Good laptop, competent at gaming

[jayctech]

This is more of an ideas thread since it'd be a good 6 months before I actually go buying it.

 

Main use would be generic laptop stuff a college/uni student would do. On top of that, programming.

 

Those features aren't really a big deal or difficult to find. However -

I'd like it to be small, thin and light. For these reasons a Macbook was what was on my mind, but I've decided I also want to be able to do some gaming on it. Not anything particularly heavy. Just stuff like Limbo, Contrast, Super Meat Boy. Those sorta games. I've built up a fair amount of games that I just haven't touched in my Steam Library and I was just thinking I may as well play those sorta things when I'm not at home. Screen size isn't important since if I'm in my room I'd plug it into a monitor before gaming.

 

So yeah.. Summary:

• light, thin, small (~13 inch)
• primarily for programming and other generic computer stuff
• competent at gaming
• last for 4 years at least

 

Budget: ~£900

 

It'd be interesting to see if there's even anything available at the moment that fits these criteria.

[LiamApex]

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/laptop/3214686/best-laptops-under-1000-2015-uk/ 

 

 

Take your pick

[D2ultima]

http://mysn.co.uk/shop/xmg-p304.html

Pick the i7 4710MQ

Pick 8GB of RAM

Pick the 7260AC wifi card

Pick whatever hard drives suit your fancy (the HGST 1TB 7200RPM is a FANTASTIC HDD, by the way)

Pick an OS if you need it.

 

13", IPS panel by default, should suit your needs.

It's not the thinnest or lightest thing out there, but it is small and it's a good machine.

[jayctech]

http://mysn.co.uk/shop/xmg-p304.html

Pick the i7 4710MQ

Pick 8GB of RAM

Pick the 7260AC wifi card

Pick whatever hard drives suit your fancy (the HGST 1TB 7200RPM is a FANTASTIC HDD, by the way)

Pick an OS if you need it.

 

13", IPS panel by default, should suit your needs.

It's not the thinnest or lightest thing out there, but it is small and it's a good machine.

Nice specs and if the 2kg weight point is true then it's not that heavy (doesn't the MBP weigh around that?).

It is unfortunately just too thick. I won't be fitting much else in a bag with a laptop that thick in there.

[D2ultima]

Nice specs and if the 2kg weight point is true then it's not that heavy (doesn't the MBP weigh around that?).

It is unfortunately just too thick. I won't be fitting much else in a bag with a laptop that thick in there.

Anything lighter than that is gonna have an integrated CPU and be more expensive, like a GS60 from MSI or a Razer Blade.

[jayctech]

Anything lighter than that is gonna have an integrated CPU and be more expensive, like a GS60 from MSI or a Razer Blade.

Did you mean lighter or thicker? I don't think 2kg is a big deal (as I said, same weight as MBP I think), just the thickness. That's the reason why I made this thread, to see if there are any options for my requirements.

MSI GS60 is a bit over budget but a comparable price to a MBP and more inline with what I want which is good.

 

I'm looking at this waaay ahead anyway. I'll wait until Win10 is officially released.

[D2ultima]

Did you mean lighter or thicker? I don't think 2kg is a big deal (as I said, same weight as MBP I think), just the thickness. That's the reason why I made this thread, to see if there are any options for my requirements.

MSI GS60 is a bit over budget but a comparable price to a MBP and more inline with what I want which is good.

 

I'm looking at this waaay ahead anyway. I'll wait until Win10 is officially released.

Sorry, I meant "thinner". As in smaller. And there's no guarantee the W230SS will be available then even . But for thin/light/powerful you're very low budget.

[jayctech]

Sorry, I meant "thinner". As in smaller. And there's no guarantee the W230SS will be available then even . But for thin/light/powerful you're very low budget.

I figured but I don't know enough to be sure, hence the thread.

On that note, for the type of games I'd play, would I even need something as good as a 860M?

[D2ultima]

I figured but I don't know enough to be sure, hence the thread.

On that note, for the type of games I'd play, would I even need something as good as a 860M?

Maybe not, but I like being on the safe side. For your requirements though, a ULV CPU and say... an 840M or 850M would be nice. But I don't know of a machine which satisfies that requirement while having good build quality.

[jayctech]

Maybe not, but I like being on the safe side. For your requirements though, a ULV CPU and say... an 840M or 850M would be nice. But I don't know of a machine which satisfies that requirement while having good build quality.

Yeah that's the problem. Build quality tends to drop sharply if the internals aren't high end.

[D2ultima]

Yeah that's the problem. Build quality tends to drop sharply if the internals aren't high end.

Don't kid yourself. Build quality is subjective and you can have disgusting internal layout/cooling with higher end parts but because it's thin, light, aluminum and flashy people will rant and rave about it. See: Razer Blade. I'm not saying that things like that don't have a use for certain people, but they're definitely EXTREMELY overrated, or being judged by people who only want it for a very specific purpose, like someone who has a flashy desktop at home with three Titans and just wants to play some games in medium/high on the road? A razer blade'd probably suit him fine. But for someone else looking for a machine to be their primary machine, or like in your case, take to college, a 256GB or 512GB non-upgrade-able machine with no ODD and no HDD slots etc is probably not going to satisfy your needs. Unless you really like keeping externals plugged in all the time.

 

Anyway, there ARE some good ULV-using machines with midrange GPUs out there. I don't know what the good ones are, but you can make an account and make a thread HERE when you're ready. 

[PaulKolby]

try this it is 14 inch but still nice

 

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y40/

[jayctech]

try this it is 14 inch but still nice

 

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y40/

Looks solid! Any experience with it? Stuff like build quality, weight distribution etc.

 

EDIT: No Y40 in the UK. >_>

[vembutech]

Hi,

 

For a 13 inch sleek and slim , go for MacBook Air MD760HN/A..

[jayctech]

Hi,

 

For a 13 inch sleek and slim , go for MacBook Air MD760HN/A..

Integrated graphics so it's useless for one of the reasons I want the device.

 

That and it just looks plain ugly.

[Aniallation]

Main use would be generic laptop stuff a college/uni student would do. On top of that, programming.

 

Those features aren't really a big deal or difficult to find. However -

I'd like it to be small, thin and light. For these reasons a Macbook was what was on my mind, but I've decided I also want to be able to do some gaming on it. Not anything particularly heavy. Just stuff like Limbo, Contrast, Super Meat Boy. Those sorta games. I've built up a fair amount of games that I just haven't touched in my Steam Library and I was just thinking I may as well play those sorta things when I'm not at home. Screen size isn't important since if I'm in my room I'd plug it into a monitor before gaming.

 

So yeah.. Summary:

• light, thin, small (~13 inch)
• primarily for programming and other generic computer stuff
• competent at gaming
• last for 4 years at least

 

Honestly if you're going to be carrying it around all the time for school, you'll definitely be happier living with integrated graphics then carrying around a bigger, bulkier, and heavier laptop for 4+ years. 

 

Check out the new Dell XPS 13 (2015). Broadwell integrated graphics are definitely a big step up and even Haswell integrated graphics can play new AAA titles at 720p medium.

[jayctech]

Honestly if you're going to be carrying it around all the time for school, you'll definitely be happier living with integrated graphics then carrying around a bigger, bulkier, and heavier laptop for 4+ years. 

 

Check out the new Dell XPS 13 (2015). Broadwell integrated graphics are definitely a big step up and even Haswell integrated graphics can play new AAA titles at 720p medium.

That's why at the end of the OP said I was curious if what I wanted was even possible.

 

The Dell XPS starts at >£1000 which is over budget. + Intel 4400.. Now I haven't been keeping track of the progress of integrated graphics.. But I'm dubious it'd be that much better than the 4000 which I have on my current laptop (which is rubbish).

[Aniallation]

The Dell XPS starts at >£1000 which is over budget. + Intel 4400.. Now I haven't been keeping track of the progress of integrated graphics.. But I'm dubious it'd be that much better than the 4000 which I have on my current laptop (which is rubbish).

It's Intel 5500, which is noticeably better then 4400, which was already quite a step up from 4000.

[jayctech]

It's Intel 5500, which is noticeably better then 4400, which was already quite a step up from 4000.

Ahh I was looking at the old model it seems.

 

Hmm.. It looks pretty good. I'm just dubious about the graphics... If you insist that it'd be competent perhaps it'd be worth seeing if I can find some videos displaying its capabilities.

[Aniallation]

Ahh I was looking at the old model it seems.

 

Hmm.. It looks pretty good. I'm just dubious about the graphics... If you insist that it'd be competent perhaps it'd be worth seeing if I can find some videos displaying its capabilities.

It's definitely competent for the chip, but the laptop itself isn't exactly competent for the price if you're willing to wait a bit longer. There will be more Broadwell ULV based laptops and ultrabooks coming very soon with same specs as the XPS 13 for cheaper, they just won't look as nice. Such as the Broadwell refresh of the Inspirion 14 7000 Series.

[jayctech]

It's definitely competent for the chip, but the laptop itself isn't exactly competent for the price if you're willing to wait a bit longer. There will be more Broadwell ULV based laptops and ultrabooks coming very soon with same specs as the XPS 13 for cheaper, they just won't look as nice. Such as the Broadwell refresh of the Inspirion 14 7000 Series.

Won't be needing till Sept/Oct time. I'm just posting this far in advance to see if what I want is even possible. I was hoping for more "oh it's not right now, but if you wait ____ will be available" etc.

[Aniallation]

Won't be needing till Sept/Oct time. I'm just posting this far in advance to see if what I want is even possible. I was hoping for more "oh it's not right now, but if you wait ____ will be available" etc.

Yeah I understand. Just happened to ask right at the time when Intel has just finished showing off their new chips and laptops are starting to become available, so it just wouldn't make sense to recommend Haswell ULV laptops anymore since we know 100% that Broadwell ULV laptops are already on their way. Before CES we were recommending good Haswell laptops but they're now considered "last gen"

[jayctech]

Yeah I understand. Just happened to ask right at the time when Intel has just finished showing off their new chips and laptops are starting to become available, so it just wouldn't make sense to recommend Haswell ULV laptops anymore since we know 100% that Broadwell ULV laptops are already on their way. Before CES we were recommending good Haswell laptops but they're now considered "last gen"

So my timing is good then?

What can I look forward to? Or is it too early for even that?

[Razzy_85]

The gs60 with 965m and whatever Broadwell throws at it will meet your needs more than likely

[jayctech]

The gs60 with 965m and whatever Broadwell throws at it will meet your needs more than likely

This thing? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/156-msi-gs60-2qd(ghost)-287uk-26ghz-core-i7-4720hq-16gb-128gb-ssd-1tb-hdd-2gb-nvidia-geforce-gtx-965