New to forum.. Looking into High End Gaming setup (price ~2600 $) XoticPC

Based on recommendations have changed some configs..
Configured this setup with Black November deals at XoticPC

Sager NP9377-S (Clevo P377SM-A)
- Special Upgrade Package - "the Security Package" = McAfee Anti-Virus + Global Anti-Theft Protection ($74.00 Value!) (XPC Service) (Requires shipment to XOTIC PC) (35$)
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - SSC002)
- FREE! - 30 Day No Dead Pixel Warranty
- Sager - 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4810MQ (2.8GHz - 3.8GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – SPU401)
- FREE! - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPUSLI (2x)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 970M (12.0GB total) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 (Maxwell) [User Upgradeable] (SKU – GPU01Q)

- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes (XPC Service - requires shipment to XOTIC PC: will add to build time)
- 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [2x8GB] Kingston HYPER X (CL9) Dual Channel Memory (SKU - RAMX99)
- Sager Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- Non-RAID Storage
- 120GB Crucial M500 mSATA SSD - Preconfigured as an OS Drive ( Operating System – Drive C: )
- 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDX97)
- 8X Super Multi DVDRW/CDRW Combo Drive (Sager) (Dual Layer w/ Software) (When selecting a Hard Drive in the Optical Bay, No Optical Drive is Included) (SKU - ODD085)
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Intel® Dual Band AC 7260 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (SKU - WIFI94)
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- ~Windows 8.1 - 64-Bit (64-Bit CD Included) + MS Office 2013 Trial
- 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty + LIFETIME 24/7 Tech Support (SKU - WTY008)

Is this setup good? any suggestions w.r.t configs ? and since the laptop is around for a while.. any known issues with it?

 

I would go for sli with this model. 970m sli should perform much better than a 980m if your budget is limited.

 

I disagree. I believe 970m sli is a fair bit more expensive than 980m and I believe in getting the best single gpu before dabbling in sli because you know you are getting guarenteed performance for your dollar. With sli, sometimes it doesnt work, sometimes it works poorly, is more expensive, etc and is overall more annoying to deal with.

 

I would make my OS drive SSD and spring for the Kingston RAM unless you plan to do those aftermarket.

 

In cases where sli is not supported, a single 970m can do the job. But for games that support sli, 970m sli can out perform 980m by a large margin. If you prefer single gpu, p170/177 is a better choice

 

The difference in prices for 980M and 970MSLI is 150$ currently..
But if I get the 980M single now.. will it be impossible to buy another one later and add up ?

 

In the configuration there is one128Gb SSD included.. and which company RAM is generally put in the system if its a generic ram?

 

Also can anyone tell me the difference between these two screens?
1) 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen (1920x1080)

2) 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 72% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080)

 

I only commented because the SSD drive was designated as a storage drive in your config and that it was also mSata instead of the Sata III. The 1TB is designated as your OS drive. While you may know what you want those drives to be used for, they will be configured by Sager as exactly as you order so its important to have all those small details sorted out.

As for the RAM, yes it will be generic RAM. Probably Wintec.

 

Could be Patriot RAM, could be Micron, could be Crucial... any kind of RAM usually I think, unless they specify.

Anyway, I suggest leaving the McAfee and copper cooling upgrade packages off. They don't really benefit you; if you're getting Windows 8, then Windows Defender + once-a-month manual Malwarebytes Anti Malware scanning is much more than enough for virus protection, and neither of them suck like McAfee does.

Next, I suggest for games adding a 512GB SSD in the mSATA slot or even a 1TB 840 Evo if you can afford it (the Evo is actually quite cheap and I don't know what your budget is).

I also suggest if you're not going to use blu-ray to switch to the DVD drive, as it'll save you a little bit of cash.

The 72% gamut screen has more vibrant colours and better colour representation is all. Up to you if you think that's worth the extra cash.

Buying an extra GPU later is possible, but installing it would likely need to be done yourself and the warranty would not match the 3 year warranty of the system; only 1 year warranty (depending on where you buy it from). So it's best to buy your GPUs now for that delicious 3 year deal.

 

I never noticed that the 128GB drive is setup as storage..changed it to the default os drive and the 1TB hdd to storage
thanks for pointing it out

 

I am getting the McAfee offer because of the global theft protection which is originally 74$ is combined with McAfee and sold for 35$..is the global theft protection plan really helpful??
the 512GB msata will add 200$ and 430$ for the 1tb samsung Evo (how did you say that it is cheap ).. will make my budget go out of the roof ..
my budget is max 2600$.. so i guess both are out of the question.. :-(
Thanks for taking the time

 

Can I suggest something? Just get the screen + 4810MQ + 2nd 980M... Don't get SSD's etc now.. Get it later when you have some cash.. and honestly, I've got a 240GB SSD (have BF4 on it which is the most important game for me IMO) and 1 TB HDD 7200 rpm (for other games and stuff) and its enough... Get a bigger SSD when you get money.. This would be the best thing.. You want to get 2 GPU's whichever way as its just stupid not to in a dual GPU machine...

 

Adding the 2nd 980M adds up 650$ and removing the ssd and any other extras (except warranty) makes the price 3k$ which is exceptionally out of my budget :'(

 

If global theft protection requires you to be running McAfee, then it's not worth it XD. I suppose you can get the bundle then uninstall McAfee or sell your key to a friend or something though, assuming the global theft warranty doesn't need McAfee running.

Also, what is your budget? That way we could properly help you decide what to take and from where, etc.

 

The Global Theft Protection doesnt need McAffe its just bundled up together.. :-D
my budget it 2500 $ .. max i can stretch it upto is 2600..

 

XOTIC PC | Sager NP9377-S (Clevo P377SM-A) - 17.3" Custom Gaming Laptop

i7-4810MQ
16GB RAm
512GB Crucial M550 mSATA for OS and games
1TB 7200RPM HDD for everything else
SLI 970M (when single GPU is necessary it won't be as good as a 980M of course, but it's FAR better than a single 980M when SLI does work.
DVD burner (select instead of blu-ray)
3-year warranty
No OS

Should come up to $2617.06 with cash discount. Alternately, you could get it from LPC-Digital where there is no separation between "cash discount" and normal price: Notebooks :: Sager NP9377 - Special Edition! / Clevo P377SM-A - Ultimate Clevo, Sager, Gaming Laptops, 4th Generation Intel Core i7 - LPC Digital

 

They do separate both as well as you'll see in the floating price box on the right, just like our site does.
Price: XXX - Cash Price: XXX

 

Ah you're right; I didn't see the red on the site before and only noticed the cash price. In that case both are the same XD.

 

Hustady, is it worth to get hte laptop ordered now or wait for deals on black friday?

 

We havent seen any black friday specials but there will probably be some. Since its less then two weeks away I'd wait if you are not in a hurry to get a computer.

 

Sorry to disturb you guys but due to sudden financial issue.. i have to limit my budget to 1700$.. could you please suggest the best possible variant?

 

The 3 options that i have in mind are ::

Sager NP8268 (Clevo P150SM-A) Sager NP8268 (Clevo P150SM-A)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Sager Screen (SKU - SSC005)
- Sager - 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4710MQ (2.5GHz - 3.5GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – SPU201)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 970M (6.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 (Maxwell) [User Upgradeable] (SKU – GPU12X)
- 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [2x8GB] Dual Channel Memory (SKU - RAM04S)
- 1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] (SKU - HDDYY1)
- 8X Super Multi DVDRW/CDRW Combo Drive (Sager) (Dual Layer w/ Software) (When selecting a Hard Drive in the Optical Bay, No Optical Drive is Included) (SKU - ODD099)
- Sager 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty w/ Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Customer Support - Special! (SKU - WTY097)
$1,618.00

GIGABYTE P35Wv2-CF5 GIGABYTE P35Wv2-CF5
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 IPS Backlit (1920x1080) Anti-Glare Matte Type Screen
- 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4710HQ (2.5GHz - 3.5GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache)
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound ( IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 870M (6.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 w/ Optimus™ Technology
- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-812P] (Memory (1x8GB SODIMM)) - Default
- 128GB Solid State mSATA
- 1TB 7200RPM (SATA III - 6GB/s) - Default (SKU - HDD025)
- Swappable - 8x Super Multi DVDRW/CDRW Combo Drive (swap with 2nd HDD bay / included in box)
- WINDOWS 8.1 - 64-Bit (Pre-Installed)
- 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty + LIFETIME 24/7 Tech Support (SKU - WTY008)
$1,544.00

FORCE 16F4 (87-034) w/ 880M (MSI GT60 DominatorPro Barebones) FORCE 16F4 (87-034) w/ 880M (MSI GT60 DominatorPro Barebones)
- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Anti-Glare Matte Type Screen
- 4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4800MQ (2.7GHz - 3.7GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache) (SKU – X2X9X6)
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 880M (8.0GB) GDDR5 PCI-Express DX11 w/ Optimus™ Technology
- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-422P] (Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB SODIMMS)) – Default
- 1TB 5400RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s] - Default (SKU - HDD090)
- ON SALE! - 1TB 5400RPM (SATA II - 3GB/s) (SKU - HDD003)
- 8x Super Multi DVDRW/CDRW Combo Drive (Dual Layer w/ Software) (SKU - ODD001)
- Internal 3-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS)
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- 3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Next Day Shipping, 24/7 Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty (SKU - WTY003)
$1,713.00

 

No 880M. Not even close. My suggestion is the NP8268-S (P150SM-A). XOTIC PC | Sager NP8268-S (Clevo P150SM-A) - 15.6" Gaming Notebook

970M, IC Diamond thermal paste, 120GB SSD, 1TB 7200RPM HDD, 16GB RAM, 2 year warranty, i7-4810MQ CPU, $1671.31 USD with the 3% cash discount ($1723 without; shipping is free either way).

If you take the 3 year warranty, it's about $1731 with the 3% discount. No idea if the $31 is too much, or if you want to knock off some RAM.

Also, you get a free 32GB flash drive and a mousepad and stuff (check the deals) since you're spending over $1500

 

Thanks for the quick info..
Should i go for the 3 year sager warranty or the 3 year xotic pc warranty (diff of 50$), Since im not getting extra work done by xotic should i get their warranty??

 

Since there will not be any parts we install in the computer there wont be any benefit in that as you mentioned. However there are some we offer which include LCD Accidental damage protection which Sagers warranty does not cover.

 

But doesn't this require an appraisal and cost more than a simple extra $50?

 

It does depend on which exact warranty he is comparing as I look at them there are none that are a $50 difference.
But regardless, if the warranty selected says "w/ LCD Accidental Damage Protection for Sager Machines" there is no appraisal or anything else needed. You'd get a new LCD screen.

 

Ah you're right. Must have been thinking of something else.