Gaming Laptop Guide - UPDATED RTX Edition!

[shabaz]

I've been looking for a new laptop for a workstation (Rendering large-scale raster maps). I need a laptop because I travel around to wildfires across the country and reliable power isn't always available. Any thoughts on these three? They seem like they are the best priced ones for the 1060 and 1070. Although refurbished or Open box I still think they would be pretty good choices.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834316212

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233208R

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-GeForce-Backlit-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

 

Edited October 3, 2017 by shabaz
Spelling & grammer

[Galm]

15 hours ago, shabaz said:

I've been looking for a new laptop for a workstation (Rendering large-scale raster maps). I need a laptop because I travel around to wildfires across the country and reliable power isn't always available. Any thoughts on these three? They seem like they are the best priced ones for the 1060 and 1070. Although refurbished or Open box I still think they would be pretty good choices.

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834316212

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233208R

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-GeForce-Backlit-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

 

Hmm...  Well any will do.  Performance takes a huge hit on battery power.

[Mo5a]

I was thinking about that after the cpu coffee lake will be in gaming laptops the prices of kabylake will decrease so i had chosen 3 laptops with similar specs and close to each another in price . I don’t care about the display 15 or 17 and I don’t care about weight neither all i want that it have a good cooling system , acceptable fans and good battery life ,, i am living outside usa . I am in egypt so no clevo or sager or eluktroics. If anyone have any other suggestions plz tell me my budget is max 1800$ us . here are the 3 : 

 

1-https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N0THP9L/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

2- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MY2NKH1/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

3- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01NALTGWN/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

@Galm

 

[Galm]

On 10/6/2017 at 7:34 AM, Mo5a said:

I was thinking about that after the cpu coffee lake will be in gaming laptops the prices of kabylake will decrease so i had chosen 3 laptops with similar specs and close to each another in price . I don’t care about the display 15 or 17 and I don’t care about weight neither all i want that it have a good cooling system , acceptable fans and good battery life ,, i am living outside usa . I am in egypt so no clevo or sager or eluktroics. If anyone have any other suggestions plz tell me my budget is max 1800$ us . here are the 3 : 

 

1-https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N0THP9L/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

2- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MY2NKH1/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

3- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01NALTGWN/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

@Galm

 

The MSI is probably the safest bet for cooling.  Battery life is best on the Alienware.

[Mo5a]

11 hours ago, Galm said:

The MSI is probably the safest bet for cooling.  Battery life is best on the Alienware.

Do u know if the battery life on the msi closer to the alienware or not ??

[Galm]

6 hours ago, Mo5a said:

Do u know if the battery life on the msi closer to the alienware or not ??

its not, like 2 hours.

[Mo5a]

14 hours ago, Galm said:

its not, like 2 hours.

Because of the G-sync panel of course 

i didn't know if i am right or not because of  this review they are saying it will last 6 hours and 17 min 

https://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-GT62VR-7RE-Dominator-Pro-Notebook-Review.197272.0.html

[Falkentyne]

Did you even read that article?

That's 6 hours of battery life at FULL IDLE, WLAN (wireless) disabled, brightness set to minimum no CPU or graphics load.  That's hardly "battery life" because no one can use a system with that configuration.

 

More realistic is 2-4 hours.  4 hours surfing, 2 hours gaming.

[Mo5a]

6 hours ago, Falkentyne said:

Did you even read that article?

That's 6 hours of battery life at FULL IDLE, WLAN (wireless) disabled, brightness set to minimum no CPU or graphics load.  That's hardly "battery life" because no one can use a system with that configuration.

 

More realistic is 2-4 hours.  4 hours surfing, 2 hours gaming.

Oh my bad i didn’t say how i want it to be so that i can choose 

so the alienware is better in battery after all , my apologizes to u two 

@Galm @Falkentyne

 

[Pendragon]

On 10/10/2017 at 7:02 PM, Mo5a said:

so the alienware is better in battery after all , my apologizes to u two 

 

only on non-gsync models. alienware had the bright idea to put a MUX switch in nongsync alienwares and remove them on gsync alienwares. logic. 

[Nytrite]

I didn't want to start a thread just for this. So I've finally decided that I'm getting the Sager NP8157 (unless somebody can suggest something better around the same price range) this December. But I'm a bit worried that next gen tech is about to roll out and I might be buying something that's pricey now but will eventually lower soon (if that makes sense).

 

What I'd like to know is, is it ideal to buy on December or should I wait it out? I'm in need of a new laptop right now, as my current one is about to give in, but I want to be smart in buying as this might be my laptop for the next 5 years or so.

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

EDIT: Also I just wanted to know which place is more safe (and beneficial) in buying online, Xotic PC or from the Sager website, take note I'm not gonna be buying upgrades just the product as is (unless recommended) plus I'm gonna be needing International shipping.

 

[Galm]

5 hours ago, Nytrite said:

I didn't want to start a thread just for this. So I've finally decided that I'm getting the Sager NP8157 (unless somebody can suggest something better around the same price range) this December. But I'm a bit worried that next gen tech is about to roll out and I might be buying something that's pricey now but will eventually lower soon (if that makes sense).

 

What I'd like to know is, is it ideal to buy on December or should I wait it out? I'm in need of a new laptop right now, as my current one is about to give in, but I want to be smart in buying as this might be my laptop for the next 5 years or so.

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

EDIT: Also I just wanted to know which place is more safe (and beneficial) in buying online, Xotic PC or from the Sager website, take note I'm not gonna be buying upgrades just the product as is (unless recommended) plus I'm gonna be needing International shipping.

 

Volta is coming on 2018.  But if you wait to buy you may be waiting quite a few months.  

[Nytrite]

7 hours ago, Galm said:

Volta is coming on 2018.  But if you wait to buy you may be waiting quite a few months.  

Yeah that's the problem. Plus the sharp increase in pricing for the new releases might be too much for me. Thanks anyway!

[Nytrite]

Problem fixed

Edited November 3, 2017 by Nytrite
Answered

[Galm]

Side note for people reading this the Acer Triton 700 keyboard is horrible.  It was so mushy...  The Asus Zephyrus one was so much better.

[Graviton12]

Hi,

 

Been checking out gaming laptops for several weeks now and narrowed it down to either Dell 7577 or Alienware 15. (Both have 12% discount for the time being, this means that both are pretty much the cheapest you can get from any gaming laptop out there (NL), especially for Alienware with 1070 you can't beat the price with any manufacturer, not even BTO which is a Clevo reseller)

 

EMEA

Inspiron @1700 euros (-12% not detracted)

http://www.dell.com/nl-nl/shop/bekijk-alle-laptops-ultrabooks-tablets/inspiron-15-7577/spd/inspiron-15-7577-laptop/cn57704

Alienware @ 1800 euros (-12% not detracted)

http://www.dell.com/nl-nl/shop/bekijk-alle-laptops-ultrabooks-tablets/alienware-15/spd/alienware-15-laptop/n00aw15r320

 

Differences:

 

Inspiron:

GTX 1060 MaxQ

16GB RAM

UHD

512GB NVMe + 5400rpm HDD 1TB

 

Alienware:

GTX 1070

8GB RAM

HD

7200rpm HDD 1TB

 

Even with changing some of the included things like RAM and SSD for Alienware it still feels these are my best choices.

Which one (without changing a thing) would you take, or are there systems I did not see that are comparable with price and set up, MSI/Asus comes close?

 

Been using tweakers to compare prices, list of 1070's with prices A-Z

https://tweakers.net/categorie/496/laptops/producten/#filter:PYzBCsIwEET_Zc4RElOQ7AcUPHjqUTyEdJFIsGFTPFjy790ieBrm8WY2LDKzjJnLDEKV_GowPzgtsiqLLf1J5XRV7-QManzylL8MctaaY5n4lt8gLU29MZeVpYE2-MH7Iz-xgO4IwXp9dC6cL3j03nc

 

[Galm]

The

5 hours ago, Graviton12 said:

Hi,

 

Been checking out gaming laptops for several weeks now and narrowed it down to either Dell 7577 or Alienware 15. (Both have 12% discount for the time being, this means that both are pretty much the cheapest you can get from any gaming laptop out there (NL), especially for Alienware with 1070 you can't beat the price with any manufacturer, not even BTO which is a Clevo reseller)

 

EMEA

Inspiron @1700 euros (-12% not detracted)

http://www.dell.com/nl-nl/shop/bekijk-alle-laptops-ultrabooks-tablets/inspiron-15-7577/spd/inspiron-15-7577-laptop/cn57704

Alienware @ 1800 euros (-12% not detracted)

http://www.dell.com/nl-nl/shop/bekijk-alle-laptops-ultrabooks-tablets/alienware-15/spd/alienware-15-laptop/n00aw15r320

 

Differences:

 

Inspiron:

GTX 1060 MaxQ

16GB RAM

UHD

512GB NVMe + 5400rpm HDD 1TB

 

Alienware:

GTX 1070

8GB RAM

HD

7200rpm HDD 1TB

 

Even with changing some of the included things like RAM and SSD for Alienware it still feels these are my best choices.

Which one (without changing a thing) would you take, or are there systems I did not see that are comparable with price and set up, MSI/Asus comes close?

 

Been using tweakers to compare prices, list of 1070's with prices A-Z

https://tweakers.net/categorie/496/laptops/producten/#filter:PYzBCsIwEET_Zc4RElOQ7AcUPHjqUTyEdJFIsGFTPFjy790ieBrm8WY2LDKzjJnLDEKV_GowPzgtsiqLLf1J5XRV7-QManzylL8MctaaY5n4lt8gLU29MZeVpYE2-MH7Iz-xgO4IwXp9dC6cL3j03nc

 

For the small price difference the AW is a lot nicer.

[Graviton12]

3 hours ago, Galm said:

The

For the small price difference the AW is a lot nicer.

Tend to agree with AW, gonna wait a lil' longer and see if Coffee adds price reduction in 7 series or better 8 series. On a side note, Dell coupons only apply in US?

[Gamerguy207]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B072X7YLMC/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1512456760&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=eluktronics&dpPl=1&dpID=415ZCSwnnjL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

 

Budget 1060 laptop with great battery for under 1000

 

[xSPIN]

thoughts on ASUS ROG-GL503VS, I have a $2500cad budget. I really like the aesthetics and the beastly specs. i-7700HQ, GTX1070, 256Gb SSD, 1TB HD, G-Sync, 144Hz Display. Should I buy it? or wait till they update it with the new coffee lake cpu?

[Galm]

13 hours ago, xSPIN said:

thoughts on ASUS ROG-GL503VS, I have a $2500cad budget. I really like the aesthetics and the beastly specs. i-7700HQ, GTX1070, 256Gb SSD, 1TB HD, G-Sync, 144Hz Display. Should I buy it? or wait till they update it with the new coffee lake cpu?

Probably look into a Clevo P650HS first.  The GL502 was very outclassed by it.

[Graviton12]

Was anything announced on ces about next gen gpu's green?

[Castdeath97]

7 hours ago, Graviton12 said:

Was anything announced on ces about next gen gpu's green?

No don't think so, haven't heard a thing.

[Galm]

11 hours ago, Graviton12 said:

Was anything announced on ces about next gen gpu's green?

Not for laptops.

[John Gotti]

On 2/1/2017 at 1:50 PM, Galm said:

Hi guys, I thought I'd post my guide from the notebookreview forums here.  I'm new here, but not there.  I figured it could be of use here.  Feel free to leave feedback as usual!

 

Other Guides: Build Quality/Quality Control  |  Computer Parts | Reseller Guide

 

IMPORTANT: Note that links are to view the product.  With Kaby Lake partially rolled out from different brands links could still be to a Skylake model.  Please ask or check if your using the links in this guide to buy.

 

ALSO: Kaby Lake is a very very small improvement over Skylake.  If you can find a Skylake model of a laptop here for cheaper it is worth getting!

 

PSA: MSI 16L13 is now a GTX 1080 option for 15" users!  Price to match though...  3K+

 

Hey guys!  I thought I'd post my guide to buying a gaming laptop to fit your needs, since I see a lot of the same questions over and over again.  If it helps, or you have feedback, I'd love to hear it!

 

Pascal gpus are here, and they make a big difference.  So if gaming is what your going for I'd strongly suggest saving for at least a  GTX1060.  They seriously crush the Maxwell series of cards.

 

Categories:

Under $1000

Under $1500

Under $2000

Under $3000

No Limit

Portables

 

Links to buy, and to owner's lounges (where actual owners of the models discuss their machines) will be linked, though not everything has an owners lounge.

 

SALES:

GT62VR with 1060 for 1200:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154292

 

MicroCenter has (in store only) the Acer Predator G9-793-78CM 17-inch gaming notebook for $1399 + tax. This is a markdown of $600 from the previous retail price. It comes with an i7 6700HQ CPU, 16 GB of RAM, 8 GB GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, 2x128 GB SSD in RAID-0, 1 TB spinning hard drive, 1080p 75 Hz G-Sync compatible built-in display, and Windows 10 Home.
(S/O to saturnotaku at NBR )

 

(Please feel free to alert me of any good deals!)

 

Acer Predator 17 with a GTX 1080 for 1999!

http://www.microcenter.com/product/475582/Predator_17_GX-792-7448_173_Gaming_Laptop_Computer_-_Black

That being said lets go look at  some categories!

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1000 and under:

 

These are the budget machines that will game, but you'll be making sacrifices on build quality, screen quality, performance, storage options etc...

 

HP Pavilion 15T - Cheapest 1050 laptop on the market.  Base config sports a quad core i5, 8GB of ram, and a 1TB hdd.  Has room for an additional pcie ssd for extra speed and up to 16GB of ram.  Has a nice IPS panel. 

 

Dell Inspiron 7567 - Another good budget option.  Packs a 1050 (or 1050 Ti), a quad core i5/i7, and a 256GB ssd makes this a great value laptop for gaming on a budget!  It's build quality is acceptable, but worse than many of the more expensive options out there.  TN panel is poor though...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sager NP6852/Clevo N850HK1 - You'll be making a bigger sacrifice on build quality on this one, but the i7 7700HQ cpu is a more powerful alternative the i5 that comes with the Dell.  It's also easier to customize your storage and ram than the limited amazon Inspiron configs, letting you put whatever drives you want inside.  It also has 3 USB ports (1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0) and a USB 3.1 type C, which is pretty nice in this price range.  This is the choice I would go with if you really need a customized storage or ram config for cheap, otherwise the MSI below is probably a better option.  IPS panel.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MSI GL62 - A solid budget choice from MSI.  Build quality is acceptable, but not great.  The specs however are quite good.  The 12GB of included ram for this configuration is honestly a very nice amount for current gaming, and it packs an i7 7700hq and 1050 plus a small ssd to make boot times quick along with a more standard 1TB hard drive.  This one also sports a USB 3.1 Type C USB port.  IPS Panel.

 

Those are the three main options I would consider right now.  Asus, Acer, HP, and Lenovo offerings in this price range are not very impressive, with very few clear advantages over the ones above.  As large mostly nongaming companies I really find the quality of their cheap options severely lacking.  The Dell and MSI offerings are pretty superior in comparison.  Though if you can find any of them sporting a 960m for under 800 paired with an i7, they could be worth considering.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

1500 and under:

 

This is where stuff starts getting good.  Now we have some serious gaming horsepower coming into the mix, with the GTX 1060 present in all recommendations.  Anything less is not a smart use of money for a gaming machine in this price range.  Quality also increases here.

 

Sager NP8156/Clevo P650HP6 (17" version here)  - Once you get to the Clevo P series machines, overall quality takes a jump up.  The P650 chassis is very well built being all metal, except for the lid, which is the weakest point of the machine.  The machine is well cooled, well built, and has some impressive customization options.  It sports 2 m.2 drives (1 pcie) and 2 2.5" bays for up to 4 physical drives, along with 4 ram slots (up to 64GB).  It also comes with a GSync display.  It starts at $1330 right now from a good reseller, and the NP8152-S loadout (16GB of RAM + 256GB ssd), is really a solid overall customization at $1430.  Sports 2 USB type C 3.1 ports.  RGB keyboard present.  (Owner's lounge here)

 

I would avoid the NP8151, the garbage TN panel is not worth it.  Pay the extra 50 bucks for an IPS GSync.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Asus GL502VM - A very solid offering from Asus with a competitive price.  Sports a 7700hq, 1060, and 16GB of ram along with a 1TB HDD.  I would recommend getting an ssd either through the reseller of your choice, or on your own.  Build quality is good, and it isn't plagued with issues like some Asus machines of the past.  Compared to the Clevo this one is thinner, lighter, and quieter, but offers less flexibility (only 2 drives and 2 ram slots), is a little worse cooled, and has a very difference aesthetic.  Has GSync and a red backlit keyboard.  (Owner's lounge here)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MSI GT62VR - Another very solid option.  This is the "high end" option at this price level.  It sports a larger (but better built) chassis that does a superior job cooling its 7700hq and 1060 than the two above.  It has only 2 drive slots, but 4 ram slots, and has far superior audio than the two above.  It's speakers include a dedicated subwoofer, with impressive oomph.  Of course, it also has a GSync display.  RGB keyboard present.  (Owner's lounge here)

 

Again, no other options I consider to be better than the 3 posted here.  The MSI GE62 is a notable option missing.  I would strongly recommend looking at the Clevo or Asus instead as they are better built and better value options.  If you can find an AW machine in this price range with a 1060 and a 6700HQ (not 6820HK see below with AW 15) than go for it!  Remember don't buy unreviewed machines!  Machines like the Gigabyte P55W aren't necessarily bad, but don't have any advantages that are notable over the above.  If you need portable look at the MSI GS43VR.  (Owner's lounger here)

 

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2000 and under:

 

Probably my favorite category, the machines in this price range all sport mighty 1070 gpus.  Build quality is still very solid, and higher end cpus and displays become a bit more common.  Desktop cpus also start here.

Sager NP8157/Clevo P650HS (17" version here) - Full diclosure I own this one.  It's a pretty great value machine starting at 1600 with a 1070.  Options are fully open here.  You can get a 4K GSync display, overclockable 7820hk cpu, there are 4 ram slots, and 4 storage slots like the P650RP6.  It also has a SABRE DAC which is an advantage over it's little brother.  This one is also thinner than the Asus GL502VS which sports a 1070 (1.1" vs 1.2").  Clevo also has access to a lot of resellers, and thermal pastes and the Prema bios mod are available options (with the [USER=109539]@Prema[/USER] bios being a unique bios for Clevo's).  It's a lean mean customizable machine.  RGB keyboard present.  (Owner's lounger here)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MSI GT62VR (GT72VR 17")- Huh this seems like a pretty similar list to the 1500 and under...  Well that's because these chassis's are all really good.  Same deal on this laptop as the 1060 category.  I will add though that besides now sporting a 1070, the GT62VR is an MXM-B laptop, meaning it is possible though not guaranteed, to be able to upgrade it down the line.  RGB keyboard is present.  (Owner's Lounge here)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MSI 16L13 - This is an MSI GT62 barebones machine with one MAJOR difference.  It sports a full desktop cpu!  It also sports a thunderbolt III port.  I'm listing this seperately because not everyone needs a desktop cpu, and it comes with a bit of a premium.  But this is a cool new option on the market.  It also is the only 15" on the market with a GTX 1080!  Sold by Eurocom and CyberPowerPC currently.  (Owner's lounge here)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Sager NP9153/Clevo P750DM3 - This is Clevo's offering with a desktop cpu.  Again like the MSI barebones, both the cpu and gpu are changeable.  Includes 4 storage options, 4 ram slots, and a SABRE DAC for audio.  Will support the Prema bios, and again has an RGB keyboard.  Buid quality is good, though not quite as good as say the GT62.  (Owner's lounge here)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Alienware 15 R3* (Power Users Only) - I put an asterisk on this one because there are a bunch of qualifications for this guy.  First off, be very careful with cpu temps.  A known issue is uneven pressure from the heatplate on the cpu causing uneven temps (often one core is very hot).  You'll need to be willing to rma or pop it open yourself.  The only reason it even gets a recommendation is besides that it's great.  Read up on the issue and solutions here.  Update: Kaby Lake AW machines should be ok.  Also...  Stock pricing is awful.  Don't buy an Alienware without a discount coupon.  Go over to the Alienware subforum to ask about how to do that, it isn't very hard, I doubt many of the veteran AW users there are paying stock prices.  Besides that...  It's pretty awesome.  Build quality is easily the best of the bunch, and the screen is great.  2 ram slots, one PCIe M.2, and one 2.5" bay.  Has some pretty crazy Alienware FX lighting if that's your thing as well.  Noticeably thinner than the old stuff.  Decent battery life as well which is a rarity.

 

These are the kings for performance in this range.  Other options are worth looking at, but not when looking for value for the money.  That will come later.  Asus models are not present because they have had some quality control issues.  They may be less frequent now, but they provide very little other benefits over the options above with one exception and that's noise.  If you need portable look at the MSI GS63VR/GS73VR  (Owner's lounger here)

 

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3000 and under:

 

You'll notice I skipped 2500.  There isn't much worth buying, except you can cram a P775DM into that budget if you really try.  You won't get much real noticeable performance increases until you hit a 1080.

 

Here your looking at options with impressive displays, lots of power, and usually the GTX 1080.

 

Clevo P775DM - Linked to HID on this one because they offer the 1440p 120Hz display.  This has a desktop cpu, and can even support a GTX 1080 desktop card barely within budget.  The smart play here is an i5 6600k desktop cpu with a 1080 and 1440p 120Hz display.  4 storage drives, 4 ram drives, huh looks like Clevo keeps winning in those two categories...  (Owner's lounge here)

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MSI GT73VR - 120Hz 1080p display, and finally more storage options makes this a solid MSI machine.  Though the cpu is still mobile it supports 4 storage drives, and 4 ram slots.  Importantly, it can either take a 1080, or 1070 sli.  Though 1070 sli is way over 3000 it is something you could consider doing down the line.  (Owner's lounge here)

 

...Where is everything else??  Well this is a weird price range.  Not much else is even here unfortunately...

Alienware will probably join soon with the 17 and its 1440p 120 Hz display.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

No Limit:

 

The end all category.  Performance here is far better than all but the highest end desktops (Pretty much just Titian XP sli at this point) and build quality is never a real worry.  Let's get into it!

 

Clevo P870KM - Where is the Sager variant you ask?  Not here.  If your spending thousands and thousands you should be getting the [USER=109539]@Prema[/USER] bios (Sager doesn't offer it).  You should also probably go with a reseller that will delid the cpu like the one I linked to help lower temps.  This thing is a beast.  A desktop cpu is supported by 2 GTX 1080s in sli, and a 1440p 120Hz GSync display.  That's living the dream right there.  However, the 4K GSync display is actually a valid option as 1080 SLI will max nearly everything at that resolution.  4 ram slots, 4 storage slots, 2 thunderbolt III ports and 5 more USB ports give this thing a crazy amount of power and flexibility.  This is the true desktop replacement king with basically no mobile parts.  Of course it also has SABRE audio and an RGB keyboard.  Literally everything can be changed.  (Owner's lounge here)

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MSI GT83VR - 1080 sli, 7920hq cpu, and oh yeah a mechanical keyboard.  Technically a weaker cpu than the Clevo, this thing is still a beast.  4 drives, 4 ram slots, and an 18" display.  Quite a beast.  SABRE audio is present, along with impressive speakers for a laptop.  Cherry MX switches are on the keyboard.  Thunderbolt III is present but GSync ISNT.  Very very odd at this price range.  (Owner's lounge here)

 

Upcoming - Asus GX800 watercooled, and Acer 21X Predator with ultrawide display.

 

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Portable:

 

No budget but you need it to be thin and portable?  Look here:

 

The New Razer Blade - The Razer Blade is a .71" 1060 equipped laptop that's 4.1 lbs.  This thing is thin and powerful.  It also looks sexy as hell, and feels just as good as a Macbook Pro with very impressive build quality.  Your paying quite a premium for it though.  It is not well cooled and will throttle (perhaps heavily) under load.  Razer support is also awful which is why I linked to HIDEvolution's site, as they'll protect you from Razer's awfulness.  (Also check out the Microsoft Store)  Of note is the awesome Razer Chroma keyboard with individual backlighting, and the thunderbolt III support for the Razer Core eGPU.  No upgrade-able ram, and 1 drive slot are also large negatives.  (Owner's lounger here)

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Gigabyte P35X V6 - The thinnest 15" 1070 laptop out there at .81" and 5.3lbs  Almost stupid thin this thing will definitely throttle, but if you need a 1070 this is the thinnest option out there easily.  Build quality is alright, not fantastic.  3 storage bays and 2 ram slots.  4K display available.  (Owner's lounger here)

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Gigabyte Aero 15 - Kicking the Aorus X3 off the throne until it can get its screen updated, the Gigagbyte Aero 15 is one of the new kings of portables. Picture a black XPS 15, but with a 1060. A 15" machine in a 14" chassis. i7 7700HQ, GTX 1060, 2 m.2 slots, and 2 ram slots. This thing is a pretty machine. Performs pretty well too. Build quality isn't up to the XPS, but it's still more than good enough. This is quite the compelling option if you've got the funds. RGB keyboard included with individual lighting too. For now Newegg seems to have the best pricing at 1900 with a 500GB ssd. (Owner's lounge here)

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Aorus X5 - 15" laptop with a 1070 and 6820hk.  .9" thick and 5.5lbs.  A whooping 3 nvme drives are present plus a normal hard drive bay + 4 ram slots.  Build quality is solid.  Has an RGB Fusion keyboard for individual backlighting.  Also won't throttle as bad as the Gigabyte P35X.  Weirdest screen resolution of all time at 2880x1620.  I would recommend the 120Hz option instead, the 1620p one has PWM.  (Owner's lounge here)

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Aorus X7 - A 17" laptop at .9" thick at 7 lbs.  Equipped with a 6820hk and up to a GTX 1080 (though that's the DT variant not yet thermal tested).  1440p 120Hz display is another awesome spec on this bad boy.  Build quality is solid.  Same drives available as the X5 and 4 ram slots.  This is easily the thinnest GTX 1080 laptop out, its not even close.  Also has an RGB Fusion keyboard.  (Owner's lounge here)

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Clevo P950HP6 - .73" thick and housing a 1060 this is a great new portable option from Clevo. 2 ram slots, and 1 m.2 + 1 sata slot give it decent option while staying thin. Cooling is solid as well as build quality. RGB keyboard and a reasonable price.

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(WARNING: AW has been having heat issues.  This is a risk)

Alienware 13 - The new king of real 13" laptops (Aorus X3 is barely 13").  It has a quad core cpu now, GTX 1060 , and a 1440p OLED display!  I really recommend upgrading to that display because it's a rare awesome option.  2 ram slots, and 2 m.2 bays are a bit limited (it literally can't take an HDD) and the price competes with the Razer Blade when specced out.  RGB keyboard, RGB trackpad, RGB everything.  Built like a tank.  This is a great small option, though it is deceptively heavy.

 

There are other more budget thin laptops like the MSI GS series I have mentioned in cheaper categories, but these are the best if money is no object.  Note the P37X is .01 inches thinner than the Aorus X7, so its really not better at all unless you want to save...  Well like a grand...  So its worth considering if budget is tight and you want a 1070 at 17".  Will run warm.

 

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Well there you have it.  That's my current guide to gaming laptops.  It will be updated as more stuff comes out most likely.

 

For Clevo laptops I'd recommend a Prema partner like HIDEvolution in the U.S.  If they cost too much find a cheaper option like LPC-Ditigal (Larry is awesome there) or Prostar, XoticPC, or Eurocom.

 

HID, Prostar, and Xotic are also good for other brands as they sell a ton.  HID is the only reseller I'm aware of with Razer though.

 

There are of course other gaming laptops that could be right for you, but in general these are the best of the best machines out there.

 

I have tried nearly all of my recommendations in person (plus the not recommendable).  I make some assumptions based on reviews of the machines and if it's just a screen variant (i.e. the P670 is similar to the P650).  Notable exceptions are I have not tried a Eurocom Tornado, Aorus X3/X7, MSI GT83VR, or Clevo P775DM.

 

Good luck shopping!

Thank you so much for this detail breakdown of some laptop options.  Just joined the forum and been looking for a starting point to acquire a new laptop for gaming/streaming (I also do a podcast and want to add video to it).  Current laptop is pretty good but starting to see a decline in performance when it comes to streaming on multiple monitor setup (I am using a Startech docking unit to hub the 4 monitors together) and want to find something that can handle some enhancements to my desktop setup going into 2018.

 

Thank you for giving me some great research material.