Need a Gaming Laptop to play Ultra settings.

[Guest]

Good morning all. I need some advise on a laptop. I know IVY is just around the corner and the 680m is also around the corner. My main purpose is to game on ultra settings being protrable. I already have a deskstop i7930 OC'd to 4.1ghz with crossfired 5850's. They run all games on ultra at this time with no issues. But again, I do need something prortable. I'm a sucker for eye canada so I want to ensure that I can max everything for WOW D3 and GW2.

So lets get started.

What is your budget? Under $2000.00

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15-17inch

3. What screen resolution do you want? 1080p

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? –portable gaming –I have a i7930 desktop with cross-fired 5850’s but I want to be mobile

5. How much battery life do you need? Doesn’t matter

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. (Low,Medium or High)? Ultra settings. WOW D3 and GW2 –I will not be playing anything with 3D visions nor to I ever plan too. =)

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) None- Just normal web surfing NO Video or Photo editing

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? Not really important –really just a bonus –Would love SSD in the future (upgrade later or what u guys recommend)

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

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 4yrs if possible

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? DVD only

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. Open to anything

13. What country do you live in? Canada


Questions:

I heard Ivy Bridge is suspected to come out in the end of April and really the biggist increase is the intregated video card and slight CPU perofrmance. Would the suspected 5%-20% CPU performacnce effect fps in the games im playing?

675m is currently the top dog, and is a somewhat rebadge of the 580m (fermi). Is it really worth while waiting? I don't think i would shell out over 2k for a laptop just to get 680m and/or Ivy bridge.

Please dont post: gaming laptop = usless

And I know if I keep on waiting I will never buy cause new stuff is always coming out..but its really just around the corner......

These are the 2 im currently looking at.

Sager NP9170
17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1080)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M w/2GB GDDR5
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM Processor (6MB L3 Cache, 2.20GHz)
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 2 X 4GB
750GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module

$1710.74 + tax (shipping included)

http://www.reflexnotebook.ca/index.php/sager-notebooks/sager-np9170.html

Sager NP9150
15.6" Full HD LED-Backlit Display with Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1080)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M w/2GB GDDR5
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM Processor ( 6MB L3 Cache, 2.20GHz)
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
Genuine MS Windows® 7 Home Premium 32/64-Bit Edition
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 2 X 4GB
750GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive
8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module

$1659.49 + tax (Shipping included)

http://www.reflexnotebook.ca/index.php/sager-notebooks/sager-np9150.html

Do you think these two are good buys at this time? Anyone have had the previous sagers? I have heard good things with them or any other brands and/or build that you
recommend.

Thank you for all your attention in this matter.

Regards,

 

[alvine]

heres a laptop with gtx 580m
MSI GT783R-658US Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 17.3" 12GB Memory DDR3 1.5TB HDD 7200rpm Blu-Ray Burner NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152305

 

[stingstang]

http://eurocom.com/ has the neptune 2.0 with the newest GTX 675m graphics card, and sandybridge cpus. You'll be able to get the lastest and greatest from that site.

 

[stingstang]

^^^Even has ivy bridge cpus...you know...if you want them.

 

[Guest]

thanks for the reply guys, but is IVY bridge worth waiting for? and will it increase FPS in games?

what do you guys think about the sager laptops?

 

[WR2]

I heard Ivy Bridge is suspected to come out in the end of April and really the biggist increase is the intregated video card and slight CPU perofrmance. Would the suspected 5%-20% CPU performacnce effect fps in the games im playing?

675m is currently the top dog, and is a somewhat rebadge of the 580m (fermi). Is it really worth while waiting? I don't think i would shell out over 2k for a laptop just to get 680m and/or Ivy bridge.

That's pretty accurate information from what we know now.

How much trouble would it be for you to wait a few more weeks till you see the actual benchmark and reviews?
At least then, you'll know for sure the info we have now was accurate.
And you'll have a better idea of the pricing as well. Right now? We're not quite sure where the actual prices will end up.

 

[Guest]

and its 680m thats worth waiting for? Looking for lappy with 675m atm...

 

[WR2]

what do you guys think about the sager laptops?

For custom gaming rigs Sager/Clevo is a very good option.
They might not be 'flashy' but the cooling is usually very good. They're on the high end of quality compared to the 'gaming' notebooks from Dell, HP, etc.
And if you want the top end graphics cards you don't always find them in high end gaming notebooks from Asus and some of the other players like Toshiba.

 

[stingstang]

The ivy bridge CPUs are available NOW from eurocom.com

 

[WR2]

The ivy bridge CPUs are available NOW from eurocom.com

Are you sure they're not just accepting pre-orders?
Lots of places are doing that.

 

[stingstang]

Doesn't have any information about a preorder. Check it out yourself.

 

[WR2]

Check it yourself. Try and order one. See what they give you for a shipping date.

 

[stingstang]

Why are you being difficult with me?

 

[WR2]

I'm not the one that said a not yet released part was available NOW.
You'd think maybe Eurocom would have made some type of announcement?
They announce almost everything else in the website Newsroom

 

[stingstang]

If you didn't believe me, then you should have checked. They didn't announce that they were accepting preorders for the Ivy bridge, either. Instead, you just assume I'm wrong. Go find the answers yourself, then you can come back to me.

 

[unksol]

Why are you being difficult with me?

He's hardly being diffcult. You're stating someone is selling something that has not been released/does not exist. I certainly can't find it on their site. If you are going to make a rediculous claim to support a company you're clearly pushing then asking you to back it up is a small easy task. Even if i am dumb and can't find it, they aren't actually shipping it. intel would not allow it. End of story.

 

[stingstang]

Follow directions...wow.
eurocom.com neptune 2.0, cpu options. It's right there.
Then go to the order section. There are no indications that it's a preorder.
I don't see where the problem is.

 

[po1nted]

Stingstang: Not being difficult, just clarifying; Eurocom is not shipping Ivy Bridge. Nobody is. Just spoke to Eurocom on the phone and they said the EARLIEST ship date would be "sometime" in May since the procs would not be available until "around the end of the month". It hasn't been released for sale by Intel yet. They are available for pre-order only on some sites. If they sell before Intel tells them to sell they would be in deep doggy doodoo. Yes, their website is misleading and I mentioned that to them.

On the OP topic, there are a number of laptops that can run the games you reference on ultra (or very near) settings. Anything 6970m and up would do you just fine in those games. And even the Sandy Bridge mobile CPUs will NOT bottleneck the current mobile video cards (even the 6xx series). So there is no perceivable benefit in waiting for the Ivy Bridge platform on mobile, IMHO. Especially for the games you list in your original post.

If I were you I would look for a gaming laptop with the following specs (or better):

Proc: Core i7-2720QM
Mem: 8Gb
Storage: SSD
GPU: 6970m or better
Display: 1080p

Now go shopping for the value point you want at those minimum specs. This combo will crank your games out in surprisingly good fashion. You may even find yourself using your mobile platform more than your desktop even thought your laptop is "inferior"! I know I did, even when sitting at my desk, lol. It is kinda weird.

And I highly recommend making sure that it has "switchable graphics" in order to maintain battery life when not gaming. For instance, when running on the integrated GPU I get well over 5 hours of battery life w/ a 17.3" screen. On the 6970m I am lucky to pull 1.25 hours.

I went for an Alienware m17x w/ full replacement 4 year warranty because I wanted to know that if anything happened to my gaming/mobile virtual lab I would be in good hands and wouldn't have to worry one bit about my investment. That, and it didn't cost any more than a Clevo/Eurocom/other vendor since I got a great deal through my company.

 

[unksol]

Thanks for the info po1nted. This is the exactly the point stingstang. You were saying someone was selling something which basic logic says they CAN'T be selling. And when you were informed that it was impossible and it might be a preorder you wanted to argue and have an attitude instead of checking the information you posted. Which was wrong. Misleading website or not getting on people who are asking reasonable questions about information you post that basic logic says MUST be wrong doesn't accomplish much.

 

[Guest]

In all your personal perference..would you just bite the bullet and get the sandy bridge CPUS?

 

[po1nted]

In all your personal perference..would you just bite the bullet and get the sandy bridge CPUS?

Honestly, my mobile i7-2720QM is a BEAST. I use it for much more demanding tasks than gaming (virtualization lab) and it hasn't let me down once in the past year. From published info, I don't really see a huge differenc in the upcoming Ivy bridge mobile procs. Maybe 6-10% but are you really going to use that overhead? i haven't seen an Intel mobile Sandy Bridge CPU that bottlenecks any available properly paired GPU.

So the overhead in the proc department might be worth it if you were crunching numbers or performing massive video encoding on a schedule and making money off it. I know I budgeted for an Ivy bridge mobile upgrade this year and will be putting the money elswhere. I just don't see it in the cards that the investment would make sense since i have substantial overhead in the proc I have now. If anything I will put the money aside to grab a Kepler mobile GPU near end of year.

CPU-wise.... could NOT be happier! The i7-mobile platform tickles me in just the right spot.

One thing to think of, if you want to wait is to grab a discounted Sandy bridge when the Ivy bridge is released. I think that is where the smart folks will head.

 

[ram1009]

gaming laptop=oxymoron

 

[po1nted]

gaming laptop=oxymoron

ram1009 = moron

You keep stating this. Could you please let us in on what wonderful bits of knowledge lead you to this obviously well thought out conclusion? If not, plz stop posting it.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Read the THG article on IB MoBos on the home page .... after ya get done yawning start shoping with that info in hand. I'm down 5 desktops and 4 laptops in my home. I spend 80% of my gaming time on one of the laptops. The desktops include one with a single 580 and one with twin 560 Ti's overclocked about 25% .... in other words, about 29% faster than a single 680.

But, while the juice comes in handy for Batman Arkhan City in 3D and Metro 2011 it's simply not needed for the games I play over and over again. For $2k yoiu can start with the Clevo P270WM

17.3" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED
8GB, PC3-12800/1600Mhz DDR3 - 2 x 4GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M w/2GB GDDR5 (SLI Upgrade available)
500GB/7200rpm 16MB Cache Buffer SATA-300 (SATA II 3GB/s)
8X Max. DVD±R/RW Writer/Reader / 4X Max. +DL Super-Mulit Drive
Li-Polymer Battery Pack
Intel Ultimate-N 6300 Wi-Fi
Bluetooth Module
Full Color Programmable KB Backlight
Built-In 2.0M Pixels Digital Video Camera
Built-In Fingerprint Reader
Built-In Gigabit Ethernet LAN
9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/SD/Mini-SD/SDHC/SDXC)
IEEE 1394b Fire Wire Port
2 USB 2.0 Ports
2 USB 3.0 Ports
1 eSATA/USB Port
1 DVI Output Port
1 HDMI 1.4a Output Port
1 Display Port 1.2
1 Kensington Lock Port
4 Audio Jacks for Line-Out, Line-In, Microphone-In, and S/PDIF-Out
Built-in Microphone, 5 Speakers and 1 Sub-Woofer
1 300W, 100V to 240V, 50-60Hz, Autoswitch AC Power Adapter
Standard Carrying Bag with Strap

$2100


Or P170EM (Customized)

17.3" 1920 x 1080 Full HD (16:9) LED
16GB, PC3-10600/1333Mhz DDR3 - 4 x 4GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M w/1.5GB GDDR5 with Optimus Technology
128GB Crucial M4 SATA III Solid State Drive
750GB/7200rpm 16MB Cache Buffer SATA-300 (
6x Max. Blu-Ray Reader / 8x Max. DVD±R/2.4X Max. +DL Super-Multi Drive
Windows 7 Professional Edition 64-bit
8 Cells Lithium-Ion Battery Pack 76.96WH
Integrated 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth V3.0 Combo
Full Color Programmable KB Backlight
Built-In 2.0M Pixels Digital Video Camera
Built-In Fingerprint Reader
Built-In Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Built-In 9-IN-1 Flash Memory Reader(MMC/RSMMC/MS/MS Pro/MS DUO/SD/Mini-SD/SDHC/SDXC)
1 IEEE-1394a Fire Wire
1 USB 2.0 Ports
3 USB 3.0 Ports
1 eSATA Port (USB 3.0 Combo)
1 HDMI 1.4a Output (with HDCP)
1 DVI-I Port
1 Display Port 1.1
1 Kensington Lock Port
Built-in Microphone, 2 Speakers and 1 Sub-Woofer
4 Audio Jacks for Headphone, Microphone-In, S/PDIF-Out, and Line-In
1 100/240V Autoswitch AC Power Adapter
Standard Carrying Case with Strap

$1840

Read about Clevo here .... pre Dell's purchase, they made Alienware laptops ... they also make Sager, WidowPC, FalconNorthwest and ost of the hi performance boutique brands sold under other names.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/91510-clevo-guide-v2-0-faq-reseller-info.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/592609-clevo-guide-v3-0-faq-reseller-info-read-before-posting.html

Prostar has a great web site for comparison shopping but lousy service.
http://www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=product&filter=4

Xoticpc has a cumbersome web site but solid service reputation.
http://www.xoticpccom/

 

[po1nted]

I'm down 5 desktops and 4 laptops in my home. I spend 80% of my gaming time on one of the laptops. The desktops include one with a single 580 and one with twin 560 Ti's overclocked about 25% .... in other words, about 29% faster than a single 680.

Man, you have not gotten your memo in the mail have you?! You CANNOT play games on laptops and actually enjoy the experience. SHEESH! Turn off the laptop and go play on your desktop. NOW. There is NO WAY you are happy with games on your laptop. None. Get a frigging clue!

If you actually work for a living and are 800 miles from your desktop and you want to game, screw it. Get in the car and drive home so you can raid tonight. Cuz we all know that ME3 won't load, your WoW guild will boot you if they find out you play on a laptop and you will DEFINITELY not be allowed to purchase Diablo 3 if Blizzard finds out you want to run it on your laptop.

Will people ever learn?! Gaming laptop = oxymoron!