Gaming Laptop ~2k budget

Thargor · 05-05-2015 11:43AM #1

Hi, I'm thinking of going with a gaming laptop for my next pc, haven't looked at specs in about 2 years so a bit clueless. Are desktops still way ahead? Laptops back then seemed to be catching up with desktop level specs in the new Alienwares and Origins and others...

Anyway Im looking for a 17 inch laptop in the €1500-2000 range. As I said Im a bit behind on specs so basically I want a beast of a gaming machine with the best possible display, huge storage (SSDs), easily upgradeable in future + maintenance myself and most importantly able to run all todays games at max settings and hopefully a few years into the future aswell.

Any suggestions welcome! Is it too soon for 4K? Should I wait a few months for something on the horizon? Where is even the best place to look at laptops these days? Ive been out of the loop for a while as I said. Should I look at dell XPS machines or are they obsolete now? Might be able to get a trade discount on Dells...

psychomantis · 05-05-2015 11:50AM

Thargor wrote: »

Hi, I'm thinking of going with a gaming laptop for my next pc, haven't looked at specs in about 2 years so a bit clueless. Are desktops still way ahead? Laptops back then seemed to be catching up with desktop level specs in the new Alienwares and Origins and others...

Anyway Im looking for a 17 inch laptop in the €1500-2000 range. As I said Im a bit behind on specs so basically I want a beast of a gaming machine with the best possible display, huge storage (SSDs), easily upgradeable in future + maintenance myself and most importantly able to run all todays games at max settings and hopefully a few years into the future aswell.

Any suggestions welcome! Is it too soon for 4K? Should I wait a few months for something on the horizon? Where is even the best place to look at laptops these days? Ive been out of the loop for a while as I said. Should I look at dell XPS machines or are they obsolete now? Might be able to get a trade discount on Dells...

On that budget I'd build a PC

the_syco · 05-05-2015 11:58AM

Thargor wrote: »

easily upgradeable in future

You can upgrade the RAM and harddrive in future, but nothing else.

Thargor wrote: »

maintenance myself and most importantly able to run all todays games at max settings and hopefully a few years into the future aswell.

Best of going for a PC if you want max settings.

K.O.Kiki · 05-05-2015 11:58AM

Forget XPS, you want a look at Alienware (Dell), Asus, or MSI.

At your budget, most will have Intel i7 47xx CPUs and Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 GPUs.

Too soon for 4K gaming on laptop, but 1080p (native res) should be smooth.

Notebookcheck has a good listing of reviews: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Notebookcheck-s-Top-10-Gaming-Notebooks.98628.0.html

B00MSTICK · 05-05-2015 12:06PM

The Alienware 13 can take an external graphics card (needs an additional graphics amplifier €€€) but the CPU is a big bottleneck. Id say the same tech will be released for the larger models which may be some sort of future proofing.
Still though, I'd go for a desktop unless there's a big reason not to.

Thargor · 05-05-2015 12:53PM

But I want a laptop, thats why I posted this in laptops

2 years ago I was reading about Origin and alienware cramming desktop components into their laptops, has that changed? Forgot about 4k and upgrading then. I do see regular articles on Gizmodo and Engadget and other places about laptop x fully competing with desktops in the gaming stakes, usually an alienware or an Origin etc, will 2k not get me something like that

K.O.Kiki · 05-05-2015 02:01PM

B00MSTICK wrote: »

The Alienware 13 can take an external graphics card (needs an additional graphics amplifier €€€) but the CPU is a big bottleneck. Id say the same tech will be released for the larger models which may be some sort of future proofing.
Still though, I'd go for a desktop unless there's a big reason not to.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-msi-gs30-shadow-with-gaming-dock-review
The MSI GS30 goes the other way; it has a powerful CPU, but without the dock it relies on the integrated Intel Iris Pro.

I'm happy enough with my Alienware 13 though; apart from the budget screen (TN panel) & trackpad (nowhere near as good as Apple).
Gets 4-6hrs battery life thanks to the low-power 15W i5500U.

*edit*
The Alienware 15 & 17 support the Graphics Amplifier now, too.

Thargor · 05-05-2015 02:13PM

Gaming docks are out, do not want.

SterlingArcher · 05-05-2015 02:33PM

Have you tried pc specialist .

Done a quick one up. With this configuration

17 inch full 1080p HD screen.

i7 quad core

Gtx 980m

8 gig ram

120gig ssd

1tb hdd

Just under 2000.

Thargor · 05-05-2015 03:02PM

Thanks, Is that good? Shouldn't I be ordering from France or Germany with the Euro in the toilet?

SterlingArcher · 05-05-2015 03:49PM

Thargor wrote: »

Thanks, Is that good? Shouldn't I be ordering from France or Germany with the Euro in the toilet?

Well compare them specs to a dell, Msi or something.

Frankly I'm not buying anything right now, but I'm in no rush.

Thargor · 05-05-2015 03:59PM

What are you waiting for? Im in no rush either.

SterlingArcher · 05-05-2015 04:03PM

Thargor wrote: »

What are you waiting for? Im in no rush either.

Santy clause. To bring me stuff for free.

Thargor · 05-05-2015 04:05PM

Ah, not waiting that long.

Can I even just get suggestions for places to look for gaming laptops? Is PC Specialist the best or something?

the_syco · 05-05-2015 04:13PM

Maybe http://www.komplett.ie/laptops ?

Check the MSI builds.

SterlingArcher · 05-05-2015 04:24PM

the_syco wrote: »

Maybe http://www.komplett.ie/laptops ?

Check the MSI builds.

The last one 1999 dont look too bad at all. Check reviews for this one. Maybe price it on amazon.Co.UK See how much difference there is.

the_syco · 05-05-2015 05:14PM

SterlingArcher wrote: »

The last one 1999 dont look too bad at all. Check reviews for this one. Maybe price it on amazon.Co.UK See how much difference there is.

Euro is poor against the pound atm. If the user doesn't care about the letters on their keyboard(german keys, etc), maybe check out hardwareversand.de ?

K.O.Kiki · 05-05-2015 07:24PM

With boutique builders like PC Specialist, it helps to do a good Google search; a lot of their cases are based around MSI or Gigabyte barebones chassis so you can find a review for a similar laptop with same specs pretty easily.

Last thing you want is to end up with a stinker that drowns the room in noise as soon as you start playing.

Lu Tze · 05-05-2015 09:23PM

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

With boutique builders like PC Specialist, it helps to do a good Google search; a lot of their cases are based around MSI or Gigabyte barebones chassis so you can find a review for a similar laptop with same specs pretty easily.

Last thing you want is to end up with a stinker that drowns the room in noise as soon as you start playing.

I think most of the custm laptop builder chasis are clevo based, not msi or gigabyte
.

Edit: as regards Desktop vs Laptop, there is no comparison at the same price points, at €2000 you are nearly in 4K territory with a desktop. A €2000 laptop will likely be competitive with a ~€800 desktop. a 290x in the desktop will outperform the fastest mobile graphics card.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-980M

And you have the option to upgrade or crossfire down the line if required

MiskyBoyy · 05-05-2015 09:26PM

Take a look here:

http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/custom/gaming-pcs-uk/laptop

Thargor · 05-05-2015 09:44PM

Lu Tze wrote: »

I think most of the custm laptop builder chasis are clevo based, not msi or gigabyte
.

Edit: as regards Desktop vs Laptop, there is no comparison at the same price points, at €2000 you are nearly in 4K territory with a desktop. A €2000 laptop will likely be competitive with a ~€800 desktop. a 290x in the desktop will outperform the fastest mobile graphics card.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290X-vs-GeForce-GTX-980M

And you have the option to upgrade or crossfire down the line if required

What about all these 4k laptops though?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=4k+laptop&tag=googiehydra-21&index=aps&hvadid=62291974279&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8169517651755450729&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_21698m20t7_e

Should I just wait 6 months?

K.O.Kiki · 05-05-2015 09:51PM

Thargor wrote: »

What about all these 4k laptops though?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=4k+laptop&tag=googiehydra-21&index=aps&hvadid=62291974279&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8169517651755450729&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_21698m20t7_e

Should I just wait 6 months?

They have 4K screens; doesn't mean they can run modern games at native resolution (that's up to the GPU/CPU).

It's highly doubtful any laptop GPU in the next 6 months can run at those resolutions anyway, so just do a little research & buy what you want.

There's ALWAYS something "better" around the corner, but I'd rather just play games now than wait.

moc moc a moc · 06-05-2015 12:41AM

IMO gaming laptops make no sense unless you have money to burn and already have a beast of a desktop machine. No laptop is going to be able to run at full throttle for much more than an hour on battery, and if you have to plug it in to game then that defeats the purpose of a laptop to begin with.

For 2K you could get a desktop with a good bit of horsepower for gaming and a basic laptop for portability.

MiskyBoyy · 06-05-2015 01:12AM

moc moc a moc wrote: »

and if you have to plug it in to game then that defeats the purpose of a laptop to begin with.

Except if you're travelling a lot, plugging it in on trains & buses etc then you can game on the go

But I agree with you, I would rather invest the money in a tower based setup personally.

5star02707 · 06-05-2015 10:19AM

Thargor wrote: »

Hi, I'm thinking of going with a gaming laptop for my next pc, haven't looked at specs in about 2 years so a bit clueless. Are desktops still way ahead? Laptops back then seemed to be catching up with desktop level specs in the new Alienwares and Origins and others...

Anyway Im looking for a 17 inch laptop in the €1500-2000 range. As I said Im a bit behind on specs so basically I want a beast of a gaming machine with the best possible display, huge storage (SSDs), easily upgradeable in future + maintenance myself and most importantly able to run all todays games at max settings and hopefully a few years into the future aswell.

Any suggestions welcome! Is it too soon for 4K? Should I wait a few months for something on the horizon? Where is even the best place to look at laptops these days? Ive been out of the loop for a while as I said. Should I look at dell XPS machines or are they obsolete now? Might be able to get a trade discount on Dells...

I would Strongly recommend the MSI GT72 970m or better 980m

Can get it on Ebay from germany easily between 1.5k - 2k euros depending on the configurations you want

Thargor · 06-05-2015 10:32AM

I think Ive relied on my laptop battery twice in the past 4 years tbh and I use it most days a week.

How much of a performance hit are we talking about on an 1800 - 2k laptop roughly? Will I be able to play Skyrim on ultra high settings? Will I still be able to play new games at decent fps in 3 years time? Thats what Im trying to get a feel for...

If you had 2 grand in your pocket and had to buy a 17" laptop today what would you go for? Does nobody buy Alienware anymore?

Thargor · 06-05-2015 10:43AM

5star02707 wrote: »

I would Strongly recommend the MSI GT72 970m or better 980m

Can get it on Ebay from germany easily between 1.5k - 2k euros depending on the configurations you want

Thanks, the Msi comes up a lot from what I can see.

What to do... Im worried about missing out on 4k and whether Id be better off waiting for a few months, or can you even tell the difference on a 17 inch screen?

5star02707 · 06-05-2015 10:51AM

i would not be too bothered on the 4k resolutions unless you're in to that. 1080p still works fine for now atleast for me, it just really depends on the game you play if it supports 4k and how clear you want your screen is i.e. when playing games of watching movies.

http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/What-Is-.../What-is-2K-and-4K-Video-88297.aspx

EDIT: here's a side by side comparison not much difference but it's what Ultra HD is (4k)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC37OBcYc7o

K.O.Kiki · 06-05-2015 11:01AM

Thargor wrote: »

Thanks, the Msi comes up a lot from what I can see.

What to do... Im worried about missing out on 4k and whether Id be better off waiting for a few months, or can you even tell the difference on a 17 inch screen?

Screen resolution =/= quality.

Lots of Lenovo laptops come with high-def screens but are (by all reviews) utter ****.

Thargor · 06-05-2015 01:34PM

https://www.oculus.com/blog/first-look-at-the-rift-shipping-q1-2016/

I see the consumer rift is down for a 2016 release, might hold off for a while until I see what its requirements are like...

K.O.Kiki · 07-05-2015 02:11PM

4K gaming on notebook GPUs

tl;dr not feasible

Gaming Laptop ~2k budget

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