Hardware priorities for a gamer

I just purchased a 9150 sager/clevo with the 675M graphics card, and I would like to know what is the most important components for gaming?

I know the graphics card can't be upgraded so I got the best one, I assume the graphics card would be the most important for be a gamer?

But what about the processor/RAM?

I got the default 8 gigs of ram and the default processor, since I don't make youtube videos or anything I assume I don't need upgrades on the processor or RAM? I know the more ram you stack you get "diminishing returns" so I didn't want to pay extra for a 1% performance increase,

I just want to confirm that getting the best GPU was the best thing I could do to increase performance?

 

Yes getting the best GPU is the most important, but the AMD 7970m is the performance leader at this time....change it!

 

GPU is important because you're married to it with a laptop. 8GB RAM fine, I don't think I'd spend money on more, and the default CPU is the 3610QM I assume, which will be fine.

The only other thing I would look at as a good spot to spend would be on an mSATA drive.

But your new laptop should be plenty fast.

 

Thanks for the tip, I recently noticed the AMD 7970m as an option from xoticpc(wasn't there when I ordered it)

I wish I could get it I'm not sure I'll need it though and I already confirmed the 675M order.

 

If you are a gaming, 99.9% of the time the GPU is going to be your bottleneck, so upgrade that first rather than upgrading it aftermarket (usually more $$$, and more of a pain finding parts like a custom heatsink/bracket). But certain games utilize more cores after a certain point you have a powerful GPU, Civ 5, SC2, GTA 4.

 

Moritsuna will be able to change GPUs whenever he wants. There's nothing hard about changing GPUs with the Clevo/Sager.

However, as Tsunade_Hime pointed out, buying the MxM GPU (even from your vendor) can be more expensive then when configured as they do ship with heat sinks, bracketry, (SLI , XFire bridge for those laptops that support it), etc.

 

Please don't say that. What is hard depend on your prior knowledge, capability, tools and the machine you're working on. Replacing a keyboard can be as easy as removing a few screws or as difficult as dissembling the entire notebook.

Even someone using the same laptop might have unexpected difficulties an advanced user wouldn't even think about. And encountering difficulties when all the components of your machine are splayed out can be devastating to someone just beginning.

I'd be happy if we adopt a vocabulary of beginner, intermediate, and advanced user. At least that way we'd have some idea of what it takes to complete a task.

After all, physics isn't hard if you're a physicist. For the rest of us, its probably a challenge.

 

Krane I don't think he meant it in the sense that just anyone can change, but if you know what you are doing, GPU's are user changeable very readily compared to other laptops. Of course you still may have to deal with vbios issues, compatibility issues, eeeprom soldering if it gets really nasty.

If you are into extreme modding, then Clevo and Clevo rebrands are for you. Alot of people buy Alienware because they have a huge corporation (Dell) supporting you for hardware and software.

 

GPU then i'd spring for an SSD.

 

Why? There's nothing difficult about it:

A) Moritsuna is buying a Clevo/Sager. Assuming parts are still in production, GPU can be interchanged at any time.

B) The only thing you need to know is how to send an email or talk to someone on the phone. Yes, if you are a DIY-er kind of person, then replacing the GPU is one option. Rather, I was thinking along the lines of contacting the Clevo/Sager vendor, sending in the laptop, getting it back with updated GPU(s).

 

If you wish for it then make it happen. As long as it is not shipped you can change it. Call it in and change it. Don't buy something you are not happy with.

 

Yes, but the cost and availability of the GPU's shouldn't be ignored. It is not like they are cheap or that there is a plethora of them. They are definitely the least upgradable game performance dependent component.

 

True, but the cost of happiness isn't cheap sometimes what is available now is not what we really want and is relative to patience... and the worth of the wait may not be truely realized until the reward is achieved at the end...

...lol elightenment garbage... rofl

Be happy with what you instict told you to buy. Maybe you told yourself that physX is what you were really looking for. Or maybe an application optimized for CUDA is why you purchased it.

...though seriously if you are not happy then change it. If you hesitate on changing the purchase then you really didn't want it anyways.

 

Well there wont be much performance increase with an SSD for Gaming.

 

Gaming:

GPU >> Wi-Fi Card >> MOUSE/KEYBOARD >> LCD >> CPU >> SSD >> RAM

Assuming 8GB 1333MHz RAM minimum which is more than adequate for gaming.