Gaming laptop durrabality???

[palespartan]

So I know this is an unusual one but when I buy a laptop I expect it to last me about 5 years which I know is somewhat crazy and this is n0t about future proof or anything like that when it comes to the specs. But the specs I know I want are 7700hq (or better if the unlocked ones come out soon and are cheap enough) and a 1060 6g and a non g-sync display with a 15" panel and need to have a number pad (the alienware is the only 15" i know of so far without one). But what I am trying to narrow down right now which seems to be difficult without getting these laptops in my hand is how durable they are. Over the course of 5 years I've dropped my macbook pro many times usually from anywhere from 2-4ft on all different surfaces carpet, hardwood floor, tile and even concrete. and to this day have no issues with it. I know I'm probably not going to get something that solid but without having these computers in my hands to really feel how solid they are I was wondering if you guys who have them would recommend them or if they feel a bit delicate. Now I know the dumb answer of "well just don't drop your laptop them idiot" but the fact of the matter is that in 5 years at least for me accidents happen. Specifically looking at the MSI GS63VR, the up and coming Lenovo Y720, gigabyte p55w, and well anything else you can think of in that class.

 

Thank you all for the help in advanced.

 

Also forgot to mention that I for sure need to keep the budget under $2000 (USD)

[The Sloth]

4 minutes ago, palespartan said:

MSI GS63VR

that's a good laptop, it should last you 5 years if you take care of it. 

 

5 minutes ago, palespartan said:

Lenovo Y720,

Lenovo doesn't make laptops good as they used to. 

[aisle9]

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

Lenovo doesn't make laptops good as they used to. 

Speak for yourself. I'd still have a ThinkPad at the top of any list for someone wanting a solid, affordable productivity laptop that will last forever.

[The Sloth]

Just now, aisle9 said:

Speak for yourself. I'd still have a ThinkPad at the top of any list for someone wanting a solid, affordable productivity laptop that will last forever.

 

Thinkpads still retain IBM signature design other than them all of Lenovo laptop have/ had quality issues also built-in rootkit, malware, virus. 

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, Wedsea040 said:

https://www.asus.com/us/Notebooks/ROG-GL702VM-7th-Gen-Intel-Core/specifications/

 

Plenty of power, and ASUS ROG laptops are very sturdy aswell. Metal construction, and you can spec it with an SSD that won't die like and HDD would when you drop it. Should be well within your budget too.

 

 

 

rog laptop won't last past a year, cheap plastic builds don't hold up well. 

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, Wedsea040 said:

Friend has one, it seems to be almost full metal. He has had great sucess with it too.

its not metal, its plastic 

[palespartan]

Ok a lot of good info really quick. I did suspect that about the Lenovo being lesser build quality. I do kinda think if I was gonna pull the trigger right now I would get the gs63vr but has anyone had hands on the Gigabyte? I know that people have said that the Aorus is really good but cant be sure if that trickled down or not.

[Pendragon]

1 hour ago, palespartan said:

hands on the Gigabyte? I know that people have said that the Aorus is really good but cant be sure if that trickled down or not.

It's shit. Look at some internal designs of the P series for those laptops. Aorus is "fine", but only if you're going for "i have no budget and i want thinness". Aero 14 is somewhere in the middle.

 

1 hour ago, palespartan said:

Ok a lot of good info really quick. I did suspect that about the Lenovo being lesser build quality

 

Not really. The last gen Y700 > 7559 and the current gen Y520 is one of the best budget laptops around. It's issues with spyware (while stupid from Lenovo), would be fixed with a clean install (something you should be doing in the first place). 

 

For 5 years you want the 1070 for sure. 5 years ago the flagship was 680. Modern day that's like 1050. In 5 years your 1060 will be so far outdated it'll barely run most "fps" games in that generation. 

 

I'd say grab something like: http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p650hs-g-15-6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1070-w-g-sync.html

Spec it out to the exact pic below. You'll see it has no SSD and no ram, but it's cheaper to purchase it seperately. 

SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-N5E500BW/dp/B00TGIW1XG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1490665941&sr=1-2&keywords=850+evo

 

ram: 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232309&cm_re=ddr4_sodimm-_-20-232-309-_-Product

or 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104590&cm_re=ddr4_sodimm-_-20-104-590-_-Product

[palespartan]

14 hours ago, Pendragon said:

It's shit. Look at some internal designs of the P series for those laptops. Aorus is "fine", but only if you're going for "i have no budget and i want thinness". Aero 14 is somewhere in the middle.

 

Not really. The last gen Y700 > 7559 and the current gen Y520 is one of the best budget laptops around. It's issues with spyware (while stupid from Lenovo), would be fixed with a clean install (something you should be doing in the first place). 

 

For 5 years you want the 1070 for sure. 5 years ago the flagship was 680. Modern day that's like 1050. In 5 years your 1060 will be so far outdated it'll barely run most "fps" games in that generation. 

 

I'd say grab something like: http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p650hs-g-15-6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1070-w-g-sync.html

Spec it out to the exact pic below. You'll see it has no SSD and no ram, but it's cheaper to purchase it seperately. 

SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-N5E500BW/dp/B00TGIW1XG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1490665941&sr=1-2&keywords=850+evo

 

ram: 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232309&cm_re=ddr4_sodimm-_-20-232-309-_-Product

or 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104590&cm_re=ddr4_sodimm-_-20-104-590-_-Product

now I'm definitely not opposed to the idea of like a bare bones clevo unit but I have heard mixed reviews about the sager and clevo when it comes to build quality and quality control. Also it seems to be a bit bulkier than the other ones i am looking at . Also i know the 1060 wont age as well as the 1070 and I'm not opposed to the 1070 if it can fit into my budget but especially if it has a g-sync panel the power savings are necessary. Also very limited battery life on the unit you posted. I do have a full gaming tower for when I'm home this would be for work, travel, LAN parties, and all other usual laptop stuff.

 

also forgot to add there is something to be said for buying a laptop from one of the bigger brands with a good warranty as well.

[Pendragon]

1 hour ago, palespartan said:

now I'm definitely not opposed to the idea of like a bare bones clevo unit but I have heard mixed reviews about the sager and clevo when it comes to build quality and quality control. Also it seems to be a bit bulkier than the other ones i am looking at . Also i know the 1060 wont age as well as the 1070 and I'm not opposed to the 1070 if it can fit into my budget but especially if it has a g-sync panel the power savings are necessary. Also very limited battery life on the unit you posted. I do have a full gaming tower for when I'm home this would be for work, travel, LAN parties, and all other usual laptop stuff.

11

I can't even tell where you get your information from. 

 

Clevos are built great. Solid aluminum backed by strong ABS plastic. If you don't like plastic that's your option, but metal doesn't determine durability. It just determines feel. Case in point that every single business laptop is not built from all metal. 

 

Yes it's thicker. That's the cost of getting a 1070. If you want thin and light you'll pay extra for it. There's also a P650HP6 chassis that's thinner and lighter. But no where close to the likes of GS63VR. Again you're trading off for cooling and weight and thickness. 

 

GSync and power savings are different things. Also Clevo BGA P series get 5-5.5 hours http://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-XMG-P507-Clevo-P651RP6-G-Notebook-Review.172321.0.html. Because it has a MUX switch it allows for switching between GSync dGPU only mode and Optimus iGPU mode. The 4.5 hours NBC is getting is running unoptimized Windows with stock bloatware, because my own unit gets around 5+ hours. 

 

1 hour ago, palespartan said:

also forgot to add there is something to be said for buying a laptop from one of the bigger brands with a good warranty as well.

...no there isn't. it's the other way around. 

 

you can always pay extra for thin and light for like the GS63VR here: http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-16s-1060-gs63vr-custom-built-gaming-laptop-pc.html

[palespartan]

2 minutes ago, Pendragon said:

I can't even tell where you get your information from. 

 

Clevos are built great. Solid aluminum backed by strong ABS plastic. If you don't like plastic that's your option, but metal doesn't determine durability. It just determines feel. Case in point that every single business laptop is not built from all metal. 

 

Yes it's thicker. That's the cost of getting a 1070. If you want thin and light you'll pay extra for it. There's also a P650HP6 chassis that's thinner and lighter. But no where close to the likes of GS63VR. Again you're trading off for cooling and weight and thickness. 

 

GSync and power savings are different things. Also Clevo BGA P series get 5-5.5 hours http://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-XMG-P507-Clevo-P651RP6-G-Notebook-Review.172321.0.html. Because it has a MUX switch it allows for switching between GSync dGPU only mode and Optimus iGPU mode. The 4.5 hours NBC is getting is running unoptimized Windows with stock bloatware, because my own unit gets around 5+ hours. 

 

...no there isn't. it's the other way around. 

 

you can always pay extra for thin and light for like the GS63VR here: http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-16s-1060-gs63vr-custom-built-gaming-laptop-pc.html

I will admit there is very limited information on clevo's out there. But almost every single review i saw had pretty bad back light bleed. And considering that this will be a computer that I will be using for work every day portability is definitely a nice perk. And the mux switch I was not aware of. Definitely a laptop that I am considering but as it is right now I'm still leaning toward the gs63vr. And I know that I would be paying more for a possibly less equipped system but having a major brand behind it does mean something. Like buying a Lexus over a Kia.

[Pendragon]

9 minutes ago, palespartan said:

But almost every single review i saw had pretty bad back light bleed

Oh yes, but the link I gave you is a premium retailer. They charge you an extra 50-100 but they ensure no bullshit like that.

 

9 minutes ago, palespartan said:

but having a major brand behind it does mean something

that's entirely up to you and is a matter of perception. I have no judgment on the matter. Clevo is one of the largest brands out there. Every single custom laptop you see not from a Tier 1 manufacturer is a Clevo.  Origin, Cyberpower, System76 etc. all use Clevo. 

 

Ofc portability is a real issue, and if you're solely focused on that yes the GS63VR is a fine option. Do note the 3.5 hour battery life. 

[Pendragon]

18 minutes ago, palespartan said:

I will admit there is very limited information on clevo's out there

This is not true at all. http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/sager-and-clevo.1017/ any information you may want can be found here. It's just that Clevo doesn't sell the laptop themselves and people recognize the different brands that sell them instead. 

[ramo55]

7 hours ago, Pendragon said:

Oh yes, but the link I gave you is a premium retailer. They charge you an extra 50-100 but they ensure no bullshit like that.

 

that's entirely up to you and is a matter of perception. I have no judgment on the matter. Clevo is one of the largest brands out there. Every single custom laptop you see not from a Tier 1 manufacturer is a Clevo.  Origin, Cyberpower, System76 etc. all use Clevo. 

 

Ofc portability is a real issue, and if you're solely focused on that yes the GS63VR is a fine option. Do note the 3.5 hour battery life. 

 

Isn't there a gs63 coming out that's going to have a 1050 and a 1050ti? Which will mean better battery life compared to the 1060 model?

[palespartan]

1 hour ago, ramo55 said:

Isn't there a gs63 coming out that's going to have a 1050 and a 1050ti? Which will mean better battery life compared to the 1060 model?

because of Nvidia Optimus wouldn't that only be for activities that would use your graphics card and not just switch to the igpu.

 

9 hours ago, Pendragon said:

This is not true at all. http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/sager-and-clevo.1017/ any information you may want can be found here. It's just that Clevo doesn't sell the laptop themselves and people recognize the different brands that sell them instead. 

Ok the only two problems left with the Clevo I can think of would be if there is one out there with no back light bleed. (I have yet to find one in any review I have seen despite if its 1080p or 4k) and the second is a personal preference of if I can live with the footprint it has in everyday work. But if you know of someone maybe shipping these with a different display than whatever Clevo is using definitely let me know because I have yet to find one. It seems they all come with the same 1080ips, 1080tn, and 4k ips.

[Pendragon]

25 minutes ago, palespartan said:

But if you know of someone maybe shipping these with a different display than whatever Clevo is using definitely let me know because I have yet to find one.

 

Why would you like to know who would ship with a different display? What would you be looking for? And backlight bleed is a nonexistant problem if you pay for the premium 3rd party retailers. Both me and @Galm have a P650xx models and neither of us have significant light bleed. I got it from Eurocom and I think Galm got it from HID? 

[Galm]

19 minutes ago, Pendragon said:

Why would you like to know who would ship with a different display? What would you be looking for? And backlight bleed is a nonexistant problem if you pay for the premium 3rd party retailers. Both me and @Galm have a P650xx models and neither of us have significant light bleed. I got it from Eurocom and I think Galm got it from HID? 

HID, the stock 1080p panel tends to have backlight bleed.

 

The other options don't.

[Pendragon]

6 minutes ago, Galm said:

HID, the stock 1080p panel tends to have backlight bleed.

 

 

even this can be easily fixed with some tape and sanding. *cough AW is far worse cough*

[Galm]

8 hours ago, Pendragon said:

even this can be easily fixed with some tape and sanding. *cough AW is far worse cough*

Sort of...  I've seen units with it that are pretty hard to fix.  Overall though the P650 display is really easy to relieve pressure on.

 

If you get the 120Hz or 4K displays I wouldn't be overly worried.

[palespartan]

2 hours ago, Galm said:

Sort of...  I've seen units with it that are pretty hard to fix.  Overall thought the P650 display is really easy to relieve pressure on.

 

If you get the 120Hz or 4K displays I wouldn't be overly worried.

Ok good information one of the reviews i saw did have the 4k one with a decent amount of back light bleed but so long as its easy enough to fix thats good. And the 120hz is a tn panel and I would prefer the IPS even at lower refresh rates.

[Galm]

6 hours ago, palespartan said:

Ok good information one of the reviews i saw did have the 4k one with a decent amount of back light bleed but so long as its easy enough to fix thats good. And the 120hz is a tn panel and I would prefer the IPS even at lower refresh rates.

It's a good TN though.  It's not like the awful ones on low end laptops that just look god awful from poor contrast.  For daily usage IPS is better, but for gaming the 120Hz is way better, the viewing angles and colors aren't that awful.

[Pendragon]

7 hours ago, palespartan said:

Ok good information one of the reviews i saw did have the 4k one with a decent amount of back light bleed but so long as its easy enough to fix thats good. And the 120hz is a tn panel and I would prefer the IPS even at lower refresh rates.

 

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-XMG-P507-Clevo-P651HS-G-Notebook-Review.193074.0.html

^display measurements here. but this is the same display in all 15in 120hz.

[palespartan]

6 hours ago, Galm said:

It's a good TN though.  It's not like the awful ones on low end laptops that just look god awful from poor contrast.  For daily usage IPS is better, but for gaming the 120Hz is way better, the viewing angles and colors aren't that awful.

The fact that you have to justify it with "not that awful" I think ill stick to ips since this will be a work computer as well. besides the fact that 60hz gaming has never bothered me before.

 

5 hours ago, Pendragon said:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-XMG-P507-Clevo-P651HS-G-Notebook-Review.193074.0.html

^display measurements here. but this is the same display in all 15in 120hz.

My only concern is that I have never tried to fix backlight bleeding before so I'm just not aware of how to but if its pretty simple then thats not too bad.

 

Also how is the battery life better int he Clevo considering it has more hardware to run and only a 60wh battery since the msi has a 63wh battery wouldn't it end up being the same if not better if i did a clean install and applied the same optimizations to it? (obviously its not an exact science but should come pretty close if not better I would think.

[Pendragon]

44 minutes ago, palespartan said:

Also how is the battery life better int he Clevo considering it has more hardware to run and only a 60wh battery since the msi has a 63wh battery wouldn't it end up being the same if not better if i did a clean install and applied the same optimizations to it? (obviously its not an exact science but should come pretty close if not better I would think.

 

 

 

 

 

Ha. one of the great myths in the laptop industry. No. It's dumb as fuck in how it actually works, but here we go. Laptop battery life literally needs to be determined on a case by case basis. Take the Aorus X5 with a 93whr battery or something and lasting all of 3 hours. And that similar sized 99whr battery in an AW15R3 lasting 8 hours. Ofc, GSync and the ability to run Optimus or not plays another complicating issue into it as well. Take the EXACT same laptop, one with GSync, one without so the GL502 970m and the GL502 1060. Similar watt consumption at load, but because the 1060 as GSync, idle watt consumption is through the roof so the 970m version runs like 6 hours and the 1060 runs like 3 hours. A combination of firmware, bios, battery size, running modes, idle consumption and magic fucking fairy dust plays a role in determining how long a laptop will last. 

 

Source: 

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ROG-Strix-GL502VT-DS74-Notebook-Review.167302.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ROG-Strix-GL502VM-Notebook-Review.187341.0.html

[palespartan]

1 hour ago, Pendragon said:

Ha. one of the great myths in the laptop industry. No. It's dumb as fuck in how it actually works, but here we go. Laptop battery life literally needs to be determined on a case by case basis. Take the Aorus X5 with a 93whr battery or something and lasting all of 3 hours. And that similar sized 99whr battery in an AW15R3 lasting 8 hours. Ofc, GSync and the ability to run Optimus or not plays another complicating issue into it as well. Take the EXACT same laptop, one with GSync, one without so the GL502 970m and the GL502 1060. Similar watt consumption at load, but because the 1060 as GSync, idle watt consumption is through the roof so the 970m version runs like 6 hours and the 1060 runs like 3 hours. A combination of firmware, bios, battery size, running modes, idle consumption and magic fucking fairy dust plays a role in determining how long a laptop will last. 

 

Source: 

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ROG-Strix-GL502VT-DS74-Notebook-Review.167302.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ROG-Strix-GL502VM-Notebook-Review.187341.0.html

So basically there is no logical reason? The g-sync part I get and somehow Clevo seems to have a work around for it. I just dont understand where the power goes. And honestly if it had a number pad I would have already bought the alienware 15. So since I wasn't able to find a good source do you guys know of a good one that will show battery life for laptops so compare since everyone out there seems to have a different testing method. Or maybe a spot where all the PCmark battery scores are?