[chrisbek]

I am looking at 2 gaming laptops and I can't decide which one I should get.

The first is MSI GE62 Apache Pro i7 6700HQ
Regular Price: $1349.00
Sale Price: $1299.00

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_1198&item_id=088480

The second is ASUS GL552VW ROG 15.6" Gaming Notebook Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Regular Price: $1299.00
Sale Price: $1187.00

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_1198&item_id=088300

I like the MSI laptop as it has a really nice backlit keyboard that is customizable, excellent sound system and the track pad looks decent. The build quality and the materials used look amazing. The downside is it comes with 8 GB of ram any to upgrade would require removing the warranty stickers to get at the guts of the computer to perform any upgrades such as an SSD or RAM upgrade.

I like the ASUS laptop but in reviews I read & watched the laptop has poor build quality due to it mainly being made out of plastic. The lid, keyboard and even the hinges of this model are the biggest of concerns as they have a lot of flex to them because of the plastic design as seen in this youtube review vid here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TMFPFUVe34

However despite build quality the laptop has excellent specs in terms of performance. It also very easy to open the laptop up and upgrade the RAM (accepts up to 32 Gigs) and SSD drive without voiding any warranties.

I am half minded at the moment.

I can buy the ASUS for a really good price $1189.00 (as opposed to the msi at $1300) and I get 16 GB of ram instead of 8GB that comes in the MSI. The money I saved could then be used to buy an SSD upgrade.

I was looking at the MSI for the longest time and had my heart set for it as the price at the time was only $1250.00 but for some reason in the last month all the retailers have increased the price since then.

If you're curious what I would be using the laptop for mostly I have filled out the laptop form if it helps.

I am hoping to get some help in making a decision as I would like to get one of these laptops for boxing day.

1. What is your budget $1500.00 after taxes

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering 15.6' or higher

3. What screen resolution do you want? 1080p

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? n/a

5. How much battery life do you need? 3 hours do do surfing/internet usage

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games.

High/Ultra Settings

Games I wish to play mainly are:

a) CS:GO
b) Farcry 3 & Farcry 4
c) Sniper Elite 3
d) Any high demanding first person shooter
e) Various Steam games

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? Website design, Office, C/C++/Visual Basic programming, Install Linux and create a dual boot system with Windows.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500 GB free space is more then enough.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 3 to 4 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? CD-ROM read/write burner

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. No preference.

13. What country do you live in? CANADA

 

[Hambone07si]

I would look at the Asus G752VT-RH71 .. It's a great laptop with awesome performance with the Gtx970m .. I got mine for $1399 at Microcenter. Not sure how cheap you can find it elsewhere? I went in and played with the MSI laptops, and everything else too. Personally I don't like the cheaper MSI laptops. The TitanSLI is a different story but also very expensive. Anything less than that, I don't feel their quality is up to par with the Asus models. Asus is also very good at staying nice and cool during gaming. My 970m only hits 68-69c max. The Alienware 15 R2 I had with the same 970m was always at 86c or so. Way hotter lol.

You can also find the Asus G751 with a i7 4720HQ and a 970m on sale now for pretty cheap. They had that model at Microcenter for only $1050 when I was there. I just went for Skylake 6700HQ and DDR4 instead. Plus support for the NVMe m.2 PCI-e SSD's that are ridiculously fast compared to m.2 Sata SSD's. That's something also to consider since those will be out more this coming year. One of those for your OS like a 256gb and then a 1tb 850 Evo for everything else is one hell of a hard drive setup for a laptop. That's my plan once the Asus G752 supports the NVMe SSD's properly lol. I have the 1tb 850 Evo and to be honest, those are insanely fast.

I don't get half the reviews that claim Asus has poor quality. You go to the store and put your hands on the different laptops and I think Asus has way better quality than the MSI's do. Those GE62's felt pretty cheap compared to the Asus G751 and G752 .. At least IMHO

 

[chrisbek]

We'll I wish I lived near a microcenter as the prices I am certain would be a lot better but coming boxing day I want to get one of the laptops listed above. I am just hoping someone here who knows laptops and can give me some advice between the two.

I am at point where I want to get the ASUS G552VW as its priced really nice and has good specs. However what deters me is that its built out of plastic entirely and the build quality is lacking.

The MSI 62 Apache Pro has nice specs, the build quality looks solid but its priced higher and comes with 8GB of ram where as the Asus has 16GB and is $125.00 cheaper.

I am on the fence atm.

Hoping someone can help me come to a decision.

 

[Hambone07si]

I bought the Asus GL551 that was only $749 and was the cheapest gaming laptop Asus makes pretty much. It was all plastic, but it didn't feel like it was lacking in any way. They are just fine lol, trust me. Can't you get that one you are looking at with the Aluminum outer shell?

I would try to find a deal on the G751 tho. You can probably find one for about the same price as those other 2 models you are looking at. But you get G-sync on a very nice display, and just so much more performance. Look around. You should be able to find for around $1000-1050 USD, not sure the conversion right now lol

Hey, and actually looking at the link of the Asus you linked, that one has the Aluminum Lid or backside of the monitor. That isn't plastic. The reviews say that one is a lot nicer in quality. Also that youtube video is of the plastic shelled one. You linked the Aluminum one and it's much better and doesn't flex like that.

 

[chrisbek]

Yeah I went to the store and saw the ASUS GL552VW they had is indeed with a metallic looking cover. Although there is some flex it is not as bad as the one I saw on the video.

I tried to listen to the sound system on it but the store was packed full of people that I didn't want to turn it too high. The sound seemed ok that the speakers gave off.

The keyboard felt decent and the hinges were ok as well for opening and closing the laptop.

I am kinda torn between which to get.

I like the MSI-GE62 alot more as in terms of design and functionality. The sound system will be way better on the MSI then the ASUS. It is built with aluminum and plastic where as the ASUS is entirely plastic and seems to be a dirt/fingerprint magnet. The MSI has way better trackpad and uses actually buttons for left and right clicking where as ASUS doesn't (the track pad bottom is designed for left/right click). The MSI keyboard design is more spaced out and less cramped and has nice backlit keyboard that is customizable.

However the ASUS has 16GB of ram (Unlike the MSI which is 8GB), the price is cheaper by $125.00 and can easily be upgraded without voiding the warranty when it comes to RAM or an SSD upgrade. The other plus side about the ASUS is that it has a removable battery unlike the MSI which uses an internal battery.

Not sure which to get now.

 

[thegreatsquare]

Sorry, ...forgot about taxes. I'll leave them here just in case you can find the find the extra cash.

960m v. 970m

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-960M.138006.0.html

On Ultra Settings/1080p:

Rainbow Six Siege - 60% faster than 960m
Just Cause 3 - 64% faster
Star Wars Battlefront - 74% faster
Fallout 4 - 74% faster
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - 66% faster
Metal Gear Solid V - 62% faster
Mad Max - 69% faster
GTA V - 55% faster
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 48% faster

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_1199&item_id=087893

In Stock Above. Special price ends 12/31/2015.

Same as:

http://www.ncix.com/detail/msi-ge72-apache-i7-5700hq-85-115318-1690.htm

Our Price: $1,499.98 CAD
Savings Code 115318-1690. SAVE $200.00 off our regular price of $1,699.98 if you buy today! Special price ends 12/31/2015.

Back Order [RT]
This product is available but currently we do not have stock. Order it today and we will ship when it's available.

Specs: MSI GE72 Apache i7 5700HQ GTX970M 17.3" FHD IPS 12GB 1TB HDD DVDRW Win10 Gaming Laptop

----

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_1198&item_id=089093

$1550

Gigabyte P55W-BW1T Gaming Notebook
- 15.6" IPS(1920x1080) Intel i7-5700HQ(2.70GHz) 8GB DDR3L 128G mSATA +1TB 7200 rpm
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GDDR5 3GB Super Multi DVD RW BT 4.0 Microsoft Windows 10

 

[Hambone07si]

I would DEFINITELY go for a Gtx970m over a 960m NO QUESTION ASKED!!!! If the MSI has the 970m, then that's a no brainer to go with that over the Asus. I had the 960m at first, and then moved up to the 970m and it's at least 1.5x faster and lets me play almost all games maxed out, where as the 960m was playing on Med settings and also having to drop the rendering size to less than 100% to stay at 60fps. That is not needed if you get a 970m. Plus 3gb of Vram is perfect for 1080p screen.

 

[Gamester3333]

Msi is pretty liberal with their warranty. Their own rep has even said that that sticker does not actually void the warranty if removed. It's just there to scare off people who have no business disassembling it. Youll need to repaste it first thing. That said, i recommend the msi. Mine has been nothing but wonderful.

 

[Buji88]

Get the msi, just ordered one from ncix at a pretty wicked deal. I looked at that asus to and wasnt as impressed. Im going to be using this laptop for when I go off to training for my new job this year and I just loved how solid and rigid it was for the amount of money I was spending.

 

[Frankzro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hambone07si

I would look at the Asus G752VT-RH71 .. It's a great laptop with awesome performance with the Gtx970m .. I got mine for $1399 at Microcenter. Not sure how cheap you can find it elsewhere? I went in and played with the MSI laptops, and everything else too. Personally I don't like the cheaper MSI laptops. The TitanSLI is a different story but also very expensive. Anything less than that, I don't feel their quality is up to par with the Asus models. Asus is also very good at staying nice and cool during gaming. My 970m only hits 68-69c max. The Alienware 15 R2 I had with the same 970m was always at 86c or so. Way hotter lol.

You can also find the Asus G751 with a i7 4720HQ and a 970m on sale now for pretty cheap. They had that model at Microcenter for only $1050 when I was there. I just went for Skylake 6700HQ and DDR4 instead. Plus support for the NVMe m.2 PCI-e SSD's that are ridiculously fast compared to m.2 Sata SSD's. That's something also to consider since those will be out more this coming year. One of those for your OS like a 256gb and then a 1tb 850 Evo for everything else is one hell of a hard drive setup for a laptop. That's my plan once the Asus G752 supports the NVMe SSD's properly lol. I have the 1tb 850 Evo and to be honest, those are insanely fast.

I don't get half the reviews that claim Asus has poor quality. You go to the store and put your hands on the different laptops and I think Asus has way better quality than the MSI's do. Those GE62's felt pretty cheap compared to the Asus G751 and G752 .. At least IMHO

I agree with this.

ASUS laptops are pretty solid!

In 2011 I bought an ASUS G73JW-A1... Nearly 5 years later , after being assaulted by little kids for a few years in between, after having juice spilled on it and ITS STILL going strong.

They make some really good laptops , make sure you buy a notebook cooler for it!

 

[xenophobe]

Honestly, I don't think you could go wrong with Asus or MSI. I've owned an Asus ROG, it was all plastic but build quality was decent. MSI is definitely a little nicer build wise. I would go with a 970m for gaming, but most gaming portables are either really heavy or get really loud and hot and almost none of them have good battery life, so I decided against a gaming laptop and just went with compact and don't regret it.

I am still on the fence about returning my Spectre x360 for a Razer Blade, but they haven't had a Skylake refresh and it's really expensive, but battery life is probably the best for a gaming laptop... just don't expect to game if you're not plugged in.