Looking for advice on new laptop

liezryou · Sep 14, 2014

First of all i am in the market for a new laptop, my max budget is 800$. This will be used mainly for gaming and watching videos. Ideally I'd like something that doesn't run too hot as i will be using this in a very hot area with no A/C (My previous two HP laptop all have run into overheating issues).

I recently got offered by someone a M17X R4 (Alienware) with a GTX 680M for ~800$. The laptop is about 1.5 Years used since purchase date.

Now my question is, should i buy this, considering it's used and how quickly laptops tend to die OR should i buy a new laptop with a 860M (Or 960M if it comes out soon) around the same price [I'd be willing to add ~100$ more for a new one]?

How about the graphics capabilities? Is 680M OR 860M/960M stronger?

Thanks in advance for any help or insight you can give.

darkbreeze · Sep 14, 2014

My advice would be to not buy the Alienware unit. Every Alienware laptop I've encountered that had a GPU capable of decent gaming had heat and thermal issues. Some of the newest models have apparently addressed that issue to some degree but until long term results appear I am unconvinced.

800.00 is pretty low for a gaming laptop. Probably even unrealistic. If you can find a laptop with a 680m for under 800 bucks, new, I'd say get it. I wouldn't buy a used though because if you do have thermal problems you're out of luck.

This is probably one of the better game capable units you'll find near the 800.00 mark:

http

/us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/NX.MMCAA.004

or the Lenovo Y50 (59428533) is much better but is about two hundred bucks more.

liezryou · Sep 14, 2014

darkbreeze :

"As far as temps go, I use a cooling pad and I'm around 50-60 c under full load." That's what the previous owner is saying. That being said that's probably in a room with an A/C.

He said he's willing to run any test or benchmark i want. Is there any i can get him to run to see what is the thermal status of the GPU? As in, how long could i last without encountering heat issues?

Also 1000$ is a bit higher the my budget (It would help if you answered my question about 680M vs 860M performance). I understand that at the 800 mark a decent gaming laptop is hard to get, which is why I'm a bit interested in this laptop that easily retails for 1.5k+ new.

Now if there are thermal issues, could those be repaired somehow (can take it to a local repair shop)?

darkbreeze · Sep 14, 2014

The 680m is a significantly better performer than the 860m. It might not support some of the newer instructions and features that the 860 does though. Either GPU is pretty good.

Thermal issues can't really be "repaired". They either run too hot by poor design, or not. The efficiency of the fan or fans can degrade over time and the thermal paste can lose some effectiveness but neither one usually corrects a unit with working components that has begun overheating, except in a few exceptional circumstances. In those cases replacement of the cpu or gpu fan or a repaste may help.

liezryou · Sep 14, 2014

darkbreeze :

So if it's running 50-60c at full load right now, it would be safe to say that there's no design fault in the heat? So any fault would therefore arise to thermal pase/fan issue, which can be repaired?

Any idea bout the 900 series release date? Is it possible there will be some sales on it for black friday?

Also in the way of AMD i found this http

/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834198046 at a pretty decent price, is there any reason it's discounted so heavily? That GPU is better then the 860M right?

Thanks for your all your help!

darkbreeze · Sep 14, 2014

Seems like a good deal, at first. Some reviews suggest that the unit might have a single fan rather than dual fans and therefore insufficient cooling. If this model does have dual fans, which I can't seem to verify or refute, it might be ok. They are probably dumping off these older models in preparation for the release of a plethora of new releases that are upcoming.

60c at full load isn't bad, if it's actually at full load. It should be tested at full GPU load, which is where the trouble usually becomes apparent. Even better would be both cpu and gpu at full load for a period of at least ten minutes while monitoring cpu socket temp and gpu temp using HWinfo or another similar utility.

As far as the 900 series, you know as much as I do since it hasn't been released and therefore there can be no knowledge of what will or won't be available and on sale. Generally, newly released hardware is in high demand and not discounted until it's been out for a while.

liezryou · Sep 14, 2014

darkbreeze :

Ok cool, so looks like I'm going to be going for a 860M laptop. One last question, how are clevo/sager notebooks? I found a couple of 860M models cheaper then the lenovo Y50 and they seem to have a pretty decent student discount. But to be fair, I've heard lenovo build quality is excellent.

Edit: ZZZ Just my luck, the 59428533 y50 model was on sale as a daily deal on newegg 5 days ago for 930$

.

darkbreeze · Sep 14, 2014

Lenovo builds very good products and although I've only personally owned one Lenovo product, all indications are that Lenovo is #1 in post-sales customer service for PC products. Apple is rated higher but for what you pay it should be.

The Clevo/Sagar products are not worth the price. The company itself offers little to no customer service, from what I've read on numerous forums, relying instead on their third party sellers. While some places, like Xotic, who sell this brand, have good customer service, I don't think the products themselves are as high of quality as they ought to be for what you pay. Also, other mainstream brands offer better products at similar price points.

http

/xoticpcforums.com/showthread.php?15366-Never-Buy-a-Sager-EVER

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