Looking for a Slim Powerhouse Laptop

[Xen P.]

I've recently been scouring the internet looking for a perfect laptop to replace my now dying Gigabyte P35W v2 from 2014. Upon looking I've found multiple options, but for some reason most seem to fall short of what I'm looking for by 1 or 2 options. The following are the Laptops I've narrowed my search down to, but there may be more I've not seen yet.

 

-The New Razer Blade (Early 2017)

     -No internal HDD

     -Only 16GB DDR4

-MainGear Pulse 15

     -Only 16GB DDR3

     -Questionable Compatibility with External GPUs. (Can't find any verifiable sources)

-Gigabyte Aero 15

     -No internal HDD

     -Questionable Compatibility with External GPUs. (Can't find any verifiable sources)

-Sager NP8950 NoteBook

     -No ThunderBolt 3 Connection

     -No Compatibility with External GPUs

 

I have done my own research to check the upgradability on some of these, but am very sketchy about voiding any warranties seeing as these are pretty big investments. Below is a list of the all the things I'm looking for in a laptop that I expect to last me at least as long as my current rig if not longer. For those wondering, the only reason I'm getting rid of my Gigabyte P35W v2 is because the battery died, expanded and had to be removed, and a replacement is $200 and even then can't seem to be found anywhere reliable. It is also unable to keep up with my normal workload anymore. That on top of having to use crappy USB 3.1 Type-A Docks doesn't help either in the mobility department.

 

-15.6" Slim / Lightweight
-i7 7700K or 7700HQ
-32GB RAM DDR4
-Thunderbolt 3 Connection
-NVME SSD Options
-Internal HDD Options
-GTX 1060

-Compatibility with an External GPU setup. (Ex. Razer Core)

 

If anyone can help me on my hunt for the Laptop that I'm looking for that would be amazing. My goal is to hopefully not need to build a Desktop, or even need a Desktop, for quite some time and so far I've done fine with it.

 

~Xen P.

[MercuryRain]

Have you looked at the MSI GS63VR? 

[genexis_x]

Don't get Razer laptops
Gigabyte Aero 14/15 and MSI GS VR are not bad choices

Why must it compatible with external GPU setup?
Also, you can add RAM later

[spadz93]

MSI. Also I'd stray away from external GPU connections, more often than not, the medium for the connection is a bottleneck and you won't get the performance per dollar you're paying for

[MercuryRain]

Yeah, the MSI GS63VR checks all your requirement boxes except for POTENTIALLY the eGPU box (it may still work with Razer Core, idk) but the Core is...less than useful anyway.  I think the Alienware Graphics Amplifier might be the only one that actually is worth it and that's just because it goes straight to CPU PCIe lanes instead of using chipset PCIe lanes.

[exercutor5]

16 minutes ago, CerberusLabrat said:

Have you looked at the MSI GS63VR? 

He technically already did, the Maingear Pulse 15 is an MSI GS63 barebones.

[Xen P.]

Thanks so much, I didn't see or look at the MSI GS63VR at all. It appears to be exactly what I'm looking for at the moment aside from the comments I'm seeing about the eGPU option potentially being a bust. I presumed it would be easy to upgrade the ram on other laptops, the main question was whether or not it would void warranty by taking it apart or have other issues.

 

To go more in depth with the eGPU option, my main reasoning for wanting it was so that I might be able to get a 1080 or any future card without having to upgrade my setup again, basically making my setup as upgradable as possible...at least as much as a laptop in 2017 can be. I'd heard good things about the external GPUs through Thunderbolt 3, but I guess I'll have to look into it more in depth to see if someones done extensive benchmarks on them.

 

Side-Note: Also if the use-case of the laptop needed to be clearer, I basically will be using it for Personal and Work. Personal being Gaming, Streaming, Recording, and Editing. Work being Multiple VMs, Multiple Remote Sessions, Tons of Monitoring and Status Tabs, and Video Streaming...because small distractions help productivity.

[TheDankKoosh]

If you want a laptop that won't need to be upgraded for years to come and it needs to be slim, I would say there is none better than this

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p650hs-g-15-6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1070-w-g-sync.html

get 1. 7820k

2. cool laboratory ultra

3. 256gb ssd

4. w10 pro (only 30$ because OEM)

The only bad thing about it is the small battery (60wh) but it also has an mux switch to help with that.

 

[Xen P.]

1 hour ago, TheDankKoosh said:

If you want a laptop that won't need to be upgraded for years to come and it needs to be slim, I would say there is none better than this

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p650hs-g-15-6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1070-w-g-sync.html

get 1. 7820k

2. cool laboratory ultra

3. 256gb ssd

4. w10 pro (only 30$ because OEM)

The only bad thing about it is the small battery (60wh) but it also has an mux switch to help with that.

 

After looking into it I noticed something weird...It's a rebranded SAGER. LOL

Just Look: https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP8157.html

[Pendragon]

3 hours ago, Xen P. said:

After looking into it I noticed something weird...It's a rebranded SAGER. LOL

Just Look: https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP8157.html

He knows its just a Sager. The reason why HID is recommended is because of the liquid metal and tons of aftermarket service they do to tune the machine to perfection. Sager's at stock are pretty bad machines, which is why they are only recommended from select retailers that put the effort into making them work. HID is one of (if not the best) in North America. 

 

11 hours ago, Xen P. said:

-MainGear Pulse 15

     -Only 16GB DDR3

     -Questionable Compatibility with External GPUs. (Can't find any verifiable sources)

-Gigabyte Aero 15 (No internal HDD)

     -No internal HDD

     -Questionable Compatibility with External GPUs. (Can't find any verifiable sources)

Both work. Though the Razer Core is not recommended. The Razer Core runs on TI82 whereas the newer ones like the Akitio Node run on TI83. 

 

The only 3 you should consider are:

 

AW13 R3. AGA works far better than TB3. You get near perfect scaling compared to the massive loss in performance relative to TB3.

Aero 15. Tier 1 battery life with 1060.

Aorus X5 v7. Tier 1 performance given size. 

 

I think the GS63VR doesn't really have a place anymore. Battery life is too shit to be compared to the Aero 15. Nothing really stands out. Just my opinion though. I think it fits a narrow niche of 1400-1600 budget buyers looking for thin and light with 0 concern for battery life. 

 

 

[Xen P.]

Damn @Pendragon why did you have to go and make my decision harder. LOL.

 

I was unaware of the quality of the Sager lineup, so that's good to know. Although the AW13 R3 and the Aorus X5 V7 have me at odds now. I like the specs and upgradability of AGA of TB3, but the specs of the X5 V7 are SO DAMN SEXY. I wonder what the likely hood is that Alienware will match it sometime this year.

[Pendragon]

9 hours ago, Xen P. said:

snip

They do match it. In their 15 r3. But that's so heavy. I have one. I love the battery life on it. 

[Paparachipupopep]

Product page for the X5 v7 is up, I'm excited to see reviews.

http://www.aorus.com/product-detail.php?p=164&t=35&t2=&t3=