Extreme Gaming vs Intensive Use vs High End Multimedia

[RichyJ91]

Hello,

I feel slightly stupid asking this, given that its probably very obvious to some of you guys, but is there much difference between the Extreme Gaming, Intensive Use and High End Multimedia base descriptions?

I mean, do they pretty much mean one and the same thing or are there quite a few differences?

I'm looking to get myself a high spec laptop, mainly for uni work (HD Video editing, 3D modelling propgrams, rendering, photoshop etc) but would also like to be able to play recent games on their high settings with a good frame rate. The idea is that this laptop is gonna last me a while so, price aside, should I be choosing it based on one of those 3 descriptions or is it more to do with the hardware actually in the laptop itself?

Thanks.

- Richy

 

[keynes]

Hi Richy,
For your intended use I'd go with the extreme gaming range and customise the components depending on your budget and the applications you are planning to run.

 

[RichyJ91]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Makes sense. I am right in thinking that a good graphics card is going to be able to handle all those things I mentioned yes? I mean, its not going to be great for gaming but poor for HD video editing? If that makes sense. Same goes for the processor and what not.

 

[keynes]

I think it depends on what programmes you are running and whether or not they support GPU acceleration. It depends on the components you choose including the cpu.

 

[rb2610]

Make sure not to skimp on the RAM either, 8GB at the very least. Afaik, PS is pretty RAM hungry, as is most 3d software. Especially if you're going to be texturing in PS, modelling and texture mapping in your 3d software and viewing your models in-engine all simultaneously or even just making big scenes, RAM should be a high priority.

What's your budget? As putting together something that can handle 3d work to a high standard is going to be expensive.

 

[RichyJ91]

Ok, well ideally I wasn't wanting to spend more than £900-1000. My computer has handled two years of this stuff at uni so far and so the majority of work will still be done on that. The laptop is mainly so that i can do my work on the go/at course mates houses for group work/gives me the option to be out of my bedroom instead of confinded to it during term time. So yeah, I dont really need to go too wild when it comes to the laptop.

 

[rb2610]

From what I've been reading on Polycount, it seems that CPU is needed for rendering, and GPU will help when you're actually doing the modelling etc. So really you need pretty decent GPU and CPU.

What are your desktop specs? And are you thinking 15" or 17", the extra screenspace would be incredibly helpful for 3d work, but would that be too much of a decrease in portability?

At the very least you'll want a 660m for the Graphics, and the i7 3610QM CPU, plus 8GB or more of RAM (incidentally what I'm going for, but I'm only planning on doing occasional casual 3d work). Then it's a case of toying round with your options to see what specs you can increase and stay within budget. You could just about push the graphics up to a 670m in the Skyfire II and stay within that budget (depending what other things and extras you need, like Hard Disk space or a Warranty).
Your other option is to stick with an Optimus IV with the 660m and have a little to spare to get a slightly better CPU or RAM.

Hope that helps, someone else might have some more specific or experienced advice

 

[RichyJ91]

Thanks! That helps alot actually, gives me specifics to research. Was thinking about a 15.6" screen because when im at home I can just hook it up to my monitor, and it still means its easier to carry else where.

The Optimus IV, but thats listed as being Intensive Use, as opposed to the options I meantioned in the original post. But from what Ive gathered, that doesnt matter so much as much as the components themselves do?

EDIT: Sorry, my desktop specs are...

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.120503-2030)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: p6551uk
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 650 @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8120MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 5450
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: AMD Radeon Graphics Processor
Display Memory: 718 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1010 MB
Shared Memory: 3803 MB

Pulled that off the dxdiag command.

 

[rb2610]

I think the 'uses' they list are more just vague suggestions of what it'd be useful for. In terms of specs, (afaik) the only thing that differentiates the 'Extreme Gaming' Vortex III from the 'Intensive Use' Skyfire II for example is that the Vortex has a few extra options, like a GTX 680m gpu, which would be wayyyy over budget anyway. (and an illuminated keyboard )

The only component that is really restricted by the model it seems is the GPU, the Optimus has a 660m, the Skyfire has a 670m or a 675m and the Vortex's can have 670m, 675m, a HD7970m or a 680. Other than that, pretty much all the models from Optimus IV and above have the same options for CPU, RAM, Hard Disk etc.

Also keep in mind that when you look at the list of laptops, the prices shown are with basic options for everything, so they're prices assuming that you got a tiny HD, a couple of GB of RAM and an i3 or lower CPU. Which of course wouldn't be great, especially for your planned use. So while if you look at say the Vortex III and it looks like it's going to be £870 and within your budget, in order to get the rest of the components to a decent spec you'll end up pushing it up to £1000+, not including Warranties, a case etc.

One last thing, which I didn't find out till last week (I'm pretty new to laptop shopping myself, usually go for desktops) is that although in desktop CPUs most i5 processors are Quad Core, on laptops all of them are Dual Core up until the 3610QM or better. Which is good to know if having Quad Core processing power is important for your usage.

 

[RichyJ91]

Yeah, I see what you mean about the slightly limited options for the GPU for the Optimus. I have enough to go over my budget, but obviously that wasnt the plan and defeats the point in a budget I'll have another look at it all and see what I can manage.

Is there a lot of difference between the i7 3610QM and the 3720? Noticeable difference?

Do you know of any good websites that I can check hardware against PC game requirements? Sites like canyourunit? are great but they only go off the machine your currently using.

 

[rb2610]

These should help:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Ivy-Bridge-Guide-for-Gamers.81855.0.html

Even on a 660m you should be able to manage Battlefield 3 on Med/High

As for the 2 i7's the price gap is about £100, and it does have a few extra features, but unless you need the features £100 for the tiny boost you'd get isn't worth it.
Here's a quote from another thread regarding the features:

Just pointing out, there's more to it than just the higher CPU frequency, such as the next one up (3720qm) having extra virtualisation features and the integrated GPU being clocked higher, as well as VPro which adds a bunch of security features. Despite that I agree with you on the 3610qm, since none of that affects the OP.

I don't know about Virtualisation and VPro, but since you'll have a dedicated Graphics Card anyway the integrated GPU clock won't affect you.

Have a play around and see what else you can add for that £100 instead of upgrading to the 3720, if you can get yourself something useful like a better HD or some extra RAM, personally I'd go for that instead, but if you can't find anything else to add and still have a £100 to spare in your budget, then go for the CPU upgrade I guess.

Though judging by the 2nd link, the 3720 would only get you about 4fps extra in Guild Wars 2 and a barely noticable amount in most other games.

 

[RichyJ91]

Excellent links, thanks. I think I may stick with the 3610 because from what I can tell there isnt a massive difference. I'll use the saved money to go with 1x8GB instead of 2x4GB incase I wanna upgrade at a later date.

Currently, these are the specs im looking at.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte 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 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLUE WD7500BPVT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 8MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
SONY BC-5550H 4x BLURAY COMBO DRIVE & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE
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® ULTIMATE-N 6300 (450Mbps)
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
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 1.3 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 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £909.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[rb2610]

Heh, pretty similar to what I got except I got 2x4 RAM, a 750 Momentus XT Hard Disk and didn't get the Blu-Ray drive.

Not got mine yet, so I can't tell you how good it is in practice, but it seems to be the best and only of the most popular options for under £1000, so should be good

 

[RichyJ91]

Fingers crossed! Thanks for all the help, amigo.

 

[Keithg]

Change the disk to a 7200rpm model, the 720Gb WD Scorpio black model is £10 more than your current and will be a big improvement in performance.
Even if you have placed the order you can change it from your account management page.

Other than that it is the same spec as I am waiting on, this model is very popular.

 

[RichyJ91]

Done. Thanks for the heads up, I imagine its gonna take a bit of time to arrive so I'll get on and order it.

 

[rb2610]

No problem, and I ordered mine last Sunday, it's now awaiting dispatch, so should be just over a week if you're lucky!

 

[RichyJ91]

Even though it says Shipping 10th October on the page for the Optimus IV? Would love it if it really was just over a week!

 

[rb2610]

Oh damn, good point :/
I'd ordered just before that happened, maybe it'll take longer then...
Might be worth asking PCS if they have the old model still available, as the shipping 10th of Oct version is just the same but with some extra audio software, so if you aren't fussed about the software they might be able to get it to you earlier?

Good luck!

 

[RichyJ91]

I emailed them, asking about the shipping dates and whether or not they were waiting on software. The reply I got back was fairly confusing.

Hi there

The estimate on the website is accurate at the moment, as far as I am aware we are not awaiting for any other items so when this arrives we will be able to build the machine and dispatch soon after.


Kind Regards

PC Specialist Support Team

So, the 10th Oct shipping date is correct.
But they're not waiting on items.
Even though they're still waiting on "this" to arrive before building it? Which I assume is the software?