Possible Final Build For Gaming Laptop - Thoughts?

[666]

Hi all.

I have possibly completed my final build for a laptop that I am thinking of ordering.

I thought I would get the 6Gb Graphics Card to start with, as this can be upgraded to the 8Gb in the future if I need to and also when the cost comes down.

I want to be able to run gaming software on ULTRA settings with ZERO lag. Games like Skyrim, Fallout, Batman Arkham Series etc.

Any thoughts/comments are greatly appreciated.

Chassis & Display Octane Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790 (3.6GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 750GB WD BLACK 2.5" WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
2nd mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 4 x USB 3.0 PORTS (1 x POWERED) + 1 e-SATA/USB 3.0 PORT COMBINED
Battery Octane Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 330W AC Adaptor for high end usage
Keyboard Language OCTANE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Windows 10 Upgrade FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
DVD Recovery Media Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty 3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee 1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Promotional Item FREE METAL GEAR SOLID game with select GTX 9 Series GPUs! -Subject to T&Cs
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,233.33
Price £1,480.00

 

[nhornby51743]

If it's feasible, you should go for a desktop instead. GTA V will not run on ultra settings at 1080p at a decent framerate( 45+ fps) and newer games such as Batman will struggle to get decent FPS maxed out. For titles such as Skyrim, and Fallout, the 970m would be fine, although for the amount of money you're paying you should look for something more futureproof.

If you're set on a getting a laptop, for that budget I recommend the Octane 17.3 G-Sync model (Google G-Sync) with an i5-4690k and a GTX 980M. This would be a significantly better configuration. He are some benchmarks for the 970M, and the 980M:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-970M.126694.0.html, http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-980M.126692.0.html

Hope this has been helpful,

Cheers, Nick

 

[666]

Thank you for the advice Nick.

I definitely want a laptop rather than a desktop due to travelling and convenience.

I have looked at the Octane 17.3 but when configured comes out at around £1800, which is what I would be paying by putting the 980M into my existing build.

I honestly thought that my proposed build would futureproof me for at least the next 3-4 years?

 

[nhornby51743]

I specced you up a system which is just under £1600, and will enable you to play games on decent settings for the next 3-4 years. The HyperX SSD is just as good as the Samsung and is £15 cheaper. Whilst the 4690k is an i5, you are able to overclock it, so the processor will last you a good few years. Check your inbox for some more info


Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4690K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache

Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC
Free Item: FREE METAL GEAR SOLID game with select GTX 9 Series GPUs! -Subject to T&Cs

Memory - Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON HYPERX SAVAGE SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)

2nd Hard Disk
750GB WD BLACK 2.5" WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)

Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)

Price inc VAT £1588

 

[Stephen M]

That looks a good build, can vouch for the Kingstod Hyper X, WD combination as it is working perfectly for me, only difference to mine is I have the 970M and the i/-4790 as I am multi-tasking with audio, video plus editing multiple office pages a lot but not gaming.

 

[SlimCini]

Upgrading laptops is a costly and arduous affair that relies on bios updates that don't always exist and most people who plan that route never bother doing it.

Replacement laptop gpus also almost never become cheap until near enough obsolete so I'd recommend the best mobile gpu you can get now.

 

[666]

Thank you Nick, Stephen and SlimCini for all of your advice and guidance.

If anything, I am actually more confused as to what to do. I genuinely thought I understood computers and that my build spec would be sufficient for the foreseeable future, but maybe not.

Ideally I wanted to spend less than £1500 but with the spec that Nick highlighted above, adding in 3 year gold warranty, Arctic compound, Dead pixel guarantee, and wireless card means that it now comes out at about £1750.

I also do not quite get the overclocking that has been mentioned.

And what is the advantage, if any, of the 17.3"? I was planning on using the 15.6" on either a 19" or 40" screen.

Any more help, advice and assistance is hugely appreciated.

And please forgive my questions and naivety but I am sure you understand that I want to be 100% sure before committing to spending quite a large amount of money.

 

[nhornby51743]

Arctic compound and dead pixel guarantee aren't really warranted. Pretty sure dead pixels would be covered under selling regulations. Regarding the warranty, that's down to personal choice, although the majority of failures occur within the first year, so in my opinion the gold warranty is an uneccesary expense. I've previously owned both 15.6 and 17.3 inch laptops and can tell you that 17.3 inches is the sweet spot. Using the laptop on another monitor means you won't be able to utilise G-Sync, so I'd advise against that.

Hopefully all this information isn't overwhelming you, so I'll simplify it a bit. If you want future-proofing and can afford it then the rig I've reccomended would probably be the one to go for. Also, I currently use G-Sync myself and can honestly say that it's features are fantastic.

Hope this has offered some clarity.

Cheers, Nick

 

[keynes]

Arctic compound and dead pixel guarantee aren't really warranted. Pretty sure dead pixels would be covered under selling regulations. Regarding the warranty, that's down to personal choice, although the majority of failures occur within the first year, so in my opinion the gold warranty is an uneccesary expense. I've previously owned both 15.6 and 17.3 inch laptops and can tell you that 17.3 inches is the sweet spot. Using the laptop on another monitor means you won't be able to utilise G-Sync, so I'd advise against that.

Hopefully all this information isn't overwhelming you, so I'll simplify it a bit. If you want future-proofing and can afford it then the rig I've reccomended would probably be the one to go for. Also, I currently use G-Sync myself and can honestly say that it's features are fantastic.

Hope this has offered some clarity.

Cheers, Nick

I think there are some dead pixels that could occur that would not be covered by the manufacturer and hence the dead pixel warranty. I got gold warranty and dead pixel, I did not use the dead pixel only the warranty once for a problem with my keyboard on my second year. I think if you are spending more than £1000 I would get one for peace of mind.

 

[Stephen M]

I agree with Keynes, have read somewhere that it requires a certain number of dead pixels, no idea how many, to count on normal warranty, whereas the dead pixel guarantee covers just one.