Laptop dilemma + places to buy it

[Exuraz]

Hi,

 

During my vacation I've started to think of a good laptop. I've been using an Alienware M17X (Don't want to hear anything about that) (It features a 1st gen Intel i7 Q 720 @ 1.6Ghz and an AMD Radeon 4870M GPU) for years now as laptop for vacations and since I'm going to college in a year, I thought it's time for a proper laptop that is light yet powerful and has a good battery life.

 

Gaming is not my main focus as I have a pretty good desktop featuring an Intel i7 4770K OC'ed, GTX 770 with 4GB of VRAM, 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and plenty of HDD storage to fulfil all my needs.

 

I'm still amazed by the performance my M17X laptop delivers and I'm looking for a new laptop that will also still deliver good performance after 5 years. Or well, good enough for Office and webbrowsing. 

 

These are the specs I'm looking for:

   - Intel i7 - 4th or 5th gen, not sure what they differ in performance/power efficiency, but I want atleast a 4720HQ or 5700HQ)

   - GTX 970M or 965M - As mentioned before, it's not for gaming. I do need graphical power for applications that involve photo & video editing or 3D modelling. I want it to be of the 900-series for the power efficiency. VRAM doesn't really matter.

   - Minimum of 8GB of RAM - Can always be upgraded (Even on the Razer Blade I'd find a way) and what I'll be using the laptop for, 8GB will be enough for the foreseeable future.

   - SSD storage - Needs to have an SSD by default. I don't need nor want an HDD. 256GB SSD is fine, can always upgrade. Big storage is for my desktop anyway.

   - Design/build quality - I've moved past plastic, I'd like my laptop to be made of as much aluminium (Sorry, European) as possible. I want it to look good as I'll be using it on college and it should look like a premium device rather than some cheap heap of hardware stuffed in a casing. Keyboard backlight is a must.

   - 1080p 14"-15.6" screen - If I want high resolution I'll purchase some 4K monitors for my desktop. I don't want any of that "So much detail with this WQHD+ 14'' screen!" on my laptop for the same reason as I wouldn't want a 1440p or 4k phone. 

   - Ports are no concern, I can use adapters and what not.

   - Temperatures should be as low and good as possible out of the box. If I feel like my legs are being burned then I can always underclock the hardware, though.

   - Comfortable touchpad - Even though I'll probably use a mouse most of the time as I still prefer that over a touchpad, I do wish it to be a good one when I'm using it. 

 

I think that's all I could wish for, really... 

 

 

What I've found so far:

 

I've done my research, ofcourse, and I came across the following laptops:

 

Razer Blade 14'' 2015, Full HD:

- Pros:

   - Nice design, not over the top.

   - Razer branding, I already own some razer products.

   - Full aluminium, non-brushed.

   - Decent hardware.

 

- Cons:

   - The price. 2000 USD is way too much for the hardware in that laptop. I could get a similar one, if not more powerful, for 1100 USD. But ofcourse, you pay for the Razer branding and the small formfactor. Just need a way to get it cheaper.

   - Not upgradeable. I'm not sure about the storage, but RAM isn't upgradeable. Doubt I will need any upgrades anyway.

   - No dedicated ethernet port, no SD card reader (Compared to the GS60 GhostPro)

 

MSi GS60 Ghost Pro 15.6", Full HD:

- Pros:

   - More bang for the buck.

   - More upgradeability, for both storage as well as RAM.

   - Has more ports such as ethernet and SD card reader.

 

- Cons:

   - Design, I don't really like it as much. It is good, but the "G series gaming" logo looks a bit childish in my opinion, and the brushed aluminium isn't my favourite either.

   - Plastic on the screen, looks a bit cheap in my opinion.

 

 

My main question is, what laptop should I go with? If the GS60 is better than the Blade, then why does Linus use the Blade instead of the GS60? And Is there any laptop that has the design of the Razer Blade but the specifications and customizability of the GS60 Ghost Pro? If I opt for either of them, is there a cheap way or place to get them? Refurbished is good enough, but eBay only has QHD+ models of the Razer Blade and there are no Razer Blades in sale that are refurbished. 

 

That's the reason I made this post for. I'd like your advice on what I need and found, and depending on that, where to buy it. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[ilikemacandpc]

Wait for the skylake/2016 razer blade 14 to come out and get a discount on the 2015 one. That's the best option I can think of. 

[exercutor5]

omg this is long

 

Man, what's your budget?

[Exuraz]

Man, what's your budget?

Heh sorry for the long post I tend to do that, I'll shorten it up a bit. 

My budget would be around 1100 USD. 

 

 

 

Wait for the skylake/2016 razer blade 14 to come out and get a discount on the 2015 one. That's the best option I can think of. 

Hmm yeah that does sound like a good option but 2 problems;

- the 2016 Blade will probably have usb-C, which would be a very nice addition.

- Other improvements for the 2016 Blade, which may leave me waiting yet again

[D2ultima]

Your best bet would be a Clevo P650SA, but it might be out of your budget... you could check mySN.co.uk and mySN.de for it, or Clevo Extreme Gaming (CEG) as you're in the netherlands and see if you can get it at your price point. 5.5 pounds is gonna be its weight.

 

Your budget of 1100 USD is constricting however. Even in the US that'll never get you a 256GB SSD + 965M + i7. And you pay more by being in the Netherlands. PLEASE do not translate your budget to USD if you're not using USD. It does not convert. What costs $1500 USD (aka ~1366 Euros) might cost 1500 or 1600 Euros in Europe.

[Exuraz]

Your best bet would be a Clevo P650SA, but it might be out of your budget... you could check mySN.co.uk and mySN.de for it, or Clevo Extreme Gaming (CEG) as you're in the netherlands and see if you can get it at your price point. 5.5 pounds is gonna be its weight.

 

Your budget of 1100 USD is constricting however. Even in the US that'll never get you a 256GB SSD + 965M + i7. And you pay more by being in the Netherlands. PLEASE do not translate your budget to USD if you're not using USD. It does not convert. What costs $1500 USD (aka ~1366 Euros) might cost 1500 or 1600 Euros in Europe.

Thanks, I'll have a look at those.

 

As for pricing, I am talking about used or refurbished models for about 1100 USD. And USD is the easiest price here, and for me. I have my ways of purchasing stuff in the USA or other countries and I will get it cheaper.  

 

1400-1500 USD is fine too.. just want to keep the price as low as possible. XoticPC would be a good option as I can even let it ship without the SSD and add one I already have at home, reducing the price even further. They don't have the Razer Blade, however. 

 

Don't worry about country related stuff I just need to find a good laptop and I'll find a way to get it

[D2ultima]

Don't worry about country related stuff I just need to find a good laptop and I'll find a way to get it

If that's the case and you can handle a 5.5 pound laptop, your best way to go (AND if you can pay a bit more as you said you could), is via mythlogic for the P650SA. They are the one place that will most definitely do their QA properly and you're pretty much guaranteed to get a properly working laptop in your hands and not need to worry about overheating or repasting (they literally run a bunch of BF4 prior to shipping out, and even give you the temperature graphs and whatnot for it so you know what they were getting). Mythlogic however is a bit more expensive than XoticPC etc, but I guess that's the price you pay. You can probably tell them no HDD and you'll use your own without much issue. They don't mind what you do as long as you don't flash the system BIOS or short the machine out while cleaning.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/sager-np8651-clevo-p650se-with-gtx-970m-htwingnuts-review.765376/  <--- you can use that to see what a P650SA would be like (just swap 970M for 965M and it's basically the same)

[Exuraz]

If that's the case and you can handle a 5.5 pound laptop, your best way to go (AND if you can pay a bit more as you said you could), is via mythlogic for the P650SA. They are the one place that will most definitely do their QA properly and you're pretty much guaranteed to get a properly working laptop in your hands and not need to worry about overheating or repasting (they literally run a bunch of BF4 prior to shipping out, and even give you the temperature graphs and whatnot for it so you know what they were getting). Mythlogic however is a bit more expensive than XoticPC etc, but I guess that's the price you pay. You can probably tell them no HDD and you'll use your own without much issue. They don't mind what you do as long as you don't flash the system BIOS or short the machine out while cleaning.

lol that's pretty thorough QA yeah. I have pretty good faith in Xotic's QA though, and I don't think I want to pay more for something like that. 

 

Only things about the Clevo I'm not sure about;

- Doesn't look very premium, like, that is one of the things I'm looking for. I want a laptop that will last me a very good while and a premium look and feel is important to me in this case. 

- The battery is 60 kWh which is 10 kWh less than the Blade. Battery life is important to me, and 10 kWh could make a difference.

- It's thicker and heavier.

[D2ultima]

lol that's pretty thorough QA yeah. I have pretty good faith in Xotic's QA though, and I don't think I want to pay more for something like that. 

 

Only things about the Clevo I'm not sure about;

- Doesn't look very premium, like, that is one of the things I'm looking for. I want a laptop that will last me a very good while and a premium look and feel is important to me in this case. 

- The battery is 60 kWh which is 10 kWh less than the Blade. Battery life is important to me, and 10 kWh could make a difference.

- It's thicker and heavier.

XoticPC is a middleman. They don't touch your laptop. They simply liaise with Sager (or MSI or ASUS etc) and get them to send it. Most of the time, a laptop from Sager or OriginPC or whatever will be just fine, but Mythlogic goes pretty much above and beyond in making sure it'll work for you. It is what it is, and it's up to you if you want to spend for it. They also use a partially unlocked BIOS from Prema, saving you the necessity of installing a Prema BIOS aftermarket for unlocked CPU/RAM/etc control. They use IC Diamond by default, and there's... usually some extra. Usually a screen calibration tool or whatnot (it'll be on their page) that's basically just "included" in the cost (you can't not take it, though you could not use it).

 

Clevos are meant to look sleek and business-like for the most part. If you want to choose form over function, that's up to you.

I know the P6xxSx batteries are smaller. I have no counter to that at all. I don't know why they didn't use a bigger one.

Yeah, it's thicker and heavier, but more robustly built and very easy to user-service and take care of. Thicker/heavier chassis means better cooling and usually sturdier builds. You want something that'll definitely last you, and Clevos are the top of the food chain for "gaming laptops" right now.

 

If you absolutely want something thinner, then pick the GS60 from MSI.

[Exuraz]

XoticPC is a middleman. They don't touch your laptop. They simply liaise with Sager (or MSI or ASUS etc) and get them to send it. Most of the time, a laptop from Sager or OriginPC or whatever will be just fine, but Mythlogic goes pretty much above and beyond in making sure it'll work for you. It is what it is, and it's up to you if you want to spend for it. They also use a partially unlocked BIOS from Prema, saving you the necessity of installing a Prema BIOS aftermarket for unlocked CPU/RAM/etc control. They use IC Diamond by default, and there's... usually some extra. Usually a screen calibration tool or whatnot (it'll be on their page) that's basically just "included" in the cost (you can't not take it, though you could not use it).

 

Clevos are meant to look sleek and business-like for the most part. If you want to choose form over function, that's up to you.

I know the P6xxSx batteries are smaller. I have no counter to that at all. I don't know why they didn't use a bigger one.

Yeah, it's thicker and heavier, but more robustly built and very easy to user-service and take care of. Thicker/heavier chassis means better cooling and usually sturdier builds. You want something that'll definitely last you, and Clevos are the top of the food chain for "gaming laptops" right now.

 

If you absolutely want something thinner, then pick the GS60 from MSI.

 

Well, I am aware of Sager/Clevo being the best option for bang for the buck but I also value design, weight, formfactor and battery life. Raw power isn't what I need - otherwise I would have gotten a 17" Sager beast laptop. 

 

I think I'll do some more research with the Clevo you suggested, and compare them to the GS60 and Blade.

 

Thank you very much for the help