N850 vs P650 vs P950....FIGHT!

Hello there! I know this is kind of a "what notebook should I buy" question but I'm seriously torn. So I have a budget of about $1600, that I will spend no matter which model I go with. That also will give me enough to barebones spec a 650 and 950 OR really appoint an N850. My question is, is maxing out the 850 worth it in comparison to those other two?

I mean, I have an old HDD that I plan to pull from my P150HM and run in parallel with any of these laptops. most of the extra budget would go to a SSD or RAM then and I just don't know if I should do that to a N850. I know I need something that will last a while, as I plan to keep this laptop for about 6 years. So, with that in mind, I do plan on managing heat as much as possible, what seems to be the best choice at that price point?

I know the build quality is better on the P series and I have an older P series already, but I could really cram a lot of capability in the N850. I appreciate the community's feedback!

 

Well when all balanced out well

Budget (greater than means cheaper base price): N850HP6 > P650HP6 > P950HP6 > P650HS > P950HR

Performance: P650HS > P650HP6 >= P950HR > P950HP6 > N850HP6

Build quality P650xx > P950xx > N850xx

In your case the P950HP6 is a very solid choice. You can get a good config still in budget and it's very slim. Very very slim compared to the P150.

However with a requirement of 6 years (which is completely unreasonable if you mean gaming relevance btw) the P650HS with a 1070 will get you a tad farther (much better 1070 than the Max Q in the P950) than a 1060 laptop.

I also wouldn't really want the N series Clevo and want it to last 6 years when the P series is well within budget. A barebones P650HS which you can slowly add to (or just save up a little more and get the NP8157 for like 1630 which is a solid config besides the display) would be my go to options.

For context I've used all of these chassis laptops (but like haven't used the P950HR for example)

 

for what its worth, i would also add that the Clevo P650 series has possibly the better/best front facing speaker placement (directly under the display between the hinges).
also, the P650 series offers the MUX switch (to switch between Intel or Nvidia graphics to save on battery power).

 

The P950 has optimus though, no GSync. And the P650 speakers still aren't great lol.

 

Thanks for the great input! And yes, i know six years plus games is too long but for context, I bought my 150 with a 495m in 2011. In that time i only played Skyrim, mass effect and the total war series. I'm not really super up with the AAA titles. Durability and longevity are what I'm mostly looking for and I don't mind playing things on low settings.

 

imho the P650 is still way much better sounding with front facing top mounted speakers than that mega-genius design idea of putting the speakers underneath the laptop

and the MUX switch is truly a godsend for many, especially those who want to avoid using optimus at at all costs because of various documented issues (depending on the specific operating system one may be using).

 

Quick quest

Quick question, what's wrong with the display in the 8157?

 

Eh it's just a boring 60Hz 1080p. The 120Hz 1080p is better for gaming, and the 4K one is prettier.

 

Ah, well I'm of the opinion that 4k on a screen that small isn't really worth it and I've been getting by on 60hz for all these years and never thought it was that bad. Might as well not spoil myself for the future just yet.

 

You can also try tweaking it to see if you can get some more Hz out the panel.

 

Really? I have never heard of messing with a panel like that.

Well, I ended up putting in an order for a 8156. I attempted to find an 8153 (because I determined the 1070 was more important to me than kaby lake) but I was unable to source one. Also, with software costs included, I just couldn't swing the 8157. So here's to the next six years! *fingers crossed*

When the laptop comes though, I plan to try and calibrate the screen so maybe I can try and squeeze as many Hz out as possible.

 

Your signature brings back memories by the way the 1070 will have a larger impact in the long run.

 

Ha, of what? How advanced we thought everything was 6 years ago? Hard to believe that the 980M came out very shortly after I bought that laptop and practically dominated for 4 years. I really truly wish I could have found an affordable 1070 but unfortunately I needed this laptop ASAP for work so I had to "settle." The 1060 is absolutely nuts compared to my old card so I'm sure I'll be blown away no matter what.

 

The 980M? The 680M was the big launch of the next chipset after the 4xx/5xx series. It did do well for a long time though.

 

Simple if you have in range P650HSdon't even look at N850 (build quality difference is like night and day). For better thermal management P650 wins over P950. Furthermore non Max-q 1070 will last longer than Max-q one.