GPU is where I get befuddled most times. I want something that's going to give me decent FPS on decent settings (Don't care if I can play Ultra or high on every game out there)

[DocBach]

Generally they advertise how much graphics RAM the GPU has, which isn't the best way to judge GPU performance. In fact, in a laptop, unless you are plugging in to multiple monitors, it has very little impact on gaming ability.

Higher numbers for GPU mean higher clock speeds and CUDA cores; the way Nvidia cards are named is generation - class - subclass, from 710 - 780

so 750 is a 7th generation, mid range card

a 765 is a 7th generation mid range card that's a little higher clocked than the 760

770 - 780 are the high end mobile GPUs.

Midrange, for a mobile card, however, is considered low-end in comparison to desktop standards, which are the specs that they use when they say what min and recommended specs are; the higher end GPUs are generally on par with high end mid-level desktop GPUs.

Edited by DocBach, 22 January 2014 - 02:10 PM.

[Sandpit]

I checked out LPC and found this

http://www.lpc-digit...ger-np7370.html

Dropping in an i7 and bumping the hard drive to the 1TB 7200 rpm HD keeps it under $1100
Opinions?

[DocBach]

Keeps it closer to your original budget - would do just fine on medium settings in MWO.

[cSand]

That would be a solid machine. with the i7 put in. I'm always leaning towards the "go slightly bigger", so in my personal opinion:

I would really say that the extra $$ for this one:
http://www.lpc-digit...ger-np8230.html
is totally worth it, you can upgrade to a 7200RPM 1TB drive for 20$. If you don't mind the 15.6" screen that is

It gives you the 770m (3GB) and an i7 4700mq.

That being said, you can't go wrong with the i7 in the 7370 either. I think that it would run it even on high settings at a good framerate.

Either way I think you will be happy with what you buy

Edited by cSand, 22 January 2014 - 02:22 PM.

[DocBach]

One thing to note about the 7370, though, is the GPU IS incorporated into the motherboard, meaning later upgrades are impossible.

The higher end Sager machines are the ones that allow for later customization and upgrades and the like (usually though each update has a new motherboard meaning later components won't be compatible with yours)

[Sandpit]

DocBach, on 22 January 2014 - 02:23 PM, said:

One thing to note about the 7370, though, is the GPU IS incorporated into the motherboard, meaning later upgrades are impossible.

The higher end Sager machines are the ones that allow for later customization and upgrades and the like (usually though each update has a new motherboard meaning later components won't be compatible with yours)

That's one reason I'm being careful on what I order. I really would like something that I cna upgrade later as needed. That's always been the one thing I dislike about laptops

[cSand]

AH, the 8235's GPU is also part of the motherboard.

You could look at this one, I know the price keeps going up but this is fully upgradeable, 17", and comes with the i7 and 770m combo which will be very nice:


http://www.lpc-digit...0-features.html

Edited by cSand, 22 January 2014 - 02:29 PM.

[Sandpit]

Really guys, thank you again for the advice, info and suggestions. I really do appreciate it

[cSand]

Hey, gotta help the fellow mechwarriors

[DocBach]

I had the previous version of the laptop cSand posted with a 3rd gen i7 3630QM and an AMD 7970M - played MWO silky smooth on ultra settings.

You can ask Larry at LPC for his best price discount too, its like 3% lower than listed price. If $1300 is your max limit, that 8275 would be the best bet to meet your criteria.

Edited by DocBach, 22 January 2014 - 05:20 PM.

[Ngamok]

Sandpit, on 22 January 2014 - 10:41 AM, said:

Yea I'm leaning more and more towards the Sagers at this point. The i7 would be worth a couple of hundred bucks and I can afford to upgrade a bit.


What kind of FPS and settings do you get?

I get 30-40FPS on low settings

I get between 25-30 on medium settings. I use a Desktop to play at home. I only use the laptop when I am out of town like at my parents or something. It plays GW2 at medium settings pretty nice as well as this game.

[Sandpit]

i've yet to throw something at it that it can't run but I've also not tried any late 2013 releases either. I just know it's about time to upgrade a bit

[Wolf Ender]

The NP8235 / P151SM has the chiclet style keyboard, the same kind I have on my sager. Altogether I am happy with the machine but I recommend spending a little more and getting P150SM. The 150 has a much better keyboard and a backlit version available whereas the chiclet style of the P151 has a lot of flex to it and it's just not a very good keyboard overall.

When i was making my own buying decision I figured the keyboard was not important because I knew i would be using an external KB and mouse for most of the time....however after owning this for almost a year there have been enough times when I was trying to use this machine on the road or away from home and frustrated with the keyboard I think it would have been worth the money.

[One Way Pilot]

DocBach, on 22 January 2014 - 05:17 PM, said:

I had the previous version of the laptop cSand posted with a 3rd gen i7 3630QM and an AMD 7970M - played MWO silky smooth on ultra settings.

I have this one with i7 3610QM and it runs perfectly fine on 1920x with max settings, just no AA.

Not sure but in europe you can already order a 8970M which is faster than a 770GTX for only a little bit more money.

[cSand]

One Way Pilot, on 23 January 2014 - 01:08 PM, said:

I have this one with i7 3610QM and it runs perfectly fine on 1920x with max settings, just no AA.

Not sure but in europe you can already order a 8970M which is faster than a 770GTX for only a little bit more money.

I got the 8265-S with the 8970m in it last October... couldn't be more pleased with it. It seems AMD really got their act together with their drivers here, and with the switchable graphics. Those I think were the biggest complaints about AMD mobile cards in the last while.
I have had no issues, and am loving 1080p MWO on ultra w/ AA at 50-80 fps (If I put vsync on its a bit lower, still average around 55-60 fps, but can drop to about 40-50fps in harsh conditions.. I hate image tearing though so I accept the fps hit )

Edited by cSand, 23 January 2014 - 03:49 PM.

[Cyberiad]

Here's my recommendation: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834152406
MSI usually undercuts all the competition when it comes to performance components. The drawback is that they usually offer lower quality screens and general build. However, you will be getting a high end CPU (i7 4700 QM) as well as a high end mobile GPU (GTX 765M).

[DocBach]

For $1300 more he gets a 17" screen and a GTX770M, the comparable GT70 is $1400

[Cyberiad]

You can get 4700QM & GTX770M for $1199.99: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834198037
Downside: apparently its bulky.

Edited by SiliconLife, 23 January 2014 - 05:40 PM.

[DocBach]

That's not a bad deal at all.