Laptop gaming computer

[MikelaC1]

I am buying my nephew a laptop gaming computer. Now, I want it to be a surprise, so I cant go ahead and ask if this one is a good buy, so Im coming to the Playground for advice.
The model is an MSI GT780DX. The specs, according to the store are:

MSI GT780DX
Now with free gaming bundle (headset, backpack and mousepad)!

Specifications:
● Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.2 GHz Quad Core
● 8 GB DDR3-1333 MHz
● 750 GB SATA
● Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

About all I know is that the i7 core is key to a gaming computer. And its in my price range of $1500. Am I getting a good laptop gaming PC, or is my name going to be mud with this one?

[Kato]

Uhm... is that really a question to ask here? :smallconfused: If anything I'd placed this in the Gaming section.

But from what I could gather with some quick searching it seems to be a good laptop. I'd say you're getting your money's worth.

[Weezer]

What really matters is the graphics card, the processor is important but you can do fine with a high end i3 or an i5. Also, read customer reviews, especially about heating. That can be a major problem with powerful laptops.

[Ridai]

Can you tell us the graphics chip? So far, I have found indications of it having a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570M. If that is the case, then my opinion is that it's a really fast machine, more than enough for gaming. The GPU is a slightly older model, but still worth the price, I think.

But, maybe get this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834310660). Honestly, I have no idea how it can be this inexpensive at 850$. CPU on par with the MSI laptop, better graphics chip, Windows 8, only a little less RAM (frankly, 6 GB should be more than enough), apparently full HD display, even superfluous if fancy stuff like a backlit keyboard. Seems like the better deal and machine. My buddy and I who have been looking at the MSI laptop, a few others and this are actually baffled how little this Lenovo laptop costs. The laptop is also smaller at a 15.6" display.

As a general warning, every laptop is a bit different. Gaming laptops also usually don't last very long battery-wise when not plugged in and can get relatively warm and/or loud under load. Might also be pretty heavy. Different for every laptop. That's usually the price paid for powerful hardware in a laptop. If you can take a look at the laptop itself before buying it, that might help, too.

[MikelaC1]

High-end NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 570M discrete graphics card(with GDDR5 1.5GB/3GB VRAM)

[Flickerdart]

That's a little dated, giving that nVidia has recently announced the 750. I would wait a few months - retailers are going to be having really good liquidation sales to get rid of laptops that will fall behind the curve when the 750 and the new Haswell chips are released.

[Ridai]

Some more looking around:

Actually, are you based in the USA or Canada? I have found this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230408) from the US Newegg and this one (http://ncix.com/products/?sku=77456&vpn=G75VX-RH71-CA&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1371) from a Canadian site. ASUS makes good laptops, solid designs, well-made, good specifications, but often quite expensive (like MSI).

As an alternative to the MSI laptop you posted, there is the MSI GT70, which is the newer model with a newer and better graphics chip (Geforce 660M), which also produces less heat. If that's available for $1500 and below, I'd rather take that than the older model.

The cheap Lenovo one I linked seems pretty good, though some say it's a good laptop, others say it's not well-made, the case and keyboard not being that good (although the hardware itself is up to snuff). The price makes me a little suspicious that they used some low-quality parts (apart from CPU and graphics).

[McDouggal]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems even more powerful for the same cost.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834310629

Also, good to see more Leonovo suggestions. I love my T530.

[Ridai]

Lenovo is good, but the IdeaPads seem to suffer a bit in how well they are made, compared to the ThinkPads (which are also more expensive, though). Good core components, so-so/low budget surrounding hardware and case, but YMMV depending on your needs. The issues some have with the craftmanship of the IdeaPads could very well be a non-issue for others. I'd recommend looking at the IdeaPad in question in person just to see how it actually is (if that's possible, that is).


edit: Also, it should be noted, 17" laptops are huge and heavy. If that's no concern, won't matter.

[Erloas]

Some more looking around:

Actually, are you based in the USA or Canada? I have found this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230408) from the US Newegg and this one (http://ncix.com/products/?sku=77456&vpn=G75VX-RH71-CA&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1371) from a Canadian site. ASUS makes good laptops, solid designs, well-made, good specifications, but often quite expensive (like MSI).
This looks like a very good machine, I would second the recommendation. Depending on the age and actual needs of your nephew it could very well be overkill in a lot of ways.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems even more powerful for the same cost.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834310629

Also, good to see more Leonovo suggestions. I love my T530.
Actually the graphics card in that one is pretty low end. The first number is the generation of the card, the second number is the most important one; being the "type" or relative power of the cards, with the 2-4s being budget cards and the 6-8s being the mid to high end cards, and the last number generally not meaning much.


I guess it does depend a lot on your situation but I've never bought anyone a gift even approaching $1500. It just seems like a lot to spend on a nephew, but whatever.
I would also point out that these are "desktop replacement" laptops, they are not small and light, most people aren't going to be taking them a lot of places. They also mostly have to live attached to the wall, while you might be able to use them for a while unplugged you aren't going to get much time that way, especially gaming. And depending on the situation of your nephew, if its going to be spending 99% of the time sitting on the same desk never moving (I see this a lot with laptops) then a desktop is a much more cost friendly option. Also depending on the age of said nephew the parents might not want something that can easily be taken to places where it is very hard to monitor what they are doing online.
Just something to consider.

[Ridai]

Seconding the remark about the specs perhaps being overkill. Really depends on the needs. Problem for me is that I know more about desktop hardware than laptop hardware. For desktops, you can pretty much say that most gamers won't need more than a good i5 and a mid-level graphics card, all of which usually results in a system for... 800$-1000$ (unsure about hardware prices in North America)? Obviously has zero portability if that's desired, but is still much less expensive and much more powerful.

Man, now I remember what a grueling process picking a laptop can be. xD

[Hiro Protagonest]

About all I know is that the i7 core is key to a gaming computer.

Nah. About the most intensive game out right now is Planetside 2, and I can run that fine with an i5.

Anyway, I'm not sure if your specs are even possible on laptops right now. That's a high-end desktop, only people like TotalBiscuit get better PCs than that.

[Ridai]

They are possible on laptops, very much so. It's just that i3, i5 and i7 mean different things on laptops, namely (usually, things get fuzzy in the laptop area of processors) dual-core, dual-core with hyperthreading and quad-core, respectively, as opposed to dual-core with hyperthreading, quad-core and quad-core with hyperthreading, again respectively.

I think I recall mobile i5s struggle in the more CPU intensive games like Sins of a Solar Empire or Battlefield (as opposed to the much more powerful desktop i5s, which aren't optimized towards low wattage and low heat emissions like mobile processors are), but can someone weigh in on this?