Gaming laptop

[SwordsMaster]

Wow, with the nvidia 680 the sager puts me well over the 2k USD... Is the difference in performance worth the 500$? Did anyone give it a bash?

Also, what would be the difference between Sager and the likes of Alienware (aside from the bling factor)? I had considered the M14x, but I'm aware of 'paying for the brand' and simply am interested in performance rather than whether i have a glowing alien face on my laptop.

Stuck. Need help. Suggestions?

Pretty much the same price:
MSI:

GT60 0NE-220US Weight 7.7 lbs

• Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM Processor • Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit • 15.6" Full HD Anti-reflective Display (16:9; 1920 x 1080) • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680M discrete graphics (DDR5 4GB VRAM) • Accelerated performance with MSI TDE Technology • Full-color programmable backlit keyboard by SteelSeries • Killer Game Networking • MSI Cooler Boost Technology • Dynaudio Premium Sound Speakers with THX TruStudio PRO™ • 750GB(7200RPM) • 12GB DDR3 1600MHz system memory • DVD Super Multi • USB 3.0 for high speed data transfer • HDMI 1.4 (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output • Built-in 720p HD webcam • Gold flashed audio jack ports with amplifier • 802.11 b/g/ n Wireless LAN with Bluetooth

Or Sager:

Display	15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finished Surface (1920 x 1080) [$30.00]
Video & Graphics Card	Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPU with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory [$445.00]
CPU Processor	3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.60GHz) [$160.00]
Thermal Compound	IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU [$35.00]
Operating System	Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition( 64-Bit Preloaded )
Memory	16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 4 X 4GB
Primary Hard Disk Drive	500GB 7200rpm SATA Hybrid Hard Drive with 4GB SSD
mSATA SSD Drive — For Intel Smart Response Technology	None
Optical Drive Bay — Optical Drive or Hard Disk Drive in Optical Drive Bay with Caddy case	8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Wireless Network Card	Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module
Primary Battery	Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Integrated Security Device	Fingerprint Reader

Weight: 6.83 LBs with Battery Pack

[Lemur]

Wow, with the nvidia 680 the sager puts me well over the 2k USD... Is the difference in performance worth the 500$? Did anyone give it a bash?

Here's a relatively recent benchmark of mobile GPU parts. Taking a casual gander, the sweet spot on the price/performance scale seems to be the AMD 7950M.

Also, what would be the difference between Sager and the likes of Alienware

Sager made their name as a European gaming laptop specialist; they've only been in the US market for a year or so. Alienware made their name with gaming desktops, and were acquired by Dell. Their M14x has gotten stellar reviews, but you need to be careful; the older version of the M14x got middling reviews. You would want to make certain you were purchasing the newer build.

The MSI laptop you specified is very high-end, about the only bling-bling part it doesn't have is a big SSD. Can't find any reviews.

If you can find it for a price you tolerate, I can't see a problem. No experience with the build quality of MSI notebooks, so I can't comment on that.

[SwordsMaster]

Thanks, Lemur,

My criteria have been at least 500gb at 7200rpm, at least 16Gb RAM, 15.6' screen and a GPU as fast as possible. SSDs I have no experience with, and am not sure how much they would affect performance...

Also trying to keep it under 7 or so lb is a bit of a challenge, even with the smaller screen!

My current gaming machine is an MSI, pretty sturdy, but it's a 17' so it's a big frame. Very heavy though.

Had a look at the M14x, the GPU does well in the mid ranges, but nothing high-end, since this is going to be a significant chink of cash, and I don't intend to buy a new gaming rig for 5 years or so I would rather future-proof a little and go for something more high-end in the RAM/GPU department.

There are some really exceptional machines out there, but they are 17.3' in size which is a bit much to carry around, like the M17x, and also very heavy. Most 'magazine' sites focus their reviews on 'entertainment system' type machines (Sony Vaio I'm looking at you), but those afford little wiggle room for customisation.

Decisions, decisions...

[Lemur]

I would stick to a 15"–14" screen for mobile gaming. I could explain why, but your shoulder and the relative power of mobile GPUs should let you sort it out for yourself.

SSDs replace HDs, and they are blazing fast. They are also crazy expensive. If you're trying to build a machine on a reasonable budget, you should probably ignore them.

Here's a site that allows you to custom-build a nice 15.6" gaming laptop. As you say, a lot of laptop press and attention goes to "media" machines, which are an Abomination Against God.

[SwordsMaster]

Nice site! Unfortunately doesn't ship to Europe, and works out similar to Sager price-wise. I think 14' is probably a little too small, those TW maps need to be displayed fully!

[Lemur]

I just noticed you mentioned "future-proofing" your laptop. This is a dangerous concept that usually leads to a high cash outlay.

I would recommend rather that you look for the "sweet spot," in other words, the not-quite-bleeding-edge stuff that gives, say 80%–90% of the performance of the big-ticket parts, at a much more reasonable price. So for example, I would choose the Nvidia 670 or the AMD 7950M over the absolute top-end parts. Likewise, I would look carefully at the i7-3720QM (2.6 ghz) over the scary-pricey i7-3920XM (2.9 ghz). You get most of the performance at a substantially reduced cost.

There will always be a bigger, better, faster thing. Best to get the second-tier parts in a form factor you can live with.

(Then again, I'm still rocking an overclocked Core2Duo in my main gaming rig, so I'm obviously a miser.)

[SwordsMaster]

I just noticed you mentioned "future-proofing" your laptop. This is a dangerous concept that usually leads to a high cash outlay.

I would recommend rather that you look for the "sweet spot," in other words, the not-quite-bleeding-edge stuff that gives, say 80%–90% of the performance of the big-ticket parts, at a much more reasonable price. So for example, I would choose the Nvidia 670 or the AMD 7950M over the absolute top-end parts. Likewise, I would look carefully at the i7-3720QM (2.6 ghz) over the scary-pricey i7-3920XM (2.9 ghz). You get most of the performance at a substantially reduced cost.

There will always be a bigger, better, faster thing. Best to get the second-tier parts in a form factor you can live with.

True dat. Already downgraded from 3ghz options, no point really, it's hardly going to be the bottleneck... However RAM and GPU are my concerns. You're likely right about the 670M. Pity the SLI cards are out of the question for a 15' rig...

Question: the Radeon HD 7970M is cheaper than the Nvidia 675M but from the reviews it seems like performance should be very similar... Not sure what to think,

(Then again, I'm still rocking an overclocked Core2Duo in my main gaming rig, so I'm obviously a miser.)

So am I! However, the rocking is getting a stutter even in the smaller Civ5 end game maps, and running any TW past NTW on anything past medium settings is quite slow and painful.