CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560
Hey guys I am new to this website and I am looking for friendly advice to find the ideal pc that will suit my needs. Be prepared for my insane list of "ideals/wants" for a limited budget. I know some of the things I ask for may seem impossible with the budget I am about to give but anything close will suffice. And i know a desktop would be best but I prefer a laptop for the sake of portability and on the go and school etc. So let’s get cracking!!!!!!!!!!

Games I Am Going to Play: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed, Battlefield, Crysis, Arkham Origins, LOL
Processor: i5 or i7 or its AMD equivalents (whichever is best towards gaming)
Graphics Card: (whatever I will need to play these bad boys. Can be either any brand as long as it has the drives and support available)
Screen Size: 14’’ or 15.6’’ no bigger no smaller
Memory: 8 GB+ (or however much I will need)
Storage: 1TB or a decent size SSD (hopefully that’s not asking for too much)
Display: 1920x1080p (I guess if necessary I can deal with a 1600x900)
Keyboard: A backlit keyboard (not a must but would be nice)
Sound: I need the kind of sound that when you hear it you sh!t yourself (not necessary but would be nice)
Optical Drive: (this is a must unless I have to sacrifice it for the SAKE OF BEAST MODE) (can’t go wrong if it has Blu-Ray)
Power Supply: (don’t know much about this so whatever will power this bad boy)
Wireless Card: (don’t know much about this so whatever will power this bad boy)

NOW THE SCARY PART THE BUDGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Budget: Under $900!!! (Now I know this will be hard to find all of these things for that budget but if you can find a laptop that I can upgrade over time that will be a great option so that way if I can’t put everything inside it; that I will have the option to make it better/catch up as time progresses)(Also I’m trying to stay away from building my own custom one although that would be the best just because I am scared of warranty and my failing to assemble it right or if I do assemble it right I am afraid that it may short circuit or malfunction down the line)(So what you can do is if you can give me a laptop that is close/customizable to the specs I listed and next to it put the components I would use if I were going to build it so that way I have 2 options to look at)(1 prebuilt/customizable and 2 a list of parts to build one)
Thank you so much for your time everyone and I hope to get as much help as I can on this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Solution
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313742
This laptop would match these needs, but if you really want the bigger HDD, this is the same laptop with a 1TB HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313739

Let's get into detail:
For the processor, an i5 is enough for gaming, i7 CPUs are used for editing.
The graphics card configuration of the laptop is a powerful one so no problems there.
The memory is only 6GB but that will do for now and can be upgraded in the future.
Display and storage match your requirements.
The sound is what it is, but you really shouldn't expect much from a laptop without external speakers.
Power supplies and wireless cards come with the laptop and need not be worried...

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313742
This laptop would match these needs, but if you really want the bigger HDD, this is the same laptop with a 1TB HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313739

Let's get into detail:
For the processor, an i5 is enough for gaming, i7 CPUs are used for editing.
The graphics card configuration of the laptop is a powerful one so no problems there.
The memory is only 6GB but that will do for now and can be upgraded in the future.
Display and storage match your requirements.
The sound is what it is, but you really shouldn't expect much from a laptop without external speakers.
Power supplies and wireless cards come with the laptop and need not be worried about.

The only downside is the lack of a DVD drive, but I'd say it's worth it.

I'm also not sure if it has a backlit keyboard or not since the overview says it does, but the specs say it doesn't.
 
Solution

CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560


Is this a new computer? And does it have a regular hard drive or a solid state? I am assuming solid state because it says SSHD? And because it has dual graphic cards can I still add more hard drive storage and memory?
 

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260


Yes, it's completely unused. The SSHD means it has a hybrid drive. What a SSHD is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIp1jgKnv8

Yes, you can still add more memory. not sure about adding more space since laptops don't tend to have empty space for an extra HDD, but you could always just get an external one.
 

CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560


Would you recommend me getting more memory? Like will adding more change the performance of my gaming? And despite it having no optical drive because of the dual graphic cards I can still use an external one correct? And lastly what fps would I be expecting roughly on ultra settings for games like Arkham Origins, Crysis 3, Bioshock Infinite and/or Assassin's Creed at 1080p since this bad boy is running the 755m sli? Like will I notice a big difference from the dual vs the single?
 

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260

CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560


So pretty much I don't need to upgrade or add anything as this configuration will satisfy my needs right? I'll probably buy the 1 tb over the 500 gb that's about it. Because you said I don't need an i7 to game nor do I need to add extra memory. So I guess I am good to go :D? Any last recommendations you have to offer to enhance my gaming experience? Like any software I should buy or any additional hardware? One last question what difference will you notice with an i7 processor while gaming vs the i5?
 

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260


Usually there's not so much of a difference between an i5 and an i7 since most games don't utilize 8 threads. In any case, you will not notice the difference. You are pretty much good to go! The external disc drive might come in handy though. As far as software goes, get a good free antivirus like Avast and firewall like Comodo dragon and you're good to go.
 

CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560


Ok thanks so much for all the help I think I finally have my mind set on this computer. Lastly I was doing a bit of research regarding the drivers and games not recognizing the graphics card for this computer. Will I have to install any drivers upon buying the laptop? And I know with the single gt755m version of this computer that it has an intel hd 4600 integrated gpu and the dedicated gt755m gpu right? So does this dual one have the integrated intel hd 4600 and 2 dedicated gpus or is it just the 2 dedicated gpus and no intel hd 4600.

 

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260
If you have to install drivers, you can find them on Nvidia's website. Some older games can't utilize 2 graphics cards, but that's not a problem since those games are not very intensive anyway.

Whether you have 2 of the 755m cards or only 1, you'll still have the Intel HD graphics as they're built into the CPU. In either of those cases, your PC can't utilize the integrated graphics, except while using some video editing and rendering programs.
 

CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560


Ok so because I have the Intel HD graphics (is the correct term integrated?) will I have the option of turning on/off which graphic card I want to use so that I don't consume too much power when I am doing simple tasks. Like if I am simply surfing the web and watching videos can I turn off the NVidia gt 755m graphic cards and use the Intel HD graphics only? And if I do have this option when I turn off the NVidia graphic card can I turn them both off? Or will 1 always be on regardless? And is it possible to have all 3 graphic cards running at the same time? I know the Intel HD graphics is not much of a powerhouse or anything significant but if you could have all 3 on at the same time wouldn't it boost game performance regardless of how crappy of a card it is?

 

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260
Yes, the term is correct. I don't think you can turn the cards off easily, but they're made for laptops so they don't consume much power when you're not gaming. It's also not possible to use all three GPUs on normal tasks or gaming, only certain video editing and rendering software can take advantage of that.
 

CrimsonKid

Estimable
Apr 14, 2014
14
0
4,560


But when you are gaming the game will utilize both dedicated GPUs though right?
 

Eduello

Estimable
Mar 2, 2014
472
0
5,260


Yes