Suggestions for a P170EM build?

First time poster here.

I've recently decided to get a laptop for gaming and general purpose, with a budget limit of $2000. I'm open to suggestions for other rigs but I think a clevo would suite me. I like the low key look compared to other gaming laptops and the idea of being able to change out parts if need be.

So here's what I've come up with so far...

(lpc-digital.com)

Sager NP9170 - Gaming Laptop (Clevo P170EM)
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- SAGER Winter Sale!!! - $50 OFF When you spend $1350.00* or more per system! (*excludes non-sager parts, accessories, shipping, & taxes)
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - S1X506)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- nVidia GeForce GTX 675MX 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology [User Upgradeable] (SKU – S5R521)
- 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4S423P)
- Sager Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No mSATA SSD
- 128GB Crucial M4 Series Solid State Drive [SSD2 Serial-ATA III] (SKU - S5R061)
- 750GB 7200RPM [Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache] (SKU - S5R305)
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (When selecting a Hard Drive in the Optical Bay, No Optical Drive is Included) (SKU - S7R455)
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Intel® Advanced-N 6235 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth™ 4.0 (SKU - S8R111)
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included (Supports up to 16GB of RAM)) + MS Office Starter 2010
- LIFETIME Ltd Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Telephone Support (Labor through XPC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Parts Warranty Repairs (SKU - X9R009)
- Standard Production Time


This comes out to about $1620. With the GTX 680m its about $1910...

Is the extra $300 worth it for the 680?

Also, for $150 I can upgrade to a glossy screen with 90% NTSC color gamut (or 72% NTSC color gamut for a matte type but would have to go a different site). If I went with either screen upgrade does the % increase make enough of a difference that I should upgrade?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

Welcome to NBR and congrats on your first post!
The build looks great. For value the 675MX is tough to beat right now but if you want max gaming the 680M will be better. Its up to you if you think its worth the extra for it. If you compare benchmarks you'll see about a 30% difference.
I would skip the mSATA drive and go SSD in the primary then HDD in the secondardy. The mSATA slot is SATA II vs III in the primary bay so you'll get faster speeds by doing that.

I see you plan on ordering for LPC-Digital which are great guys, but just looking over the specs you posted there may be something you wont' get:

The upgraded screens are nice. I always recommend them becuase its the one thing you are always using no matter if gaming or not. Personally I prefer Matte over Glossy and would even take the lower Gamut to get it. For gaming you dont benefit from them as much compared to if you were doing Photo Editing or Graphic Design.

 

The 680 being 'worth it' I've read elsewhere that its really up to the buyer too. Think I'm going to have to mull over this $300 question just a while longer...

In any case, thanks for the input!

 

What do the terms multisample anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering, and tesselation mean to you? If they don't mean much, you'll most likely never know the difference.

Do you have anything else you would like to purchase for $300? Games, new gaming mouse, etc?

Another thing to consider is you can always upgrade the GPU later; it is one of the main benefits of owning a Sager/Clevo

From personal experience, I would recommend paying for the no dead pixel guaranty. Every reseller is different, but typically the standard warranty only covers 4 or more dead pixels. While you can always return the laptop if you are not satisfied, you are typically responsible for paying for shipping back. I would also buy the maximum warranty you can afford.

I have the same CPU & GPU combination you are looking at, and I have been enjoying all my games at high quality with one or two items set one notch below max.

 

I just bought a very similar build. This is a really powerful machine. It runs games smooth and with very good settings. I bought from Xotic and let me tell you they have been awesome. I had 2 issues with the laptop and they took care of both with just a single email. It was truely effortless. I bought the 675MX and it plays everything.

 

The 680M comes into it's own if you are particularly fond of using the highest settings or you have a super high res external monitor or 120hz panel.

 

For good info and feedback on the display, see this thread. Generally, you'll benefit most from the higher % gamut when doing professional grade photo editing or other applications that require accurate color. It's not as relevant in gaming, but there are mixed opinions on that one.

With the 680m, all I can say is you get what you pay for (although in this scenario, the 675mx is a better value as Hutsady mentioned). This will really be up to your needs.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, think I'm gonna have to go with an upgraded display and keep the 675mx now. Lpc-digital doesn't offer an upgraded matte display, so guess now its time to look through resale sites and look for a deal...

One things for sure, looking forward to seeing this bad boy in whatever final configuration run compared to my current samsung i5 m460, with nvidia geforce 310m! haha