Asus ROG Strix GL502VT

And, good for everyone else that gets a laptop with a TN display. The 10m's of people that buy TN display laptops and love them for years and years, playing 100m's of hours of games, apps, etc.

You proclaim that because you don't like TN, everyone should stay away, like it's the final word.

If you don't like TN, don't buy it, but stop telling potential buyers that they shouldn't buy because you don't like it.

Plenty of us like TN displays just fine

 

Hey everyone,

I've been stalling my laptop purchase for quite a bit now. And just when I was about to finalize on the Acer Predator 15, ASUS releases the Strix GL502 (I heard a lot of bad stuff about the MSi GS60 so thought it would be wise to skip it). Nevertheless, I've been looking for a capable laptop (with a GTX980M) in the 15.6" form factor and I thought the Predator15 would be the best way to go, but looking at the forum posts and the positive feedback from the current owners, I feel that the Strix GL502 would be a good buy.

Even then, I would like to ask everyone here about the durability of today's thin and light gaming laptops. The only laptop I've had so far is a Dell Inspiron 6400 which I got back in 2007 (and it still runs fine, despite its old age because I maintain my tech so well). I thought getting a bulky laptop would be my best bet because the heat from the innards would not affect the overall life of the device that wasn't so thin. I used to have a top of the line Dell Latitude 7000 series Ultrabook for 2 years at my workplace and that thing used to heat up so bad, I literally used to place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes to resume heavy work (only when I was back home hah).

Now, Computex is less than a week away, which means that we "might" get to see tech companies reveal NVidia's latest 1080M cards (I take that with a giant pinch of salt). Which means that the Maxwell GPU-equipped laptop prices should plummet.

And since my plan is to purchase a laptop around August-September 2016, I believe we'll get a ****storm of options to choose from by then.

TL;DR - Are the ultrabook gaming laptops worth it? Or should I invest in something that's chunky so that it's comparatively more durable since I like to get the best config at the time and use it until it dies due to old age?

 

Asus - ROG GL502VT 15.6" Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 12GB - 1TB Hard Drive - Black anodized aluminum, Black painted plastic,... Model: GL502VT-BSI7N27SKU: 5090905
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-ro...plastic-/5090905.p?id=bb5090905&skuId=5090905

Under the Specifications tab it says:

Display

• Screen Resolution
  1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
• Touch Screen
  No
• Display Type
  Full HD Widescreen LED

Under the Q&A's section, there is a specific Display question, and in that answer it says it's a TN panel:

Q: I was wondering if anybody else who has this laptop have that same "washed" screen look? It's like not really crisp and kinda hazy looking. I've tried playing with the display but didn't work.

A: The screen is a Chi Mei screen. It's a TN panel and has poor color reproduction and viewing angles. Not much you can do about it.

I did see your "Review" there:

Spoiler

Wrong display panel
May 25, 2016
   
mjon13

This is a great computer at a great price. But, it is advertised on both the Best Buy and the Asus website as having an IPS display. The reality is it comes with a TN panel. I have asked Asus support to fix this issue and here is their response.
"Thank you for taking time reaching out to ASUS - North America Escalations team. I reviewed your complaint and found nothing wrong with the product. IPS is a sub category of TN Panels. If you are not sure, here is the part number of the notebook LCD panel, 18010-15602800. It will show you that it is an FHD panel that uses IPS technology."
That response prompted me to contact Asus parts about the panel and they confirmed it is indeed a TN panel. Until Asus fixes the advertising or starts shipping the computer with the correct display panel I would not recommend buying it.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

It's clear it's a TN panel, and Bestbuy made a mistake in their listing. The other sites where you found it with an IPS panel, are $100 more.

Bestbuy isn't going to return all their TN models, and order IPS models, so their IPS model listing is correct.

It would have been much more helpful to say that Bestbuy has an error on their product page, calling the Display IPS when it is clearly a TN Display, and you have reported this to them.

Listing your interaction with Asus wasn't helpful. IDK how it went down, but clearly they were wrong, you have a TN panel. You found there are models with an IPS panel.

If you haven't reported the listing error to Bestbuy's webmaster, or filed a complaint about the incorrect listing at the store, you still haven't gotten the problem on the path to resolution.

High marks for reporting anything though, most people just blow it off

It's been a while since I reported an error on the BestBuy site, so not sure where to recommend going. I have done it via the phone support, redirected from the front desk to their web support group.

You could try Chat, and ask where you can report content errors for a product listing, it shows as unavailable right now. And/or call in the support phone line.

Let us know what you find out about how to report web site errors on Bestbuy

 

It has more RAM, a better screen and a faster 1TB hard drive at 7200 RPM.

 

I'll wait for pascal laptops... ..

 

So far it seems you're the only one who likes TN panels that has posted in this thread.

As to why you're getting all worked up is beyond me.

I don't know where you're pulling statistics from either but whatever makes you "live' through everything bud.

If you like TN, buy it, but stop telling potential buyers to "live" with it just because you can.

 

Hello,

About the 1080M/1070M cards.. they would be ideal, should you wish to go for the 4K version of this laptop (assuming there will even be a version with these new cards).
In other case, the 980M/970M are really excellent at FHD gaming though. I'm using the 970M and in 500GB of games I got on this laptop I don't think that I've found one that wouldn't run on at least an average of 40-45 fps (which is the borderline of playability for me) on ultra settings, while the biggest majority runs comfortably at 60+. And the 980M would even do like 25-30% better.
And honestly, if they do release a new updated model with the new GPUs (which could be months), they very well might be expensive as hell, due to 1. being new 2. the performance boost. And for FHD gaming, they are probably going to be an overkill.

To your durability question.. It's not like these GL502 laptops are made of paper and will break in half if you look at them the wrong way. They are actually very sturdy and barely have any flex... anywhere (watch tomek1103's review: /watch?v=35v8-tD5Wv0). The GL502 is also mostly made of aluminium, in combination with very sturdy plastic that feels nowhere close to cheap.
It's hard to even compare this laptop to some of the gaming tanks (such as your Acer Predator), but I wouldn't say it's less durable. The tanks usually have slightly better cooling, but that's about it. And will make a hole in the floor if you drop them. No seriously, personally I wouldn't buy such a thick, heavy laptop, because for me, their dimensions simply defeat the idea of portability, which is pretty much the main purpose of laptops.

Another thing I would like to warn you of, is the manufacturer you're considering. Acer. Correct me if you believe I'm wrong, but they are one of the cheapest brands on the market. Cheap, as in: using cheap-plastic-only on a machine that costs over 1800€. And cheap, as in: don't be surprised if something suddenly snaps off, or cracks, or stops working altogether. They pretty much cut corners wherever possible, and sadly, it reflects on the build quality. Similar thing goes for MSI as well.
I would really not recommend you spending that amount of money on something cheaply made, but the choice is, of course, yours.

 

After many years listening to people badmouth Displays for no good reason, TN, then IPS, and now G-sync-less a like; I find this odd when so many people bought those very same displays and completely enjoyed them, including myself.

Many users feel bad about their purchase because some thought-less jerk posted that they thought the screen looked like crap to them.

Most people don't have the urge to post and suffer quietly because some loudmouths have to post bad reviews about their display's, for who knows what reason.

So when I see that happening I speak up for them, and myself.

Usually that helps them feel ok about posting their good results using the screen they got with their laptop, once the loudmouths go away and stop trashing their display, telling them their full of **** because they like it.

Of course it's not the top display. It's on the lowest end of a budget model.

Not everyone can afford to keep spending more and more $ to get the best. $100 more is just the start, soon it turns into $200, then $400 more, and it adds up to something un-affordable for many.

All of those TN version BestBuy laptops are going to be sold to people wanting to enjoy them, and most of them will enjoy them.

Why go out of your way to make them feel bad about a purchase they can afford?

That's why.

 

Link to the $100 more expensive version with IPS?

The GL502VT models I found at hidevolution are $200-$400 more expensive:

$1599 -> hidevolution Custom Built Asus ROG Strix GL502VT-DS74 - 15.6" FHD w/ nVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M 6GB
http://www.hidevolution.com/asus-gl502vt-ds74.html

$1399 -> hidevolution Custom Built Asus ROG Strix GL502VT-DS71 - 15.6" FHD w/ nVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M 3GB
http://www.hidevolution.com/asus-gl502vt-ds71.html

I don't consider HDD's of any speed worth putting in modern fast laptops like the GL502VR.

I wouldn't recommend spending extra $ on a 7200 rpm HDD over a 5400 HDD, since it's the first thing I recommend upgrading.

I would rather save the $200 at purchase, and as you can afford it, wait for an SSD to go on sale to get vastly better performance than any HDD.

I would get a larger M.2 SATA in place of a M.2 PCIE if compatible - you won't notice the speed difference as much as the size difference. Not sure if that applies to this model yet... anyone tried an M.2 SATA drive? I hope it's compatible, as it's a huge $ savings.

Memory is also cheap on sale, find out the memory type installed, and match make / model with a 16GB DDR4 SODIMM from the same line when it goes on sale and you can afford it.

 

I didn't bother to read since you can't seem to understand what i've been writing.

I wrote that the best buy version of the GL502 has a TN panel with poor colors and viewing angles, that's it. When did I say it was supposed to be the best panel or that I was expecting a amazing panel? Lol.. c'mon dude...

As to how you got to where you are now is solely on you and whatever passion it is you have for TN panels. There is nothing wrong with that but please do go back and read before saying anything. You've been commenting on a laptop you've not even seen in person.

 

Unless you don't have a best buy in your area, after tax it's $1300.

So your $200-$400 is invalid for some.

 

You may not be charged the sales tax by the mail order company, but most state laws require you itemize it and pay the sales tax at your income tax time.

You aren't saving those sales tax $, you are incurring a tax debt to be paid later, and if you *forget* to declare it and pay it, you may find you are ask to pay it years later, with interest.

Both HIDevolution and ExcaliburPC are in California, so if you are from California, they will collect state sales tax from you.

You can order online from BestBuy, and since they have operations in every state, they will charge you sales tax based on your local rate.

 

The laptops exist, and are sold, and people will be owning them and enjoying them.

You don't need to go out of your way to bad mouth their purchase, tell them not to buy at BestBuy, and suggest they spend $100 more somewhere else.

Did you buy at hidevolution for $100 more? Or are you going by what it says on the site, again? Does your GL502VT have an IPS display?

I have seen lots of Asus Chi Mei TN displays, I don't need to go and make a special trip to see it at BestBuy

I am interested in the 980m model, and I will go and check them both out when it's time, if BestBuy carries that model.

Besides, this is the kind of review I expect from someone that saw a Chi Mei display, and I can go by his report:

@mjon13

"My picture looks pretty good, the colors are not washed out but I have to be centered at a good angle to achieve those results. That’s not the way I’m always able use a laptop so I was looking for an IPS display. "

Those of us that have been using TN panels for many years automatically tap the laptop into proper view without even thinking about it. It's a natural reflex. No time lost, no effort regretted, I'm not afraid or embarrassed to touch my laptop and move it into the optimal view.

It's not a big deal

 

It's not a big deal, to the rest of us. But you're defending TN panels with your life.

How are you going to tell people to learn to accept and learn to live or learn to enjoy when from all your replies all I see is the failure to accept another persons opinions? Stop giving yours or telling others this and that when you yourself can't accept their reasons as to why they don't like it. Move on man, learn to let it go.

No one bad mouthed, you're simply mad because I said best buy's version uses a TN panel. I said the panel on the ASUS is bad and you say "well i've seen previous asus tn panels yada yada yada"..... "You might not enjoy it but the 95% of us do, learn to yada yada yada.." I personally don't care what you've saw in pass asus laptops.. We are talking about the GL502VT. You know? The one you don't have? Again stop saying you've used good TN panels or Chi Mei has made good panels.. I don't think anyone cared for that.. All we know is the TN panel that comes on the best buys version is crap. AND NO, we are not going to "learn" to enjoy it lol..

I'm done here lol.

 

What I said wasn't a big deal was moving the laptop to center the view on the TN panel, it's second nature after owning so many. That's not a big deal.

So you got a display you didn't like from Bestbuy, and you returned it, let us know how the IPS panel is in your new model.

 

There we go, that's all I said. Good job man.

EDIT :

 

Mine has the 1TB 5400rpm drive and there really isn't an issue with the speed. I just needed a bulk storage unit, to hold all my games, movies and school projects.
While some people, who got deep pockets, opt to go for.. say a 1TB/2TB SSD as their bulk storage, there's an aspect that most people are not aware of: SSDs are very much prone to failing and/or losing their data after some time.
Not only do they age, which is proven to result in errors over time, they are also susceptible to data-corruption in case of a sudden power loss, for example.

"The research also showed that if a drive is put to use for 4 years, it has a 20~63% chance of developing at least one uncorrectable error."

It could be a couple of months, yet usually it's a couple of years. And because they are flash drives, when they fail, certain data blocks literally just go *poof*, and your data is no longer there. Irrecoverable. This might not affect your experience in any way, but it could as well prove catastrophic, should it corrupt important documents of yours, if you use an SSD as your main storage for everything.
HDDs on the other hand, only rarely experience a failure that would affect the discs inside the unit in any way, resulting in any loss/corruption of data. It's usually the reading head that stops working etc, allowing you to simply recover your data from the data discs, should it be something important.

I won't go into too much detail, as the explanation would be too long, but there are, among others, studies and researches worth reading, in case you've got the time and interest:
http://www.storagereview.com/first_large_scale_in_field_ssd_reliability_study_done_at_facebook
http://hothardware.com/news/google-...-results-slc-not-more-reliable-than-mlc-flash
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/30/are-ssds-reliable/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/ssd-reliability-in-the-real-world-googles-experience/

So what I am trying to say: SSDs are, of course, ideal to give you the speed and responsiveness you need, by installing an OS on them. Or even games, if you got the space.
It is however not recommended to use and SSD as a longer-term/backup/archiving storage device to keep your work / entertainment files.
And since I use my laptop to store all the data from my studies, projects etc, I do not want to take that risk. I was actually considering buying a 2TB HDD for the laptop, instead of the 1TB one.

 

Review your posts, that's not all you said, you bad mouthed the display for 6 pages worth of responses, telling people to buy it somewhere else.

If you had said you didn't like it because it had a TN display, and wanted an IPS instead, and left it at that, I wouldn't have even responded.

 

I would just like to say, as a previous bystander looking in at the whole IPS vs TN panel debate, that you would only buy a TN if you couldn't afford IPS. (And that is fine)

But in terms of screen quality and longevity, IPS beats out TN in almost every category.

Just my two cents.

 

Thanks for your 2 cents

I don't understand the longevity angle though, I have had TN and IPS displays for many years that have all aged well. Do you have a reference that suggests TN's don't last as long as IPS screens?

If you are looking for a budget laptop, then your $ are best spent on a great GPU first, then an adequate CPU to feed the GPU, and then a good display, in that order.

If the affordable model with the GPU you want only comes with a TN display, you would likely need to pay for more than just the display to be upgraded to get an IPS display instead.

The model with an IPS display is likely in a higher spec model that has other upgraded components you don't necessarily want or need.

You can't just spend the extra $50 for the IPS display, you need to spend $200+ to get that IPS display model.

It's not always a choice of TN vs IPS for cost savings, it's the model bump up that gets you

You can always get a nice cheap IPS external monitor, they go for $100-200.

Best Gaming Monitor Under 200 – May 2016
Posted in Other by Sam Quist on May 4, 2016
http://www.144hzmonitors.com/other/best-gaming-monitor-under-200/

 

Spoiler: Long response

You don't find any lag issues with games hosted on the HDD?

That's a problem for some people. The "best" solution I have found is to get an SSD to run those games from to avoid the startup delay from parked HDD heads.

You can also use quiethdd to disable the head parking while gaming, but that doesn't work for all games, a slow HDD is a slow HDD when it's running:
https://sites.google.com/site/quiethdd/

That works for some, but others still prefer the access times and faster speed loading data from an SSD in game

You could also get a Hybrid drive, although I haven't used one I hear good things about them for caching apps and games to speed up access.

For me a small SSD cache in front of a large HDD isn't enough rapid storage for my use case, most of the time.

For me the optimal set up is to run SSD's in the laptop, and put the HDD's with their power and heat in an external USB 3.0 enclosure.

That way you get the speed of the SSD's all the time while using your laptop, and the longevity and larger storage for less cost with HDD's.

Don't forget to backup your backup's to at least one other off-site location.

SSD's have come a long way, and there are tests that have shown they have much longer operational life than expected.

Here is an endurance / performance test, the end result, and the tested SSD's operated long past their specifications promised:

The SSD Endurance Experiment: They're all dead
This is the end, beautiful friend
by Geoff Gasior — 10:22 AM on March 12, 2015
https://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead

I have seen all the other reports you posted, but as long as you are doing backups from the SSD to a couple of other places you should be ok. Those datacenter use cases are a much different use case than on a personal computer, desktop or laptop.

As for getting 1TB/2TB or larger SSD's in the laptop, it's usually not for long term archival use. Some people like to carry all their game installs with them, so they don't need to do a network download on the road.

You can lose all the cached game installs and still not lose the games, they can just download them again when they are at their fast home internet. I don't back up game installs that can be reinstalled from internet services.

For me I need the large SSD storage for VM's and data. I need to back them up, so if I lose them, I can restore them from backup. They aren't under long term archival storage in my laptop SSD's.

This happened to me when 1 of 2 128GB SSD's died during the first full week of use. I survived with a 128GB single SSD for OS and games for a short time.

It can be done, but I was swapping games in and out, and installing stuff that didn't need SSD speed on the 1TB 5400rpm drive.

You don't need to get 1TB-2TB+ SSD's to enjoy them, or even get PCIE SSD's - the SATA drives are fast enough over the HDD speed - I would suggest at least a 256GB SSD, but get whatever fits your budget

 

Looks like the VY version is out on Amazon sold by EXcaliberPC

http://www.amazon.com/GL502VY-DS71-i7-6700HQ-Windows-Ultraportable-Notebook/dp/B01FQLBDJO

Anyone got that version yet? I'm looking to get this next week.

 

I agree that nowadays, an SSD in the system is a must. My laptop model has the 256GB PCIe SSD in combination with the already mentioned 1TB 5400rpm HDD, my desktop also has 2 SATA SSDs among other drives and any computer I would build/purchase at this point would have to contain an SSD as well, yet I'm still not a fan of anything past 256GB. The way the market prices are set right now, you can either get a 500GB SATA SSD (assuming you aim for top-of-the-line manufacturers e.g. Intel, Samsung), or a 2TB (or even 3TB) 2.5" HDD. And seeing that my laptop already contains a 256GB PCIe SSD exclusively for the OS, programs and my most played games, while still having over 120GB of free space on it, I can see no scenario where I would have ~140€ on my hands and would not opt for a massive-capacity HDD to go alongside the fast SSD, instead of another much smaller SSD. Another thing is, that I might be running out of space on my HDD in this laptop soon, which means that not even the 1TB HDD seems to cover my games+movies+music data needs. And as I really don't want to carry an external HDD everywhere I go, and seem require more than 1TB bulk-storage space in my laptop, there's no way I would cover that space with SSDs alone, seeing that a 1TB SSD costs around 300€ and a 2TB one around 700€, which is just Ridiculous, with a capital R.
A big part of my storage is also filled with movies, TV shows and music, as I use my laptop as my main media center, and it wouldn't really make sense to put any of those on an SSD.

Also, I see no lag in-game, if the game is on an HDD, if that's what you meant. I was actually not even aware of the parked-HDD-head issue until now, thanks for letting me know. Also, it's not like the HDD can't keep up with loading the textures as you walk through a game world, causing lag for example. The only slowdown with an HDD, compared to an SSD would be the initially loading the game from desktop, which naturally does take noticeably longer. After that, there won't be a difference.

Personally, I haven't tried any hybrid drives yet, but I've also heard that they're quite alot faster than your usual HDD. Sadly, they don't seem to make them any bigger than 1TB.

 

The HDD lag issue only happens if the drive powers down due to Windows settings, or due to drive firmware settings. You can turn off both, and then you only have the 100MB/sec vs 500+MB/sec SATA speed to contend with.

I ran games from HDD while I was down to 1 128GB SSD, and it wasn't so bad.

Where I noticed it was with VM's, that was too slow for me, but I dealt with it and got work done.

Make sure your M.2 socket supports M.2 SATA:

This is the best price/value on a new M.2 SATA drive I have found, 1TB @ $239:

Sandisk SD8SN8U-1T00-1122 X400 1TB M.2 2280 Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0D9-0006-000G1

Match that with an X400 1TB 2.5" and RAID0 them together for 1GB/sec R/W - potentially, $229 - Make sure your BIOS supports RAID0 between M.2 and SATA III 2.5 ports.
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-X400-SSD-SATA-SD8SB8U-1T00-1122/dp/B0195B30KG

Then put that 4TB+ external RAID0 on a USB 3.0/3.1 or Thunderbolt for 200MB/sec +.

But, it sounds like you are already set with the ideal configuration for your needs

 

Here’s a little comparison of a Seagate 1TB SSHD http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Gamin...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00 and the Samsung 950 PRO 256 GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4. Both installed in this laptop.

 

I thought the Samsung was slower until I took a closer look at the graph....

 

That kind of test is only going to show the raw speed of the HDD behind the SSD cache.

That's one of the problems with SSHD's they really only help improve performance as long as it can keep the SSD cache full of what you are using.

Also the best you will see from it is 550MB/sec due to the SATA III speed limit. The PCIE drive will be several times faster even at the SSD's maximum cache hit rate.

The point I was making earlier was that the 550MB/sec speed of a M.2 SSD isn't going to show much real world slowness against the much faster benchmarking PCIE SSD.

The reason is that the portion of time an operation spends in storage I/O has been reduced to the point that any further reduction is going to be a small fraction of a second. Not noticeable.

By going from 40MB/sec to 550MB/sec we have seen a 14x improvement in time spend in I/O, reducing that to a minuscule time that even when reduce by 2x-5x again, it won't be a humanly noticeable shortening of time.

Unless you are transfering large files from one PCIE device to another (including itself), you won't benefit much from the higher speed.

You will feel the incredible 2x-3x cost differential when paying for the same size M.2 PCIE device as compared to a M.2 SATA device

 

I got mine and did a review, there is no backlight bleed. You can check out the review here:

 

Did anyone get their laptop from Excalibur ?

 

Anyone disassemble this machine yet?

 

Take your own advice. I came back just in case you said something that isn't true. Just like a lot of your other "posts". Wrong or right you end up saying "learn to live/enjoy it", lol.

"TN panels aren't that bad, I like them and can enjoy them" The keyword is I. When someone tells you they don't like it don't try to prove their reasons wrong with your opinions bud. You don't make any sense and look like a fool. I posted in the thread saying the TN is bad and you come out saying it's not that bad. Okay.. well do you have a GL502? No? Okay.

Here was my first post on the screen the day I went out to get the laptop.

You mean to tell me that alone is bad-mouthing?

I later said it's a TN panel thus the reason it had bad viewing angles and poor colors. If you can quote me saying TN is trash, IPS or die then please do so.

Until then loosen up in life, learn to enjoy it and learn to live without trying to prove everyone that in your eyes something is better than another.

I no longer own the laptop so should I go to another thread and tell them whatever gripes they have they should learn to live with it and tell them that I used to have something similar and it was fine for me?

 

So I was comparing the GTX970M (VT) and GTX980M (VY) model to see if there's any difference other than the gpu. It seems there's more than that...

https://www.asus.com/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-GL502VY/specifications/

https://www.asus.com/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-GL502VT/specifications/

To start off, the VY model is slightly thicker and heavier at 30.1mm vs 23.5mm, and 2.34kg vs 2.2kg, both come with the same battery size despite the thickness so I assume it's for better cooling.

Next this is interesting, it seems the VY model have 2x SODIMM slots for memory expansion instead of one slot on the VT model.

Finally, the VY model will only get panels with 72% NTSC regardless of resolution, the VT model have an option for a 94% NTSC 1080p panel. I assume it's because of GSYNC.

 

From your first post to your last post, it was like you were disappointed with what you could afford, and slamming on it more and more as the disappointment soaked in. You went too far, and I called you on it.

Learn to be not so critical with things you can afford.

Learn to live with those things you can currently afford, but don't meet your expectations.

My father said it nicely, "You have Champagne tastes, but a Beer pocketbook. Learn to live within your means, and enjoy what you have. You will live longer, and enjoy life more."

I was 12, and he was referring to my electronics purchases. I had my own jobs and was spending my own money.

It seems you are well on your way to reaching those conclusions on your own, and have moved to trying to get what you want used:

WTB : Laptop ($1000)
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/wtb-laptop-1000.792047/#post-10265017

It's possible you will find something that someone doesn't need, many here buy buy buy, and collect laptops. But, you will more likely be buying someone else's unwanted problems, so make sure it has a warranty.

I found that when I was unable to afford IPS, back when the price difference was $1000+, I could live with TN's, now my eye's can reset quickly to get the most out of whatever cost equipment I am viewing through.

It's the talent born of many years of consulting, where clients can't afford expensive equipment themselves, while I can. You can be sure I don't tell them their stuff is crap, even if I think that just briefly, and then quickly get back to being an effective resource myself.

Maybe you will go back to the Bestbuy and pick up a "return" item to save $, maybe it will be the same G502VT model. It will look more acceptable this time, I can almost guarantee that - need is the mother of all compromise.

The reason I spoke up is because after many years on forums, I see people trashing the budget stuff, in the thread about the budget stuff, just so they can feel better about themselves.

They don't care that they are making people that have, enjoy, and love that very same model are being insulted by their comments.

You went too far into that realm, so I called you on it. That's it. The rest is for your benefit, as most everyone else here has already learned those lessons.

I hope whatever you find you end up enjoying as much as I have enjoyed all the TN panel laptops I have had over the years.

 

Stop it with the TN vs IPS argument. This thread is strictly for GL502VT discussion and I believe it's clear to everyone now the difference between the 2 panels.

Those who can't afford to pay more feel free to get the cheaper Bestbuy variant with TN, otherwise the rest have a choice of IPS panel from other sellers.

 

I sent a message on amazon UK to HIDevolution regarding the availability of the VY model. The answer I get is early to mid of June, with pricing starting from £1500 according to configuration.

 

You should just buy their clevo model imo. If you're buying from HIDevolution there's no reason to compromise and buy asus.

 

They're don't offer clevo models on Amazon.

I've checked all available custom laptop options in the UK. They give bang for buck but none is portable for the spec, and have decent battery life

And what's wrong with Asus? I never had a problem with them

 

Buy direct from HID.

ASUS, let's say that they're very anti-consumer on their ROG lineup.

 

Elaborate on "anti consumer", I'm curious

Again I've check the specs of Clevo models offered by HIDevolution, compelling but bulky and heavy, I need something on the go

 

locked down bios
tear apart entire laptop to repaste
warranty void if you change anything
bad customer support
previous model uses nonstandard mxm to stop user upgrading and force to buy new
bad airflow (fan doesn't get hole beneath directly)


p650rg seems to be a much better alternative if you're not man enough to carry the P750DM

 

I'm not sure about the rest especially customer service since I never had to deal with it, but voiding warranty for self upgrading had been debunked in this thread, even HIDevolution themselves upgrade the GL502 with their own components. MSI on the other hand is a different story.

 

Not quite sure what you mean.

Not like this laptop necessarily needs repasting (like e.g. Gigabyte laptops), but if you wish so: remove back cover, remove heatsink, repaste.

No it isn't. The laptop has no warranty sticker and varranty = void only if you damage the internals while manipulating with it. Confirmed this with my retailer as well.

While customer support from ASUS directly might be bad in some cases, support from your retailer might be excellent. depending on where you bought it from.

As far as I know the chips are soldered to the motherboard, so no, they cannot be upgraded, which is rather to be expected with laptops, isn't it?

Not true, it actually has a very good cooling solution. Probably the best one among slim gaming laptops at the moment. The intakes are situated more to the sides probably so that the laptop doesn't suffocate when you have it on your lap.

The P650RG is still much fatter and heavier than the GL502VT and I wouldn't consider it a slim gaming laptop. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Clevo laptops also seem to be fully made of plastic even in this price range.

 

I appreciate you taking the time for such an elaborate explanation. I've always known Acer as a brand that uses cheap raw materials in it's products, so I'll heed your advice on that front. But loads of reviews speak in this particular model's favor, so my opinion may be a little divided.

Anyways, it's almost Computex time. Let's see what ASUS has up their sleeves this year.

Hope I make the right decision in a few months from now, because grad school calls.

 

The 5k laptop......

 

I haven't had a chance to go through the whole Asus Computex presentation, but I did find someone that streamed it Live, it Starts at 30:25...
Asus Republic of Gamers ROG 2016 Computex Keynote Live Stream (Press Conference + Commentary)

FYI - 45:10 G31 Edition 10 - 2 x 1080 SLI Desktop w/171% scaling
51:10 New Strix 1080

At 1:13:00 the LOL Competition Starts, and it looks like all the players are using the GL502(VY?)

 

ROG XG Station 2......plus this laptop in 980m model......a really good combo...

 

My thoughts as well, that's why I am interested in the GL502VY, something to use until mobile 1080 desktop mobile releases.

The only problem is the GL502VY doesn't seem to have TB3, but then again, the XG 2 uses 2 x PCIE x4 connections, does the GL502VY support this?

 

Asus announced the G701 as well, basically a 17 inch version of GL502. Comes with desktop GTX980

https://www.asus.com/Notebooks/ROG-G701VO/

 

The G701 is in a whole other price class, and it's related to the GX700 water-cooled model, the G701 is the air-cooled version.

It's an awesome laptop, but if you want a slim light 980m laptop, the GL502VY is the one to get.

The G701 is very expensive too...$3999 !!

ASUS ROG G701VO-CS74K Intel i7-6820HK 64GB DDR4 1TB NVMe SSD GTX980 8GB Thunderbolt 3 Gaming Laptop
http://store.asus.com/us/item/201605AM130000006/A17602

 

Check this out though. Under the press release section. I'm gonna assume it's some kind of unseen 17" version of the GL502.

http://rog.asus.com/23412016/coming...unced-the-latest-and-greatest-in-gaming-tech/

" ROG Strix GL702 comes with a 17-inch panel, an improved triple-copper thermal module for better cooling performance, and a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 for external graphics support."

If only they would do that for the GL502VY at least. I don't really see much of a reason why they would isolate the thunderbolt 3 capability to the larger display version.