Best Gaming Laptop Value

Hello All. I'm getting a new laptop and I'm leaning towards a Sager, but have also been out of the loop as far as keeping up with brands and tech etc.

Looking for opinions on the top value in gaming laptops. Can anyone give me some suggestions?

Sager still basically near the top I assume?

I'm looking to spend around $1500. Some random reading suggests I go with either a 770m or an 8970m as for GPU.

I'm flexible though, so any advice is much appreciated. I'm down with AMD as well, not just Intel/Nvidia.


Thanks All.

Oh, I've been seeing a lot of MSI lately too. I never heard much about them years ago for laptops. How are they generally?

 

This should be moved to the what notebook should I buy section. Fill out the form there, which gives a better idea of how you will use the computer. You say you are not down with Nvidia, but they make the 770m...

 

Your'e right, somehow missed that forum section.

I am down with Nvidia, I meant, I'm down with all manufactures.

 

Read it again, that's not what he wrote.

For best bang for your buck, I would go with an i7 and 8970M. And I agree that this along with a form should be in the "What Notebook Should I Buy" section.

 

More like, "best pain for your buck."

He's better off with a GTX 680M.

 

Any alienware from the Dell Outlet with a 25-30% coupon will probably be the choice.

 

Nvidia fanboys need not apply.

Do they still sell many new systems with GTX 680M?

 

Yes, I see I miss read it.

The Nvidia 680M is a good value if you can find it. New systems ship with the Nvidia 7 series, i.e. 750m, 765m, 770m, 780m. The AMD 8970m is better than a single 770m, but the top end card is the 780m. The i7-4700mq is good enough for gaming. I would use the Sager retailers to price out the features. As for your msi question, they are good. I think the speakers are better on msi, but they run warmer and more noise. Sager and msi are both good. I just ordered a NP8275-S from lpc digital. So you know my preference.

 

NVIDIA fanboy? Why must you always do that? It's a simple fact that the 680M outperforms (or performs similarly to) the 8970M, and it's a fact that NVIDIA products are more reliable than AMD's, mainly because of driver support. A little research will go a long way in proving this. I'm not playing the, "I'm right you're wrong game" - this is just how it is...

And yeah, you can still find systems with the 680M. The 680M is the most affordable, and likely the best performing mobile graphics card right now (for the money).

 

Despite the fact I have an ATI 7970M... a slower 8970M part, I have to agree if money was not an issue I'd have bought the NVIDIA in a heartbeat. Honestly the only real problem with ATI is the drivers, otherwise there is nothing better for bang vs buck than an ATI ( in the higher range).

I know it's hard but currently my rig with a 7970M runs fine, I have a hardware switch to definitely enable the IGP and save on power, I had problems with Optimus earlier in my AW life (460m) where I got frustrated and simply switched to an ATI,and since...well with the help of NBR and its wealth of knowledge I found the perfect drivers to give me a trouble free experience on an IVY bridge platform


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

If you can physically disable the Intel GPU AMD should be perfectly fine and definitely best bang for the buck.

Beamed from my G2 Tricorder

 

For your budget the MSI GT60 or GT70 with a 770m for $1400 is tough to beat.

 

MSI GT70 with 770M, Asus G750JX, Sager with 770M or 8970M and i7 are the main choices for your price range.

 

The Nvidia GT 755M SLI offers decent bang for buck, but the *one* laptop that has it has heat issues when running SLI configurations

 

From my personal experience, in systems with AMD GPUs and Enduro enabled, it's enough to disable ULPS in Windows registry. Battery life will suffer, but all Enduro related problems will be gone. It's a good solution for people, who don't use their laptops on battery much.

 

Find yourself a lightly used Sager.... 9150/9170 perhaps with a 7970m.

I beat you could find one for 800-1000 USD easily. Tremendous value if you ask me. A new 770 system will be in the 1400 range maybe 100 less if your lucky and you will have a less powerful system. (See my signature for 7970m potential if you get a good one! Mine is only coupled with a 3630qm btw)

Kinda depends on what your looking for besides a "good value". Everyone wants that. Wed need to know your wants and requirements. IE - is a lightly used system something you would consider?

 

The Lenovos with SLI for ~$1k, which equals the GTX 770M, are clearly the best value,

EDIT: $999 on Newegg.

 

And $979 with promo code until the end of this month. :thumbsup:

 

awesome, thanks for the heads up. I've never had a Lenovos, how are they? Do they feel flimsy like a dell?

 

What promo code?

 

Average build quality but terrific components and performance for the price.

"+ $20 off w/ promo code Y510PHOLIDAY, ends 12/31" in green letters under the title.

 

Oh, haha, got it...too much BF4 and caffeine tonight...

How are the drivers for SLI? I keep reading it's hit or miss..but I would think the 750's have been out for a while and should be solid at this point? Any concerns with SLI do you think? Never had SLI or Crossfire before.

 

Drivers are great. SLI works in pretty much all games and provides a huge performance boost.

This specific machine comes with Windows 8, but if you update to Windows 8.1, you need to update the vBIOS on the second 750M GPU to get SLI to work. The update is available on the Lenovo website here and is very easy to perform. If you just plan to stick with Windows 8, SLI works fine without needing the update.

 

Gotcha, thanks for the heads up.

 

SLI does not work in 100% if all games, but most. Performance increase depends on the game. Look for a y510 review with the dual 750's.

 

Reviews:

Review Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6916&review=Lenovo_IdeaPad_Y510P_Review

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Review & Rating | PCMag.com

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p (59370006) Review | Gaming Laptop Reviews

Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p Review - ComputerShopper.com