15.6 Vs 17.3

I am a dedicated desktop gamer with a 25.5 1080p monitor. This summer I will be doing a lot of traveling to our lake house which has a great internet connection. I will be buying a gaming laptop, a couple things are holding me back and one is screen size. How much of a difference will it be for me if I choose a high end 15.6, I have the hots for the Msi gt680r, but I am scared the screen will seem too small and I won't get the proper "feel" from my games. Any and all ideas/opinions/recommendations are welcome.

 

I have an Asus G73, and i've got to say Crysis feels much nicer on the bigger screen than on my friends 15" laptop, maybe thats because his doesn't have as nice of Graphics Chip, but still lol. bigger is usually a better feel

 

Thanks for the comment, yeah I have started to really look into a G73 now due to this issue.

 

Check out Sager 8170-S1. Granted, my spec cost me $3,000+ but is easily upgradable in the future. This laptop will last me atleast 5 years. :-D

 

Thoughts on this machine and deal:

Amazon.com: ASUS G73SW-XA1 Republic of Gamers 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop (Dark Grey): Computer & Accessories

 

Honestly I don't think it matters much. I figure that once you're into the game, you won't really notice the screen size. I say this as I game on my m11x with its 11.6 inch screen.

 

You do get used to it after a while, as long as you don't keep switching back to the larger screen. My desktop at home has a 24 inch 1920 x 1200 monitor hooked up to it, and I am now gaming on a 14 inch 1366 x 768 screen, and it doesn't bother me any more.
Of course, when I go home to my desktop the screen looks mind blowingly large...

 

Unless there is a piece of hardware the 173 offers that you cannot get in the 15.6 or your eyesight isnt so good the 15.6 will be the better choice IMHO.

 

Depends on what else you plan on doing with it. I have found 17"+ machines way too large to use as a laptop. They're basically a slightly less cumbersome mobile desktop... I'll never buy a laptop larger than 15" class again.

Besides... you're going to a lake house. Don't coop yourself up inside with games... enjoy the outdoors and your family

 

+1, just go outside. Play games when you are at home, but take advantage of the great outdoors while you can!

 

I have an Alienware m17x. I personally would not want a smaller screen if I were going to be on it all the time.

 

If you already HAVE a desktop I'd suggest getting the 15.6. Just makes the most sense to me.

However if you are only looking for games to look nice get the large screen. I have a 17inch and it's very nice.

 

If it's your lake house (as in not a rented one), worth thinking about just buying a TFT to leave there?

 

I don't know why people seem to think that a person can't enjoy the outside, their family and play games too. Having the option to do all is great.

 

If I'm outside I:
a) Don't want my computer out in the open
b) Don't plan on playing games instead of enjoying it

outside = glare/dirt

And I wouldn't be playing around my family either.

 

Exactly, yeah, and that is exactly what I am doing. We have two jet skis and a boat, so during most days I will be out on those. This laptop is for the days where the weather does not cooperate, and nights when my kids want to play in the yard. We have an awesome covered patio that I plan on sitting at and gaming. So for those harping on me to get outside, please do not do that, you obviously have no clue about my situation or needs.

 

If anyone's harping on you to get outside they're on the wrong site anyway.

 

I went from a 17" to a 15" and I miss the larger screen.

The difference between 6-9lbs is completely not noticeable... the 17" are a bit more bulky, but its not like your arm, shoulder or lap will care about a measly 2-3 lbs.

17" laptops also tend to have better speakers, more cooling, and either higher-end hardware or quieter.

15-17" is a tradeoff and both have their place.

15" laptops are better for plane trips or places that are a bit more cramped.

For those claming "X lbs is too heavy"... A 12-pack of pop or beer is ~10 lbs. (varies depending on liquid)
I sincerely doubt any of you would ever claim that is too heavy...

 

You might still run into a glare issue in the covered patio. I've had that happen to me before and it was around noon. Hope you don't run into it.

 

Yeah, I probably wont do too much serious gaming until the sun goes down, it is a pretty nice setting with cool night time air and very few neighbors. I can sit out and game/watch movies till late.

 

I love the outdoors and love to explore new places outdoors in particular. there are a huge variety of things you may have not thought of before, such as investigating a carnivorous plant site perhaps? that you had never though of doing before, yet might enjoy astronomically more than computer games, but this forum is not for me to say that. My view on your situation is this. I have never had a 17 inch laptop but I love my 15 inch one and I would say it would be good to use outside although I never do. Many forested areas will have much more dust particles in the air than you even anticipated so just however long you are spending there the laptop could get serious dust buildup in the grills. Make sure to clean with compressed air afterwards. Depending on the surface you want to play on, if it is a comfortably elevated flat surface, the 17 inch could be best, or if you plan on playing on your lap, and get the 15 inch, make sure to bring a wooden cutting board broad enough to fit your laptop. I consider comfort the most important thing about gaming. take into consideration where you will put your mousepad too. Other than that, I can't think of any other reasons I would tell you to choose either one. It's all about whether you want to spend 4 grand and get desktop performance or spend 1.5 grand and play next to top graphics level and enjoy a smaller screen. Seriously, look up carnivorous plant sites near there; you could be surprised!

 

Interesting stuff. As for where I will be playing, its probably 4 feet from our front door under a huge nice covered concrete patio and with nice new outdoor furniture and plenty of plug-ins . So stuff like dirt/glare/etc. are really not as HUGE of an issue. Thanks for the thoughts, and I will check out the plant thing..seems interesting.

 

If you are in the rocky mountains or the sierra nevada probably not, but many parts of the united states do have really cool carnivorous plants... venus fly traps are from north carolina.

 

I chose 17 over 15 this time around because the 17 came with two hard drive bays plus an optical drive, and I watch movies more frequently on my laptop now, so a larger screen is nicer. I don't think the increased weight and size is a huge deal if you don't lug it with you every day.

 

This. If it's something you have to carry around on a campus every day and on a bus then yeah, you'll want something smaller (14 or less), but if you've got a vehicle and only move it around a couple times a day/week, you'll appreciate the bigger screen and benefits of a 17" (better cooling, native dual/triple HDD support, ect).

Hah, never thought of it in that way!

 

Soda.

(10char)

 

^ This. Games will never leave you, but the time and presence of where you are will.

About the topic... 17.3 bigger the better.

 

The concept of "lugging" <10lbs is entertaining.
I sometimes think people forget their sense of scale when it comes to laptops.

I've watched a ~70lb (soaking wet) 11-yr-old girl happily carry a 10lb notebook around pretty much ALL DAY without a carry bag so she can show everyone her web-kins collection.
From her manner and enthusiasm, that 11-yr-old girl didn't think 10lbs was even remotely close to "heavy".


From the way people speak of a "massive" 8-9lb 17" laptop I can just picture these 150-200lb guys "straining" to lift that laptop... beads of sweat forming on their brow and every step a work of sheer willpower.

This is paired with the memory of that 11-yr-old girl flitting in and out of the crowd carrying a larger laptop as if it weighed nothing...



This is made even funnier knowing that most women I know carry "mother-ship" purses in excess of 10lbs all day/every day.

 

I cannot stress enough about how I will not be inside for the majority of the time with this.. I will be under an enormous covered patio at dusk and during the night/evening. The other times will be with my multiple power sport options ripping up waves and taking in the sun so please STOP the stupid stuff about enjoying the lake, I have been enjoying this particular lake for over 20 years.

Anyhow, the subject is the 17 vs the 15 inch laptop. Due to most of the responses it looks like I will be going with a 17 in laptop, the benefits to one seem to outweigh the disadvantages. Thank you to all who weighed in on the laptop options they really have helped a ton.

 

It's not the weight of just the laptop, though. You have the laptop plus all the other stuff you bring with it. Going from a 15 to a 20lb bag is pretty significant. Not to mention the inability to actually use it on battery in general... though Sandy Bridge seems to have helped that a lot with the bigger machines.

If you intend to use it as a mobile machine, as in, not always at a desk, get a 15" class or smaller. If it's just moving from desk to desk, effectively a mobile desktop replacement, 17" or larger is fine.

 

I don't believe this is a practical answer. Especially keeping in mind the actual weights we are talking about.

Having gone from a 17" to a 15" I can tell ya.. using the same laptop bag I quite frankly don't notice a weight difference at all.

"Carrying everything else" doesn't happen in your hands. You carry it in a bag on your shoulder... are you really trying to tell us you think 15-20lbs on your shoulder is even an issue? For reference, if you broke your shoulder, they'd still let you carry up to 15lbs on it shortly after having it treated...

Note, even with power adapter and a server room toolkit my laptop bag with an older 17" wasn't even 15 lbs... I barely notice my laptop bag with either the 15" or 17" in it and have stood around for hours waiting for people or meetings with it without so much as breaking a sweat.

Weight difference in a 17" or 15" gaming laptop is a non-issue for a healthy adult. Indeed at the weights we are talking about it would be a non-issue for a *crippled* adult shortly after being treated!

17" are plenty portable... they are a bit bulkier for places like airplanes or cramped server rooms. However, the OP seems to plan on computing in large open places.

Note the OP is also looking at gaming laptops... thus his battery life is mostly likely going to be around 2 hours anyway regardless of 15" or 17" size.

In a nutshell, worrying about weight when it comes to a 7-9lb gaming laptop is silly. If that few pounds difference really causes you that much trouble, then you don't need a lighter laptop. You need a gym membership.

 

Thanks for sticking to my original needs with the post, the primary reason I am asking about the difference between the two is gaming/movie entertainment because I really really like the MSI GT680r. But it is a 15. I am basically weighing with where the value is for me, considering specs and screen size.

 

I started out using 17 inch dtr's for more screen real estate mainly for spreadsheet purposes. I use my computer in different environments from coffee shops to retos to airports to boardrooms etc.
The biggest issue i had with 17 inchers is that many times the table i have to use can accomodate only the laptop. This becomes a problem when i have to lay a couple of papers plus my mouse on the said table.
Ever since being faced with these issues i have decided to switch to a 15 or smaller.
A 15 incher gives almost the same feel as a 17 inch when it comes to games and i can live with the smaller screen real estate while working.

 

I used both and I prefer the 17. Mainly becuase movies/games I want to watch them in a bigger screen.


For work and stuff it's much better to get a 15 or less screen size. Even then the weight is not that huge that you can't carry around.

Although you should try and see there is a matte screen if you are going to use it outdoors. Glossy are annoying most of the time.

 

Hmmm...

I game on a PSP...4.3" screen...I have fun...

I game on a Nintendo DS...(2) 3" screens...I have fun...

I game on an m11x...11.6" screen...I have fun...(except the keyboard is a bit too tiny for my hands so it takes some adjustment)...

I game on an m1710...17" screen...I have fun...

I watch old TV episodes (Star Trek - Original, The Tick, Batman - Animated) on an iPod Classic...2.5" screen...I have fun...

If I have 20 minutes to kill, I break out the PSP or the iPod...if I'm on a plane, train or autmobile, out comes the m11x...all my PC gaming at home or LAN gaming at the in-laws is on the m1710...

The size of the screen for immersion doesn't really matter to me...however, the size of the device does...the m1710 doesn't work very well on airplanes or in cars (besides somewhat big, it's hot...if the person in front of me on a plane reclines their seat, then it's all over with the m1710)...

All that aside...if I were you (and I'm not), and my primary use for the laptop was gaming on a covered patio with electrical outlets available then I would choose the larger laptop...if that's only one of many uses for your laptop, then you would have to determine which use would be the most prevalent one...

At first, I absolutely hated moving from my Toshiba 15" to the m1710...now, when I sit them side-by-side, I can't believe that I ever thought the m1710 was too big...and the m1710 goes EVERYWHERE with me...it goes with me to work everyday because I'm afraid that if my house catches fire that my wife will make a poor decision and rescue the 3-year old instead of the laptop...I spare her (and me) the agony of that decision by taking it with me...I have yet to develop a hernia or start walking lopsided...the biggest problem is pulling the laptop out of its bag for the security check prior to entering the worksite...the laptop is well-protected in its bag, but it shows some wear from the good ol' in-n-out...of course, the m1710 is one of the 'lighter' 17" laptops because it's so old and not jammed with goodies...

I recommend going big...of course, if you're going to be sitting on patio furniture then, for me, the m11x is perfect...my m1710 doesn't go on anything but a flat surface...the m11x is actually a very comfortable laptop...

PS. Sometimes, I get real crazee, and I put the m11x in the middle pocket of my SwissGear 17" backpack with the m1710. I usually have to ask my wife to help me don and doff the backpack, but once it's on my shoulders, it's not too bad. I work out every once in a while though. I can't recommend that others try it at home.

 

Right, and mine goes desk to desk pretty much, and usually stays in the same spot for extended periods. I used to use a 15" because it got moved around and went with me more. Then when I got a netbook, that all stopped. So much easier to throw a 12" 3 lbs. laptop in my bag than the 15" 10+ lbs, not to mention I can actually use the netbook on the go.

And the reason the 11 year old girl didn't care, well, because she's 11 and probably happy as hell to have a laptop. My 9 yo niece usually has about 20 lbs in her backpack and complains it's too heavy frequently.

Battery life is better with SB, but unfortunately few vendors are selling systems with powerful dedicated GPU's with switchable graphics. Alienware M17x does now, manual switching, which I'd prefer anyhow.

 

people backpack hundreds of miles in a span of a few weeks with packs weighing over 100 pounds. just think of that when you equip your nice light 20 pound bag to walk like 2 miles.

 

"People" = < 0.01% of population. "People" also run marathons, scale rock walls, and swim across large bodies of water.

General laptop users > 50% population.

I don't see the point.

 

17.3 will add at least 1 kg of weight to the laptop compared to 15.6 laptop even if specs and design are identical. 15.6 is the perfect compromise between portability (begrudgingly) and home use.

 

17 is always better if you put 2 notebooks back to back BUT if you only have 15 your gaming experience will be totally fine. Sometimes i just chill with my notebook on the bed and while 15 inch screen is nothing compared to my 27 external monitor i am gaming just fine.

Obviously it all depends on if you are willing to carry extra weight / size or not. I would get 15 for mobile gaming and 17 for desktop replacement that will be used primarily at home with not much traveling.

Also comparing MSI to Alienware 17 — the price is also quite different. I would just buy 15.6 considering that you will travel quite a bit and also that its mostly for summer only. When you are back home you will still be able to put your "not-so-heavy" gaming notebook to use as opposite to 17.3 notebook.

Another thing to keep in mind — 15.6 will fit in any a4 size bag. 17,3 — wont.

 

I never really thought about it that way... I mean... when I was 9 years old I started backpacking obviously not on levels that extreme, but now I weigh 190 pounds, 6'2'' and I dont even work out and I can still backpack as far as I want with however much weight I want. I think alot more people than you know do physical exercise, though the examples you gave were pretty terrifying, I mean running a marathon? thats like craxy difficult.

I see where you're coming from, but the point was that just about anybody can lift far more than 20 pounds for far more than the distance you are planning on carrying it without hardly any strain.

 

LOL Perfect! +Rep to you, my friend!

 

The point is also that people carry more than just their laptops, include hefty power adapter, mouse, notepad, books, etc. For work I used to lug my leather briefcase, handbag, satchel, whatever you want to call it, with about 25-30 lbs of stuff in it all the time for work (parts, manuals, safety gear, etc). Throw in a 12 lbs laptop, 3 lbs of charger, mouse, etc and 40+ lbs in a breifcase is a bit extreme when you do a lot of walking with that much stuff around your shoulder or holding in your hand. Every pound counts.

Plus hiking gear on your back is different than a place of business with a satchel or briefcase. I'd like to see you walk around a place of business with hiking gear just for your laptop and stuff lol.

My two year old weighs about 28 lbs, and I'd like to see you carry him around the mall for 20 minutes without rests in between. It doesn't sound or even feel like much for the first few minutes but then it becomes quite tired and cumbersome very quickly.

 

I've run a half marathon and running 5k and 10k races were never an issue for me, and wondered why other people could barely walk a 5k. But I was younger and to be honest that's just closed minded and conceited thinking when you think someone else should be able to do everything you do because you can. Then I had horrible problems with my ankles and bad varicose veins in one leg issues and now I'm lucky to be able to walk 5k myself.

Everyone's got their own issues and concerns. That always bothered me on forums like this (I guess I'm just letting it out atm), when someone asks a question, people are so quick to judge or insult the person because they never had the issue or concern themselves. Instead of trying to help they prefer to infer their own persona judgment which is completely non value added.

 

The point of which was that the 11-yr-old is half the size of most of the people complaining "its too heavy"... and it wasn't even close to heavy for her.

The concept that your 9 year-old niece carries 20lbs with just being a little whiny about it (and is expected to do so) actually reinforces my point...

I am not even going to start on how silly we are getting with the comparison of carrying 15lbs on your shoulder and "running marathons" and "top 'X%". Safe to say the vast majority of people here would be qualified by their doctors to lift 15lbs on their shoulder! (lol)



For the OP... the 15" usually does carry enough oomph for gaming now, especially if you have the money to get the best. Most are pretty good at cooling, you just need to watch more carefully and it may be a tad louder. (less passive cooling -space- means more active necessary -fans-)

Note please, around the 14" size is where laptops usually make large sacrifices in cpu/gpu for portability.

Given your usage, I don't think you have much to worry about when it comes to size save the larger screen/more space taken or smaller screen/less space taken. Get the best deal and the most for your money.

 

And my point is don't judge because someone wants something you don't.

15" these days do carry the oomph. Look at the Sager NP8150 which is basically same specs as the NP8170 with GTX 485m, i7-2920XM CPU and similar cooling. Larger usually does mean better cooling, but it doesn't mean you can't find something similar in a 15" form factor.

 

You mistake a good old-fashioned ribbing for judgement.


If you choose something based upon your wants and they are as simple as:
-cute
-pretty
-shiny
-matches your outfit

Then those are illogical, but still desirable to you.

Since opinions are fine, please share. However, having someone pick apart your "review" is what the site is about.

Given that I found the "too heavy" concept to be easily demonstrated as false, I did exactly that. I did so with a big grin on my face knowing that the physical weight wasn't really what we are talking about. It's just kind of a placeholder.

Let's face it, the real reason for the "too heavy" argument is about fashion, not function.
If one laptop weighed .001lb and there was a .0005lb lb laptop it would be called "heavy" by the same group of people.