When to jump on a gaming laptop.

I'm pretty much middle of the damn road for a Malibal (well saving to get one, I'm a senior in hs. )

Would it be better to wait till the end of this school year and get a newer line of processors and gpus for college or to just pick one up now and start enjoying it a bit earlier?

In other words, will next June/July's harvest be worth my wait? Will Win. 8 be out on laptops by then?

PS. Could I run SC2 and MW3 max settingsish on a GTX560m?

 

well if you just want to run those games then you would be fine, but it would be better in the long run to wait since the next upgrade is coming fairly soon, which will probabaly be windows 8, kepler and ivy bridge, not to mention that by that point clevo will probably implement backlit keyboards and some sort of switchable graphics and the battery life will be much better.

 

If you don't need it now, I would wait too. Ivy Bridge, Radeon 7000 series, backlit keyboards, improved battery life, are all good reasons to wait. But if you need it now then I guess you don't have much of a choice. And if it's something you want to last you four years or so of college, can't hurt to get the latest so it'll get you that much further.

 

Ah... Has battery life actually improved through these year? I just thought the tech was stagnant. x]

By soon can you estimate when? Hoping for a little Christmas/holiday magic. And I totally forgot how awesome a backlit keyboard would be.

On a side note, Can I assume Malibal's $1239 laptop is the best deal I can get?

Display: 15.6" 1920 x 1080 FHD LED AUO B156HW01 V.4 95% NTSC Matte Display
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM, 6MB L3 Cache, 2.0-2.9GHz
Memory: (8GB) 8192MB, PC3-10660/1333MHz DDR3 - 2 SO-DIMM
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 560M 1.5GB GDDR5
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200rpm 2.5" SATA 300 Hybrid w/ 4GB NAND Flash
Optical Drive Bay: 8X Multi DVD+/-R/RW RAM Dual-Layer Drive

Gotta love Matte.... <3

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but you can get a laptop with a much better GPU at that budget.

 

Battery technology has improved slightly. It's actually the power consumption of the system that's been reduced significantly, Ivy Bridge should be even better. With GPU's integrated in the CPU and with switchable graphics, it's possible to run a behemoth gaming monstrosity for four or so hours on battery for regular Windows tasks, surfing, etc.

For the "newer tech" you're probably looking at Q2 2012, so late spring.

I don't think so. Hard to find anything better than a GTX 560m under $1300. The next best step up would be a 6990m, which adds another $200-$250. But given that, best to save that extra $200-$250 because an HD 7970 will most likely be out Q1 2012 which would be a lot more future proof than the 560m.

 

For the backlit keyboards, however, I had heard Q1 2012 being tossed around in the Sager section, I believe.

 

Thanks guys. Will 200 bucks really justify the increase from a 560m? From the 6990 or its successor? Will win8 be loading on pcs by then? But I'll probably stay at around this price range unless I can squeeze the next best gpu and keep the price to 1400?

Spring sounds like sick timing anyhow. Senioritis + 4 hour schedule + some college admissions? Aw snap.

 

I wouldn't hold out on Windows 8 to be honest. Can easily update to that later, and it's biggest improvement that I see so far is the new UI which is mostly slated for tablets.

The 6990m is roughly equal to two 560m in SLI, perhaps about 10-15% slower. So, yes pretty powerful.

But if you're itching to buy, then buy it. Only laying out the options.

 

there's no such thing as holding out for 6 months. tech cycles too fast for that. get it when you need it. if this is a "want" purchase, get it when you want it.

that's the best advice i have.

if you want to get it in the spring because that lines up with your life, that's perfectly fine. that is way more important than a little tech refresh.

 

Right, but if anything, I think he'd be better off with a higher end GPU if he wants it to last a few years for gaming. The setup he has with 6990m would be a good solid purchase.

Although as you said, if it lines up with your life better in the spring (money, college, etc), you'll get the better tech at that time.

Also, I'd consider XoticPC for a Sager as well. Exact same as that Malibal, maybe get it a bit cheaper. Plus I'd reconsider the 95% gamut screen some issues with ghosting, red tint, etc. The stock 60% matte is pretty nice too, and save you probably $100 on the upgrade. You can PM the reps at XoticPC (start with Justin@XoticPC) to do a custom build for you if you'd like. They can probably even get the NP8130 (similar to your machine) with a 6990m and with the larger power supply if you like the flat black surface over the rubberized one of the NP8150.

 

Ah... Is this case on the p150 rubberized? Like an Asus?

Eh, my life isn't that important a factor. (But I think a bit of my soul just died with that sentence. ;] )

But really, the matte upgrade might not be worth it? I pretty much wanna stay away from glossy and I'm gonna be using my machine for heavy "art" whether it be illustration or graphic design. I thought the 95% had better color depth and clarity? Will I notice the difference with the stock screen?

 

I had an NP8130 for a short while with the 95% matte screen. It was pretty but had the ghosting and red tint issue. If you look in the Sager forums there was a thread dedicated to it. Not sure if it got resolved or not though. And for average user you probably wouldn't notice a difference. Basically it just gives better color palette, something that unless you're a graphic artist would you really notice the difference.

 

Ah... Right now, I'm midprocess in applying to some art schools and others that have art program (Looking to join the gaming industry.) Are there even any good points about glossy? I might go to stock matte if the 95% is not justifiable financially. :/

How does ghosting even occur? The red tint is most killer though. Damn hardware cockblocks.

EDIT: How good are the 6970's in comparison? Just filler or actually noticable performance boosts?

 

I think expecting 79xxMs in Q1 is pushing it. MAYBE desktop 79s.

 

Is $1549 total worth a laptop with the same specs as the $1239 version but with an "advanced" intel wireless card and a 6990m and the stock matte screen?

Seems like a big cash jump...

 

What are you using to game now? If it's not that bad, keep it. Games aren't about stressing systems anymore. It's all about the numbers, and the numbers mean games will continue to look great and run great on low-medium spec systems.

So I'd wait, wait til next year for the next gen. This current 40nm gen is about done. 28nm should give a large jump on power and performance. If you buy now, I know you will wish you waited next year. Cause if you can play game on your current system now, you can play future games until then.

If this was last year, I'd say go for it, since it's just going from 40nm tech to the next 40nm tech. But next year is a big jump for both Nvidia and AMD and that's 28nm. And Ivy Bridge should be a boost over SandyBridge as well.

 

Waiting 6 months for a gaming laptop, also means going 6 months without a gaming laptop; think about all the gaming you can complete during this time.

 

Having the best LCD is more important than having the best GPU if you plan on going to art school.

There is no point in doing it if the colors you see on your screen aren't actually the colors that are there. That's why people in graphic industry have professional grade IPS displays.

The Matte 95% are still standard TNT displays, so they are still not professional grade, they are still not acceptable if you plan on being a professional graphics designer IMO. It's another reason why HP, Lenovo and Dell all have specialized mobile workstations for graphic designers/gaming etc. These laptops come equipped with professional grade IPS displays. And those LCD cost more than my entire gaming laptop alone.

You won't find IPS displays on gaming laptops. Not even the RGB LED the m17x R2 had were IPS, they were still RGB TNT displays and still not as good as the IPS displays on the Lenovo and HP. If you won't be getting yourself a professional workstation, and going for a gaming laptop, I think you should at the least go with a 95% wide gamut or an RGB LED at minimum.

One problem for example is going from screen to print. What your printer prints will be exact, but if your LCD isn't accurate, what you see won't be what is printed. That's a big problem if you are looking to be exact, accurate.

This is also a problem for gaming. You want the colors to be correct, so they are correct on all LCDs. Whether they look right or not on a gamer's LCD will be his problem if his LCD is terrible. But it's the only way to be fair across the board, ensure the colors are true/accurate.

Even for gaming, a lot of the rendering and work is done by the CPU not the GPU. The GPU hype is that, it's hype. And game designers don't necessarily use gaming GPUs, but use professional grade GPUs and they are definitley working with professional grade displays, not gaming displays. There are lots you can research on this. The quality of a display for art school can be graded on contrast, brightness, color accuracy, whether it conforms to Adobe RGB, and other standards. You may want to do some research.

I don't believe you need the best GPU for gaming. You can game on even a MacBook which is just about the biggest waste of money if you are looking for graphic power. I believe the quality of the display matters more for your needs. Go with the 560M and spend what you saved on the GPU on the display!

 

Right now, I have a 5 year old hp with a Core 2 Duo E6750 with a gt240. It's meh but I can get some good CS:S and LoL and some meh SC2.

When some art students choose to get macs, do macs have ips panels? I always thought they were just normal glossy displays. Is an ips that critical for undergrad design studies? Because I haven't seen that many of my year older peers placing orders on these pricey workstations with the slide out drawing tablets and what not. Many of them settled for a Mac book but I know that's not me because I may try to pursue similar degrees with CS or related fields with the media entertainment industry.

But at this point, I guess I'll just wait for the new refreshes. New CPUs, GPUs, Win 8 by June perhaps?

 

To be honest, waiting for your next computer for Windows 8 is not a brilliant idea. So far Windows 8 hasn't been very popular enough on the gaming circles to be hyped about for gaming purposes.

If you are keen on waiting a bit longer, Ivy Bridge and the next-gen GPU's are around the corner. However if you want to do things on a new computer now, then just get one. Technology is always going to be better every minute and there is nothing you can do to always match it every single day. If you want to wait for next-gen, then go for it. If you want it now, it doesn't hurt either to buy now.

 

Apple/Macs were once considered good for professionals.

But Steve Jobs changed all that. Apple/Mac are now a joke and overpriced cosmetic computers. Some hardcore will still spend ridiculous amounts on the Mac Pro Towers... but their MacBook notebooks are definitely not professional grade for any of the hardware components. The LCD in my gaming notebook has better contrast and color accuracy than even the upgraded LCD on MacBooks... It's that bad. Definitely not IPS. Not even RGB, just run of the mill TNT, slightly better than what you find in a notebook you find at BestBuy.

It depends on how serious you are. I think if you are really interested in this career, looking into a Lenovo or HP or Dell workstation might be worth your time. They are expensive. But right now the best selling computers for that type of work are mobile workstations.
- But I also think any of the gaming laptops from Clevo/Sager or Asus or Alienware should suffice. The LCDs equipped on these gaming machines have improved drastically in the last few years (2 years). The Sager I hear with the upgraded wide gamut LCD sound like they need to be calibrated though, which is normal, people calibrate their LCDs often.

 

I guess I can wait a 8 months then.

 

Ehh, I figure my grades would be better and the jump might be worth it this year.

Thanks guys!

 

Good call. Holding off in this case sounds like the best thing for you, and you'll be rewarded with a better machine in the end when you actually do upgrade.

 

I wouldn't wait a year, I would just wait to see if the MXM standard changes; which we will likely find out in the Q1 of 2012

 

If you are keen on getting a gaming laptop... then you are faced with a few options.
1. You can get yourself a decent Sandy Bridge laptop with a high end gpu and 16GB RAM - that should last you fairly long time

2. Wait until Ivy Bridge comes out and get a high end laptop then (early 2012). The 'benefits' will be a slight bump in speed, better efficiency in terms of temperatures and power draw (which will result in longer battery times).

Ivy Bridge is more or less 'around the corner', so 6 months doesn't seem like a long time if you are not in a rush... but if you can't wait, then Sandy Bridge quad core cpu coupled with say ATI 6990M and loads of RAM will be just fine.


While I agree that 'waiting for the next best thing' can result in waiting indefinitely... if it's literally only a few months away and you're not in a rush, then you might as well stick it out.
And if it turns out to be not so great... then you can always get the SB laptop still for a cheaper price tag.

 

I'd suggest going for a Sager NP8150 with an HD 6990. You can get the same laptop that you specced out with a 6990 instead of a 560M for $1371 on XoticPC right now. The performance bump from the GTX 560M to the Mobility 6990 is quite substantial from the benchmarks I am finding.

 

Eh? $1371? I get about $1640 with the 6990m, matte screen, and Windows 7.

 

I'd say get a laptop now. Waiting for new technology is always endless. Usually I like to wait for new hardware to be out for awhile. Sometimes new doesn't mean its better. I like to check reviews over time before I get a new product.

 

All of this talk, when it's really a simple matter.

You buy when you want to play games. If you want to play now, you buy now.

 

good call, when the highend next gen gpu comes out for laptops the school year is probably over (unless your in highschool)

 

Which I am in. :'(

 

I keep seeing these threads pop up, and I keep giving the same advice.

At some point you gotta pull the trigger. Technology is always advancing, and if you keep waiting for that next best upgrade, you will be in a perpetual state of waiting.