Are these Laptops Overkill?

[hikoPC]

Hi, a friend of mine's 6yr old laptop has died on him and he's looking to buy a new one that can run certain MMO titles easily enough and cope with his fairly undemanding personal work. He's looking at a budget of about £900 but doesn't have a problem going up to £1000 and above if need be, but I'm wondering if his demands really warrent that much expenditure. Here's what he wants absolutely knows he wants from his laptop:

1. Play games like Civilization 5 and more imortantly MMO like Guild Wars 2 at 1080p with the graphical settings settings turned up.
2. Use the laptop for Home Theatre needs - ie: it needs an optical drive and has to cope flawlessly with any films/media files thrown at it. (not too taxing a demand I know).
3. Screen Size must be 17" minimum
4. Basic Microsoft Office work (word documents, access e-mail etc).

I've never played any MMO games so I couldn't really give him any advice on their graphical demands, but it seems that MMO aside he's not that interested in high-end gaming as he prefers games consoles to PC gaming.

Anyway, here are the laptops he's been looking at:

MSI GX70 Destroyer 17.3" (approx £880)
MSI GE70 Apache 17.3" (Approx £995)
MSI GE70 Apache Pro 17.3" (approx £1090)

Obviously the first system is much cheaper than the others, so I'm wondering if the other machines are overkill for his needs? My limited advice was to get a laptop with a SSD for the system drive and separate 750GB/1TB HDD for data, and also bear in mind that the Intel cpus are better than AMD. What I couldn't help him out with is the Graphics card technology. From what I can gather the first laptop listed above (MSI GX70) has good graphics card (Radeon R9 M290X) but an AMD processor.

Should he prioritise an i7 with a lesser graphics card over a AMD with a good one? What sort of card can easily cope with a game like Guild Wars? I've seen plenty of MSI and ASUS builds with i7 and Geforce GTX 7xx and 8xx series cards. Would something as low as a GTX 765M be good enough for his needs?

I've also read comments that Asus laptops are generally well regarded for their reliability and how cool they run. Are they preferable to MSI laptops? Does anyone have any experience with Scan.co.uk's own custom build laptop service 3XS Sytems and can vouch for their reliability and build quality with regards to cooling? They're very cheap systems compared to manufacturer branded laptops!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated folks!

 

[TechyInAZ]

LOL, DON'T even CONSIDER the amd version, because that A10 apu actually bottlenecks the gpu by up to 50%.

I'd get the apache Pro, since even though it is a tad more expensive, it has enough features that I believe it's worth it.

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

DON'T GO FOR APU. I did. I wish I did not. A10-5750M has a HD 8650G inside and it is forced to be in CrossfireX with dedicated one which is R9 M290X in this case. Yet, lack of driver support and since they are totally different GPU's it sucks. Think that you are using an Intel HD 3000 in SLI with a NVidia GTx 870M. same case applies here.

Aside these three laptops you can check MSI GS 60 Stealth Pro, which is 100 or 150 Pounds more expensive. It features the same GPU with the thick ones but it is thinner ( dramatically thinner) than Destroyer.

 

[hikoPC]

Thanks for the replies so far chaps, looks like I can cross the GX70 Destroyer off the list then! (I suspected the CPU wouldn't be up to much, but wasn't familiar enoug with AMD processors).

Been looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and MSI GS70 Stealth Pro and the prices are probably too far above his budget: they're about £1300 (although non-pro models are around the £1100 mark). I think the lack of an optical drive is a bit of a problem for him as well because he has a decent DVD collection that I think he likes to watch on the laptop from time-to-time.

 

[1shado1]

Been looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and MSI GS70 Stealth Pro and the prices are probably too far above his budget: they're about £1300 (although non-pro models are around the £1100 mark). I think the lack of an optical drive is a bit of a problem for him as well because he has a decent DVD collection that I think he likes to watch on the laptop from time-to-time.

No point in looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro. It isn't a 17" model.

Have you considered the ASUS G750? Weighs a lot, but has very good build quality and cooling.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ASUS_G750JM-T4049H_17.3-inch_Full_HD_LED_Gaming_Notebook_Intel_Core_i7-4700_G750JM-T4049H/version.asp

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

Been looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and MSI GS70 Stealth Pro and the prices are probably too far above his budget: they're about £1300 (although non-pro models are around the £1100 mark). I think the lack of an optical drive is a bit of a problem for him as well because he has a decent DVD collection that I think he likes to watch on the laptop from time-to-time.

No point in looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro. It isn't a 17" model.

Have you considered the ASUS G750? Weighs a lot, but has very good build quality and cooling.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ASUS_G750JM-T4049H_17.3-inch_Full_HD_LED_Gaming_Notebook_Intel_Core_i7-4700_G750JM-T4049H/version.asp

In my opinion, dont go for ASUS since it is 10 lbs. (4.5 Kg). MSI GS70 Stealth Pro is also 17.3" and itis 5.7 lbs. (2.5 Kg).

 

[1shado1]

Been looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and MSI GS70 Stealth Pro and the prices are probably too far above his budget: they're about £1300 (although non-pro models are around the £1100 mark). I think the lack of an optical drive is a bit of a problem for him as well because he has a decent DVD collection that I think he likes to watch on the laptop from time-to-time.

No point in looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro. It isn't a 17" model.

Have you considered the ASUS G750? Weighs a lot, but has very good build quality and cooling.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ASUS_G750JM-T4049H_17.3-inch_Full_HD_LED_Gaming_Notebook_Intel_Core_i7-4700_G750JM-T4049H/version.asp

In my opinion, dont go for ASUS since it is 10 lbs. (4.5 Kg). MSI GS70 Stealth Pro is also 17.3" and itis 5.7 lbs. (2.5 Kg).

Only really matters if it is going to be moved a lot. The OP hasn't made clear whether it will or not. If it does need to be fairly mobile, I would agree with you.

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

Been looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and MSI GS70 Stealth Pro and the prices are probably too far above his budget: they're about £1300 (although non-pro models are around the £1100 mark). I think the lack of an optical drive is a bit of a problem for him as well because he has a decent DVD collection that I think he likes to watch on the laptop from time-to-time.

No point in looking at the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro. It isn't a 17" model.

Have you considered the ASUS G750? Weighs a lot, but has very good build quality and cooling.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ASUS_G750JM-T4049H_17.3-inch_Full_HD_LED_Gaming_Notebook_Intel_Core_i7-4700_G750JM-T4049H/version.asp

In my opinion, dont go for ASUS since it is 10 lbs. (4.5 Kg). MSI GS70 Stealth Pro is also 17.3" and itis 5.7 lbs. (2.5 Kg).

Only really matters if it is going to be moved a lot. The OP hasn't made clear whether it will or not. If it does need to be fairly mobile, I would agree with you.

You are right he did not pointed that but I assumed he needed a thin and lightweight one because of the following:
- Mainstream entertainment games (Civ 5/ GW 2)
-Home theater (basic multimedia and entertainment)
-Basic Microsoft Office (working stuff, education, business)

Thus I assumed OP and his/her friend needs some mobile device. They may need to carry it to school or somewhere else.

OP, please enlighten us.

 

[hikoPC]

I don't think weight will be much of a factor tbh as his current laptop is very big as well (17.3" Dell from 6yrs ago) and I think it only needs to be mobile enough that he can take it with him when he spends the weekend away from home with his parents or friends. He can't take the laptop to work or do any work on his laptop that's related to his job due to the nature of what he does for a living (can't say more than that).

Don't the really thin laptops like the Stealth Pro lack an optical drive? At the moment he seems to favour a laptop that does.

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

I don't think weight will be much of a factor tbh as his current laptop is very big as well (17.3" Dell from 6yrs ago) and I think it only needs to be mobile enough that he can take it with him when he spends the weekend away from home with his parents or friends. He can't take the laptop to work or do any work on his laptop that's related to his job due to the nature of what he does for a living (can't say more than that).

Don't the really thin laptops like the Stealth Pro lack an optical drive? At the moment he seems to favour a laptop that does.

If this is the case, I recommend you to not to buy any of these MSI or ASUS. They are High-End Gaming Laptops which are capable of playing AAA titles at (Very) High settings. According to your description, your friend needs it for basic multimedia including basic games. To be honest I was able to play Civ 5 and GW2 at decent settings with my i5 3rd gen with HD4000 Integrated laptop. I would recommend checking "everyday usage, multimedia computers". here is an example:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y510p/?sb=:000001C9:00011E0A:

This is a Lenovo Y510P with a single GT755M. This GPU is enough to handle games like Skyrim at Ultra with AA and AF at maximum. I use the exact PC except I have a second GPU instead of the DVD Drive. This PC is less than 2.5 KG, it is 5.7 pounds. I would totally recommend this one while the price is 900 USD. As I said, I have this PC and I play most of the popular mainstream titles without SLI. For example, Civ5, Skyrim, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead 2, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space Trilogy etc.

Another benefit is whenever you want, you can buy a second GPU and insert it to the place instead of DVD Drive. This is called "Ultrabay". It is totally removable. Go have a look.

 

[1shado1]

I don't think weight will be much of a factor tbh as his current laptop is very big as well (17.3" Dell from 6yrs ago) and I think it only needs to be mobile enough that he can take it with him when he spends the weekend away from home with his parents or friends. He can't take the laptop to work or do any work on his laptop that's related to his job due to the nature of what he does for a living (can't say more than that).

Don't the really thin laptops like the Stealth Pro lack an optical drive? At the moment he seems to favour a laptop that does.

If this is the case, I recommend you to not to buy any of these MSI or ASUS. They are High-End Gaming Laptops which are capable of playing AAA titles at (Very) High settings. According to your description, your friend needs it for basic multimedia including basic games. To be honest I was able to play Civ 5 and GW2 at decent settings with my i5 3rd gen with HD4000 Integrated laptop. I would recommend checking "everyday usage, multimedia computers". here is an example:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y510p/?sb=:000001C9:00011E0A:

This is a Lenovo Y510P with a single GT755M. This GPU is enough to handle games like Skyrim at Ultra with AA and AF at maximum. I use the exact PC except I have a second GPU instead of the DVD Drive. This PC is less than 2.5 KG, it is 5.7 pounds. I would totally recommend this one while the price is 900 USD. As I said, I have this PC and I play most of the popular mainstream titles without SLI. For example, Civ5, Skyrim, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead 2, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space Trilogy etc.

Another benefit is whenever you want, you can buy a second GPU and insert it to the place instead of DVD Drive. This is called "Ultrabay". It is totally removable. Go have a look.

I'm lost. What happened to the 17" requirement?

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

I don't think weight will be much of a factor tbh as his current laptop is very big as well (17.3" Dell from 6yrs ago) and I think it only needs to be mobile enough that he can take it with him when he spends the weekend away from home with his parents or friends. He can't take the laptop to work or do any work on his laptop that's related to his job due to the nature of what he does for a living (can't say more than that).

Don't the really thin laptops like the Stealth Pro lack an optical drive? At the moment he seems to favour a laptop that does.

If this is the case, I recommend you to not to buy any of these MSI or ASUS. They are High-End Gaming Laptops which are capable of playing AAA titles at (Very) High settings. According to your description, your friend needs it for basic multimedia including basic games. To be honest I was able to play Civ 5 and GW2 at decent settings with my i5 3rd gen with HD4000 Integrated laptop. I would recommend checking "everyday usage, multimedia computers". here is an example:

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y510p/?sb=:000001C9:00011E0A:

This is a Lenovo Y510P with a single GT755M. This GPU is enough to handle games like Skyrim at Ultra with AA and AF at maximum. I use the exact PC except I have a second GPU instead of the DVD Drive. This PC is less than 2.5 KG, it is 5.7 pounds. I would totally recommend this one while the price is 900 USD. As I said, I have this PC and I play most of the popular mainstream titles without SLI. For example, Civ5, Skyrim, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead 2, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space Trilogy etc.

Another benefit is whenever you want, you can buy a second GPU and insert it to the place instead of DVD Drive. This is called "Ultrabay". It is totally removable. Go have a look.

I'm lost. What happened to the 17" requirement?

I totally forgot too. Lol. I have been trying to see 17 inches but these laptops are just overpriced for 2 inch screens. ASUS has some N series with 17 inch display and DVD Drive but they have GT 635M GPU, which I do not really suggest for the price you pay (1100 USD).

I concluded that most gaming laptops and multimedia laptops have same prices but they lean to different specs. Gaming laptops lean to high grade parts like CPU, GPU and RAM but multimedia ones lean to specs like display quality (no-reflection, matte Backlight etc.), premium look and ease of access utilities (touchscreen, touchpad qualtity etc.).

If I were the OP I would go for multimedia ones since that PC's will give more in casual entertainment but less in hardcore gaming. An option would be:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313743 (Lenovo IdeaPad Z710)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834300671 (Dell Inspiromn 17)

 

[hikoPC]

Yeah I really like the look of those Lenovos and it was one of the first models I recommended, but he's too used to a 17.3" screen at this point and definitely doesn't want a smaller screen (can't blame him either if he intends to watch films on it). Thanks for the info on the graphics though, that's the distinction I wanted to know about really as his only hope with the graphical capabilities of the new laptop is that he can play Guild Wars 2 with the graphics set to maximum. I doubt he'll ever do any proper higher-end gaming on it as he has consoles for that.

I'm begining to think that maybe the ASUS G750JW might be a better buy as it's beefy enough as a gaming laptop that he can play the fancier MMO titles for maybe years to come and it comes in at his original budget of £900 (which was what he expected to pay when he considered buying a new laptop). BTW the Lenovo 510p is around £900-£1000 here in the UK depending on what version you get (yup we get ripped off on anything tech related over here! )

EDIT: Will look into those other Lenovo/Dell suggestions spectre, thanks! (took too long in posting this!)

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

Yeah I really like the look of those Lenovos and it was one of the first models I recommended, but he's too used to a 17.3" screen at this point and definitely doesn't want a smaller screen (can't blame him either if he intends to watch films on it). Thanks for the info on the graphics though, that's the distinction I wanted to know about really as his only hope with the graphical capabilities of the new laptop is that he can play Guild Wars 2 with the graphics set to maximum. I doubt he'll ever do any proper higher-end gaming on it as he has consoles for that.

I'm begining to think that maybe the ASUS G750JW might be a better buy as it's beefy enough as a gaming laptop that he can play the fancier MMO titles for maybe years to come and it comes in at his original budget of £900 (which was what he expected to pay when he considered buying a new laptop). BTW the Lenovo 510p is around £900-£1000 here in the UK depending on what version you get (yup we get ripped off on anything tech related over here! )

EDIT: Will look into those other Lenovo/Dell suggestions spectre, thanks! (took too long in posting this!)

Thanks for considering options. G750JW is a good PC, I can tell because I used it. Stays cool due to its dual cooling fans on 2500 RPM each. It gives you a good feeling when you touch it. Keyboard is good and it has a huge area so, keys are really easy to be distinguished by your finger. Also it has a GTX 765M which is Class 2 Gamimg GPU. I played Assassins Creed IV: BC with that PC at 1080p Ultra settings and I got 38-45 constant FPS. Screen is qualified either, yet be cautious about bending it much. It is a known issue that if you try to bend it more than 120 degrees, it may get damaged (my friends did either, he had to use it with a flickering screen).

Also battery usage is fairly good since it features NVidia Optimus Technology. when your friend is watching a film, PC will use integrated Intel HD 4600 GPU for power saving, which is nice. This technology adds an unlikely battery life for a gaming laptop.

Addition:
If you wait enough you can see the release price of this one. No one knows how much it would be but one thing is sure, this is the best laptop to compensate your friend (even though it is 15,6") :

http://rog.asus.com/324762014/g-series-gaming-laptops/gx500-meet-the-coolest-ultra-thin-15-6-gaming-notebook/

 

[hikoPC]

Late reply sorry, been away and my friend is on holiday abroad for two weeks as well the jammy sod (so he's ot made a decision yet)! Those GX500 do look really nice but as always the size of the screen and lack of optical drive will be a killer for him! Thanks for the feedback on the G750JW SpectreUnleashed, I think he'll find that model much more tempting!

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

Late reply sorry, been away and my friend is on holiday abroad for two weeks as well the jammy sod (so he's ot made a decision yet)! Those GX500 do look really nice but as always the size of the screen and lack of optical drive will be a killer for him! Thanks for the feedback on the G750JW SpectreUnleashed, I think he'll find that model much more tempting!

Nice! Now if we have solved our question you better choose an answer to close the discussion.

 

[hikoPC]

I don't seem to have the option to do that. When I started the thread I chose to post it as a discussion and unticked the "request solutions" box, would that not remove the option to choose an answer (sorry I'm still a bit of a newb around here!).

 

[SpectreUnleashed]

I don't seem to have the option to do that. When I started the thread I chose to post it as a discussion and unticked the "request solutions" box, would that not remove the option to choose an answer (sorry I'm still a bit of a newb around here!).

Then it is not a problem I only asked you to choose a solution because when people look into the forum list they would see that the problem is solved (kind of creating a know-how in the forum) but since this is a discussion format, we do not need to have a solution marked.

 

[hikoPC]

Cool, thanks again for all you help!