Am I crazy? P150EM for P170EM?

After using the P370EM for a while, I love the larger screen. I didn't think it would matter, but I love it. The P370EM is just not portable enough for me otherwise I would just buy the review sample outright from LPC and use that. That being said, I could likely sell my P150EM and get a P170EM but instead with GTX 675MX. It's a GPU downgrade somewhat, but not by a lot. Am I crazy? Something I should consider or just stop with the laptop swapping and keep my 15"? Someone talk some sense into me please!

 

You have a 680m. That is worth more than a 2 inch screen size increase in my opinion. The 675MX STILL won't be as powerful as the 7970m by the way, as the new card is estimated to be 20% more powerful than a GTX 675m.

 

I dunno. I've been using the NP9370 for the last couple of weeks and when I get back on my NP9150 I feel ... insufficient, lol.

 

Then I'd suggest returning the P150EM and buying the P170EM with a 7970m. The 675MX is going to be over priced, as expected.

 

No 7970m Enduro crap, sorry. I have nothing against AMD, but I will not put myself in that situation. The 675MX costs same up price as the 7970m anyhow.

 

I went from 17" to 15". For a while yeah the 17" is nice, but it's just not very portable. And I like being mobile. But go with whatever you want, I personally would stick with the 15".

 

If you game often you'd be crazy to downgrade from a gtx680. Save up a little longer until you can get it again.

 

Get 30" external monitor(s) ~~ Never mind if you usually keep the 680m running on your lap.

I recently up from my dv6 to m6600, 17" does feel gigantic(screen area), but portability difference when I up 15 -> 17 is much much more worse than when I had 14-> 15. (true the dv6 is one of the small 15.6 but m6600 is no where a off standard 17)

 

Personal preference.

My opinion/preference:

I'm kinda either or on 15 vs 17". I need some portability as I take my laptop to classes, but I am not in dire situation in that regard. I have power plugs available to me in many classes, but I'd rather not deal with that if it's unnecessary. So, at home I have the laptop on a notebook cooler, with a USB hub/external HDD/2nd monitor/mouse/keyboard, and when I need it for classes, all I have to do is unplug and pack the laptop.

However... the smaller screen is somewhat of an issue for me. It is small enough that I cannot find it comfortable for my eyesight if I play with an external keyboard (on the laptop screen), as I have to push the laptop a few feet away, and at 15.6" 1920x1080, it's hard to read some of the text/UI. I suspect if I had a 17.3", it is just enough for good viewability. So I'm forced to use an inferior keyboard while gaming, and use my mechanical blue switch keyboard for work/typing while using mainly my 24" monitor. I really wish at least that the keyboard was somewhere close to my old Lenovo T500, with scissor switches, but that's them I guess... Screw these island style chiclets.

And on a related note on the inputs, I believe the 17.3" has a glossy touchpad as opposed to the matte touchpad on the 15.6"... I have no idea why you would want a matte touchpad that's restrictive to the fingers and why that's the only option we get at 15.6"... that said you can probably guess which one I would prefer.

The screen quality people is PROBABLY better on the 15" due to the 95% gamut panel, however, I do not notice it. Maybe I don't have a good idea; I'm not a photographer or anything of the sort, so I don't have the need for such a panel near IPS-like. Between my 24" 1920x1200 old samsung LCD and this, there's a difference, but nothing that really WOWs me. So if I could go back, I wouldn't pay for the upgrade. One thing I do want to change is going with matte over glossy though. Have had issues with glare. Oh... yea, I'm colorblind. All in all, I don't think anyone needs the expensive 95% panels just to make their system "better". They're probably just looking to justify it when they get and say the screen is amazing... but truly most people buy these types of laptops to game and not often is it someone who needs true colors.

If I were to purchase another one right now, I'd probably opt for a 17.3". Bigger size would be great, and I'm strong enough. I don't think it'd be too big during class, plus most of the time it's on a desk anyway. The 15.6" Clevo is heavy compared to other, less powerful laptops, but I barely notice it. Maybe it's because I picked up weight lifting. Regardless, I don't think it's much of an issue, especially if you carry it in a backpack.

Lastly, I like the SSD/HDD combo and the 17.3" would allow for such a combo without having to give up the optical drive. For my 15.6" I purchased a 500GB 7200RPM drive for the main, and paid $15 for an "upgrade" to lose my optical drive and have it replaced by a HDD caddy. Malibal, I am disappoint. Not only did I have to pay and essentially got LESS, but the optical bay caddy was bad. It's not flush with the laptop; yes it's the same color - black, but that's about it. I have had a few instances where the HDD will disconnect if I lug it around, something I noticed on air plane rides and getting back. I had to open up the laptop to adjust it to connect again. Eventually I fitted in some paper so have it snug and not capable of moving. Additionally, the caddy has sticker residue when I received it. I managed to take most of it off, but that just seems unprofessional by Malibal to me. I should have just kept my cd/dvd drive and bought my own bay as some others did. And if I wanted to use the optical drive, all I would have to do is buy an enclosure for it... but disc drives are a thing of the past anyway, since we have bootable USBs and of course, the internet.

My 2 cents.

 

Yes, Wingnut, you're crazy lol. I'd stick with the 15 incher and game on my flatscreen (I'm sure you've got one of those, right?)

Either way, do what makes you happy I think there may be a little "grass is always greener" effect going on though, as you may end up missing your 680. I know I would!

 

Not worth the hassle of selling your current notebook and waiting for a new one imo. Though on the other hand you already have the w110er so if you want a 17" why not just buy the w370 and use the w110er when you need portability?

 

Hell yea, so you can write a review about it!!! Not gonna lie you're like a one of a kind reviewer lol. It's because of your reviews on the NP 8170 and W110er that made me go out and buy them hahaha.

 

I can relate, I love my 17" screen. That being said, this laptop is not portable at all, it was purchased just so I wouldn't have to drag around a desktop+screen+peripherals every few months to a year when I move out.

If mobility is a concern and you absolutely have to lug it around more than, say, a few times a month (not to mention a few times a week, let alone a day), then the 17" would be a bad choice. It's desktop replacement, plain and simple, and wasn't made to be used on the road or to move around too much.

 

External is not an option. I already have a 24" Dell IPS 1920x1200, but I use my laptop at my kitchen table 80% of the time. More I think about it, and after reading your posts, I'll likely just stick with the 15". I do take it around the house and outdoors periodically. I take my W110ER when I'm going away from home usually as it's just smaller and more portable, especially having to lug all my kids' crap in addition. But sometimes I just want a bigger 1080p screen to do some productive work with.

 

Another thread, with the title "am I crazy?!"....
Well, in short - you are crazy.
How can you downgrade a 680m for 675m is beyond good reason. For 2" of monitor size. And loss of portability.

 

A moment of insanity crossed my mind... it's that old age thing.

But there is more than just screen size:

- additional HDD bay (with two SATA III ports)
- XTU support
- larger PSU options (680m O/C and O/V > 180W)

I can get a P170EM for a great deal with GTX 680m actually, and probably less than $200 difference than what I could sell my P150EM for... so I'm still a little crazy.

 

Maybe you are crazy, but thank god there are people out there that ARE!
Just follow your intuition. I think you really want it, but your mind says it is not reasonable, but you heart says "so what?" .
As long as you can afford the money and it is not missed THAT much on any other corner, do it.
I had 15" laptops for the first years, then had the opportunity to work on a 17" laptop and since then I never got a 15" for gaming. It´s not THAT big difference, but it is a difference. And since the weight difference is not THAT big, too and I don´t mind if it´s a little bit more, I would always take the bigger screen for gaming. I have a small laptop, too, if I am on the road just for business. That´s another story.
Of course I would try to stick with the GTX 680m.

 

I have a 9170 that I use for a desktop replacement. It sits on a cooler in my office and doesn't go anywhere. The thing weighs like 10 pounds and is too large to fit in the carrier I got for it. I ended up ordering a 6110 for portability.

The 9170 isn't as beastly as the 370 chassis but its still a beast to lug around everywhere, and this is coming from an infantryman who carries heavy stuff everywhere for a living.

 

It depends HT. I`m too gonna sell my 680M and install the K4000M (675MX) instead. Its enough power for me.

Is it for you?

 

Well this time around I opted for the 15" because when I ordered a 17" NP8170 a couple years ago, the screen was horrible. Tunnel vision viewing angles, washed out colors. Horrible. I didn't think there was much difference otherwise between the 17" and 15" other than screen, and I knew the 15" screens were excellent. But the screen in NP9370 is great too, assuming it's the same one you get in the NP9170.

I'm thinking now if I did upgrade, I would go with GTX 680m. But in a way almost tempted to wait a month and see if there's a 685m or something, lol.

What do you think this NP9150 is worth:

About 3 months old

15.6" 1920x1080 stock matte (no dead or stuck pixels)
i7-3610QM
GTX 680m
16GB DDR 1600 (4x4GB)
500GB 7200RPM HDD
HDD Caddy in ODD slot
Intel 6300 Wi-Fi card
No Sager Logo
Two year warranty (until July 2014)
No Windows

I have an Intel 330 180GB or 256GB Western Digital SSD I could put in there if desired. New this configuration would be about $1950 with SSD. $1500 seems reasonable but then there's shipping and PayPal fees so I'd probably net about $1400.

 

Go for it! From what you just said it wasn't the size that put you off about the 17" it was the LCD.

 

There won`t be any 685M until there is a 7990M out on the market
AMD push performance forward, Nvidia usually just follow. Kinda lame really

 

Meh, more I look at it, who came up with this stupid idea anyhow? lol.

 

Yeah I like it small 15" too. If you need a bigger screen, external LCD or GIANT HDTV!

 

I thought so too at first, but I don't have the energy to constantly move the laptop next to the HDTV and vice versa. Eventually the novelty wears thin and you just use the built-in screen most of the time.

Buying an external screen for a laptop also feels a bit redundant and is one more thing to connect or lug around. Probably I'm just lazy

 

WIDI, wireless connection, P150EM supports it Though connecting the HDMI isn't a big deal, no screws etc. And the Intel HD4000 does everything automatically. Also I was assuming the external LCD would be where he games and does his work anyway, on a desk.

 

I say keep the 150em. If you want a bigger 1080p occasionally, then pick up whatever size external you need for those occasions and tough it out. It's already october, before you know it the next big thing will be out and you won't feel as guilty moving on to that I'd love to pick up a new laptop tomorrow, but I don't have the funds like I thought I would. By the time I get them it'll be at least Christmas and at that point I'll just wait out the 2-3 months for the new stuffs.

 

Maybe you could do one of those shell swaps that some resellers do. They take all of your 15'' hardware and place it into a new 17'' shell. I could never go back to a 15'' after using my P170HM and like you, I have a W110ER if I need more portability.

I never had any problems with the quality of my 17'' screen but I didn't go with the default one.