Ordering a GT70 - Configuration Questions

I'm looking into a replacement laptop for my dead Asus G73 and the GT70 2OD seem to fit my needs. I think I've managed to caught up to the latest in laptops but I do have a few noobish questions. These are the specs:

17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080)
4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4700MQ
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 780M
16GB DDR3 1600MHz (4x4GB SODIMMS)
256GB Samsung 840 Pro Series Solid State Drive
6X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW
Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Dual Band Wireless-N 1202
WINDOWS 8 - 64-Bit

Here are my questions.

1: Brand vs Barebone

The branded version is around $200 more compared to the barebone with the same set up (via XoticPC). The biggest difference I can see is the better warranty on the branded. Is it worth it?

2: Warranty

If I added a 3 year warranty via the reseller on the barebone it adds another $100 dollars. Do I even need a 3 year warranty? What are people's experience with dealing with the manufacturer vs the reseller for RMA situations?

3. RAM - 8 vs 16

Do I need 16gb of RAM at all if I'm using the laptop purely for gaming?

4. mSATA vs SATA

I'm a little bit confused with the mSATA and SATA set up. Is there any advantage to getting a mSATA SSD (such as the 256GB Samsung PM841) or is it fine to stick with the 840 Pro. (The second hard drive slot I'm planning on putting in a regular 750gb hard drive.)

Thanks for reading and I hope I posted this in the proper place.

 

I've also heard that the barebones finish is a little more subdued (and possibly looks cheaper), and I have heard that the audio system is not as good. Whether or not any changes are made to the speakers themselves, I am not sure.

This is really a question that comes down to you, personally and will be hard for someone else to answer. If you are looking at an extra warranty for any product, consider what it will be worth when the regular warranty expires and then also consider the odds that it has a problem during the period of your extended warranty. It really is all just a big bet. You are betting $100 that it will have a problem between years two and three and the seller of the warranty is betting that it won't. Is the piece of mind worth it? How upset (or financially burdened) would you be if you had to replace the machine?

Keep in mind that it will be worth far less once it is two years old. Also, consider the terms of the warranty. If you must make a claim, will they replace the computer outright? Will you have to send it away from a month and wait for it to be fixed? What is the likelihood that the reseller or manufacturer will go out of business in the next three years?

Most would probably say no. However, you are buying a top end notebook and you may want more memory in the future. Memory prices generally go down over the long term, but they do fluctuate -- kind of like oil! Price the ram upgrade now and decide accordingly. Ram is easy to replace, so price the resellers upgrade price against the market. I opted for the upgrade since it was only $50. I doubt I will really utilize the ram in the next couple of years, but I may during years three and four. On my current machine, I would have saved money if I had opted for more memory at the time of purchase than if I were to buy DDR2 now.

In the case of the MSI GT series computers, the mSata vs 2.5" debate is a bit different. There is an available, 3 slot mSata caddy that is included by default on several models (any of the ones that include an mSata drive have this caddy installed). This mSata caddy takes the place of one of the 2.5" bays and adds significant cost to the laptop. You can place these drives in RAID and come up with some amazing performance numbers. However, it may be more economical to forego the mSata option and use a 2.5" SSD along with a larger HD for storage. In terms of real world performance, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference between a slower, single mSata, 3 fast mSata drives in RAID 0 or one 2.5" SSD (modern drives). Also, it may be nearly impossible or at least quite expensive if you decide later that you would like to buy the mSata caddy, so consider the decision now to be a permanent one.

You're in the right place.

 

Gentechpc has same notebook but they are doing a free upgrade from 12gb ram to 16gb of ram and its the same price of $1999 for the none barebones. They also have the barebone for $1619 but no ram offer. I actually ordered from Gentechpc will be here tomorrow but I had them put an SSD and upgraded to a 4800mq

 

MSI GT70 2OD-064US NV GTX780M, Intel 4th Gen Haswell CPU - GenTech PC

Link to the GT70

 

Gentech does have the best price for the GT70. Only problem is they are located in California and I would have to pay a sales tax, so I have to look elsewhere.