I got myself a PCS laptop for gaming back at the start of 2013. It had good specs for the time (i7-3630QM @ 2.40GHz; 8GB RAM; GTX 675MX w/ 4GB VRAM; 120GB SSD; 750GB HDD 7200rpm) but is now struggling with the demands of modern gaming, so I feel it’s time for an upgrade.
I’ll set out my needs clearly. I’m trying to get a laptop that can handle modern gaming fairly well with consistent performance. I’m aware that desktops are better price/performance-wise for gaming, but my life circumstances mean a laptop is better.
As performance is most important to me, I hope to be able to play games with a stable 1920x1080, 60fps, with no screen tearing. For older/less demanding games I hope to play on Ultra graphics settings (by which I mean top quality textures and shadows, but not necessarily the most fancy anti-aliasing methods and demanding extras). For modern/demanding games I hope to play on Medium to (ideally) High. This is of course barring any weird problems the games themselves have.
Less demanding game examples: Batman Arkham Asylym/City/Origins, BioShock Infinite, Civilisation V, Endless Legend, Life Is Strange, Mass Effect series, Metro Redux series, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rocket League, The Talos Principle, Tomb Raider (2013), Total War Shogun 2
Modern/Demanding examples: Batman Arkham Knight, DOOM, Dying Light, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, HITMAN, MGSV, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, Rise of the Tomb Raider , SOMA, Total War Warhammer, Unravel, The Witness, XCOM 2
Ultimately I want to be able to enjoy a broad spectrum of gaming, with a computer able to handle all the current game engines (Frostbite, id Tech 6, Source 2, Unreal 4).
So I’m thinking the 17.3” Octane II is a good bet, but I’m torn between two CPU and GPU options. I’m looking for some other opinions as to whether what I’m considering will meet my needs.
Chassis & Display Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache ***OR*** Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM) 16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC ***OR*** NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC
Memory - Hard Disk 500GB Samsung 850 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 6x Samsung Slim USB 2.0 External Blu-Ray Writer
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Browser Google Chrome™
Games Controller Xbox One Controller + Cable for Windows
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee 30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
With the cheaper CPU and GPU (and counting accessories and insurance stuff), it comes to £1,589.
With the more expensive options, it’s £1,872. I really don't want to be spending more than this...
(I think I have a £15 off code somewhere.)
So I’m asking for some more opinions as to whether these two possible specs will fulfil my (hopefully not unreasonable) demands. Obviously for peace of mind I would go with the i7-6700K and GTx 980M, but that’s over £200 more expensive… What combination of CPU and GPU do you think I should go for?
I have some specific questions:
1) Is the monitor built into the Octane II able to properly utilise G-SYNC? I hate screen tearing, and while I know other 900M card versions can do adaptive v-sync, I hear G-SYNC gives the smoothest performance. But the screen needs to be able to use it!
2) How noticeable is the difference between 5,400rpm and 7,200rpm HDDs? My previous laptop had a 7,200rpm which I stored all my games and files on, so I wonder if I would notice the downgrade to 5,400. I only ask because the HDD I specified here is out of stock for a couple of weeks… My fault for umming and ahhing over this for so long. In any case, I plan to put some games on the SSD.
I appreciate any advice, as I’m still not an expert in how hardware works with all the varying names and numbers.
I apologise that this is a long post. I write quite verbosely to ensure that people fully understand what I’m asking.
I’ll set out my needs clearly. I’m trying to get a laptop that can handle modern gaming fairly well with consistent performance. I’m aware that desktops are better price/performance-wise for gaming, but my life circumstances mean a laptop is better.
As performance is most important to me, I hope to be able to play games with a stable 1920x1080, 60fps, with no screen tearing. For older/less demanding games I hope to play on Ultra graphics settings (by which I mean top quality textures and shadows, but not necessarily the most fancy anti-aliasing methods and demanding extras). For modern/demanding games I hope to play on Medium to (ideally) High. This is of course barring any weird problems the games themselves have.
Less demanding game examples: Batman Arkham Asylym/City/Origins, BioShock Infinite, Civilisation V, Endless Legend, Life Is Strange, Mass Effect series, Metro Redux series, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rocket League, The Talos Principle, Tomb Raider (2013), Total War Shogun 2
Modern/Demanding examples: Batman Arkham Knight, DOOM, Dying Light, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, HITMAN, MGSV, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, Rise of the Tomb Raider , SOMA, Total War Warhammer, Unravel, The Witness, XCOM 2
Ultimately I want to be able to enjoy a broad spectrum of gaming, with a computer able to handle all the current game engines (Frostbite, id Tech 6, Source 2, Unreal 4).
So I’m thinking the 17.3” Octane II is a good bet, but I’m torn between two CPU and GPU options. I’m looking for some other opinions as to whether what I’m considering will meet my needs.
Chassis & Display Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache ***OR*** Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM) 16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC ***OR*** NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC
Memory - Hard Disk 500GB Samsung 850 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 6x Samsung Slim USB 2.0 External Blu-Ray Writer
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
Operating System Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Browser Google Chrome™
Games Controller Xbox One Controller + Cable for Windows
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee 30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
With the cheaper CPU and GPU (and counting accessories and insurance stuff), it comes to £1,589.
With the more expensive options, it’s £1,872. I really don't want to be spending more than this...
(I think I have a £15 off code somewhere.)
So I’m asking for some more opinions as to whether these two possible specs will fulfil my (hopefully not unreasonable) demands. Obviously for peace of mind I would go with the i7-6700K and GTx 980M, but that’s over £200 more expensive… What combination of CPU and GPU do you think I should go for?
I have some specific questions:
1) Is the monitor built into the Octane II able to properly utilise G-SYNC? I hate screen tearing, and while I know other 900M card versions can do adaptive v-sync, I hear G-SYNC gives the smoothest performance. But the screen needs to be able to use it!
2) How noticeable is the difference between 5,400rpm and 7,200rpm HDDs? My previous laptop had a 7,200rpm which I stored all my games and files on, so I wonder if I would notice the downgrade to 5,400. I only ask because the HDD I specified here is out of stock for a couple of weeks… My fault for umming and ahhing over this for so long. In any case, I plan to put some games on the SSD.
I appreciate any advice, as I’m still not an expert in how hardware works with all the varying names and numbers.
I apologise that this is a long post. I write quite verbosely to ensure that people fully understand what I’m asking.