CLEVO N960TF vs CLEVO PB51EF-G

Which of these two Notebooks is more powerful?


1. CLEVO N960TF with an i7-9700 & RTX 2070
https://clevo-computer.com/media/im...g-Laptop-Custom-Notebook-Chassis-Design-2.png

https://clevo-computer.com/laptop-c...9/clevo-n960tf-desktop-laptop-nvidia-rtx-2070

OR

2. CLEVO PB51EF-G with an i7 8750h & RTX 2070
https://shop.obsidian-pc.com/pub/media/catalog/product/infopage/p960/CLEVO_P960EN_top.png

https://clevo-computer.com/products...7-8750h-coffee-lake-nvidia-rtx-2070-vr-g-sync

 

I believe you mean i7-8700? I'm not seeing the 9700K listing if otherwise.

This should help - https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8750H-vs-Intel-Core-i7-8700/m470418vs3940

I own the 17" version of the second one you are considering. Considering it has a G-SYNC enabled display it is the one I would pick all day long for gaming. It will probably run slightly hotter than the 8700H version out of the box.

The N960TF has a slighly longer estimated battery life. Both models use the same battery.

 

No, I mean the i7-9700 (non-k)
You can select the i7-9700 from the drop down menu here:
https://clevo-computer.com/laptop-c...9/clevo-n960tf-desktop-laptop-nvidia-rtx-2070

Does G-Sync really make a difference when playing with 144Hz?

The CPU is the main reason why I consider to buy the CLEVO N960TF. It has the better CPU. However, I'm afraid that the thermals and the power limitations of the laptop will throttle the CPU to the point where it ends up at the same level as the 8750h. What do you think?

 

I see now!

Better is going to be relative to your usage. The i7-9700 t has no HyperThreading, 2 more cores but 4 less threads than the 8750H, and 20W higher TDP. In a laptop those are potentially somewhat worse qualities!

Ideally you will see more frames in games and more points in benchmarks with the 9700 because the 8 cores are running at 4.7GHz rather than 6 cores at 3.9GHz (8750H), not to mention the 12MB L3 cache vs 9MB. However, it will be at a higher TDP and possibly more voltage which requires more cooling that may potentially end up thermal throttle and downclock to compensate. Or perhaps it will run 100% fan speed all the time? This all comes down to the heatsink and fans of the N960TF.

In my opinion G-SYNC is a must have for gaming after you've experienced it. Especially when spending multiple thousands of dollars on a laptop, I do NOT want to see screen tearing of any kind while gaming. Before using a G-SYNC 144Hz screen I had no real preference. Now I'll never go back, as they say.

As far as games are concerned, the 8750H is more than capable to run anything. You will not be losing out on experience or gameplay by not choosing the 9700. In fact, I'd wager most people couldn't tell the difference in-game and you'll only suffer as a result of thermal throttling unless you take preemptive steps to cool it down like repaste with better thermal paste, undervolt, and adjust the fan profile(s).

To be fair, they will/would both need some tweaking out of the box to perform their best. The i7-9700 is the more unique choice, but I'm not seeing any justification for it if you are simply wanting a laptop to game on. IF you have some other CPU specific task to perform, maybe that would be the real determining factor.

 

@4W4K3 I want to game on it, but I also want to work on it (video editing & rendering & 3D editing & rendering)
That's why the i7-9700 version sparked my interest.

I heard before that with a 144hz screen it's almost impossible to notice the difference between G-Sync on & off. Is that not true?

This is the heatsink of the 9700 laptop:
You think it will thermal throttle with the i7-9700?

 

The 65W will be kept to which will mean turbo is not super aggressive but I think it will take the lead in CPU bound tests.

 

It’s hard to say if something will throttle based on a picture. I believe the PB51EF-G will better cool it’s hardware. But since I don’t own one I can’t say for sure.

Have a look at similar models with similar cooling - http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...6-n957tp6-n950td-n957td-owners-lounge.812481/

http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/sager-and-clevo.1017/

As I stated previously; G-SYNC for gaming is a great feature. It costs a small premium for a reason. There is a noticeable difference switching it off and on depending on application. In very high FPS games screen tearing is a real thing.
It may make no difference outside of games, but given your uses include gaming and one of the laptop options includes G-Sync it is worth mentioning.

 

Depends on what you're playing I guess. I bought a 144Hz FreeSync panel for an NVidia GPU, and without any kind of synchronization I have yet to observe tearing.

 

Exactly, it will depend on the game. I can get 200-300FPS in World War Z on ultra, but without v-Sync or G-Sync enabled there will be some tearing even on a 144Hz screen. A 240Hz screen would be better, but I bet I could make even that year with the right application.

You can use adaptive sync or sync of some variety and limit to 144Hz/FPS for no tearing. The trick here is benchmarking, you lose all the performance point above 144FPS. Fine for some! I want 2-300FPS without tearing even on 144Gz screen.

In the grand scheme of things it is entirely personal preference. I see G-Sync as a valuable addition while gaming. I also see it as value added to the worth of the laptop come resale time. I also believe the screens paired with G-Sync are of higher quality with better QC. Just my opinion!

 

2 real cores > hyperthreading, especially for gaming. Also GSync or any VRR is ghodly vs dealing with vsync. once you experience the near perfect low lag and fluid gameplay, you can't go back.

 

Agreed on more cores = better, as long as they are properly cooled. 2 more cores with the addition of more heat in the laptop chassis could possibly bring overall clocks lower where you won’t see the benefit of that additional processing power. We’re really just discussing heatsink and chassis cooling at this point! This is worst case scenario thinking on my end of course. If it cools adequately that i7-9700 will perform extremely well as expected. I’m hopeful the amount of copper and fan speed is enough given the 65W TDP. The 8750H is only 45W TDP but *appears* to have more copper on initial viewing

 

I did the bottleneck calculator test, and it says that the i7 8750h will bottleneck the RTX 2070
https://pc-builds.com/calculator/Core_i7-8750H/GeForce_RTX_2070/0Qd12xlu/32/

 

You forgot that mobile RTX 2070 has usually 110 W, not 185W

 

It also depends on the person, some notice tearing more than others.

 

I used to believe in Gsync till I owned a couple screens with it, had more issues w/ them than norm, no longer see tearing and lock my settings to what I need. No reason to let it hit 200+ fps if u can only do 120/144, set the max 1/1 limit and be good.

Afterburner has a side option o assist w/ that as well and works beautifully especially for games that don't support it. I feel Gsync has become more of a staple gimmick as of late in a placebo type means. I still own my gsync displays though, I just disable the feature now.

 

I'm running a free sync monitor in g-sync mode externally myself.

 

There will be justification one way or the other per-user. In the 1-2 months of gaming I've seen zero issues with the display and G-Sync works superbly. No reason at all to disable it.

There are plenty of reasons to let your FPS max out. Maybe you do not see the benefit within your usage and application. There is the rest of the world to consider though.

 

Usually it would be more for twitch (fast) based games or competitive play.

 

Then provide an example where letting something run at 200+ fps when you're capped at 120hz on your display or even a 60hz display is beneficial. Share what the "rest of the world" considers.
Where did that even come from lol?

Just hoping you're not gonna say "Input lag" Though I'd be curious to hear why variable input lag would be a choice.

Based on your response though you've only been playing with it though so best to kinda run your own tests before getting defensive on something as well.

I agree with Meaker on that aspect especially Streaming though was mainly focused on the aspect of Gsync itself as a gimmick.

 

While your frame may not update the other side of things like physics is being calculated and updated.

 

Benchmarks benefit significantly. Have a great day.

 

Well you can turn g-sync off for that.

 

Thank you for agreeing, have a nice week.

 

It was an excellent month since my last reply in this thread and continues to be so despite the slight necro. Any other relevant comments or are we just becoming friends now?

 

Honestly I'd go with desktop cpu version but i5 6400f 6c/6t unless you do streaming/editing and then upgrade to i9 9900 a few years down the road or replace laptop entirely


The standard will be 8c/16t, especially with ps5 launching next year and this cpu will come in handy