MSI GT660R-494US 1,299 is this a good deal?

[sapphirebabe]

I want to buy a decent gaming laptop. I don't need top of the line, I'm not a 'hardcore' gamer. I like playing WoW, maybe league of legends with my hubby, I like trying out random MMORPGs when they come out. Anyhow, my budget is pretty much what this is priced at. Is Newegg a good place to buy from?

Thanks in advance,
MJ



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152230

 

[WR2]

Hello sapphirebabe;

NewEgg is a very good online store. Both from a price and service standpoint.

That MSI GT660R-494US and its Core i7 740 CPU & GTX 250M CPU @ $1300 is OK, just not a great deal right now.

You get a lot more bang for your buck with ASUS G Series G53SW-XN1 Notebook $1200
Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) Sandy Bridge CPU, 6GB RAM 500GB HDD 7200rpm 15.6" 1920x1080 LCD w/ NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M

 

[WR2]

For about $250 less look at the SAMSUNG RF511-S02 Notebook $950
Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 4GB RAM 500GB HDD 5400rpm 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M w/ NVIDIA Optimus
The GT 540M graphics card is a mid-range card but should do well in RPGs and MMORPGs.

 

[sapphirebabe]

Hello sapphirebabe;

NewEgg is a very good online store. Both from a price and service standpoint.

That MSI GT660R-494US and its Core i7 740 CPU & GTX 250M CPU @ $1300 is OK, just not a great deal right now.

You get a lot more bang for your buck with ASUS G Series G53SW-XN1 Notebook $1200
Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) Sandy Bridge CPU, 6GB RAM 500GB HDD 7200rpm 15.6" 1920x1080 LCD w/ NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M

Thanks, and yes that is the other one I was looking at. I know it has better specs for gaming, I just really hate how it looks, haha. Also the MSI has really good sound, that's important to me. I guess I forgot to mention that my hubby might want to use it to play SC2 once in a while or games like that. I know...if only the MSI GT660R had the Sandy Bridge I'd be sold.

 

[sapphirebabe]

For about $250 less look at the SAMSUNG RF511-S02 Notebook $950
Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 4GB RAM 500GB HDD 5400rpm 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M w/ NVIDIA Optimus
The GT 540M graphics card is a mid-range card but should do well in RPGs and MMORPGs.

This was the one I originally had my eye on but I was worried about the graphics card being able to handle games really well. I looked up the card online and I wasn't totally satisfied with how it ran most games...

 

[WR2]

MSI is busy working Sandy Bridge into it's model refresh.
They should show up pretty soon.

 

[WR2]

MSI GT680R-008US Sandy Bridge over @ XoticPC.
Just over your price range ATM though.

 

[WR2]

Also @ NewEgg but out of stock: MSI GT680R-008US

 

[sapphirebabe]

ugh...i know i really like that one. maybe i should just suck it up and buy the G53JW-XN1 it really is quite nice.

 

[sapphirebabe]

but out of stock as well....

 

[WR2]

That 2year warranty and 1year accidental damage warranty are a very nice bonus.
It has a reputation for really superior sound too.
The $100 savings would get you a few more games or a great gaming mouse.

 

[sapphirebabe]

the G53JW-XN1?

 

[sapphirebabe]

or the G53SW-XN1? sorry i got confused =\

 

[WR2]

Both G53JW-XN1 / G53SW-XN1

 

[sapphirebabe]

Best answer selected by sapphirebabe.

 

[sapphirebabe]

i have one more question. how big of a difference will that sandy bridge in the ASUS make in gaming compared to the i7 the MSI GT660R has? Will it still be able to play games like SC2 on ultra or high, smoothly?

 

[WR2]

In Sim and RPG games that rely more on the CPU you'll get better performance with the Sandy Bridge CPU. If you're not being GPU limited (which is often the case) it could be a very nice bump up in performance:

Passmark CPU benchmark scores:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Intel Core i7 740QM @ 1.73GHz = 3585
Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00GHz = 6318