Howsaboutthis?

Hi all. I'm keen on a new laptop for some specific gaming (playing just one or two games at a time), particularly FM19 and Thrones of Britannia, for my sins :|

Here are their min/req game specs:

FM19 (min): CPU: Intel Pentium 4, Intel Core or AMD Athlon – 2.2 GHz + CPU SPEED: Info RAM: 2 GB VIDEO CARD: Intel GMA X4500, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT or AMD/ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 – 256MB VRAM PIXEL SHADER: 4.0 VERTEX SHADER: 4.0 FREE DISK SPACE: 7 GB

Thrones (req): CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-4570 3.20GHz RAM: 8 GB VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB | AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB @1080p
PIXEL SHADER: 5.0 VERTEX SHADER: 5.0 FREE DISK SPACE: 30 GB DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 4 GB

I've browsed through other posts for tips/info, but would like to ask for some opinions/reviews on the two laptop options below. I'm a learning novice with a hopeful £800ish budget max, browsing the web and occasionally watching TV on it too.

- What temperature issues does anyone think I may have playing these games on these specs?
- Is the 1050 ti worth the £45 extra, for the Vyper?
- Is the Samsung SSD worth paying the extra for too, as my only drive? (I think it works out at £34 extra.)
- Will paying more for these parts give me a laptop with a better chance of lasting longer, doing the gaming and browsing I've highlighted above? (Is that the holy grail of questions or a false economy/lucky dip myth?)

Thank you in advance for any replies/tips/advice.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 8300H (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 520 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Battery
Cosmos VII Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price £789.00 including VAT and Delivery

or

Chassis & Display
Vyper Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 8300H (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 520 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 2 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Battery
Vyper Series 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
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/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price £834.00 including VAT and Delivery

- Is the 1050 ti worth the £45 extra, for the Vyper?

Click to expand...

Yes. Absolutely. The 1050 ti is about 35% more powerful when I last checked. You will want that extra performance for Britannia and other demanding titles.

- Is the Samsung SSD worth paying the extra for too, as my only drive? (I think it works out at £34 extra.)

Click to expand...

I'm not convinced the 970 Evo is worth buying for that price difference (a 500gb SU800 is cheaper than a 250gb 970 Evo).

The WD Black is pretty well as fast as the 970 Evo and a bit cheaper than it, so if you want a faster SSD then the WD Black would be my choice. Or the SX6000 as the 256gb one is almost the same price as the SU800 but it's faster.

Which SSD you pick won't affect framerate, however.

Thanks Oussebon. Upon further reading/learning, I think I will take your advice with the 1050 ti.

On the SSD, am I correct to say that this is something I can open up my laptop and physically update later on, as opposed to the graphics card which you can't?

Another question, if I may. I've noticed while looking at other posts similar to mine that, when recommending specs, you suggest choosing RAM that is only 2133MHz plus 1 x 8 rather than 2 x 4. For example: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/vyper-15/WmZ3ayTGGW/

Is it worth spending the extra £19 for a 2400MHz and 2 x 4? What will this 'extra' do? Improve speed/performance? Increase or decrease running temperatures? (Alas, I am the novice I alluded to, but learning.)

Thanks in advance for any help/replies.

You will be fine adding an SSD or m2 SSD later on, it is fairly easy to do and PCS allow us to open up and work on our machines without voiding the warranty. I would probably invest in an anti-static wrist band, they are only a few quid and it is best to be safe when fiddling inside a PC.

Normally I would go for the faster RAM, although I would also wait and get Oussebon's advice first on that as he is far more knowledgeable on that than I am.

On the SSD, am I correct to say that this is something I can open up my laptop and physically update later on, as opposed to the graphics card which you can't?

Click to expand...

That's right.

However, the value of upgrading the SSD versus just buying a better / larger / whatever one you'll keep is questionable.

Why spend £45 on a 256gb SU800 only to replace it with a £70 500gb SU800, when you could just spend £70 at the outset (only £25 more than the £45 drive) to end up with the same thing. If £25 is a lot of money, then probably better to save it up and spend it outright rather than spend £70 or whatever on a relatively minor upgrade down the line.

Another question, if I may. I've noticed while looking at other posts similar to mine that, when recommending specs, you suggest choosing RAM that is only 2133MHz plus 1 x 8 rather than 2 x 4. For example: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved...15/WmZ3ayTGGW/


Is it worth spending the extra £19 for a 2400MHz and 2 x 4? What will this 'extra' do? Improve speed/performance? Increase or decrease running temperatures? (Alas, I am the novice I alluded to, but learning.)

Click to expand...

My advice on this will depend on the budget, uses for the PC, and the price on the day (prices to vary). 2x4gb RAM can improve performance over 1x8gb as it runs in dual channel. But 1x8gb makes it easier and cheaper to upgrade (laptop has 2 slots for RAM, so 1 is kept free).

Faster RAM (i.e. the MHz - RAM frequency) can improve performance in gaming. But often the difference is very, very slight indeed. Given your tight budget I don't think ~£20 for 2400MHz over 2133MHz is necessary (if that's what it costs).

Total War's engine at least for the battle maps doesn't care much about RAM frequency. I doubt the campaign map does either though I've not checked. Britannia is more or less an Attila mod afaik, and Attila's campaign map was heavily GPU limited anyway. Football Manager did show above average gains from RAM frequency when I tested it some time ago. I assume that holds true now.

Checking the prices, I think 1 x 8gb 2666MHz RAM is your best option. It's £8 more than 1 x 8gb 2133 MHz, and is a tad cheaper than either 2 x 4gb 2133MHz or 2400MHz. With the bonus that it's easier to add more in the future should you wish.

That's helpful. Thank you Stephen and Oussebon. I think I tend to agree with the RAM recommendation, after a lot of digging and reading up on the matter too.

I'm currently going for the recommended 250gb WD Black in the 1st M.2 SSD Drive. Am I right to believe that placing my ONLY drive in this slot should produce faster load times due to the NVMe Pcle interface compared to an SSD on the older SATA?

I'm only going to be playing one or two games, and I use few apps, so space should be fine. Perhaps, with my current £800 budget already fraying, I would add further storage later on if needed, keeping the initial drive too.

So at the moment I've gone from a Cosmos VII to the Vyper with its 1050 ti, spending a few more extra bob on the faster RAM and on an SSD that's quick and reviewed well.

Any last comments/thoughts/tweeks on the current config appreciated. Is currently waiting a couple of weeks to see if prices change after CES worth it? Thank you.

Chassis & Display
Vyper Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 8300H (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 2 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Battery
Vyper Series 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
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/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price £846.00 including VAT and Delivery

I'm currently going for the recommended 250gb WD Black in the 1st M.2 SSD Drive. Am I right to believe that placing my ONLY drive in this slot should produce faster load times due to the NVMe Pcle interface compared to an SSD on the older SATA?

Click to expand...

The WD Black is faster than any sata SSD, yes.

I'm only going to be playing one or two games, and I use few apps, so space should be fine. Perhaps, with my current £800 budget already fraying, I would add further storage later on if needed, keeping the initial drive too.

Click to expand...

Yes, you could add a 2.5" HDD or SSD in addition to the WD Black M.2 SSD any time you like in the future.

Any last comments/thoughts/tweeks on the current config appreciated. Is currently waiting a couple of weeks to see if prices change after CES worth it? Thank you.

Click to expand...

I couldn't say. Generally when new GPUs come out, they come out at the top end first and it's a while before the mid/entry stuff gets refreshed. So prices might not be pushed down much / at all on the Vyper. I could well be wrong, but I'm not optimistic.