Which of these 2 gaming laptops should I buy?

DrRobotnik7 · Aug 7, 2017

Hi all,

I have a tight budget and after much research I've got a choice between two laptops.

One is refurbished and has a GTX 970M GPU but is much cheaper, the other is new and has a GTX 1060 GPU but costs about £150 more. I don't mind getting a refurbished laptop at all, it's certified refurbished by ASUS and has a 1 year warranty, and I can return it for free if I don't like the blemishes it might have. The question is more whether it's worth spending £150 more to get the GTX 1060.

I don't really want to spend that extra money as they are still both entry level GPUs and I don't play that many top end AAA games anyway, mostly stuff like Civilization 6, Total War Warhammer and Endless Legend. And I'm sure the 970M will be able to play most new games I might want for years to come, even if on medium settings. But if the GTX 1060 really is worth that much more I might consider it.

What are your thoughts? Specs below. Thanks in advance!

1. ASUS ROG GL502VT - REFURBISHED
15.6" Full HD IPS screen
Intel Core i7-6700HQ - 2.6 GHz turbo boost to 3.6 Ghz
NVIDIA Geforce GTX 970M 3GB
8GB DDR4
128GB SSD + 1TB HDD

2. ASUS ROG GL502VM
15.6" Full HD screen (I think it's IPS...)

starscream27 · Aug 7, 2017

Hello,

Though 970m is a very capable GPU, GTX 1060 is significantly faster and should serve you better in the long run. and since the GPU is not upgradeable and you will be stuck with it, i'd say paying extra is worth it to future proof you investment a bit better. Finally, the 1060 laptop is new while the other one is refurb so that's another point in its favor

you can check the performance bench here:
https

/www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-970M.126694.0.html
https

/www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1060-Laptop-Benchmarks-and-Specs.169547.0.html

cheers

PCMACPC · Aug 7, 2017

With the 900 series GPU's from Nvidia, there was a big difference in performance between the desktop version (GTX 970) and the mobile version (GTX 970m).

The mobile version from the GTX 1060, is also called the GTX 1060, because the performance is way more close to the performance from the desktop version.

So go with the GTX 1060 version for way better performance.

DrRobotnik7 · Aug 7, 2017

starscream27 :

Thanks for your response. How long do you expect the laptop with the 1060 to last?

Originally I planned to build a gaming PC but it was looking expensive to get the spec I wanted. So as a compromise for now, so that I can play at least some games, the refurbished 970M might be best. Otherwise I'm getting quite close to the cost of building the PC!

PCMACPC · Aug 7, 2017

I wouldn't recommend getting the 970M. While you can still play some games with it, it's not a very strong card, compared to the GTX 1060.

Why you don't build a pc with a GTX 1050ti?

DrRobotnik7 · Aug 7, 2017

For now, the portability of a laptop suits me more. I will look into the cost of building a PC around a 1050Ti though, just in case. But as the 1060 is far better than that and overall it's much cheaper to get that laptop vs building the PC (with all the peripherals etc.) maybe I just get the 1060 laptop.

How long do you think the 1060 GL02 would be good for? I'm not too fussed about playing all the newest games on Ultra to be honest...

PCMACPC · Aug 7, 2017

Ok. I think you can still use it for some years. Over time you maybe need to lower down some settings, but it's a pretty solid card.

DrRobotnik7 · Aug 7, 2017

PCMACPC :

Just realised I didn't post the full spec for the 2nd option.

2. ASUS ROG GL502VM
15.6" Full HD screen (I think it's IPS...)
Intel Core i5-7300HQ - 2.8 GHz turbo boost to 3.5 Ghz
NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 3GB
12GB DDR4
128GB SSD + 1TB HDD

I may go for that instead then although it's £150 more. It just feels a waste of money as I probably won't utilise the full potential of that GPU for a long time.

PCMACPC · Aug 7, 2017

Yep.

Also check this:
http

/gpuboss.com/gpus/GeForce-GTX-970M-vs-GeForce-GTX-1060-Mobile

In the Battlefield 4 benchmark, they managed to get almost double the FPS with the GTX 1060.

ComputerGeek21 · Aug 7, 2017

the 970 is just weaker than the gtx 1060 (3gb) however the gab widens when you add the extra 3 gbs of vram (total 6GBs)

ComputerGeek21 · Aug 7, 2017

also i have the same core (6700HQ) and its quite good. i've never had it cause a bottle neck but i don't play the most intensive games on the net
(rainbow six siege or rust is probably my most intensive games)

DrRobotnik7 · Aug 7, 2017

That's a good point. How does the 970M compare to the 1060 3GB? I believe that's the GPU in the more expensive laptop. Is it worth £150 extra, or only for the 6GB version?

ComputerGeek21 · Aug 7, 2017

http

/gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-970M-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-Mobile/m17319vsm164336

PCMACPC · Aug 7, 2017

The 3 GB version is slower than the 6GB version. But it's still faster than the GTX 970M.
With the 3GB desktop version on 1080p you will get a little less framerates than the 6GB version, but it's still doing a good job. With the mobile version I think it will be the same.

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