Looking for a specific laptop.. i think..

[Mr.Guvernment]

I have someone at work who has asked me to look into laptops, not my area of specialization...

They have owned Sony Vaio 17' that the screen died, sitting ina cabinet waiting to find a replacement screen but almost not worth it now.

They have a Lenovo i7 with Quadro video card (not a smart buy, they bought it for him with an i7, Quadro and a 128G SSD and put windows XP on it, 32bit) model that runs hot as heck and is a little heavy.

They wanted something that:

1. Does not weight a ton, So 15 inch, maybe 14....
2. is fast, they are thinking SSD, which to me is a given
3. could play Diablo III
4. Stays cool and quiet?

I know it is hard to get all of those in one but if i can get most would be good.

I am looking at Dell and Sager right now, but Dell site seems very limited pushing you to go to Alienware otherwise you are restricted to a specific video card or harddrive (forcing hybrid 1T drives on you..), but i don't want to get him some flashy gaming laptop like Alienware.

I was thinking along the lines of:

• 15/15.6 inch screen, maybe 14 but cant say for sure.
• 1080 res
• 240/250G SSD
• 8 to 16G of memory
• BluRay drive if possible
• Ext graphics, but when possible uses integrated for normal usage
• Decent battery life 3-4 hours, obviously if gaming with ext vid card less.

Any suggestion in this area, i know most i5 are dual cores, but i know his usage from work use and the most intensive thing he would do is play Diablo III which he just got and do some poker playing. i7 while ideal, likley run too hot and have fans on high all day?

 

[rpjkw11]

Take a look at Cyberpower. I just bought a Fangbook HX7-100 17" that almost meets your criteria except it weighs a ton (10 pounds), so a 15" would be much lighter. I'm quite impressed with how cool the machine is; no need for laptop cooling, etc. Look also at Xotic PCs and Ibuypower because you have a very reasonable choice of components. I've owned Cyberpower pcs in the past and have never had a problem.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Appreciated will do, the weight and being cool are things i would love to have!

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

the person went with the Toshiba Qosmio X75 laptop,. http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/toshiba-qosmio-x75-a7298.aspx

Even thought i noted to them plenty of people are having over heating issues, went with the opposite of what they told me they wan

 

[rpjkw11]

That happens, Mr. Guvernment, and that's fine. I looked at the Qosmio X75, but it was $500 more than what I bought. I expect they'll be happy just as I am with mine.

 

[attack]

I own a 3rd generation HP Envy 15, I highly recommend it.

There's one on ebay now (the 3040nr version) that'll probably sell for around 500, spend another 150 for a 256gb SSD and get an external case for the current HDD (because it's 750GB) and you're all set.

The specs of the 3040nr are:
i7 quad
8GB RAM
1080P panel
can't recall the video card off hand, it's an ATI which can switch between integrated and dedicated GPU for battery and can handle light gaming (Diablo 3 would run fine)
15", very solid build quality and looks like a MBP, but at 1/3 the cost.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

An alternative might be an A8 or A10-based AMD system. The APU graphics is quite capable of medium-high gaming without needing additional cards.

Here's a couple of A10 models

HP ENVY 15z-j100 Notebook, which includes dual graphics
http://tinyurl.com/luzyrgb

Lenovo G505s AMD Quad-Core A10-Series APU with AMD Radeon HD 8650G Graphics 15.6inch 6GB RAM 1TB HD Windows 8
http://shop.amd.com/us/All/Detail/Notebook/59406417?SearchFacets=category:Notebook

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

reading the A10 system are weak on the CPU with performance being around an i3

Cebeit is supposed to annouce some new laptops parts starting March 10th, i myself am now looking for a laptop, so holding out to next week see what comes out!

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Just wanted to post up an update, i am not %100 decided yet but this is where i am at

3 choices,

Sager NP8278 (Clevo P170SM-A) - Recent addition
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8278-clevo-p170sma-p-6984.html
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-One-K73-4N-Clevo-P170SM-A-Notebook.114094.0.html
Offers what he other 2 laptops:
+4 drive bays
+230w Power Brick
+Metal Palm Rest and Cover - finger prints don't seem as apparent vs the matte finish of the other 2.
- 17 inch
- Much larger / heavier power brick
- Heavier


Sager NP8268 (Clevo P150SM-A)
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clevo-p150sma-p-6986.html
+ no logo in the trackpad
+ 15.6 screen
- 1x 2.5 drive

Sager NP8258 (Clevo P157SM-A) 3rd place choice it seems now that i may consider a 17' but am iffy
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8258-clevo-p157sma-p-6988.html
+ 2 x 2.5 drive bays
- Logo in trackpad


i wanted a 15.6 to move around the house with, office to dining room to have it on my lap on the couch so i thought a 17' may be too much, but the weight and size difference is not massive....

I travel maybe 2-3 times a year if i am lucky to the beach of to Canada so mobility is not high but the 15.6 seems more manageable vs 17'.

 

[SF101]

GS70 2PC-036US Stealth
4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
HDD (GB) 128GB SSD (mSATA3) +750GB (SATA) 5400rpm
12GB, DDR3L,up to 1600 MHz, slot *2, max 16GB
NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 860M
LCD Size 17" HD (1920X1080) , Anti-glare
-----------------
GS70 2PE-010US Stealth Pro

4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
HDD (GB) 128GB SSD (mSATA3) +1TB (SATA) 5400rpm
16GB DDR3L,up to 1600 MHz, slot *2, max 16GB
NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 870M
LCD Size 17" HD (1920X1080) , Anti-glare
-------------------
GS70 2OD (Stealth)-001US

4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
HDD (GB) 128GB SSD (mSATA3)+750GB SATA 7200rpm
Memory DDR III 8GB*2
NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 765M
LCD Size 17" HD (1920X1080) , Anti-glare

------------------
GS60 2PC-012US Ghost

4th generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
HDD (GB) 128GB SSD (M.2 SATA) +1TB (SATA) 7200rpm
16GB, DDR3L,up to 1600 MHz, slot *2, max 16GB
NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 860M
LCD Size 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080), Anti-glare eDP Wide View Angle

------------------

As you can see they only have one Base model 16" screened version.

They also have one 17" version that has a improved GPU over the others the 870m is supposed to rival the 780M so that is a powerhouse unit right their.

I expect the units with 8xx series GPU's to come with the Intel 4800qm and i would assume the unit with the 765m gpu to come with a 4700qm processor dont quote me on that tho ive just noticed the current refresh seems to be using 4800qm processors on similar laptops to the GT70 2OC that i purchased back in Sept 2013.

From personal experience my MSI laptop has been amazing for me tons of power speed ect GPU runs amazingly.

these 4 laptops i listed are the GS means stealth editions and they are super thin apparently thinner then the razer lineup and still have all the punch and power of the full sized heavier GT70's do.

Amazing laptops kinda makes me wish i went that route sometimes they look like nice thin lighter models of what i have.

From personal exp i cant see someone having any games they cant play or any regrets in general with these msi series gaming laptops i know mine has surpassed my expectations.

I should add when i bought mine i also spec'ed out a sagar and a Asus laptop and both were much more expensive then my MSI i ended up getting the alienware's were so expensive they never even got put into the hat when come decision making time.

The sagar units do have more customizability tho when it comes to mix and matching brands. you can put a high end AMD gpu in with a Intel CPU and if that fancy's you it might be something to look into but sagar doesn't have anything nearly as light or sleek as these GS models. they only have generic looking units from my research. but being able to put a 8970m in with a intel cpu for 300$ less then a 780M was hard to pass up let me tell you considering they had similar performance when paired with intel cpu's.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

the MSI are nice but i don't like that they all have 1 single fan for cooling, most reviews say they can get loud and warm, i was originally very towards the MSI cause they look sexy and are thin, which was a bonus.

i wish their 15.6 line with the 8 series had more than 1 HD slot, that was a deal killer for me as i am considering if i can get rid of my 3T drives, down size and get it all in a laptop would be ideal for me.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

i do see this one does have a dual fan design.
http://ca.msi.com/product/nb/GS60_2PC012US_Ghost.html#overview

But also all of the GS70 models are over $1500, the Sagers i can get for around $1300 which was nice to. Once i get to $1500 i become iffy on spending that much.

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

So i made my decision, and for those interested I am doing a thread over on

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/752424-sager-np8278-clevo-p170sm-new-owner-xoticpc.html

i went with the Sager for one of the better cooling systems, dual fans, price was nice, and the 17 i went with to get the 230w PSU

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

After many hours of searching for a bag for this laptop i found one, i hope.

The main problem i had is that i want a sling bag, i do not like back packs for carrying things, i am a sling guy. With that i searched literally every type of sling bag I could find on Amazon, Ebay and even many foreign sites.
Many bags were just under the width requirement to fit this laptop and so i had to pass, or it would be too close.

So this will be my bag! Will let you know how it works out once it Arrives in about 2 weeks. Even if it doesn't fit well for the laptop, i will have a nice bag for our mountain climbs.

Maxpedition Kodiak Gearslinger
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/KODIAK-GEARSLINGER-p938.htm