£850 Gaming Laptop

[rickyrayner26]

Hello guys

Bought a Defiance 14" from PCSpecialist about 30 months ago and fancying an upgrade due to various reasons.

Whats the best bang for buck config I can get for circa £850? Ill be playing mid range games( TotalWar,Football Manager,Indie Games,LOL etc).

I would like an SSD drive as primary (this is what im used to).

Any help/advice/builds would be greatly anticipated. Im willing to trade off size for performance etc.

Thanks

Rick

 

[Oussebon]

What's your old defiance's spec exactly?

Depending on what it is, there might not be much in the way of an upgrade for £850. At £850 you'd be looking at a laptop with a GTX 1050 ti, which is about the same as a GTX 970M.

 

[rickyrayner26]

Thanks for the reply. Its a 960m,8gb ram and i3 processor. I can stretch my budget if its worth it.

 

[Oussebon]

If you want an SSD, about the cheapest spec I'd say is worth getting in general terms is something like this:


Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 7300HQ (2.5GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Battery
Optimus VIII Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price £882.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusviii-15/Zw55!G5Uta/

In your case, the i5 would be an upgrade, and the 1050 ti would be a big upgrade over a 960M.



However... while a big upgrade and a fine enough card for the budget when buying a brand new system, the 1050 ti is still quite mid-range, and I would say there's at least a fair chance that in 30 months you may find yourself looking for a new system. Buying a new laptop every 2.5 years just because the GPU is letting the side down a bit probably won't be the cheapest option in the long run.

 

[Oussebon]

The GTX 1060 is a lot more powerful and the system may last you a good while longer before you find yourself looking for a new laptop again.

Something like Dishonoured or Watch Dogs showcases the kind of difference at 1080p high/ultra settings you might see between them in the chart above. Note that even if you're not bothered about high settings gaming, the higher performance means it will be able to run new games at medium settings much further into the future.


Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 200W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,189.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceiii-15/AnqDqMbcXn/


PCS do usually sell a "Proteus" lineup with the GTX 1060, which tends to be cheaper than the Defiances - sometimes by a bit, sometimes a lot. They don't seem to be on sale right now, possibly because the chassis are about to get replaced with an updated version that has Coffee Lake mobile CPUs.

 

[rickyrayner26]

Oussebon you are a great help, I really appreciate it.
I see that the Proteus is back on sale now?Is it worth speccing with that chassis?

thanks

 

[Oussebon]

Glad the info's of interest - and good spot with the Proteus coming back. Might be a refreshed chassis(?)

A Proteus with a similar spec (7700HQ, 8gb 2133MHz RAM, GTX 1060, 256gb PM961) comes out at £1100, so a bit more affordable vs the Defiance.

Chassis & Display
Proteus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x Proteus Series 200W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BT 4.2
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Proteus V Series Lithium Ion Battery (7180mAh)
Keyboard Language
PROTEUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,100.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/proteusv-15/mwC8aHfyq0/

The Defiance might have a g-sync screen (there's been a little confusion on the issue of late). But that might not be worth ~£90 to you.

 

[rickyrayner26]

Thanks for the continued help. Im very close to ordering now-with the defiance at £1200 and proteus at £1100 is the Defiance worth the extra?
Also is there any value in increasing my budget to say £1400? I have given this alot of thought and I dont mind spending about alot more than my initial budget if it means getting something very decent.

 

[Oussebon]

With a budget upto £1400 you could look at a Proteus or Defiance with a GTX 1070. Could be worth it for futureproofing or pushing the settings in things like Total War titles that bit further. But a GTX 1060 is already pretty decent as mobile gaming GPUs go.

Probably the biggest difference between the Defiance and Proteus in terms of specs is that the Defiance has a 120hz screen. I don't think I'd pay £100 more for that, especially for the titles on your list above (i.e. not fast paced shooters). But it's a question of taste.

 

[rickyrayner26]

Thanks Oussebon. Will be ordering the following tomorrow-can you check one last time to see if I am missing anything obvious (have my own 500gb HDD and a 8 GB stick of RAM

Chassis & Display
Proteus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x Proteus Series 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BT 4.2
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Proteus V Series Lithium Ion Battery (7180mAh)
Keyboard Language
PROTEUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH

 

[Oussebon]

Spec looks good.

The chassis may only be able to take 7mm drives.

I take it you're sure the RAM is the right kind as well?