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I would greatly appreciate a opinion on these two laptops, and some clarifaction. My only concern is buying the laptop that will last me long time through upgrades.
Here are the two:
The notible differences are that the 650 has a better graphics card and CPU (4720HQ 980m)
The 150 has a 4710HQ with 970.
Up until today, I did not realize that some of these laptops can have the CPU and graphics UPGRADED!! and that is a game changer. If this is true, want to make sure I get a laptop that can upgrade in the future.
I realize the 650 is slightly better, but not if it can't be upgraded. I'd rather get the 150, and be able to upgrade in the future because right now, anything is better than my current monster early 2011 MBP.
Please clarify the whole CPU GPU upgrade thing for me, and help me get the best for my money between these two because I Only have a budget of around 1500.
I'm a huge gamer but I make a living doing photography/ design, and videos using Adobe programs. I'm looking forward to the switch from my old mac to a new pc, and I expect to be blown away with better performance and video rendering times.
Thanks for the help guys!
I would look into batman. You're limited on upgrades for both of those. 650 because everything soldered. The 150 "can" NE upgraded but you can only get what came from that generation CPU. GPU is upgradeable but very expensive
Ok, Thank you for your reply.
I dont understand what you mean by "batman" could you provide a little more detail or a link about it??
Ive seen the List of upgrades in the customization menu for the 150, that include:
4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4810MQ (2.8GHz - 3.8GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache)
4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4910MQ (2.9GHz - 3.9GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache)
4th Generation Intel® Haswell Core™ i7-4940MX (3.1GHz - 4.0GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache)
To me that seems like a lot of options to choose from in the next 3-4 years, considering Ive used my macbook pro since 2011 and couldn't upgrade a single dam thing.
My idea was to customize the 150 with one upgrade from the start, choosing the 4810 (The stock is 4710) and upgrade the GPU Later.
I figured the 970m gpu would be good enough compared to what I have now(a old MBP) and I will enjoy the benefits fora while.
I wanted to get a stronger CPU first, because Im lead to believe it will help with my video editing/rendering and image processing. -Is this right to assume?
If this is true, then I should close my case:
I would buy the 150 starting with a upgraded CPU (4810) and I can decide to drop $300 on a new GPU any time in the future.
Until then the 970 should be fine but overall I will be able to upgrade both the CPU and GPU in 3 years instead of having to pay $1500 for a new laptop.
(p.s. If the GPU is upgradable, can I sell my used stock 970 to someone else when I upgrade to a new gpu???)
I appreciate any advice on this. Buying the right laptop is important because I don't get to spend 1500 often at all.
Batman is the nickname for Clevos new P750ZM and P770ZM. Check the owners lounge (I'm on my phone). One of the main attractions is a desktop cpu.
Another clarification: You say drop $300 on a new gpu. I don't know about x70 gpus but for x80s you can easily double that. And they're not shelf items. NBR marketplace, eBay or some Clevo/Sager resellers.
Don't want to scare you off but know that upgrading both gpu and cpu will make up a large portion of a new laptop all together.
Edit: Quick ebay-search shows $600/900 for a 970m and 980m respectively.
No thats ok, I need to know this!
I only said 300 because thats what the next in line GPU cost from xotic pc(to upgrade to 980m).
I just need to get the most for my money between these two, and my budget is only around 1500....
Just to help give me some direction, what would you recommend between the two, not just for gaming but for video editing and image processing also...
I really feel pushed towards getting the 150 with a upgraded processor (4810) but Im not an expert and I cant afford to make poor choices.
I´d say the SM with 4810MQ and 970m is a solid choice when you´re on a budget. "Budget" meaning that you wont or cant spend the rather large premium for the flagship cpu and gpu, not that it´s bad.
Someone else will have to chip in on the video/image editing performance of the 4810MQ but for gaming that setup will give you alot for your money.
Holy crap the batman... thats like what I really need for video work....
Well crap... Now I dont know what to do.
The listed price for the badman is at $1619 with the 970gpu...
My only question is weather or not the laptop would melt in its place, and I probly wont be able to keep it charged because alot of times I visit my parents in haiti and we keep things charged via solar panels/batteries hahaha.
Well... I think I should go for the batman... you guys think so???
The only thing holding me back is when I spend my time in haiti on a boat, I wont have optimal power supply, but Its not like Ill be living on a boat forever, so id rather make a decision for the long run and it seems to me like the batman is a awesome high octane laptop...
Do you really need to do some heavy number crunching while you are on a boat in Haiti? If I am traveling, I usually take my 7" tablet, which lasts a week on a charge. One of my co-worker takes a chrome book when he travels. Taking a smaller device also has the bonus of losing less if it gets stolen or falls into the drink.
The funds I have to get this is a one time opportunity, so I gotta buy the best work station for my money.
In Haiti I actually run a web show, and I have to process footage from a go pro, Nikon d7000, and iphone6 and digital audio to make a full episode each week.
I also developed a website for a resort here, and in the future I will be an exclusive wedding photographer, and may possibly make commercials.
So I actually have work to do, and on the side I game every chance I get, its just that in haiti I dont live in a house, I live on a sailboat, so I'm struggling coming to terms with this batman laptop.
Even though upgrading the GPU is important to you, I would put that as a lesser priority. When its time to upgrade the GPU you may reconsider doing it once you look at the prices of the top end cards. Often times its a better idea to put that towards a whole new computer that way you get the new GPU and CPU, and what ever else is new in the computer world at that time.
Hutsady, Thank you for your reply, I value anyones advice because once I place an order, thats all Im getting for a LONG time.
The reason why I care is because of the situation i have been in the past year and a half: having a decent laptop (mac book pro) but lacking in ANY upgrades, basically being stuck with a solid brick for 4 years. Ram and a SSD are my only choices and they don't do much over all.
It is upsetting because I payed $2500 and there is nothing I can do to make it better today.
In the past I could realistically save $500, Not upwards of $1600 for a new computer! Its not often at all that I am able to spend this much on a computer, I still have to sell off my mac and be computer less so I can save enough the order. So considering all of this, Im really interested in having a laptop that offers upgradable parts.
So does it make sense for me to want the upgradable PC?
Please let me know what you are thinking.
Weather or not I plan to upgrade, I believe I am sold on getting the batman.
Unless I'm missing something, the desktop CPU looks like it is lightyears ahead in power and performance than the standard 4710-4720 cpus that come with the other Sager PC's on xotic PC, and Its only $100-$200 more!
If you think upgrading hardware like GPU/CPU will be something you actually do, then yes getting an up-gradable notebook makes sense. Top end GPU's average $800 and CPU's another $500 on average, just some food for thought.
The Batman models are powerhouse's and get highly recommended around here. For your use it should be great.
Well thank you for that quick response, and thanks to everyone else who replied. I understand most of this stuff but Im not an expert so I truly appreciate everyones opinions and advice.
I feel that getting the batman over the P150smA is the best choice.
Im kind of excited now! Even with that Desktop CPU, I cant imagine needing to upgrade for a while.
(But I said that about my MBP with its whopping AMD 6750M back then -_- )
I think a desktop i7 will last you a long time. If you get the 4790K (or the non-K version), you'll be set on the CPU for a long time. It's doubtful at the moment that there will be anything that fits in that socket that will be worth replacing it. I think I upgraded non-malfunctioning CPU's twice in 20 year of building desktops, and one of those upgrades was given to me. The laptop i7's and desktop i7's of the same gen are identical except for two aspects: TDP and stock clocks. Clocks (stock or otherwise) don't mean much if you are capped by TDP. For light CPU loads, higher clock rates will let you burst up to high speeds, get the job done, and go back to a low power state. A faster clocked, high TDP CPU can run slower, but a lower TDP part will be capped.
The GPU on the other hand, as long MXM remains the standard, there will always be something better coming out every year or so that you can put in. It sounds like the work you don't isn't as GPU intensive, but you did mention games.
As far as power usage goes, you might want to look into "portable mode" and underclocking/undervolting. I think you can extend your run times significantly, but you might not be able to do so while achieving good performance. I'm not sure any systems is going to be able to perform well on cpu intensive apps completely on battery. Does the boat have a combo solar + wind setup, where you could charge the laptop when you are alseep/away?
You'll also want to consider the VRAM. "Batman" only has 4gb, and that is not up-gradable. The 8268 can have 6/8gb. There's been much discussion on if only 4gb will be a problem in the future. If you want your notebook to lat a long time, this is something to consider.
Thank you for the info!
Im glad to hear that the 4790k will hold up for a long time,
If I get the batman, the only thing I may upgrade is the GPU, it comes with the 970, and if I ever run into money to spoil myself with a 980m, I might do it.
However, from what I have looked up, the 970m is a great GPU.
With my current MBP, (i7 2.2, 16RAM, intel HD 3000 + AMD 6750M )I have struggled playing games on medium to high graphics because I cannot stand having faulty performance, so by default I run everything on low to get the BEST performance and I throw graphics out the window.
With the batman, Id be happy to play games on medium capped at 45fps, considering that and the sheer power of the desktop cpu I think the 970 will serve me well.
Like you said, my creative work is not as GPU intensive, so I will absolutely push the CPU to its limits to render/edit video footage quickly, but I can be disciplined when it comes to video games and the graphic settings.
As for my power situation,
I currently have one 100w solar panel, and 6 batteries. (2 are deep cycle marine, and the other 4 are 6volt batts paired/converted into two big 12 volts, so technically I have 4 12 volt batteries.)
I don't have a generator but my engines alternator pumps in som good juice at night but I rarely use the engine solely to get power.
This set up is enough to keep two 65w mag safe apple chargers charged from 10am to 6pm before the sun goes down and the boat batteries start taking a large toll.
I have discovered that in the long run, keeping the laptops fully charged at all times uses less energy then plugging them in before they die to charge back up.
Also, I am phasing out AC/DC inverters because of the 20% efficiency loss. Those big bricks in your power cable ARE DC converters, so inverting DC, to AC, then back to DC into the laptop waists energy, so we have ordered two DC/car charger cables for our macs and we get much better results, and save on power because we dont use a 300w car inverter.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is a DC/car charger cable for the batman considering it has a 250w cable... witch is crazy.
Although... All I would need is a 20amp fuse/breaker to handle 250w... so if there IS a car charger cable for the batman, rated close to 250w I can install a breaker from the batteries and not have to use a inverter.
Sheesh I did not mean to write all of this.
The best thing I can do is get:
Two more golf car batteries into my bank,
two more 100w solar panels (3 total is all I can really fit) to make 300W of solar,
a 400w wind turbine, (A real one, $500 turbines on amazon are ****, legit ones cost as much as batman)
and a nice yamaha 1000w generator to maintain the whole system if power is in crucial need of sustenance.
(Its not as much about having lots of power, its about caring for your batteries, like they are living children.)
With that Im sure I would have no problem using my batman to my hears content, But all of this costs so much money.
I suppose one thing at a time.
Sounds like a cool setup. DC to DC might be the way to go, but be sure to have a solid regulator before going into sensitive electronics. It shouldn't be too hard to find something to go from 12v to 19.5v fairly efficiently.
For sure look into the undervolt/underclock mods if you go with the Batman. I think some folks have gotten their systems down to the point where they can use a 90W adapter. I'm not sure thats possible with the Batman, but its something to aim for.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
