How do you want your next laptop to be built?

here another example

-p370em with MSI Gtx1070 SLI http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/msi-1070-mxm-into-p370em-an-adventure.806069/

gtx680m sli ----------------->gtx1070 sli

 

or P570WM with MSI Gtx1060. MXM cards are really a good idea IMO

gtx680m ------->gtx1060
http://www.eurocom.com/ec/upgrade(2,282,0)CLEVO_P570WM_SAGER_NP9570

 

I'm all for the MXM form factor, but I wish it could be more than it is currently - if some manufacturers could really free up & remove future compatibility issues next generational GPUs then this would be a great thing. I'm sure it could be done on the practical level - I mean why not design a laptop with the same upgradeability GPU wise as a desktop platform - it's just in a smaller package at the end of the day! I think MXM has been artificially limited since it's inception, it's not all it could be.

 

That's fine as well. Some people that own desktops view it the same way. But, there are others that enjoy every small tick in performance. If you enjoy competitive benchmarking and overclocking as much or more than gaming it is essential. Coupled with vBIOS mods there are rather meaningful performance increases by my own measurements between 480M and 580M, 680M and 780M, 970M and 980M, 1070 and 1080. There were many of us that enjoyed those upgrades. But, I agree the financial sense in buying (for example) a notebook with 1070 with the idea of upgrading it to 1080 is kind of stupid. Would make more sense to buy it with 1080 on day 1. BUT, if that 1070 died, replacing it with a 1080 would be a fine way of resolving your regrets over having gone the cheaper route the first time. That is how some folks ended up upgrading with some of the Fermi, Kepler and Maxwell GPUs as well. Again, had they started out with BGA they would have been screwed.

Great example, and I agree. Flexibility, freedom and autonomy to make your own decisions is priceless. Upgrade, downgrade, side-grade (AMD to NVIDIA or vice versa) or repair with whatever parts I wish to use, being entirely my decision about what I am going to do next rather giving the power to some stupid dweeb notebook designer deciding for me what I can do with my own property is valuable. It is for entirely self-serving financial reasons these greedy control freaks have gone to BGA.

 

Late reply, but...

I get a feeling there's a pretty big echo chamber here. Nothing wrong with that, just that birds of a feather flock together. Frankly I don't care much for LGA, even though I have a notebook with a PGA socket (I've never seriously considered bothering to upgrade the 4710MQ CPU).

But MXM... What I wouldn't give to swap out the GTX 860M in my notebook for a 1050 Ti. Nearly equal TDP, twice the performance, and twice the VRAM.

But I think the MXM standard is deprecated. It has space for LVDS, which is severely outdated, a spec that is a recommendation rather than a requirement (leading to weird MXM dimensions like what Clevo has done with their GTX 980/1080 designs), etc. We need a smaller, more compact, simpler standard.

I'm all for modularity and repairability. It irks me to see Android phones glued together—back in 2011 with my HTC Sensation XE, a couple of Torx screws and the whole shebang came apart and repairs were easy peasy. Today we need to fiddle with screws that are built to strip once you drive them (looking at you, Pentalobe), glued interiors that need the phone to be heated to pull it apart, etc.

But I also value portability. The problem is that all the modular options are also high-end options. I need performance, but not at the cost of breaking my back. There isn't a single manufacturer that offers a 13–15" notebook with a BGA CPU and MXM-A option with, say, a GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060.

The lightest MXM-capable option, the MSI 16L13 is already too heavy for me.

My dream notebook would have an AMD Ryzen PGA CPU and an MXM 3.1A slot, with a display 15" and tiny bezels, meaning an effectively 14" chassis. Pipe dream, never gonna happen.

So my next machine will be a desktop, and I will use this W230SS for as long as it holds out.

 

ther are only dell precision 7520 or hp zbook g4 15, they are 15" with a bga cpu+mxm 3.0a gpu
the same with dell precision 7510 or hp zbook g3 15

edit
but quadro cards

.
edit
GeForce GTX1050TI 4GB MXM
https://world.taobao.com/item/547978332584.htm

 

With regard to the overall question of how I'd like my next laptop to be built, after seeing them in person more, one thing that I'd love to more of in the future are OLED screens. Give that to me on a 13" machine with a BGA CPU+iGPU, backlit keyboard, 1x TB3, 1x USB C, 2x USB A, head+mic, HDMI, ethernet, 2x M.2, 2x SO-DIMM, and a 99-WHr battery. Bonus points if the key layout matches what I have on my Y410p. I would expect a full numpad on a 15" version. Macro keys like the Aorus X series laptops have would be nice, too. Now, I would pay extra for something with a discrete GPU (regardless of MXM), but I'm not willing to make very many compromises in doing so. I paid $850 for my Y410p, and $650 for the MSI machine I had prior. I looked at the X3 v7 and X5 v7 and was tempted by both, but if you want me to shell out that kind of money (around triple what I paid for my current machine!), your product needs to be damned near perfect, in which case I'll probably buy from a reseller that offers a 4 year warranty on it (as of now only Gentech?). Otherwise I'll continue to buy sub $1,000 machines, and any service I get out of them beyond their warranty is just gravy.

 

blasphemy

cant believe 24+ votes went for BGA

 

Because there are people with different use-cases compared to the high-end DTR bunch? Some people actually use their laptops on their laps, you know...

 

I agree it is blasphemy, but certainly do not find it surprising. Just look around a bit and it's pretty clear that junk is popular. Getting pulled down to the level of what is popular with the kiddos has been a problem for too long for that to come as any kind of surprise. It's hard for some people to understand until they find themselves hog-tied with a machine they are needing to repair or no longer satisfied with its performance, with no way to remedy their situation. That's when the chickens of regret come home to roost.

We have to realize that some people don't have a compelling need for anything with substantial performance and I can't blame them for not spending extra money if they don't need to. I certainly would not. That would be silly on their part. If they can manage to do what they need to with a low power CPU and integrated graphics, there are some really low priced options that will get the job done and still look fancy in the process. No need for anyone that spends less to worry about using some ghetto-looking junkbook. They come in bright and pretty colors now. That's actually pretty smart overall. Of the BGA options, I am surprised that the last option is not the most popular. I expected it would be.

It's the clowns that do want something substantial and don't have a clue what a joke BGA filth is that is hurting those of us that do know better. It screws things up for us by limiting our options to inferior products that cost as much or more than the good stuff that we want. Some people get crazy upset when we start talking about the lowest common denominators and bottom feeders in the world of high end overpriced notebooks trashbooks, so we won't go there for now.

 

Are there any LGA options 15" or smaller besides this one?

 

MSI 16L13, or Clevo W605KK1.

 

Yes, there is actually one other option that is superior to that one by every measurement except for price. It's the same machine as the Tornado F5 in my signature, with several HIDevolution enhancements to make it even better. I say superior because the cooling system is a lot better (pretty important difference).

Here is a link to the better 15-inch LGA beast. It is also available with 1080, where 1070 is the highest GPU option you can get with the one you were looking at. If you like the chicklet style MSI SteelSeries keyboard, that could be viewed as another plus to the cooler-running option besides the more powerful GPU. And, the skin on the lid and the palm rest are made of black brushed aluminum. The other one is entirely rubberized "soft touch" plastic surfaces on the lid and palm rest areas (think oily fingerprint magnet like Alienware palm rests). While more expensive, worth every penny for the things that make it superior.

The cheaper one has a couple of advantages. It has 1 extra 2.5-inch drive bay and it does not have all of its USB ports on the right side. Having no USB ports on the left side is only thing that most owners have to complain about with the better machine.

 

They have at least understood that Maq-Q is unwanted aka crippled

 

they dont have clue is because they came from average laptop with soldered BGA and think high end can be the same. i remembered when i got my ASUS G74 laptop with two fans i was so stoked that cooling was so amazingly better than my sh!tty vaio back in the days and i thought vaio was the best laptop brand ever LMAO. little did i know ASUS is BGA KING, even non bga they'll somehow change the form factor of GPU PCB so you cant upgrade LOL.

seriously, the worst of the worst is ASUS. being that famous and a large brand, well known for their enthusiast desktop mobo bios design yet on laptop side they dont hold back at all and give us junk to rip people off.

well majority nvidia and razer fanboys seems to disagree as they are a stupid bunch .

 

MSI (BGA GE/PE series) factory tour

 

Asus gl702zc
https://www.bit-tech.net/previews/t...preview-asus-rog-strix-gl702zc-benchmarked/1/

 

the new clevo n850kp6 (i7 LGA +soldered? gtx1060) is coming
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/new-n850kp6-chassis.805447/

 

Back in 2011 before I joined the forums I was looking for a hardcore gaming laptop. Asus Gxxx was on my short list among others. At the time I couldn't believe that I would be spending $3000 for possibly a dead end machine that couldn't have a GPU upgraded. None of the reviews on any machines taked about this - as if it wasn't important. I was lucky enough to come across @Mr. Fox and @Cloudfire enlightening discussions back then, got educated, and luckily went for the Alienware m18x r2 - probably the best machine I've owned. I went 3610qm to 3920xm, 7970m CF to 780m SLI to 980m SLI and loved every minute of it. Some people are rocking 1060's in that thing right now. So the question of 'how many generations has a machine been upgradable' is still ongoing.
If that machine had a 120hz panel I'd probably still have it. Should it ever be possible (safe to say it's not) I'd probably re-buy.

 

Hardly surprising imo. This poll was posted not only in a speciality forum website, but also the hardware modification section of the website were (I suspect) a lot of gamers reside.

Personally, I think Max-Q would be interesting if nVidia delivered a GPU that was just as powerful as a regular 1050 to 1080 but had the same thermals and power draw as Intel's integrated options. As it stands now though, it's slightly less power draw and slightly less performance than the equivalent non-Max-Q GPUs, something that could probably be accomplished by an undervolt. As for regular GPUs, I'm sure there are a lot of people out there with BGA CPUs and non-Max-Q laptops (in assuming more of those are sold than LGA laptops).

 

NVIDIA always has some kind of corny gimmick to peddle. They are like the masters of deception, manipulation and gimmicks.

I think a fair number of those voting for the first option might be the people that fell for the second option or third option once before already and are not about to make the same tragic mistake twice.

 

I want somebody to just updated the chipset, display connector, and CPU sockets in all my alienwares. leave the chassis as is.

 

Pssssssht... is that all you need? Seems reasonable to me.

 

Just a note on rubberized "soft touch" materials. I have seen and own many products with this type of coating on them, from game controllers to umbrella handles to car interior parts. I would never buy something with this stuff on it again. After a couple years if you have it in any hot/humid environment for a period of time whether in storage or leaving it in your car for a day, that soft touch material begins to break down and can become tacky or even worse quite sticky. You can remove it with soap and some scrubbing but it's a PITA and if I see anything with this type of coating on it now I avoid it. Anyone else had issues like that?

 

Yes, I have. I replaced the palm rests on my Alienware M18xR1 and R2 a couple of times because they start getting pretty skanky looking. After replacing them I started making it a practice to keep the palm rest area covered with a microfiber cloth at all times to avoid getting body oil on the surfaces. I agree... In spite of their apparently wild popularity (sad trend that popular stuff so often sucks) soft touch surfaces stink in terms of aesthetically pleasing durability. I avoid it whenever possible as well.

 

The coating on the palm rest for the 2013 models Alienware is awful. Both regarding fingerprints and piling off. Probably same for the AW JokeBook's. One of the worst I have ever seen. It's pealing of and ain't of good quality. + the sharp edge on the palm rest for the Alienware doesn't make it any better. I have been very careful with my Alienware 17 and the soft-coating is still like new. I'm damn glad I haven't this ****y on my Clevo P870 and my older Clevo W860
As the normal today... Design before functionality!!

 

Got this on my Alienware M17xR3, hasn't gone sticky for me, but small areas rubbed off the palm rest where my watch wrist strap contacts/rubs - a bit unsightly.

 

Weirdly enough my soft touch on all my alienwares are still in perfect shape with no peeling or marking.

 

I never had peeling either. I did get spots that were shiny from constant skin contact and no matter how hard I tried to clean them I could still see a very slight difference in color and texture in those areas. Drove me nuts. So, I replaced the palm rests and took steps to prevent it. I replaced the keyboards a few times for the same reason. The shiny spot on the space bar from where I always pressed with my thumb also drove me nuts. Thankfully, parts were dirt cheap and plentiful at that time. I think I paid $12 for the keyboards brand new from Dell Spare Parts and something like $20 for the palm rests from Parts-People.com. They were cheap enough that I bought spares just to have them handy in case I ever needed them.

 

Got any leftover?

 

Well, some people sweat a lot on their hands, and their sweat is corrosive like Xenomorph blood.

 

@Swick1981 got everything Alienware that I owned, including all of the spare parts and dual AC adapter box.

Actually, I kept one baseball cap that I never wear. It does have some sentimental value.

Mine is definitely like that. Smelly, too. Eeeeyyuuuwwww!

 

An artifact of an empire ruined to shreds.

 

Brother I think I have a spare parm rest in reasonably good condition. The only problem is one of the clips on the screen hinges at the rear is broken.
Anyway if you think you can make use of it you can have it for free, just cover the shipping.

 

I appreciate the gesture, that's actually the reason I wanted to replace mine (busted the palmrest clip to the hinge because I was being a careless oaf)

 

Lol no worries. Yeah they are way too easy to break. I had some success using a glue gun and got it to hold in a sit flush once attached, but it was ultra annoying and fragile if I had to do a tear down again.

 

Hey guys,
Could someone fill me in on what's going on? I bought my Alienware 18 with a 780m in SLI couple years back and have been thinking of upgrading but there is nothing good on the market anymore?!? How come? Should I stick with A18 for a bit longer to see how things pan out?

 

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p870km1-dual-gtx-1080.html or wait for next Clevo with next rev socket hardware!!

 

That is mostly true, which is extremely sad. There is only one big SLI monsterbook left in the world that doesn't suck, but the good news is that one option is crazy good. See below.

^^^What he said. That will tear your Alienware 18 to shreds. Truly amazing with @Prema BIOS. I bench mine at 5.2GHz all the time. Sweet ride.

 

See Clevo P870DM3 vs. Alienware 18 (780SLI) in 3DM Firestrike http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/2457216/fs/13256664

Exactly!!

 

This seems a MSI 16L13
XOTIC G63 VALKYRIE
http://www.xoticpc.com/g63-valkyrie-15-6.html

 

Yes, nice that XoticPC is offering it. It is exactly the same chassis as what we are familiar with, but with much weaker CPU and GPU like the Fangbook version. EVOC 16L-G-1080 is only available with 7700K and 1080. I wonder if they are going to offer the better appointed model (with 7700K and 1080) like HIDevolution and Eurocom. There are no better choices listed in the configuration options at XoticPC.

 

yes that G63 has a really basic configuration with only one cpu option.



the cyberpower fangbook 4 xtreme is sold out
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/page/Fangbook-4/






@Tanner@XoticPC why not an i7 for that G63?

 

Yes, 7700K and 1080 would be best for those that can afford the best.

 

Way ahead of you in requesting it.

That said I haven't seen it greenlit yet. Fingers crossed.

 

Socketed CPU and MXM GPU so I can repair or upgrade is a must (BGA is totally unacceptable)

That's what I voted, but it's not really accurate for me. It's not a must, and BGA isn't totally unacceptable. It is however the preference.

I'd still buy a laptop that was BGA with a GTX 1070 and a i7-7700HQ over one with a socketed i5-7300HQ and GTX 1060 for example if they were the same price. Non-BGA laptops tend to be far more expensive.

Odds are by the time I'd want to upgrade a 7700HQ it'd be time for a new laptop anyway as the replacement cpu would be a new socket type.

My views on Max_Q are similar as well. I'm not going to refuse to buy something because it is Max_Q, but I'm going to pay for the performance I am getting. ie. Not buying a GTX 1080 Max_Q if it's not cheaper than an alternative with a higher performing 1080 etc. But if a 1070 is the same price as a Max_Q 1080 I'm not going to just pick the 1070 on principle of disapproving of Max_Q.

 

yes an i7 is better

is there a prema bios?

 

You'd have to check with Prema, but that model is based on an MSI and not Clevo so I'm not thinking there is.

 

I get what you are saying in principle. Makes perfect sense to me. But, I think it also makes sense to do as much as possible to cause the failure of inferior crap by voting no with our wallets. If nobody (or not enough nobodies) are willing to spend any amount of money on trash and the people selling it end up having to sell it at a huge loss just to get rid of it, that's good for everyone except the morons trying to sell junk. They deserve whatever tragedy they get for selling trash. That's how I look at it anyhow.

Thank you for posting and voting. +5 rep for chiming in.

 

16L13 120Hz Brightness Control - fixed in PremaMod BIOS