Gaming Laptop Guide - UPDATED RTX Edition!

[Galm]

2 minutes ago, Nytrite said:

Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on one. Although, are there other alternatives that might just be as good? Just in case they're not available.

Just as good?  No not really.

 

There is the Asus GL502VM, that's probably the next best.  Cooling is a little more iffy.  

 

Actually if you can manage to find an Alienware 15 within budget those are good too.  Cooling was hit or miss for a while but it's mostly better now.

[Nytrite]

Just now, Galm said:

Just as good?  No not really.

 

There is the Asus GL502VM, that's probably the next best.  Cooling is a little more iffy.  

 

Actually if you can manage to find an Alienware 15 within budget those are good too.  Cooling was hit or miss for a while but it's mostly better now.

I guess I'll have a few months to prepare. Thanks for this, I really appreciate it. I'll take note.

[larKvan]

If you buy a clevo without the OS where do you recommend getting windows? @Galm @Pendragon

After reading the OS forums a bit I am thinking of just having a watermark forever >.>

[Pendragon]

2 minutes ago, larKvan said:

If you buy a clevo without the OS where do you recommend getting windows? @Galm @Pendragon

 

 

Where are you buying it? Some retailers have OEM options. But I have mine on Kinguin (which people tell me is bad because it'll get disabled but yolo, I have the software protection thing) or Windowsstoreswap on reddit. 

 

or pirate it. 

[Guest lilbman]

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

(Power Users Only)

@Galm What do you mean by this?

[Galm]

5 minutes ago, lilbman said:

@Galm What do you mean by this?

Expect to have to undervolt, repaste, and possibly modify the heatsink.  It's great when it works though.

[Guest lilbman]

2 minutes ago, Galm said:

Expect to have to undervolt, repaste, and possibly modify the heatsink.  It's great when it works though.

Oh-I never had to repaste or modify the heatsink, even though I ordered mine the first day you could, meaning I have a jacked heatsink.  It isn't severe enough for those measure in my case.  I undervolted it -150Mv and it dropped the temperatures around 15-20 degrees Celcius.  It never goes about 70 degrees Celcius while gaming now.  Some other users on the forums had way worse heat issues than I did, and they had to do all of those things.

 

I'd say it varies from case to case.

[Galm]

2 hours ago, lilbman said:

Oh-I never had to repaste or modify the heatsink, even though I ordered mine the first day you could, meaning I have a jacked heatsink.  It isn't severe enough for those measure in my case.  I undervolted it -150Mv and it dropped the temperatures around 15-20 degrees Celcius.  It never goes about 70 degrees Celcius while gaming now.  Some other users on the forums had way worse heat issues than I did, and they had to do all of those things.

 

I'd say it varies from case to case.

Yes...  Which is why I said expect.  Doesn't mean you'll have to, but you'd better not be prepared.

[VioletGiraffe]

Having read the opening post/guide, I get the feeling there's not a single well-built, well-cooled laptop below $1000 even if I'm willing to compromise on the hardware. Is that so?

• Legion Y520 - awful screen despite being IPS. Pity, I like the design a lot.
•  MSI GL62, GL62M and GP62 - repelled by a TN screen. Possibly a mistake because not all TN are equally bad, but I was really hoping for a good panel at this price point, not simply passable
• HP Omen 15 - need to read reviews, but it barely fits the bill and I've heard bad things about HP service (problems with parts availability and high cost of replacements).
• Discarding any Dell models for recurring reports of battery charging issues.

What did I get wrong? Any recommendations for me? Ideally, I'm looking for a $900 (up to 1000) machine with 1050, or sub-$800 machine with 950M. Perhaps, something from the previous generation with a Skylake CPU?

Also, do any of these have a detachable battery?

 

How about Asus ROG GL553VD? Good keyboard, good display, available with GTX1050 just within my upper budget limit.

[edit1754]

http://eluktronics.com/N850

 

Difference between Eluktronics and other Clevo retailers/sources/sellers is Eluktronics uses 72% NTSC color gamut IPS FHD displays rather than 45%.

 

Sager, as of writing, uses the same IPS display as the Lenovo Y520, the LG LP156WF6-SPK3. That could change, but it's the way it is at the moment. Contact their sales department at the time of ordering to see if it has changed. Eluktronics uses the LG LP156WF6-SPB1. (and to note, the GL553VD uses the LG LP156WF6-SPB6, which is another good 72% NTSC display)

 

This is for FHD. As a general note: If you wanted 4K, first know you'll have to run most new games in non-native res, second know that Eluktronics' offered 4K option is PenTile (RG/BW) not-true-4K. For 4K, I would choose the Inspiron 7567 4K IPS model, since it's the real deal. The Dell uses a very low quality TN panel for the FHD model, so I might not suggest it to those not planning to replace the LCD. Basically, Eluktronics for FHD, Dell for 4K.

[VioletGiraffe]

11 minutes ago, edit1754 said:

http://eluktronics.com/N850

 

Difference between Eluktronics and other Clevo retailers/sources/sellers is Eluktronics uses 72% NTSC color gamut IPS FHD displays rather than 45%.

Thanks, very useful info indeed. Is NTSC gamut wider than sRGB? The GL553VD scores 90%+ sRGB coverage, according to the Notebookcheck, but you say 72% NTSC.

 

That Eluktronics company - I assume they make decent stuff? Never heard of them before. Are they related to Clevo? Looks like I won't be able to get this machine in my country (too bad, the hardware is great for the price), but still, curious.

[edit1754]

Yep! The GL553VD and Eluktronics N850 displays are very similar.

 

And yep, they sell Clevos the same as Sager. Company itself isn't as well known as Sager and other Clevo sellers/resellers, but I've gotten a good impression from them, particularly with their knowledgeable responses to questions on their Amazon Q&A pages.

[Galm]

3 hours ago, VioletGiraffe said:

Having read the opening post/guide, I get the feeling there's not a single well-built, well-cooled laptop below $1000 even if I'm willing to compromise on the hardware. Is that so?

• Legion Y520 - awful screen despite being IPS. Pity, I like the design a lot.
•  MSI GL62, GL62M and GP62 - repelled by a TN screen. Possibly a mistake because not all TN are equally bad, but I was really hoping for a good panel at this price point, not simply passable
• HP Omen 15 - need to read reviews, but it barely fits the bill and I've heard bad things about HP service (problems with parts availability and high cost of replacements).
• Discarding any Dell models for recurring reports of battery charging issues.

What did I get wrong? Any recommendations for me? Ideally, I'm looking for a $900 (up to 1000) machine with 1050, or sub-$800 machine with 950M. Perhaps, something from the previous generation with a Skylake CPU?

Also, do any of these have a detachable battery?

 

How about Asus ROG GL553VD? Good keyboard, good display, available with GTX1050 just within my upper budget limit.

I'm also fairly certain some of the MSI models have IPS displays not TN.  

[VioletGiraffe]

2 minutes ago, Galm said:

I'm also fairly certain some of the MSI models have IPS displays not TN.  

Surely, but within $1000? Let me double-check (thanks for bringing that up), but so far I've seen none.

[Galm]

3 minutes ago, VioletGiraffe said:

Surely, but within $1000? Let me double-check (thanks for bringing that up), but so far I've seen none.

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GL62M-7RD-056-Performance-i7-7700HQ/dp/B01N6L9R75/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492187027&sr=1-1&keywords=msi+gl62+1050+ips

 

Lists IPS there.

[edit1754]

It lists IPS in the middle, but that may be from the generic marketing template for the GL series. The specific specs at the top list "eDP Vivid Color", which makes me wary of that model, since it usually refers to low quality TN.

 

That said, the GL62M in this review seems to be using a good TN panel, but it's listing the same panel model number that's usually a very poor quality one when seen in other laptops, so it might be a fluke or a lottery rather than the norm for this model.

[Galm]

13 minutes ago, edit1754 said:

It lists IPS in the middle, but that may be from the generic marketing template for the GL series. The specific specs at the top list "eDP Vivid Color", which makes me wary of that model, since it usually refers to low quality TN.

 

That said, the GL62M in this review seems to be using a good TN panel, but it's listing the same panel model number that's usually a very poor quality one when seen in other laptops, so it might be a fluke or a lottery rather than the norm for this model.

I was reading it in the product description category.  Pretty sure that needs to be accurate, so if it's wrong you could get a refund or something at least.  Amazon would take your side.

[Galm]

Anyone who wants a brief breakdown of gaming laptop resellers can check this out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-reseller-guide.803731/

[apaar123]

For under 1500$ Acer aspire v15 nitro black edition 

[Galm]

3 hours ago, apaar123 said:

For under 1500$ Acer aspire v15 nitro black edition 

is what exactly...?  Sure isn't built like the Acer Predators.

[apaar123]

1 minute ago, Galm said:

is what exactly...?  Sure isn't built like the Acer Predators.

it has gtx 1060 and i7 kablake and costs 1200$. Yes not like predator, it doesnt look like gaming laptop

[Galm]

1 hour ago, apaar123 said:

it has gtx 1060 and i7 kablake and costs 1200$. Yes not like predator, it doesnt look like gaming laptop

Yeah but it's build quality is fairly poor compared to the Clevo P650HP6 or Asus GL502VM.  

 

I've been watching it for a more in depth thermal analysis.

[apaar123]

3 minutes ago, Galm said:

Yeah but it's build quality is fairly poor compared to the Clevo P650HP6 or Asus GL502VM.  

 

I've been watching it for a more in depth thermal analysis.

yeah i will but asus rog gl502vm if it gets cheaper again because my budget is 1200-1300$

[Galm]

Some new units are on the market which will probably be added to the guide soon.  The portable section is getting crowded, and may need trimming.

 

The Gigabyte Aero 15 and Clevo P950HP6 are both new players.

 

Plus a bunch of budget minded 1060 laptops.  (Though I'm less of a fan of those)

[Pendragon]

46 minutes ago, Galm said:

The Gigabyte Aero 15 and Clevo P950HP6 are both new players.

 

Has anyone got their hands on the P950HP6 yet? I'm curious about it.