Gaming laptop - €1,500 budget

Muzi5434

I'm looking to purchase a gaming laptop with a quadcore processor and probably graphics card like gtx 970m or similar. Screen size should be 15.6inch or 17, doesn't bother me which.

So far I haven't found anything in stores or on Irish sites to fit my budget but eBay seems to have a few:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Alienware-15-i7-4710HQ-128GB-SSD-1TB-HDD-8GB-GTX-970M-1080p-Win8-1-/252037979950?hash=item3aaea25f2e


Any suggestions, where I can purchase? And does anyone have experience with any particular eBay seller they'd recommend?

All help appreciated

K.O.Kiki

Muzi5434 wrote: »

I'm looking to purchase a gaming laptop with a quadcore processor and probably graphics card like gtx 970m or similar. Screen size should be 15.6inch or 17, doesn't bother me which.

So far I haven't found anything in stores or on Irish sites to fit my budget but eBay seems to have a few:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Alienware-15-i7-4710HQ-128GB-SSD-1TB-HDD-8GB-GTX-970M-1080p-Win8-1-/252037979950?hash=item3aaea25f2e


Any suggestions, where I can purchase? And does anyone have experience with any particular eBay seller they'd recommend?

All help appreciated

Good price for the spec; only thing with that refurb is you don't get a recovery key (though you might be able to make one yourself)

Have a look on http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/laptops/ but make sure to read around for reviews (might take a bit of digging regarding chassis name).

Muzi5434

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Good price for the spec; only thing with that refurb is you don't get a recovery key (though you might be able to make one yourself)

Have a look on http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/laptops/ but make sure to read around for reviews (might take a bit of digging regarding chassis name).

Thanks for that website, I was able to get this quote which I think is quite decent. Not fussy on the DVD drive or a huge 1TB hard drive. The no OS option is good because I can buy a key and install it myself. I've attached the quote, your thoughts?

ED E

Looks good all round, HDD and SSD will give you good performance. 970M is the only chip really worth buying too.

Only thing Id want to check is what the panel PCS use is like. A shíte screen would drive up the wall.

K.O.Kiki

Muzi5434 wrote: »

Thanks for that website, I was able to get this quote which I think is quite decent. Not fussy on the DVD drive or a huge 1TB hard drive. The no OS option is good because I can buy a key and install it myself. I've attached the quote, your thoughts?

Great spec.

I'd upgrade the Wireless module to Intel AC-7260 though; no point not to at this price.
Maybe up the M2 SSD as high as you can too (e.g. Intel 180Gb).

*edit* also as ED_E says, email first and ask if it's an IPS screen - avoid TN if you can.

Muzi5434

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Great spec.

I'd upgrade the Wireless module to Intel AC-7260 though; no point not to at this price.
Maybe up the M2 SSD as high as you can too (e.g. Intel 180Gb).

*edit* also as ED_E says, email first and ask if it's an IPS screen - avoid TN if you can.

I upgraded the wireless module but probably leave the ssd as is. The leftover funds can go towards a nice headset.

Appreciate the help

Muzi5434

ED E wrote: »

Looks good all round, HDD and SSD will give you good performance. 970M is the only chip really worth buying too.

Only thing Id want to check is what the panel PCS use is like. A shíte screen would drive up the wall.

Will ask them about that, thanks

Muzi5434

Read this review that suggests the screen is TN. What is the issue with TN?

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?43026-Proteus-II-review

K.O.Kiki

Muzi5434 wrote: »

Read this review that suggests the screen is TN. What is the issue with TN?

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?43026-Proteus-II-review

http://www.tnpanel.com/tn-vs-ips-va/

TL;DR

TN has good response time but horrible viewing angles and colour reproduction.

Muzi5434

Thanks for that. Was about to order but they've suggested that the GTX 970m will be in stock on 15/09/2015. That's a very long wait.

Any other websites, I could order from?

K.O.Kiki

Muzi5434 wrote: »

Thanks for that. Was about to order but they've suggested that the GTX 970m will be in stock on 15/09/2015. That's a very long wait.

Any other websites, I could order from?

Honestly, an Alienware 15 from eBay is a good buy; just don't buy from US as VAT will be a killer.

Muzi5434

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Honestly, an Alienware 15 from eBay is a good buy; just don't buy from US as VAT will be a killer.

I was able to purchase an alienware 15 from their website for €1,500 with 16gb ram. Usual starting price for i7 with 8gb ram is €1,550, so happy out