What to do with my P170 and 7970?

Ok, I bought my P170EM from the Korean Reseller 'Sparq', aside from the under utilization of the 7970 it has two other issues: The keyboard is horrible, with a very heavy action and most of the time I have to hit keys really hard to get it to type. The onboard mousepad suck big time, given I don't use it, but if I'm going to spend $2000 on a laptop it better work properly.

I bought it on the 25th of July, so I can still return it, I'd just like some of your thoughts on my choices. BTW I only really play RTS on my laptop, but I want something that I can keep for at least 2yrs. Another thing, gaming laptops aren't really popular here so the selection is limited, as far as GPU's are concerned. This is the only machine I can put a 7970 in, the 680m isn't available here, next highest is the 675m.

How upgradeable is the P170? If I decide to change it for a 675m, while I be able to upgrade to a 680m later, if I need more power?

I'm taking it back on Monday anyway, for the keyboard and mouse. I have 3 options.

 

675M/680m/7970M all have the same rated TDP, the original 220W power brick will do just fine. You can basically just plug any of these cards in and it'll work straight away after driver is installed.

 

the keyboard from my P170EM have the same issues too

 

I voted for option 3, but there weren't any other feasible options to vote on.
Upgrading a laptop down the road is expensive and is a bad idea.
A new gtx680m will cost you more than 500$ and then you will have to worry about shipping and installing it yourself. If you've never done this before, there is a chance you could damage something.
And then you will have to sell your old gtx675m and this will take its time. Not many people would buy your old card; its a rebadged gtx580m, it consumes much energy for lower performance per watt than the current lineup.
So you've got a lot of things to worry about.

If there is no option for gtx680m in any reseller near you, then I would do this:
0.) Return your P170EM
1.) Switch to a W350ET with gtx660m and Core i7 3610qm
2.) Save up whats left of the cash for next year

This is the best option in my opinion. You will have no problems, the laptop is thinner, lighter, has better battery life, 17" screen, 2 HDD slots and everything you need to play RTS games.
Starcraft 2 should run perfectly on it on Ultra. On custom maps, you may have to switch to High, though.

 

You couldn't pay me to downgrade my 7970m for a 675m...

 

I'm kind of anal for the best possible looks in a game, however I really only use my laptop for RTS (My PS3 for everything else). So basically I want something that
plays SC2, Diablo 3 and whatever other RTS's are in the pipeline for the next year or so on Ultra with no problems. I'm a casual gamer and I don't play much multiplayer.

Hold the phone....
Just saw this while I was typing this reply...

Gmarket- Korean No.1 Shopping Site, Hottest, Trendy, Lowest price, Worldwide shipping available

It's a freakin monster.
Same specs, with cross-fired 7970M's
It's about $800 extra, luckily I can afford it, heck I could even upgrade to a 3720QM just to be cheeky... I starting to agree with Coors, I'll be a monkeys uncle if I have to downgrade (and I spend extra cash to downgrade!!!).
You think I'll have the same under-utilization issues if the Radeons are cross-fired? To be quite honest, I'm only playing SC2, DOW 2 and Diablo 3 right now. So, I guess I could wait
a few months for a driver fix. My only concern is if they don't fix it!

Please remember, I'm limited for choice. Clevo/Sparq are the only real gaming laptops here aside from the MSI, which is $800 extra with a 675m.

 

Haha I can't read your website, but I'd like to give you fair caution regarding crossfire on 7970m. I've read several owners of alienware laptops with crossfire capabilities have terrible issues with drivers regarding crossfire. And apparently its issues dating back to 6000m cards.

Take my word with a grain of salt. No personal experience but I've read on several sites, and several posts/threads on nbr.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

Dont get anything in Crossfire for StarCraft 2 or Diablo 3.
Those games do not support Crossfire. You will have problems with it.
Better get the same thing with only 1 7970m in it. And save the cash from the second.

 

I see, well this is the first high-end machine I've owned so I'll definitely take your advice. Ok, I guess I'll take the gambit and get the keyboard and mousepad sorte out, but keep the 7970.
If the 7970 doesn't get a driver update in the nxt 2 months or so, I can play dumb with my reseller and maybe get another refund or a replacement,
since they think I'm only returning it for the keyboard and mouse right now... Who knows, maybe they'll offer a system with a 680m by then.

Please excuse the spelling mistakes, it's my keyboard - as you can see I've gotta hit the keys with a hammer to get them to type properly.