Which laptop would be the best choice?

cockroach · Nov 16, 2016

Dear Tomsguide, I'm planning on getting a new laptop. Which would you recommend? I spend minimum 10 hours a day on my laptop (online studies, it sucks). Besides the studies, I want it to handle a few top notch games. Budget is $800, max 850ish. These are the options:

1. ASUS ROG GL551 Series GL551JW-DS71
-4th Generation Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.60 GHz
-16 GB RAM
-1 TB HDD
-GeForce GTX 960M 2 GB
(many known faults in previous generations)
2. Dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK
-6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz
-8 GB RAM
-1 TB HDD + 8 GB SSD Hybrid Drive
-GeForce GTX 960M 4GB
(Not sure what to feel, few biased opinions)
3. Lenovo Y700
-6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz
-8 GB RAM
-1 TB HDD
-GeForce GTX 960M 4GB
(Read some reviews, 50/50 opinion on it)
4. ASUS K501UX
-6th Generation Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz
-8GB RAM
-256GB SSD
-GeForce GTX 950M 2GB
(My laptop CPU outperforms this, and I really don't want a downgrade)
5. MSI GL62 6QF-893
-6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz
-12GB RAM
-GeForce GTX 960M 2GB
- 128GB SSD + 1TB
(Not sure what to feel about MSI, i saw plenty bad reviews, could be certain models though)
6. MSI GP62 LEOPARD PRO-870
(Not sure what to feel about MSI, i saw plenty bad reviews, could be certain models though)
7.SAGER NP7256
(Same point as MSI)
These all have relatively similar specs. My problem is that I read a few negative comments about each, and I'm not sure which one should be it. I need reliability, a daily driveable beast, and an upgrade from my current one.
My current device

Asus K55VJ
-i7-3630QM
-8gb RAM
-256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
-Nvidia GT 635M 2GB

If you have any other laptop in mind please recommend it. The slight differences in CPU and GPU , and the RAM and storage are all flexible. I need the one with the least known faults, and that will last me long. 2 HDD drive spaces would be nice(again not a necessity), battery life is not important, weight is not a problem. (I do not want a bleeding display!) Please don't recommend any HP or Acer.
Thank you!
(Sorry for the long post, I tried to get as much info in as I could)

GreyCatz · Nov 16, 2016

Greetings, cockroach:

A quick run-down of your list reveals 2 machines that stand out. The Dell Inspiron and the Lenovo Y700 offer a 4GB GTX960M GPU and should consequently end any further debate right there. But both machines are fundamentally business/productivity rigs hastily tarted up to compete in the gaming segment. And with this Lenovo (any Lenovo in fact) you need to check the display panel; I could be wrong about this Y700 - and please correct me - but I almost guarantee you that they've put a crappy TN panel in it, which means you need an external monitor to be able to use it at all.

As for the rest, the Sager is a bit of a dark horse - capable but still a dark horse. Between ASUS and MSI I can only say that 2GBs of graphics power is a bit on the low end for AAA gaming at high-to-ultra settings. But check out this page for more details:

http

/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphics-Cards.13849.0.html?type=&sort=&archive=1&perfrating=1&or=0&itemselect_7362=7362&itemselect_5964=5964&itemselect_5965=5965&itemselect_6157=6157&gameselect%5B%5D=411&gameselect%5B%5D=409&gameselect%5B%5D=405&gameselect%5B%5D=407&gameselect%5B%5D=402&gameselect%5B%5D=400&gameselect%5B%5D=398&gameselect%5B%5D=396&gameselect%5B%5D=388&gameselect%5B%5D=386&gameselect%5B%5D=384&gameselect%5B%5D=377&gameselect%5B%5D=375&gameselect%5B%5D=373&gameselect%5B%5D=371&gameselect%5B%5D=366&gameselect%5B%5D=361&gameselect%5B%5D=359&gameselect%5B%5D=355&gameselect%5B%5D=351&gameselect%5B%5D=332&gameselect%5B%5D=329&gameselect%5B%5D=293&gpu_fullname=1

Dell and Lenovo aren't bad at gaming machines, they just seem a bit clueless sometimes. With an ASUS or an MSI at least you get a machine that was designed for gaming from the very start, which is apparent already at the BIOS/UEFI level. The amount of gaming-specific software that is factory-installed is also very telling. Specifically, it tells me that Dell and Lenovo still have a long way to go. Then again, if you spend most of your time studying, you might appreciate some of the business/productivity features that Lenovo and Dell excel at.

Finally, just out of curiosity - exactly what is your beef with HP and Acer?

Best of luck,
GreyCatz.

cockroach · Nov 16, 2016

GreyCatz :

Hello, I see you base your argument on the VRAM. I see in http

/www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2684508/gtx-960-2gb-4gb.html that some people say the 2GB is sufficient. But I think I'll ditch the 2GB ones.(If going pro, then go entirely pro)
I do not really care for the business/productivity features, I have all the software I use, the laptop I have now is great, but I need a better spec machine for when I am pushing the limits.

And for HP and Acer, in my personal experience, every single HP that friends/family had, had overheating issues. (every single HP I've known of to date) And for Acer, the build quality is just awful. It's a shame though, their prices and specs are great, I've only read about them lasting more than 2 years, I have yet to see one last that long. All personal experience and opinion though.

And for my laptop, Is there any other laptop model you recommend? I've read about leaking displays, one of which was in fact a lenovo Y700, so that leaves me with the dell. Are there any more laptops worth mentioning?

Edit: I have just realized the dell has only one hard drive slot. I would either like two, or replace the optical drive with a caddy. The dell has no optical drive though.
Edit 2: the dell has an M.2 ssd along with a regular sata port.(AKA: it's still in competition) I'm open to more recommendations, if not then this is what I'll get.

GreyCatz · Nov 16, 2016

cockroach :

GreyCatz :

Hello, I see you base your argument on the VRAM. I see in http

/www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2684508/gtx-960-2gb-4gb.html that some people say the 2GB is sufficient. But I think I'll ditch the 2GB ones.(If going pro, then go entirely pro)
I do not really care for the business/productivity features, I have all the software I use, the laptop I have now is great, but I need a better spec machine for when I am pushing the limits.

And for HP and Acer, in my personal experience, every single HP that friends/family had, had overheating issues. (every single HP I've known of to date) And for Acer, the build quality is just awful. It's a shame though, their prices and specs are great, I've only read about them lasting more than 2 years, I have yet to see one last that long. All personal experience and opinion though.

And for my laptop, Is there any other laptop model you recommend? I've read about leaking displays, one of which was in fact a lenovo Y700, so that leaves me with the dell. Are there any more laptops worth mentioning?

Edit: I have just realized the dell has only one hard drive slot. I would either like two, or replace the optical drive with a caddy. The dell has no optical drive though.
Edit 2: the dell has an M.2 ssd along with a regular sata port.(AKA: it's still in competition) I'm open to more recommendations, if not then this is what I'll get.

I'm pretty sure the Lenovo also only has 1 HDD slot (and no ODD either). But I just checked and it does come with an IPS panel.

As for alternatives, I can only think of 1 other gaming machine that could be relevant - but sadly, it's an Acer Predator, so.... (3GB GTX970 and priced at $970)

With an added M.2 slot the Dell does seem to come out on top. But let me just expand a bit on my previous comments: The ASUS and MSI laptops on your list are really entry-level models, with entry-level specs. The only reason they can appear on a list like this is price constraints. If you were to go by specifications, you would see a significant price difference between this Lenovo Y700 and an MSI with similar specs. Going by price, any MSI or ASUS ROG is bound to come out short.

Best of luck with the Dell,
GreyCatz.

cockroach · Nov 16, 2016

GreyCatz :

cockroach :

I'm pretty sure the Lenovo also only has 1 HDD slot (and no ODD either). But I just checked and it does come with an IPS panel.

As for alternatives, I can only think of 1 other gaming machine that could be relevant - but sadly, it's an Acer Predator, so.... (3GB GTX970 and priced at $970)

With an added M.2 slot the Dell does seem to come out on top. But let me just expand a bit on my previous comments: The ASUS and MSI laptops on your list are really entry-level models, with entry-level specs. The only reason they can appear on a list like this is price constraints. If you were to go by specifications, you would see a significant price difference between this Lenovo Y700 and an MSI with similar specs. Going by price, any MSI or ASUS ROG is bound to come out short.

Best of luck with the Dell,
GreyCatz.

I see now that there are many 4GB options with a quad core i5. What do you think about those? It seems to outperform my current i7(and my processor can take anything)
I am looking at these two right now.
https

/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXCBXQO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiknix-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01LXCBXQO&linkId=324c34d4f4d88dfcb21492293fe9872c
https

/www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ
They seem to offer ssd's right away. Again, if you think of any i5 with a 4GB GPU, please mention.

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Which laptop would be the best choice?

cockroach

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cockroach

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GreyCatz

Admirable

cockroach

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