--> The Official BAREBONER's Lounge <---

Is it pretty easy to add more ram to the 16F2?

 

There's 2 slots under the keyboard and 2 slots accessed through the bottom.

There's a total of 4 slots forming 2 channels in the unit that can receive a 4GB or 8GB module of DDR3-1333 in each slot.

If you go over 16GB of total ram you'll need to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.

You can also have up to 16GB of DDR3-1600 or 12GB of DDR3-1866.

The Kingston HyperX Plug n Play DDR3-1600(gray heatspreader) worked fine in my unit when I tried them.

A 16GB of DDR3-1333,4GB x 4,configuration is what I have in my notebook now.

Ram is cheap now so put in what you can afford but it my not be useful unless a program needs it.

Latest bios helps.

 

How much is the 230W? Any side effects when you increase the wattage?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

Nop, always better to have higher voltage in case of lacking power Allows you to overclock higher also

 

How about the keyboard? Should you decide in the future to change it to the steelseries backlit keyboard, is it easy to replace the current one? Do you just buy it ftom one of the resellers?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, that's great info. I'm considering the Force 16F2-012 from Xotic, and I'm wondering how feasible it is to order it with 8GB of DDR3 and then upgrade later to 16GB.

Same thing with the Blu-Ray drive. Is the standard DVD drive easily upgradable to a Blu-Ray drive down the line?

 

Anyone chosen one of the other screen options?

 

I have the glossy 72%. It looks perfect to me. Although I haven't had a matte screen in a very very long time and just was afraid of switching to matte. So, I don't have anything to compare it to except my 23" ACER LCD moniter and my wife's Asus 17in G72gx @ 1600x 900. It destroys both of those in terms of quality.

Here are some other opinions on Glossy vs Matte:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/641469-glossy-matte-screen-3.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/615044-ordering-sager-what-best-screen-glare-type-matte-type.html

 

If you order your unit with 8GB(4GB x 2) of DDR3-1333 ask the sales person to confirm that the memory will be under the keyboard.It's easy to put 2 more 4GB memory modules yourself later in the bottom slots than it is to put them under the keyboard.

The optical drive is held into the notebook by 1 screw on the bottom of the notebook.After it's removed the DVD can easily be removed.Eject the tray if you need something to grab in order to pull it out.See attachment.

 

Since the Sager NP8170 was phased out, and the NP8171 is now a month away, I started looking at other options and came across the Force 1761 at XoticPC.

Now, I already have paid XoticPC for the Sager, so now I have to choose another model in its stead.

The Force 1761 seems like an excellent model, providing insane VFM.

Although, I do have a few questions before pulling the trigger.

1) Which screen option is the most preferable? I was thinking of sticking to the default option since there is no Matte screen upgrade, but I'm not sure how good/bad it is. Could the other owners chime in and let us know what you'll think?

2) Is it worth upgrading the 8GB 1333Mhz to the 8GB 1600Mhz? (Along with the i7 2670QM)

3) The question that's been bugging me the most; GTX 570M + SSD, or GTX 580M + HDD? (The SSD will be bought separately, if I choose to go down this route. I already have HDD's with me, so I won't be getting any HDD's at all.)
I want the most powerful performance possible within $1700, but this has me stumped; the GTX570M + SSD will give me the best all around performance, in Windows, Linux as well as games, but the GTX580M will give me the best gaming performance. Right now I'm leaning towards the GTX570M + a 256GB Samsung 830 SSD for $330.

4) Lastly, is the GPU in the Force 1761 upgradeable? Like, 1-2 years down the line, can I remove the GTX570/580M and put in a 6 series or a 7 series GPU? (Whichever is out at the time.) This is one reason I really wanted the Sager, the ability to upgrade GPU's easily.

Thanks!

P.S Waiting is not an option. I want the laptop in my hand by April 1st week, at the max. Earlier is better.

 

While it's in current production there's no cheaper way to get a new GTX580M than at the time you buy the unit.

I'd get the GTX580M and a 750GB hard drive now and put in an SSD a bit later.

I have 16GB,4GB x 4,of DDR3-1333 in my DX because the second 8GB was a free upgrade at the time.An 8GB,4GB x 2,configuration should be enough for gaming and running most apps.

Later,if you find you need more ram,it's very simple to add it.

Here's my recommendation:
LCD = Stock Matte Type is fine( $35 glossy screen upgrade if you've seen the matte and don't like it)
CPU = i7 2670QM
GPU = GTX580M
Ram = 8GB(4GB x 2) DDR3-1333
HDD = 750GB 7200rpm WD Scorpio Black
ODD = DVD multi
WLAN = Killer 1103 w/3rd antenna
Warranty = How long before replacing?

SSD = Later drives with new controllers and NAND memory will be out like the OCZ Vertex 4 MI with OCZ Indilinx Everest II controller and Toshiba 24nm Toggle NAND expected in late May or June.



OS = If you don't have your own Windows 7 x64,then get Windows 7 HP x64 or use the free Windows 8 Consumer Preview until you have to buy an OS.

 

That's great advice, I'll make sure to confirm that they utilize the slots under the keyboard when completing the build. It sounds like adding more RAM via the bottom access and swapping optical drives will be straight forward. Thanks again for all the info.

 

See, the thing is, I have a maximum of $1730 to spend on the laptop. That amount is already with XoticPC, for the Sager, which is now phased out, so I am going with this laptop instead.

Now, in that budget, I have two options, GTX570 + Samsung 830 SSD, or GTX580.

Keeping in mind I don't mind playing games at 720p, and I will be doing a LOT of other work like coding in both Windows and Ubuntu, as well as a good amount of other standard applications, which will serve me better? I'll be playing as many recent games as possible, which I haven't played, and I don't mind running them at 720p medium-high or 1080p low-medium.

Also note, I already have 2 500GB HDD's from my previous laptop which is now dead, and I'm removing the optical drive. So if I go with the GTX580, it'll be 3 HDD's, if I go with GTX570, it'll be two HDDs and 1 SSD.

About the RAM, 8GB is more than enough, hell 4GB was more than enough. I'm just curious as to whether it is worth getting the 1600Mhz option, or there's no difference and I should stick with the 1333Mhz option. Maybe later if 8GB is not enough I'll upgrade to 16GB, but not now.

About the screen, I'm mostly going with Matte only, but I just want to know whether it's good enough. I'm coming from the ASUS G51vx which had a Glossy screen, which in fairness wasn't good at all, it was next to my cousin's MBP's Glossy screen, so my expectations aren't that high. (I didn't calibrate it or do change any settings at all.)

I have my own OS, so I don't need to get any OS preinstalled or anything.

This is the configuration I've setup for now. (P.S I'm only listing sections which I've modified, rest are left as it is.)

Display : Stock Matte.
Processor : Intel i7 2670QM.
Graphics : GTX 570.
RAM : 8GB 1600Mhz. (+57)
Primary HDD : 256GB Samsung 830 SSD.
Secondary HDD : None.

Optical Bay Drive : Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy. Now here I am confused, is there any way I can ask them to put the 256GB Samsung in the optical bay drive, so it is easy for me to put my 500GB HDDs in the primary and Secondary slot?

Wireless Network : Intel N-6230. ( Should be good enough, plus there is bluetooth. I had the stock wireless chip in the ASUS G51, which served the purpose very well.)

NOTE : I haven't selected this option as of now. - Mouse/Keyboard Accessories : Steelseries Backlit keyboard + Kinzu. I've read that this replaces the stock keyboard, and is NOT a USB keyboard. Is this true? If this is a USB keyboard then I don't want it.. -

Warranty : 3 year complete care warranty. (+99) This is a must for me.

The total amount with the cash discount is $1715, which is manageable. (If I don't make any more changes, I might take the better wireless network.)

 

Hi Superfrag

I would advise you to get a 580 with a small ssd, or get an ssd down the road. It is more expensive and a bigger hassle to upgrade the graphics card than the HD, and the 580 should last you a good 3 years.

As for the ram, 8gb is more than enough. I would get 16gb only if you wanted to run VMs or disable the windows hd ram file. Ask the folks at xotic pc to put the ram on the slots under the keyboard, which are a bit harder to get to than the 2 slots under the notebook. That way when you install extra ram it is easier for you. And there's no difference between the 1600mhz and the 1300 mhz ram... Only if you overclock, and then again it is so small that it is barely noticeable.

For 1700 you can get the 580 and a 120gb ssd, can't you? Then stick your old HDs in and you should be good.

About the keyboard: The steelseries is not a usb keyboard, it replaces the stock keyboard.

You should leave the SSD in the primary drive place, as it is SATA3. The secondary drive and the optical bay are SATA2.

 

The 2 hard drive bays are SATA III.

You can boot to any of the installed drives by setting the boot order in the bios or by pressing the F11key on startup.

The Optical Drive Bay is SATA II so it's best to put the mechanical hard in a caddy in there in place of an ODD.

GenTech PC offers to put the optical drive in an external enclosure.I don't see this option from some other resellers.

BTW,I have 2 x 120GB and and 1 x 100GB SSDs and now sorry I bought them.The 240GB to 256GB range is the best for speed and performance.Today's 240~256 GB prices are last years 120~128 GB prices.

Some SSD Deals:
http://www.logicbuy.com/categorydeals/computers/hard-drives-ssd

 

Hey! Thanks for the replies.

Also, is it really that much of a difference between the 570M and the 580M? I've been seeing the benchmarks at notebookcheck, at 720p the 570M can run the games at high settings. In fact, almost all games it can run at 1080p. Is it really worth the $350 upgrade?

I won't be able to get a SSD down the line, $1730 is the maximum I can spend on the laptop, and it should last me for 2 years. One to two years later I don't mind playing games at 720p medium, as long as it runs well, and after 2 years it's understandable if it doesn't run new games. I'm not that demanding a gamer, and most of the times I'm playing sports games like FIFA or NBA, and HL2 based MP games. (CSS, and now CS:GO).

I will be doing a lot of software development for college as well as side projects, and I've been told by various people that the SSD makes a MASSIVE difference, and I would be a fool not to get one.

If I do get a SSD it'll be a 256GB one, cause anything lesser is too less. My current OS + apps installation is nearly 150GB.

I'm still conflicted between the 580M and 570M+SSD, but I'm leaning more and more towards the latter option, as it is much more sensible.

If I do make any upgrades to this laptop, which is HIGHLY UNLIKELY, it'll be more than a year later, maybe even 1 and half years later. (Unless I need to upgrade the RAM.)

Oh, and I will be getting the Steelseries keyboard! Looks kickass.

Finally, I want a confirmation, is it possible to swap out GPU's, let's say 2 years down the line for a newer one? I know that I could do that in the Sager NP8170, but I haven't got a confirmed answer if I can do it in the MSI. (Just curious, no plans to do so.)

 

Mobile PCI Express Module (MXM) is an interconnect standard for GPUs (MXM Graphics Modules) in laptops using PCI Express.

MSI GT,GX and Whitebook series and Sager 81xx currently use MXM 3.0 type B.

Two years from now what will the MXM version be?

So to say that a present Sager or MSI can be upgraded with a future mobile GPU is pure speculation.

MXM Upgrade Home Page

Mobile PCI Express Module - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The newest MXM revision is 3.1, it brings PCIe 3.0 speeds; and it is backward/forward compatible with MXM 3.0.

More info here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/650077-mxm-standard-3-1-new-one-up-3-0-a.html

 

570 card .9v 800core setup with the IC diamond paste, runs great

 

There are no cards that are 3.1 yet.

Do any upcoming notebook motherboards have the new socket?

Bios may be another small issue on some units.

Until there are 3.1 cards to be tested I'll wait and see how well backward compatibility works.

 

If you're going to be doing a lot of scratching to and from the HDD/SSD then get the SSD. If a lot of what you're doing depends on waiting for things to finalize and stuff like that then it'll be worth it for you.

The GTX570m has had no problems playing SWTOR (at high settings), Civ5 (at mostly high settings), supreme commander 2 (at high settings wi/ 4xAA and some other stuff turned on). It's no slouch.

I would also guess that down the road you'll be able to buy the GTX580m from somewhere and change it if you really want to. It'll be cheaper then, too.

 

I've finally decided, going with the 580M. Hopefully I can upgrade to the SSD in the summer. I hope I don't regret not getting the SSD. :]

 

@Whatsthepoint: Are you sure about the 2 sata3 ports? Derek from xoticpc told me the only sata3 port was the primary drive. If there are 2 sata3 ports then I need to put a sata3 drive on my second port too... I will ask Ken about this

@Superfrag: Those questions and doubts were my own a few weeks ago. I had decided to go with a 570 at first, but as I read I became more and more convinced that it would be pretty difficult putting another one in later on. It is true that the 570 is pretty good and runs almost all of today's games on high/ultra settings at 1080p, but what of next years games, and after that? So the 580 for me will last 1/2 years longer than the 570 would, I think. Also, since my budget was pretty much like yours, I got a 120gb ssd now and will get a bigger one in a year or so. Remember there are some applications and games which don't need the SSD so much, so 120gb for me cuts it. But if you really want a bigger one, it is up to you at the end of the day (it is your money) You can't go much wrong either way anyway.

 

It's hard to tell. Although the P150EM has been tested, the 670M and 675M it has are rebrands; so even if the slot was 3.1, it would be working at PCIe 2.0 speeds.

We'll probably have to wait for a PCIe 3.0 MXM 3.1 card to be released to confirm whether new notebooks have the 3.1 slot.

I have a SATA III SSD, in the second internal SATA port, and it works at SATA III speeds.

 

Even so it *should* be backwards compatible, should it not?

 

If the only change is the PCI specification, it "should" be backward/forward compatible.

The 7970 is PCIe 3.0, and not only does it work on PCIe 2.0 motherboards, there is virtually no performance difference.

 

Well, I've already placed the order for the laptop with MSI, and am not changing any of it now.

Started selling my camera and old college books to fund the SSD, hopefully within a month I have the funds for it. (Will sorely miss my SX20IS though)

This is my ordered system..

1) Stock Matte 1080p Display.
2) Intel 2670QM (Thermal Compund upgrade to IC Diamond for Free)
3) Nvidia GTX580M
4) 8GB 1333Mhz RAM
5) No Primary HDD
6) No Secondary HDD
7) 500GB 7200rpm in ODD bay
8) Bigfoot Networks Killer Wireless N-1102
9) SteelSeries Keyboard + Kinzu Mouse
10) 3 year Warranty

Rest of the options are untouched/stock.

I do have one question, does Ubuntu 11.10 run without any driver issues? Mainly concerned about the Bigfoot Wi-Fi chip compatibility with Ubuntu..

Also, this is a shot in the dark, has anyone set up a Hackintosh successfully?

 

They don't list Linux as an option for drivers on their site. So I'm not sure.

 

I picked one up from ebay brand new for about $65. Keep in mind that the original MSI (Delta brand) adapter is 19v, and this HP is 19.5v. This is probably the most important thing. However, when I connected a multimeter to both of them, my Delta 180w was pumping out 19.65v, and the new HP adapter was pumping out 19.54v. I'm not placing any load on it though so you have to take that a with a little grain of salt.

As pau1ow said it should be better. There is more current that the laptop can pull if it needs it at higher overclocks and it should certainly lead to increased stability.

 

So I looked through pictures, but can't find any help. How hard would it be to upgrade the default wireless to a bigfoot card?

 

There are 2 Killer wireless cards,the 1102 and 1103.

If you are upgrading to the 300 Mbps Duel-Band 1102 it a simple swap of the existing stock Intel N 130.Both use 2 antennas.To replace the card the Touch Control Bar needs to be pryed up to expose the wireless card.It's under where the Power On button is on the Touch Control Bar.Remove the 2 antenna wires,then remome the 1 screw that holds the card in the mini pci-e slot.Take the card out ,put the new 1103 in and replace the screw.Then attach the 2 antenna wires;put the black on #1 and the gray on #2.

The Killer 1103 is a 450 Mbps Duel-Band card that uses 3 anntennas.

Replacing the stock card with a 1103 is almost the exact same as the 1102 except you need to add a 3rd antenna to get full function from it.

The bezel around the LCD needs to be removed so the 3rd antenna can be added in an empty spot around the lcd panel edge and the antenna wire snaked through the hinge and attached to #3 on the 1103 card.

These PIX are from a GT780DX but almost the same on a barebones.

PIX #1 = Removeing Touch Control Bar
PIX #2 = Touch Control Bar Removed
PIX #3 = LCD Bezel Removed_Copper Color 3rd antenna. White 3rd antenna wire and 2nd grey wire coming out the right side hinge.
PIX #4 = Closeup of Killer 1103 with 3 antennas attached

 

Repeat questions

1) Has anyone successfully run Ubuntu 11.10 on this laptop? Especially with the Bigfoot WiFi chip?

2) Has anyone successfully setup a Hackintosh?

 

Hey guys! I have being dreaming on owning a good computer for like over a year going for two. Never had the money to get one, finally a have the option. I am decided over either MSI MS-16F2 or MSI MS-1761. My budget is literally 1,550.00 and can't go over that.

I am deciding the 15" one because of the option that you can get the 95% Gamut screen while the 17" only has the default one (since i am not planning on getting the glossy and i can't because of the $$$$!) but has the Steelseries Backlit Keyboard that would look so sick to everywhere I go

Please help me decide to which one since by reading all the post you guys seem so freaking happy with the 17" one thanks in advance!

 

@WhatsThePoint THanks for the response, that was very helpful.

Last question from me, does anyone know if there is a big mechanical or tactile difference between the default keyboard and the steelseries keyboard? Backlighting is not that important to me, however the feel and layout of the keyboard is. Thanks in advance!

 

If you will badly miss the camera dont sell it, ssds are still luxary items and not required for a decent gaming experience.

 

If you haven't found anyone in these forums that has successfully setup Ubuntu, you could check out Ubuntu Forums The community in the Ubuntu forums is excellent. They had the answers I needed for setting up a Belkin wifi adapter and also "breaking" DVDs to make them watchable, a work around for that anti-piracy thing so Linux users could actually watch movies like normal people.
Please note, that is not really advocacy for piracy, just saying maybe they should have thought about the users that don't use Windows or Mac.

 

Ok, just ordered with Ken. Here's my config:



GenTech PC
1420 E Cypress St
Covina, CA 91724
800-990-7945
System Configuration

MSI MS-16F2 GTX570M or GTX580M (GT683DXR Barebone)
Read more..
$1599.00
3/20/2012 5:53:49 PM
Description Price [+/-] from
base price
Availability:
In Stock and ready to ship/build 0.00
Shipping:
Free UPS Ground Shipping to Domestic US (Not Available to Alaska and Hawaii) 0.00
Screen:
15.6" 16:9 1920X1080 Full HD LED backlight (Matte-Type) 0.00
HDMI:
HDMI 1.4, 60Hz/120Hz output 1080P, 3D Ready 0.00
Dead Pixel Warranty:
Standard Manufacturer Dead Pixel Warranty 0.00
Graphics Controller:
nVidia GeForce GTX 570M 1.5GB GDDR5, DX11 0.00
Processor:
2nd Gen Intel Core i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz,32nm, 6MB, 45W 149.00
Thermal Compound:
IC Diamond 24 Carat Thermal Compound on both CPU/GPU (Free with CPU Upgrade) 0.00
RAM (Note: Core i5 CPU only support up to 2 DIMM slot):
16GB DDR3 1333 Dual-Channel (4G X 4) 75.00
Primary Hard Drive:
128GB Samsung 830 Series Solid State Drive 2.5" 7mm SATA III 6Gb/s 144.00
Secondary Hard Drive:
750GB Seagate Momentus XT 7200RPM 32MB, 8GB SSD Hybrid Drive, SATA III 6Gb/s 132.00
RAID Configuration:
Hard Drives RAID setting is disable 0.00
WiFi:
Bigfoot networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 with three antenna 89.00
Optical Drive:
4X Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive 45.00
Options for HDD in Optical Drive Bay:
None: for HDD in Hard Drive Bay not selected 0.00
Hard Drive Caddy:
None 0.00
Keyboard:
Standard Chiclet Keyboard with Numeric keypad 0.00
External Storage for backup/data transfer:
None 0.00
Networking:
None 0.00
Bluetooth:
None or Choose Wireless-N + Bluetooth Combo Card 0.00
USB 3.0:
Two USB 3.0 Ports 4.8 Gb/s 0.00
eSATA:
Built-In External SATA Port 0.00
Webcam:
Built-in 720P HD Webcam with microphone 0.00
Audio:
Dynaudio Premium Sound Technology 0.00
Headset:
None 0.00
Primary Battery:
One 9 Cell Primary Battery included 0.00
AC Adapter:
One AC Adapter included 0.00
Car Adapter:
None 0.00
Mouse:
None 0.00
Carring Case:
None 0.00
Operating System:
None 0.00
Microsoft Office Software:
None 0.00
Drivers Disk:
Drivers Disk Included 0.00
Warranty:
1 Year Parts/Free Domestic Ground Shipping/Lifetime Toll-Free Technical Support 0.00
Packaging:
Shipping with Double Box 0.00


Any thoughts/comments?

So far Ken has been really great in support, taking the time to answer questions and even giving some advice. Ken, thanks a bunch!

 

Best of luck with the purchase.

Since you asked here's my 2 cents worth.

Get 8GB,4GB x 2, of DDR3-1333
Get normal secondary drive,not hybid.
Get normal DVD not blu ray(unless you have a lot of BD movies disks)
Downloading mkv movie files or streaming from a service is a better option for movies and TV shows.Owning the physical media is obsolete

Use the savings to get larger primary SSD and a longer warranty if you plan on keeping more than 1 year.

 

Disagree about the physical media. Two reasons. Picture quality. Sound quality. I have a fairly large blu-ray collection for my home theater. Being able to enjoy those on my laptop is a plus, and well worth the money.

Also, I don't agree with piracy, so downloading mkv files is not an option for me.

I could be wrong, but I think the 2670qm only supports 16gb of ram, so the 2 8gb sticks wouldn't be worth it. Again, I'm not completely sure on that one, because I thought that was up to the chipset and not proc. Someone please clarify for me.

Definitely agree about the secondary hard drive. Hybrid drive isn't worth it for a data storage drive.

 

I have used Slysoft's AnyDVD and CloneDVD in the past to backup my media.

Here's some info:
AnyDVD works in the background to automatically remove restrictions of a DVD movie as soon as it's inserted into the drive, allowing you then to backup the movie using a DVD backup tool such as CloneDVD and CloneDVD mobile. You can also remove the RPC region code, thereby making the movie region free and viewable on any DVD player and with any DVD player software.

AnyDVD is capable of removing unwanted movie features, including subtitles and prohibition messages such as copyright and FBI warnings. It also allows you to launch an external application whenever you insert or remove a disc, or prevent 'PC-friendly' software from automatically launching when you insert a video DVD.
You can control the drive speed of your DVD drive, allowing you to reduce the noise level when watching movies on your PC. You can even adjust the display frequency of your monitor for both NTSC and PAL displays.

But AnyDVD doesn't just stop at DVDs, it also fixes intentionally broken audio CDs to allow you to play and use them.

Here is their site:
SlySoft Products | Backup Movie DVDs with AnyDVD and CloneDVD

 

Hey congrats! Looks like we have another bareboner!

 

The problem I have living here in a non English speaking country is that the english language files are removed from the media.

This is most evident in games,especially EA games.

Proxy servers,IP hiders,VPNs,US credit cards with US addresses etc are a way of life.Without them and the occasional kindess of someone with access to the US army base PX here I'd be a complete pirate.

___________

judge not another man until you have walked in his shoes.

Imagine living without your favorite TV shows and playing games in a foreign language.

 

I didn't judge anyone... think you meant "iamlilysdad".

Anyhow, I gotsa a problem....

I have been having trouble when switching to fullscreen on youtube videos. The video comes up all garbled and the lower half is dead black.

I minimize the video and it's fine, click fullscreen again and it works fine again. I have duplicated this problem time and time again with different video resolutions. But, I can't remember if this has happened before I updated the Nvidia driver last week.

Then just a minute ago my entire computer froze in a fullscreen youtube videovthat was all red/pink and pixelated. No cursor response, ctrl alt delete was unresponsive then the audio quit a second later and the pc was completely frozen / dead. Rebooted and now it's fine again.

So, has anyone else had any problems with the new driver doing this? As, I know my next step will probably be to roll back the driver. But, I'd like to just get a feel for what's going with you guys who already updated and see if you have had any trouble? Thanks and look forward to your responses.

Derek Lee - eeL kereD

 

Hello guys. Can you please help me choose which one is better in the long run? Planning to use the laptop for 2-3 years. For gaming (hooked to a HDTV, bluetooth mouse and keyboard), and work (Excel, Word, a little video and photo editing). Here are my choices.

Barebone 16F2
-15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen

- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)

- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)

- nVidia GeForce GTX 580M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11

- 8GB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB SODIMMS)

- 640GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)

- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software

- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1102 (2x2)

or

MSI GT780DX-406US
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080)

- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) - FREE 8GB Pin Drive with CPU Upgrade! (must be requested at time of sale)

- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)

- nVidia GeForce GTX 570M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11

- 16GB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x4GB SODIMMS)

- 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)

- 4X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive

- Bluetooth Included (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)

- Intel® Advanced-N 6230 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth

- 2 Year MSI US Parts & Labor 1 Year Global Warranty w/ Lifetime Tech Support

This will be used in another country if thats a factor.

I read that its harder to upgrade the GPU and WLAN Card compared to the HD, RAM, ODD. MSI's deal is really sweet and the steelseries keyboard! And MSI's chassis really really looks better than the barebone so Im having a hard time choosing. And theres a MSI here in our country so i can claim warranty if ever theres a problem.

But the Barbone 16F2 has GTX 580M. Hope someone could share his opinion. Both set up is at $1,500.

Thanks in advance.

 

I saw this one. Is this compatible? Amazon.com: Original Dell PA-19 Family 230Watt AC Power Adapter Power Brick For XPS M1730 Laptop Notebook System, Compatible Dell Part Numbers: DT878, PN402, CN072, Compatible Dell Model Numbers: DA230PS0-00, HA230PS0-00, 330-0722: Electronics

will i need to change the plug that goes to the laptop?

 

Any suggestions for a good backpack?

 

plenty here Accessories

 

Definitely wasn't judging. Sorry if it came across that way. I understand everyone's situation is different. We can only hope that one day the dumb DRM stuff is done away with so we can all enjoy any content that we want anywhere we live without having to deal with stupid restrictions or complicated work arounds.

 

Thanks for the inputs.

I will actually use both drives as main drives. For the 128gb ssd I will put the OS and graphic intensive games. For the other drive I will put other games and movies.

About the 16gb, I don't plan on getting more than that... so I asked for 4x4gb. It is fine for me, I will be running the odd VM and also I think it is good to disable the windows page file.

I have another external drive which I will use for photos, music, and other media.

 

I live in Brazil, and I say Amen to that.