15.6" Optimus III for gaming+multimedia spec help!

[gavjon]

Greetings, new to PC Specilialist and computer talk in general so bare with me...

Basically I'm looking for a laptop in time to start uni in september. Obviously my excuse for getting one is for "work", but I'll be using it for multimedia (Blu-Rays/HD) and some moderate gaming, mainly RTS, and anywhere from recent ones to a few years back. Heavy duty FPS etc arent really my style on PC gaming, though I might try a couple to see what all the fuss is about.

With how I'd use the setup, I'm probably gonna hook up my LG 22" TV to use as a monitor for it on the desk (you can do that right...?) and get USB mouse/keyboards, so it's practically a desktop, though I could see myself carrying around a lot for lectures/crazy drunk LAN parties.

Proabably most importantly is I'd like the laptop to be fairly "futureproof" for ideally the next 4 years until I finish studying.

Built this Optimus III 15.6" with the following specs;

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M - 1.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
SONY BC-5550H 4x BLURAY COMBO DRIVE & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE (£49)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ADVANCED-N 6235 (300Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus/Voyager Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £862.00 including VAT and delivery.

My budget could stretch that far, but ideally under £850.

1. Burning question - considering what I've said about my gaming habits, is it worth the extra £40-£50 for the GeForce GT 650M as opposed to the 640M on a Genesis chassis (otherwise same specs)

2. is 1600 MHz vs 1333 MHz worth extra £9? (both 8GB RAM)

3. is 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm) vs 8MB/5400 worth extra £9? (both 750GB)

4. is 300 Mbps vs 150 Mbps worth extra £9?

5 finally, is the dead pixel 1 year guarantee worth an extra £19 on top of these specs? How likely is that going to happen?


Excuse the long post, any help and advice is eternally appreciated!!!

[Adli]

1) you could probably settle for the GT640m, but becuase the GPUs in the Optimus and Genesis chassis are soldered down, you cannot upgrade them in the future. getting the 650m will be a much better option for future gaming, than getting the GT640m.
2) no real difference for gaming, and you can always upgrade in the future if needs be.
3) i would choose the 7200 RPM HDD, its much faster which will give better performance.
4) your wireless card will only need to be upgraded if your internet connection is faster than it. even fiber optic cables can have trouble reaching 150mbps, so i highly doubt you will need anything more than 150mbps. my internet would have to be 20 times faster to even hit the 150mbps cap of the card.
5) no idea. if you want peace of mind then take it, but im not sure how likely dead pixels are.

[gavjon]

1) you could probably settle for the GT640m, but becuase the GPUs in the Optimus and Genesis chassis are soldered down, you cannot upgrade them in the future. getting the 650m will be a much better option for future gaming, than getting the GT640m.
2) no real difference for gaming, and you can always upgrade in the future if needs be.
3) i would choose the 7200 RPM HDD, its much faster which will give better performance.
4) your wireless card will only need to be upgraded if your internet connection is faster than it. even fiber optic cables can have trouble reaching 150mbps, so i highly doubt you will need anything more than 150mbps. my internet would have to be 20 times faster to even hit the 150mbps cap of the card.
5) no idea. if you want peace of mind then take it, but im not sure how likely dead pixels are.

Thanks for all the help!

I think I will probably go for the 650M, and your other suggestions. I'll proabably end up going for the dead pixel guarantee aswell.

I notice you've actually got almost identical specs for the Optimus yourself, how would you rate your experiences with it? And with a 17" screen, are there any disadvantages i.e. bulky/heavy?

[Adli]

I notice you've actually got almost identical specs for the Optimus yourself, how would you rate your experiences with it? And with a 17" screen, are there any disadvantages i.e. bulky/heavy?

its a great machine, really good performance for gaming. its quite bulky/heavy but not enough for me to care, i have a laptop cooling stand and i can carry both around (ie carry the stand with the laptop on it) with no issue. if you are used to Ultrabooks it wont seem very portable, but i have no issue with moving it around myself

the 17.3" screen is great, there is no performance difference between it and a 15.6" since they run at the same resolution, but the size does give a better gaming experience in my opinion.