Gaming laptop - £1100 budget

bobbarley

Active member
Hi guys! I'm looking to buy a gaming laptop and have a budget of £1100 that I put together from selling some PC parts. I looked elsewhere and for my budget I was looking at something like a 8750H with GTX 1060.

That's when I stumbled across PCs and spotted the PROTEUS VI chassis. I'd never have thought I could fit a GTX 1070 into my budget! I spent some time working on a build and would appreciate feedback. The logic I've worked from is to get the best parts possible that can't be upgraded (CPU/GPU etc), compromise on parts I can upgrade later on (RAM), and re-use parts I already have leftover (SSD and Windows 10 license).

This is what I've come up with.

Chassis & Display
Proteus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 8750H (2.2GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM
1st Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB INTEL® 760p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 3210MB/sR | 1315MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x Proteus Series 200W AC Adaptor
Battery
Proteus V Series Lithium Ion Battery (7180mAh)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
Keyboard Language
PROTEUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
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

Price £1,136.00 including VAT and delivery

Thanks!
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Looks good, and I'd agree with that logic.

If you can stretch another £7 or so I'd go with the WD Black SSD. The Intel ones are okay, but a bit 'meh' for an NVMe drive whereas the 2nd Gen WD blacks are actually pretty decent.
 

bobbarley

Active member
Is now the right time to buy?

With Nvidia announcing the new line up of GPU's on 20th August, is now a good time to spec up and purchase a gaming laptop?

How quick are PCS at marking down laptop GPU's prices in relation to the technology going one generation behind?
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
With Nvidia announcing the new line up of GPU's on 20th August, is now a good time to spec up and purchase a gaming laptop?

How quick are PCS at marking down laptop GPU's prices in relation to the technology going one generation behind?

Hiya, I’ve merged your post as it’s related to this purchase.

Thanks
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
It's generally believed that the new GPUs being launched will be for desktops first. Mobile ones tend to come out several months later. I've seen a few people speculate the new gen will be laptops first/only but they are a tiny minority.

Pricing doesn't really work that way - expecting to get major, major bargains on older gen stuff when new gen kit launches doesn't seem to be realistic. Prices can come down a bit, but often not nearly enough to make buying older gen stuff with fewer features and possibly more limited support worth it.
 

bobbarley

Active member
Any thoughts on the screen? I shared the spec with some friends and their opinion was spending less than £1,500 is gimping the spec and 144Hz minimum is essential. They obviously don't understand the concept of budgets lol.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Any thoughts on the screen? I shared the spec with some friends and their opinion was spending less than £1,500 is gimping the spec and 144Hz minimum is essential. They obviously don't understand the concept of budgets lol.

It totally depends on your own expectations, and obviously - budget.

144hz is excellent, there's no doubt about it, but it's more geared to fast paced shooters or racing games. If you're not really playing a lot of these, and it's pushing your budget, there's an argument to say it's a luxury that can be scrimped on.

If you've experienced 144hz and appreciated it, then I'd say it's worth looking for that otherwise you may be let down. If you have only experienced 60Hz and loved it, then I'd say don't worry too much about it until you've got a bigger budget.
 

bobbarley

Active member
Ideally when I use it to game I’d dock the laptop to a monitor, keyboard and mouse in my office. So my thinking is the screen on the laptop itself is less important. When I’m doing casual sofa gaming it’s likely be older games and indie titles.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
I shared the spec with some friends and their opinion was spending less than £1,500 is gimping the spec and 144Hz minimum is essential.
Straight up garbage I'm afraid.

144hz might be essential to them, of course, but it's not actually essential. Especially if for your more demanding or intensive gaming sessions you're just using an external monitor anyhow.

As for £1500 gimping the spec, a GTX 1060 for laptops is still a bit better than a GTX 970, which will play most modern titles somewhere from high to ultra. And a GTX 1070 as above will do the same, but for 1440p...

It's possible that your friends picking a number out of thin air is because they were thinking of flagship models from other companies where you need to spend £1200 just to get a GTX 1050 ti and enough bloatware to sink a battleship or whatever... well, slight exaggeration but you get the point. With the pricing of some laptop makers, you really do need ~£1500 for a 1060.
 

bobbarley

Active member
Thanks for the help guys, in the end I went for this.

Chassis & Display
Proteus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 8750H (2.2GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 1500MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x Proteus Series 200W AC Adaptor
Battery
Proteus V Series Lithium Ion Battery (7180mAh)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
Keyboard Language
PROTEUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM
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
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Promotional Item
The Crew 2 FREE with select SAMSUNG NVMe SSDs!
Quantity
1

I figured for the sake of a few quid go from the WD Black to the Samsung as it has even better reviews. I have a 1TB SSD waiting to go into the laptop once it arrives too.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
If you did have a larger budget there would be an argument for 16gb RAM. As you'll want it one day and if you get it now you don't have to have any worries about compatibility.

That said, RAM prices are fairly high now so leaving it could be cheaper as long as you end up buying another 8gb stick that plays nice.
 

bobbarley

Active member
I'm hopeful that at some point in the future I can get the same stick for the same or less money than at the moment. We will see!
 

szico_vii

Bronze Level Poster
A 144Hz g-sync monitor is fantastic if you are into your twitch FPS shooters, COD/battlefront/Destiny e.t.c in a highly competitive way. I wouldnt get a 144hz without g-sync personally (or freesync for ATI/AMD cards)

But 60Hz would be absolutely okay for most people. For me, the biggest improvement has been g-sync as it allows you to game at a variable frame rate without sacrificing either input lag (with buffering and v-sync on) or screen tearing (v-sync off). If your computer can run all games solid at 60fps then gsync is probably not necessary on a 60hz monitor but might be on a 144Hz.

I would say the more important things are the input delay on the monitor and the response time. SMART TVs in particular often have atrocious input lag if you are considering using one of those as a bigger screen.
 

bobbarley

Active member
I have a 1080p monitor I'll dock the laptop to when I do any proper gaming, but I am looking to upgrade it to a 144/165Hz monitor at some point, when I'm nor poor again lol.

Biggest problem I found it that I want a GTX 1070 and I want a 15.6" monitor. PCS only do one chassis for this (the one I bought), and it doesn't have any option other than 60Hz. which is a shame.
 

bobbarley

Active member
Well the machine is in pre-production, I can't wait to receive it once everything is sorted/build/tested etc. Once I've put it through it's paces I'll try to do a review for the forum, especially seeing as it's a new model/chassis for PCS.
 
Top