[INFORMATION THREAD] --- Gaming Laptops --- Things To Know --- {Read Before Posting!!! Can Help... - Page 3

Contrary to most of the beliefs here, I and all of the other ACTUAL mods, along with a few of the regulars like myself, have real lives and aren't always on here posting away. I cannot give you all the answers out there and making snide little remarks like the ones in bold are actually prone to keep me and others away. :|


As for your initial question, I was in the middle of a reply when my internet went out and I got hung up at home anyhow so I forgot about trying to paste my response again and post it.


Well... with a laptop you're going to be outdated rather fast, but it's more forgiving in the long run when compared to a high-end PC that's got some new component that comes out every 6 months. If it matters, the GTX 580M came out around August-September last year... so 7-8 months is when the new flagship GPU comes out for laptops vs 5-6 months with desktops. Always good to know.


As for a Gaming Laptop, you want a machine that can play games at the highest-near highest settings without a problem correct? Hmm... Off the top of my head I've got three machines that instantly come to mind. Also, the 670M would be the GPU you would want to pick if you want to game at high resolutions. Mind you, the 670M is a 570M with a clock increase up to 620/1240/1500 vs 575/1150/1500. No voltage change, but the drivers are more efficient so there is a little boost there too. However, after the clock push the difference becomes null.

As for the dedicated screen, I think it's worth it if you're playing on a larger TV or something and playing on your couch... but not if it's right in front of you since the monitor has to be higher than the laptop to keep it from obstructing your view. It's a little clunky at best. I say it's not worth it overall.

In order from most preferred to least preferred:

#1 - ASUS G55VW-RS71
#2 - FORCE 16F3
#3 - Sager NP9130 or Malibal Lotus P150EM-SE

The first pick has the best layout in terms of portability and power. Two drive bays that support SATA III are included along with native USB 3.0 support. The 660M is within 10% of the 670M but draws significantly less power. That and it comes stock with an IB quad, but you can downgrade to the 2670QM if you want, knocking off $80, which isn't a bad idea if you've got a fixed budget. Supports Optimus GPU switching.

The second pick's limitation is a weak hard drive (5400RPM) and can be considered a hinder to most users. However, it does feature two drive bays and the 670M like you want. Also, the 670M comes with Optimus as well so you won't suffer bad battery for watching movies or something.

The third pick is a toss-up between two sellers. Sager and Malibal both use the same Clevo-based platform so their prices are similar, with the pricing in Malibal's favor slightly. However both of these machines only feature one HDD bay and the GPU, while also a 670M, cannot be upgraded via option. It's physically the same as the bigger brothers, the NP9150 and Lotus P150EM respectively, but has fewer options for changes. These support Optimus GPU switching.


I would recommend the ASUS G55 because it looks cool and because it offers the best of both worlds. You get the new IB CPU and the new 2GB GTX 660M with support for Optimus. Mind you, with beta drivers the GTX 660M is within ~10% of the 670M. When the drivers mature to something more stable, that'll push the 660M ahead of the 670M. It happened with the 570M vs the 6970M. Now the 670M is the matured 570M, with a little clock boost for incentive, and it soundly trounces the 6970M without a problem.

Well, one link is a 17.3" machine and the other is a 15.6" machine. If you're saying the MSI has a lower price, well... it's because it's smaller... >.>

As far as what I would pick? What's your budget?