Gaming/Rendering laptop from USA; which to buy?

[stianbl]

Hi guys..

I need a new laptop, and I got a friend in USA who's coming to visit us in 18 days. So he'll be helping me to get a laptop from USA, which would save me a lot of money.

My only problem is, which should I buy?

This was the first I thought of, but then I read that the GPU is downclocked?

ASUS G72Gx-RBBX09 - 1299$
-quad Q9000
-GTX 260M (nedklokket!! )
-6GB DDR2
-17.3" 1600x900
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+...p;skuId=9568149

So I dont know which to get. maybe another with i7, 250M and no downclocking?

Anyways, I'll list what I want first, then I'll list some more laptops I've looked at.

What I want:
CPU: quad or i7, going to render also, so need the CPU power.
GPU: 250M and better, as I also want to be able to play new games in good (high) quality.
MEMORY:4GB DDR2 or more..
MONITOR: I dont want a crappy monitor of course, but I dont want to pay a lot of mony to get full HD. Sice? doesnt matter. (probably something around 15-17", 1600x??? forgot what it was)
WEIGHT: Doesn't matter.
BATTERY: Doesn't matter.
PRICE: Hopefully not more than 1300$. Can be pushed to 1500$ if it's worth it.

-

Some random laptops I've been looking at:

ASUS G51J-A1 - 1405$
-core i7-720
-GTX 260M
-4GB DDR3 1066Mhz
-15,6" 1920x1080
http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-g51ja1-p-2674....?wconfigure=yes

Sager NP8690 - 1700$ a bit too much i think
-core i7-720
-GTX 280M
-4GB DDR3 1333Mhz
-15,6" 1600x900
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8690-built-...?wconfigure=yes

Toshiba - Qosmio - 1399$
-core i7-720
-GTS 250M
-4GB DDR3
-18,4" 1680x945
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Qosm...p;skuId=9575532

ASUS G60VX-RBBX05 - 945$
-core 2 duo P7450
-GTX 260M
-4GB DDR2
-16" 1366x768
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+...p;skuId=9556072

-


I'm looking for better deals, so please guide me to the right choise. =)
Looking forward to hear from you!

Thanks a lot in advance,
Stian Berg Larsen

 

[ibnsina]

First choice ASUS G51J-A1

Good spec all around. i7-720QM, Full HD display, GTX 260M, 640GB HDD 7200rpm, 2 years ASUS warranty (1st year Accidental Damage Warranty). This is international warranty unlike Sager. Free 30days Zero Bright Dot LCD warranty unlike Sager, free
Carry Bag/Gaming Optical Mouse unlike Sager.

Get it before is sold out. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220605&Tpk=ASUS%20G51J-A1

xoticpc do NOT have this in stock, 3-4 weeks before they get more stock.

.............................................................................................
Second choice ASUS G72Gx-RBBX09 - 1299$
Also another great deal but not Full HD screen.

 

[Maziar]

If the price difference difference between the Sager model and ASUS G51J was like $100 it was worth it,but for $300 its not,so i vote for the ASUS model as well

 

[stianbl]

Thanks for the quick reply =)
Seemes like there are BSOD problems? And overheating is a big issue. I guess this is something all of them have. 15" with numpad? woah.

Anyways, I really like this computer. But do you know if the 260M is downclocked on this one too? Because thats the main reason I'm not getting the first Asus I listed..

Thx,

 

[stianbl]

Anyone got some updates on the BSoD's on this asus machine?
And any onformation regarding the GPU; if it's downclocked or not..

I have to order very soon, so I need some help now.. =/

Thanks a lot in advance,
Stian Berg Larsen

 

[stianbl]

Amazone sells the Asus G51J-A1 for 1454$ (free shipping, including the bag and the mouse)..
I still dont know if I want this, or the G72gx from bestbuy :S Only downside from the G72gx is the underclocked GPU, and the locked bios... Downside of G51j is all the BSoD's, but it hs a great monitor, and i7, and same GPU....

Not easy to choose... =(

http://www.amazon.com/G51J-A1-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Windows-Premium/dp/B002PAQXCW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[Maziar]

It seems its Down Clocked:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427948
"the nVidia GeForce GTX 260M (still downclocked to 9800M GTX speeds)"
About BSOD,i am not sure so you better ask the users who have this laptop:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427556

 

[stianbl]

Ok.. thanks a lot for the reply..
Got any other recomodations? I want a good laptop for around 1500$, but I cant find any good deals, other than the one i already have here.

A sager with 280M will be 400$ +, and I dont think I can afford that just for a 260M -> 280M upgrade.. =/

 

[Maziar]

The Sager model has better build quality and better cooling but its more expensive,another alternative would be AW M15x with GTX 260M but it even costs more than the Sager one lol.
Well as i said the Sager model has better cooling/better build quality and also GTX 280M.
If you can't go for it then take a look at SAGER NP8662,it has GTX 260M + Core2 CPUs and a lower price

 

[stianbl]

Thanks mate =)

Ye, I'd love to buy a Sager, with the 280M, but 1700$ is just a bit too much...
Do you think it's worth spending 400$ more to upgrade from 260M to 280M ? I dont think the performance difference is that big. Not that I would really know, but only gaining a few FPS is not worth 400$ for a poor student like me.. =P

 

[Maziar]

No for $400 isn't worth it,as i said take a look at SAGER NP8662

 

[stianbl]

I will =)

Meanwhile; I think I'll buy a cooler with the laptop. A chill mat, or what it's called.
I'll do some research on these too, but if you got a mat you've tried, or that you know is good, please let me know =) No need to do research on it, as I will try and find something, but just if you know a brand or a model that works good. =)
Dont want to spend too much on it though..

 

[stianbl]

Hmm, vant find any place where they sell that sager.. Tried searching for the clevo name too.. nothing yet.

 

[Maziar]

http://www.sagernotebook.com/product_customed.php?pid=160092

 

[stianbl]

Thanks =)
Strange that it didnt show in searches.

Anyways; after configuring the laptop, changing only the CPU to the Q9000, it's still more expensive than the g51j-a1, which has the same specs, but with an i7-720 and dual hdd's..
Dillema.. =P Also the asus ships with mouse and bag.

After looking more at the g51j-a1 I think I will be choosing this. it's 150$ more than the g72gx-rbbx09, but has a better monitor and a better cpu(+mouse/bag/warranty). I'd love to get a g72gx-a1, but thats again up at around 16-1700$, with the i7 and a better monitor. Still the same as the g51j-a1 in specs.

I just dont hope the BSoD is going to bug me too, as I really need a computer to work on with school. That is heavy rendering in 3d Studio Max, and otherwise a lot of graphical work in the adobe master collection series. And gaming for fun of course

What do you think of genTech Computers?
Someone here recomended it, and I checked it out.
it's the same price as Amazon, and I cant seeme to find it any cheaper. newegg is asking 50$ more, which is not a problem, but if gentexh is good then I see no reason why to go elsewhere =)

heres the link for the Asus G51J-A1:
http://1toppc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=G51J-A1

 

[Maziar]

Gentech seems to have good reviews,also ASUS G72GX is a good option too,its 17" and has C2 Q9000 on it with a good price

 

[stianbl]

Yes, I'd like to get the G72Gx (talking about the A1 ?), but that is 200$ more. And I get DDR2 instead of DDR3, and Quad instead of i7.

Gah, wish it was easier to buy laptops =P

 

[Maziar]

Well DDR2 vs DDR3 isn't important because it won't make a noticeable difference in games/apps.
But about i7 vs Quad yes you are right

 

[stianbl]

True about the DDR2/DDR3. I dont really care there. In fact, I'd rather get 6GB DDR2 than 4GB DDR3.

But it sucks that it's a Q9000 vs i7, as I guess the i7 would be much better for me as I'm also going to use my computer for rendering 3d work, and thats a pure cpu task. But still, 17" would be great too.

But it's the same resolution, and it's more expencive, so I really dont know. I think it will be the G51J-A1 model.. If I dont change my mind in the last second. =)

If any others have any better laptops to recomend? I dont think there are any laptops that beats the great deal with ASUS on the G51J-A1, so the choises aren't really that many.. Only reason I didnt go and buy it right away is the BSoD problem. I was told ASUS is working on a bios upgrade to fix that, so I guess I'll be able to fix it soon if I get it now =)

Thanks for the help! =)

 

[Maziar]

Well the only alternative for ASUS model is SAGER NP8690 but as we talked before,its more expensive and not worth for $400 more.
I think ASUS will release a new BIOS update too,so i think you will be fine

 

[stianbl]

Thanks a lot for guiding me to this answer Maziar. =) I really appreciate all your help!

Now I just dont hope they reduce the price a lot right after I buy it ^^ Either way it's still a great deal. I cant wait longer, as I have a friend in USA whos bringing it to me in Korea, and I need it for school in Australia next semester. Buying the same specs from Norway (my home country) would cost more than 3600$, so this is a great deal for me.

 

[Maziar]

No problem glad i could help
Hope You'll enjoy it

 

[stianbl]

Hmmm... Me again

So, been reading way too many BSoD reports on the G51J-A1 lately, and I dont really know. My main problem is that I will have a friend bring me the laptop from USA, which means I cant return it if something goes wrong. I mean, if the BSoD is caused by some RAM errors or any other hardware errors, I dont think I'll be able to return it for service for free?

So 2 quick questions:
-
1. The resolution on the G72Gx-RBBX09 is 1600x900 instead of FHD. Is there some way for me to compare what this will mean? Like, what is it equivalent to, on a 15" monitor. (Pixels per inch, or something).

2. The i7-720 is suposed to be better than the Q9000, but after reading more I see that the Q9000 would actually performe better than the i7, as not many games handle all 4 cores yet, and not the 4 physical either. Which means I'd be better of OC'ing the Q9000 a bit, if at all, to get the same or better performance. Do you know if this is true?
Also; hyperthreading. Runing 2 threads in 1 core at the same time. I dont understand how this can make it work faster? I do understand, if the threads dont require a lot of power.. But if it's true, that games cant take advantage of the 4 cores fully yet, and cant use the hyperthreading yet either, then we're left with 3d and video software. I'll be using 3ds max a lot, but I would guess rendering should use 100% cpu power either way, so that hyperthreading wont be of much help? Or am I way off here? =P

Sorry for asking so many questions here.. I just dont have a lot of money to spare, and I want a computer that will work and not just die on me.. =/ Hope you understand..

And thanks a lot for all the help.. really! =)

 

[Maziar]

1_Well 1600x900 isn't a common resolution but its a good resolution for gaming with GTX 260M
2_Q9000 is still a good choice,the difference between i7 and Q9000 is mostly in multi threaded apps but in gaming the difference isn't really much.
Also Q9000 can handle 3Dmax fine too

 

[ibnsina]

Stianbl; the warranty is international for ASUS G51J-A1, so I wouldnt worry too much. Bios update is out, it should fix lots of problems. And get a cooling pad, so heat wont be an issue.

If I were you, I would buy it from Newegg though, it might cost $50 more, but it would be easier to get it exchanged or rufunded. If for what ever reason you didnt like it, give it back to your friend to bring back to usa for exchange/refund.( He can ship it back to you, with insurance).

You need to relax, dont strees your self for no good reasons