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New GTX 970/980 Laptops! Is this Laptop the Best Bang for your Buck? (Two Posts, read Summary for shorter version)

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  • Laptops
  • Gtx
  • Asus
Last response: in Laptop General Discussion
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October 11, 2014 11:05:06 AM

(HERE IS A QUICK SUMMARY OF WHAT I'M DEALING WITH. IF YOU WANT THE WHOLE THING, READ THE POST AFTER THE SUMMARY)

Hi. So, let's make this quick, I'm looking to buy a gaming laptop with a 970M, the newest released mobile graphic cards. I'm looking at the MSI GT70 2293, which is set to release on October 22. Basically, it costs $1450 and has the GTX 970M, which performs better than an 880M and has better cooling and noise reduction. It's Maxwell, too. For a description, visit this website:

http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt70-dominator2293-eta-oct22...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If you want the full post, read it below. Thanks.

(FULL POST)

Hey guys.

Over the past few months, I've been killing myself over getting the ASUS G750M DS71. I've read great reviews, and it was time I've thrown away my Surface RT (Horrible, honestly) and get a real machine for gaming and CPU/GPU intensive tasks. I'm turning 13 years old in 6 days (October 17), and I already have more than enough money saved up over the years to buy a gaming laptop, added on with the money I'll get for my birthday. I easily can buy a $3000 laptop with my own money, but I'm not the kid who throws money out the window at expensive items because they "cost a lot". I do my research, and I know how the marketing strategies work. But right now, I'm keeping my budget at $1500.

Anyways, back to topic. With the new release of the 900 series, I've been thinking over my choice of the ASUS and maybe going for a 900 series laptop. So, with the new release of the ASUS G751 series, which sported the 970/980m, I thought I was set. Until I saw the $2000 price tag for the 970m. Never mind...

But I kept on looking. I know that the 860m is a great card and all, but with new titles coming out requiring more power, I don't think the Maxwell card can keep up. I don't want the best of the best, but still, if I'm shelling out 1400 for a laptop, it should play all games smoothly. And the thing is, it actually does. But again, with new titles requiring more power becoming a reality, I don't think it can hold it's ground. So I kept searching, and I eventually found myself at XoticPC. Being a fan of them from past experiences, I searched their options. Well, I'd be damned, I found over 20 laptops with the new 900 series cards. It was all over their main page. Thinking that they'd be expensive, I decided to look just to see how expensive.

I was absolutely incorrect about the expensive part . There was a Sager for 1200 USD that had a 970M. But I'm not a fan of Sager, so I passed. But soon enough, there it was. An MSI GT70 Dominator laptop for 1450 USD, with a GTX 970M. I know that MSI is a great company, but I passed on them before because I've gotten complaints about heat. Over and over.

But this time was different. The heat couldn't pull me away from the value. And besides, it doesn't get molten hot, and I'll be using a cooling pad. So I know I can't give it up. It has all the things better than ASUS (Keyboard, sound, sleekness) along with an amazing price tag.

MSI: Sleekness, keyboard, weight, screen, audio, PRICE!
ASUS: Build quality (Slightly), Design (Sexy, to be honest), and cooling (Nice advantage)

Now, the cooling part doesn't bother me, as I'll be using a cooling pad and I'll turn down the thermometer. Even if it does throttle just a little, the sacrifice in power is minimal and is still amazing. The build quality is already superb, but ASUS has better. Again, isn't a burden. And the design on the MSI is sleek and nice, but the ASUS is just hardcore and beautiful. But design doesn't affect anything much (except maybe cooling). However, the MSI has a customizable keyboard that feels nice, is lighter than the ASUS, IMO has a better screen, and the audio is supposedly crisp and fantastic. Now, I've already had this debate with myself, and still I chose the ASUS. But it's different this time around. The MSI costs 400 USD less for the same specs, and it has more power.

Speaking of power, let's get into that. The 880M is about twice as better than the 860M. It could be more better, but being Kepler, the cooling isn't as good. Therefore, the 880M is more powerful, but louder and has more heat (due to power and Kepler). Now, benchmarks with games show that the 970M is about 1.5 times better than the 880M. It has Kepler design, as well. It also has improved interface resulting in being more cool and quieter. If this is true, than the 970M is about three times more powerful than the 860M. The awesome part? The ASUS with the 860M costs $1400. The MSI with the 970M costs $1450. So all you're sacrificing is a bit of cooling, design, and build quality for 3 times the power. Also, the MSI has a 7200 RPM hard drive over a 5400 RPM ASUS drive. The MSI can be upgraded and cleaned a LOT easier than the ASUS. ASUS has 12GB RAM and MSI has 8GB RAM.


So, is the MSI worth the purchase? I've kind of been pointing towards that, but I want other opinions first. Now, it hasn't hit market yet, as it is ETA on Oct. 22, so I don't expect first hand experience. So I have a few questions:

1) I want to but this from Best Buy. Went the product is up for sale, will it arrive at Best Buy?
2) I know it's GT70, but being the newest model, could it have dual cooling?
3) It won't affect my purchase, but will prices of other 800 series laptops deflate because of the price/performance ratio of the 900 series?

I'm terribly sorry for the long post, but I'm curious. Thank you for your support! Also, there were reports of Power State Failures for every 800 series laptop. Being that this is 900 series, do you think that will happen? It's a huge deal for me, so I NEED to know.

More about : gtx 970 980 laptops laptop bang buck posts read summary shorter version

a b D Laptop
a b Ĉ ASUS
October 11, 2014 11:18:40 AM

Defiantly get a GTX 900M laptop, the cooling and the extra features will help your laptop for the years to come.

I love the Dominator with the GTX 970M, nice looking and extremely powerful, I would get that laptop.


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October 11, 2014 11:44:17 AM

Thanks, man! I hope it'll be a good buy! I'll leave this thread open for a while until I make my final decision. But thanks, anyways!
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a b D Laptop
a b Ĉ ASUS
October 11, 2014 11:48:03 AM

No problem.

Oh and BTW... Hardly anybody is gona read that entire post, I suggest making a quick summary at the top and but keep the long post for others who are willing to read.
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October 11, 2014 11:53:25 AM

True. Good point. I'll change that right away :) 
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October 12, 2014 5:38:50 PM

If you build a PC, you can build something as powerful as that laptop for half the price, and you can buy a monitor and games with the other half, or buy a nice ipod touch which is basically a smartphone without the phone part. so you can use internet and apps, and messaging using Wi-Fi. (Everyplace in the world uses Wi-Fi)

$1500 dollars is way too much for a gaming machine.
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October 12, 2014 8:25:31 PM

Again people, I won't bother for a desktop. I couldn't care less.
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October 12, 2014 9:56:14 PM

I'm actually working on getting a new gaming laptop as well and I picked the 2293 as well. Going to upgrade a couple things but you cant beat that price! I'm waiting for Black Friday to see if I can get a great deal on it. I was also hoping ASUS would have a better price 970M but still havent seen one posted on any websites. I even called them directly to see if I can order ASUS G751JT-DH72 with just 1 SSD instead of 2, cause for gaming purposes a 128 is more than enough for me and they said no. But anyway back to the MSI....

- I plan to add the 128GB SSD
* Don't worry about the CPU all of them run about the same for gaming purposes
* Don't OC them, usually with laptops its not a good idea
- Upgraded copper cooling
- Thermal paste CPU/GPU
- Maybe some personalization options
- 2-3 year extended warranty
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October 13, 2014 5:09:19 AM

Emelth said:
I'm actually working on getting a new gaming laptop as well and I picked the 2293 as well. Going to upgrade a couple things but you cant beat that price! I'm waiting for Black Friday to see if I can get a great deal on it. I was also hoping ASUS would have a better price 970M but still havent seen one posted on any websites. I even called them directly to see if I can order ASUS G751JT-DH72 with just 1 SSD instead of 2, cause for gaming purposes a 128 is more than enough for me and they said no. But anyway back to the MSI....

- I plan to add the 128GB SSD
* Don't worry about the CPU all of them run about the same for gaming purposes
* Don't OC them, usually with laptops its not a good idea
- Upgraded copper cooling
- Thermal paste CPU/GPU
- Maybe some personalization options
- 2-3 year extended warranty


Actually, I'm not getting the MSI. The ASUS is releasing there brand new G751 series, as you know, and there is an ASUS with the same specs and price as the MSI. It's called the G751JT CH71. It has 8GB more RAM, too. It's an entire new production line as well, and word is they upgraded their cooling system and added an IPS display, replacing their crappy other TN ones. They also upgraded their sound and design, and made the keyboard backlighting red as well as their ROG logo which has a red LED as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

This seems to be the best option now. There is no WAY I'll pass. Hope this helps!
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October 13, 2014 5:29:03 AM

Yes finally they are releasing it! I was pissed when they told me they didnt know when they were going to be releasing it. Sucks that they dont have a 128GB SSD option on that one. Have to wait and see if Xotic will have the option once it gets closer to the release date.
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October 13, 2014 1:50:16 PM

novanex said:
If you build a PC, you can build something as powerful as that laptop for half the price, and you can buy a monitor and games with the other half, or buy a nice ipod touch which is basically a smartphone without the phone part. so you can use internet and apps, and messaging using Wi-Fi. (Everyplace in the world uses Wi-Fi)

$1500 dollars is way too much for a gaming machine.


Oh really? Desktop cost less and are more powerful??? Thanks for educating everybody!!

/s

People need to stop coming into laptop thread and giving advice about desktop. So stupid.
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October 13, 2014 1:52:09 PM

Well, they do have a 256GB SSD option, but that costs $400 more just for the SSD. With that money saved you could buy your own SSD which would last longer and be better, while also being. half the price, and the other money could go to a mouse, headset, or even an ASUS ROG monitor. No point in spending $400 for a 256GB SSD when you could buy your own for $150 :p 
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October 13, 2014 1:53:03 PM

Lol! Exactly cocosoy! xD
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October 13, 2014 7:22:18 PM

I hate when they come in here and say build a PC, I've already built a desktop and I spent a little over $1600 on everything. There is a reason people need laptops, portable gaming for when you are not close to your desktop. It's common sense in my mind!

Anyway, back to the laptop....
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October 13, 2014 7:43:43 PM

My thoughts exactly. It should be reported as spam when somebody jumps into a conversation that involves laptops and drops the "build a desktop, it's more powerful and costs less" on me. It gets so annoying. Especially if you already have one, which costs you a bit over $1500. What's irritating is that those people haven't obviously been keeping up, and don't even realize that the 980M is more powerful than a 780 Ti, or just slightly less. But it overpowers a 780 itself. We've come to the age where laptops will eventually have enough power to shove the whole "Desktop is Superior" argument in the bag. It's becoming a reality, in 4 years laptops may be on par with desktops (But they never will actually be superior). Of course, desktops will always remain better for the fact that it has a vaster amount of upgrade abilities, and can support multiple cards, but then that would take away the argument that "desktops cost less". Laptops are closing in for the kill :D 

Now, yes, back to the laptop... your question?
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October 15, 2014 7:48:13 AM

tommyturner12 said:
My thoughts exactly. It should be reported as spam when somebody jumps into a conversation that involves laptops and drops the "build a desktop, it's more powerful and costs less" on me. It gets so annoying. Especially if you already have one, which costs you a bit over $1500. What's irritating is that those people haven't obviously been keeping up, and don't even realize that the 980M is more powerful than a 780 Ti, or just slightly less. But it overpowers a 780 itself. We've come to the age where laptops will eventually have enough power to shove the whole "Desktop is Superior" argument in the bag. It's becoming a reality, in 4 years laptops may be on par with desktops (But they never will actually be superior). Of course, desktops will always remain better for the fact that it has a vaster amount of upgrade abilities, and can support multiple cards, but then that would take away the argument that "desktops cost less". Laptops are closing in for the kill :D 

Now, yes, back to the laptop... your question?


I am going to buy this laptop too. It seems very good for its price and doesn't sacrifice anything. I feel like the SSD is way overpriced but I'm used to slow hard drives. Do you guys think its good to pre-order on newegg or wait until it becomes available on amazon?
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October 15, 2014 2:25:48 PM

I think Newegg, because the pre order will ship once they come in stock, we don't know when Amazon will put it up, and Newegg has a better shipping process IMO. But personally, I'd pick it up from a local Best Buy or Fry's. You don't have to worry about shipping tax and damage during the travel. But whatever you want to do, then do it :) 
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a b D Laptop
October 15, 2014 3:17:20 PM

tommyturner12 said:
My thoughts exactly. It should be reported as spam when somebody jumps into a conversation that involves laptops and drops the "build a desktop, it's more powerful and costs less" on me. It gets so annoying. Especially if you already have one, which costs you a bit over $1500. What's irritating is that those people haven't obviously been keeping up, and don't even realize that the 980M is more powerful than a 780 Ti, or just slightly less. But it overpowers a 780 itself. We've come to the age where laptops will eventually have enough power to shove the whole "Desktop is Superior" argument in the bag. It's becoming a reality, in 4 years laptops may be on par with desktops (But they never will actually be superior). Of course, desktops will always remain better for the fact that it has a vaster amount of upgrade abilities, and can support multiple cards, but then that would take away the argument that "desktops cost less". Laptops are closing in for the kill :D 

Now, yes, back to the laptop... your question?


Wow, someone who finally understands me! (I don't have a desktop though, but that's like the same argument I throw everytime I am told to get desktops instead of laptops)
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October 15, 2014 4:02:39 PM

Bolin said:
tommyturner12 said:
My thoughts exactly. It should be reported as spam when somebody jumps into a conversation that involves laptops and drops the "build a desktop, it's more powerful and costs less" on me. It gets so annoying. Especially if you already have one, which costs you a bit over $1500. What's irritating is that those people haven't obviously been keeping up, and don't even realize that the 980M is more powerful than a 780 Ti, or just slightly less. But it overpowers a 780 itself. We've come to the age where laptops will eventually have enough power to shove the whole "Desktop is Superior" argument in the bag. It's becoming a reality, in 4 years laptops may be on par with desktops (But they never will actually be superior). Of course, desktops will always remain better for the fact that it has a vaster amount of upgrade abilities, and can support multiple cards, but then that would take away the argument that "desktops cost less". Laptops are closing in for the kill :D 

Now, yes, back to the laptop... your question?


Wow, someone who finally understands me! (I don't have a desktop though, but that's like the same argument I throw everytime I am told to get desktops instead of laptops)


No problem :D  Man, desktop users need to get it through their heads that laptops are getting all the attention, and with Broadwell coming soon, power consumption will drop drastically, battery life will significantly improve, and over time, GPU's become a ton more powerful. Did you see the chart showing laptop performance compared to desktop performance? When the 480 was out, the 480m was about 30% of it's performance. That was only a few years ago, too, and now we're at 80% of performance!!

But yeah, glad I could help :) 
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October 18, 2014 10:10:27 AM

tommyturner12 said:
I think Newegg, because the pre order will ship once they come in stock, we don't know when Amazon will put it up, and Newegg has a better shipping process IMO. But personally, I'd pick it up from a local Best Buy or Fry's. You don't have to worry about shipping tax and damage during the travel. But whatever you want to do, then do it :) 


OK, the problem with NewEgg is that I live in Switzerland. They literally ship everywhere but Switzerland. :(  What do you guys think I should do? Maybe amazon is the best choice in this scenario?
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October 18, 2014 10:34:58 AM

MisterCreative said:
tommyturner12 said:
I think Newegg, because the pre order will ship once they come in stock, we don't know when Amazon will put it up, and Newegg has a better shipping process IMO. But personally, I'd pick it up from a local Best Buy or Fry's. You don't have to worry about shipping tax and damage during the travel. But whatever you want to do, then do it :) 


OK, the problem with NewEgg is that I live in Switzerland. They literally ship everywhere but Switzerland. :(  What do you guys think I should do? Maybe amazon is the best choice in this scenario?


XoticPC.com

I just was on a thread, and I realized that XoticPC ships worldwide. They offer so much customization, from cooling upgrades to Custom paintings, etc. They have one of the best ratings for resellers, and what's best about them is the fact that they sell so many laptops, and each laptop is cheaper than if you were to buy off a more well know retailer (Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, etc.). They give an automatic 3% discount, which is a lot more off than you think, and give $35 off for military discount. There shipping is also well packages and arrives very fast, and if you want, they'll rush the product and ship it within 1-2 business days for an extra $50. There quality is top notch, I suggest you buy from them.

P.S.- Sorry, I'm not too familiar with Switzerland prices opposed to American prices, so I can't convert process. I'm terribly sorry
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a b D Laptop
October 18, 2014 10:40:40 AM

tommyturner12 said:
MisterCreative said:
tommyturner12 said:
I think Newegg, because the pre order will ship once they come in stock, we don't know when Amazon will put it up, and Newegg has a better shipping process IMO. But personally, I'd pick it up from a local Best Buy or Fry's. You don't have to worry about shipping tax and damage during the travel. But whatever you want to do, then do it :) 


OK, the problem with NewEgg is that I live in Switzerland. They literally ship everywhere but Switzerland. :(  What do you guys think I should do? Maybe amazon is the best choice in this scenario?


XoticPC.com

I just was on a thread, and I realized that XoticPC ships worldwide. They offer so much customization, from cooling upgrades to Custom paintings, etc. They have one of the best ratings for resellers, and what's best about them is the fact that they sell so many laptops, and each laptop is cheaper than if you were to buy off a more well know retailer (Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, etc.). They give an automatic 3% discount, which is a lot more off than you think, and give $35 off for military discount. There shipping is also well packages and arrives very fast, and if you want, they'll rush the product and ship it within 1-2 business days for an extra $50. There quality is top notch, I suggest you buy from them.

P.S.- Sorry, I'm not too familiar with Switzerland prices opposed to American prices, so I can't convert process. I'm terribly sorry


I didn't know they shipped worldwide, that's good to know
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October 18, 2014 10:44:31 AM

I'm happy with mine.
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