Need your advice..

Hi guys,

I'm going to buy a new gaming laptop, but I'm torn between this two:

P170HM
Matte Screen
560M / 485M
i7-2760QM (2.4 - 3.5GHz)
16GB DDR3 (4G X 4)
120GB SSD
1TB 5,400 RPM HD
6X Blu-Ray Reader
Bigfoot networks Killer 1103

or

MSI GT780DX-215US
Matte Screen
570M
i7-2760QM (2.4 - 3.5GHz)
16GB DDR3 (4G X 4)
120GB SSD
1TB 5,400 RPM HD
6X Blu-Ray Reader
Bigfoot networks Killer 1103


Basically the configuration on both laptop are the same, only the GPU is changed. Which one do you think is better? I don't mind the extra weight as I won't be bringing this laptop out much. What's important for me is the build quality. I would like it to last me at least 4 years, just like my current laptop which is already 4 years old and still going strong. I don't play that much anymore and I hate FPS games, I'm more on strategy war games like Starcraft 2 and Warhammer series.

And I'm a movie buff so screen quality should be high and the sound as well!

 

5,400RPM?? oh my! I'll NEVER get one of those again. 7,200 is slow enough as it is. why pair the SSD with a 5,400, anyway? You can get large (750GB) 7,200 drives for around $100-120.

 

For a secondary, storage drive, the 5400 works pretty good... imo.
_

 

and here I am thinking about a 10k RPM. (primary)

 

My current laptop has 5400rpm only and I think they're okay. Is the upgrade from 5400rpm to 7200rpm that big of a difference?

 

I was about to go for the GTI (I like shiny things!) but the configuration was pretty much locked on the nVidia card.

At the end it all comes down to your preferences. You gotta ask yourself what you really want/need to prevent buyer's remorse later

 

I decided on Clevo just due to the ease of upgrading. While it is possible on the MSI, it is a pain! Same goes for Asus machines.

 

From what I heard upgrading a laptop is very expensive and you have limited choice on the upgrades, and most probably on every new release there's a high possibility that the new tech won't work on your current laptop. For me it's much more practical to just get a new one and sell your old one.

 

while graphics cards stay expensive, ram, hard drives, and repasting are easy upgrades and inexpensive. even cpu's drop in price eventually. i'm expecting to be able to upgrade the cpu on mine for quite a bit cheaper than now once ivy bridge comes out.

 

Well if you're just upgrading RAM, HD, and CPU then any gaming laptop out right now could do this easily. Initially I thought one of the good points for Sager/Clevo is there upgradability, but think about it it's limited to what you can get right now and no assurance to what you can upgrade in the future. The same goes for the MSI GT780, it's not offered but the GPU could be upgraded to 6990 and even 580M so the upgrade options are just the same with the Sager/Clevo laptops.

 

Please go with a Clevo P150HM and 6990M (personal opinion and prefference). Main concern - the price! And clevos are upgradeable. MSI - not so much.

 

Thanks for the advice b0b1man!

What are the things that you could upgrade in P170HM and are not upgradable in the MSI GT780?

 

MSIs are just difficult to work with, in my personal experience. Sager makes their laptops very easy to upgrade (read: not so many freakin' little screws that disappear as soon as they hit the floor).

 

Yes this is why since 1996 I have been working with the Clevo models...they are the easiest to work on!
_

 

Less screws is easier to work on? Is that the only comparison made here?

Also thanks for those who gave an answer to this thread!