So I got myself a nice gaming laptop from PC Specialist three years ago. It’s done me well, but what with the new console generation and modern games’ increasing hardware demands, I think it’s about time to upgrade. But before I start asking about possible builds in the “Check this spec!” forums, I wanted to ask some more general questions about the laptop options PCS offers, so I can work out exactly what I’m after. This post may be a bit long, but it’s just because I like to clearly articulate what I’m asking so that responders can be as helpful as possible.
Obviously I realise that when it comes to gaming performance, desktops are better than laptops, but my life circumstances happen to mean that a laptop is much more practical. What I’m looking for is a system that can run games at a steady 1080p/60fps, with older/less demanding games on mostly Ultra graphics settings, and modern/demanding games on Medium-High settings.
But before all my main questions… Is there a particular time of year that PCS refreshes/changes what hardware they sell? I’ve been tinkering with build options for a while now, and have seen some components appear and disappear. NVIDIA has recently announced new, powerful desktop GPUs, although as far as I’m aware there isn’t any info on mobile models. If something new comes along, will it change the price of the currently available options? Is there a regularly scheduled time of year where prices all change?
1) GPUs: I think the most important thing to me when playing games is a stable performance without much stuttering or screen tearing. So I was wondering if the GTX 900M series of GPUs (i.e. 970M, 980M) can utilise adaptive v-sync/variable refresh rate; where v-sync only activates once the framerate is above the monitor refresh rate (60fps). My previous laptop
(with a GTX 675MX) never gave me this option in the NVIDIA Control Panel, so I wonder if it’s something mobile GPUs don’t usually do… Or is it dependant on the screen’s hardware? I really hate screen tearing, so this is a very important thing I need to find out.
I know that some of PCS’ laptops have 970M/980M cards with the G-SYNC ability. From what I understand this gives the same function as adaptive v-sync, but works in a different way. However, these GPU options are much more expensive, so that’s why I’m wondering if the cheaper options available can do regular adaptive v-sync.
2) CPUs: How do laptop CPUs compare to those of desktops? I know that a mobile version of a graphics card will not be as powerful as the desktop equivalent model number, but I wonder if that’s the same with CPUs. Will pretty much any i7 CPU be good for modern gaming and day-to-day work? Or on a laptop do I need to have a higher-end model?
3) Disk Drive: How come pretty much all the laptop models available can’t have a CD/Bluray drive built into them? I know that people tend to be moving away from physical media, but I still think it’s useful to have the ability to access it built in. My previous PCS laptop was able to have and SSD, HDD and a disc drive, so I wonder why that’s not an option anymore.
4) Sound Cards: An issue I noticed immediately on my previous PCS laptop was a background hissing sound when I plugged in and used headphones. I’m not sure it’s an issue everyone can hear, but it’s something I always noticed. I think I heard an explanation once that this hissing is because the sound card inside the laptop is surrounded by so many other hardware components in a small space that there is interference. I don’t know for certain if this is the reason though.
This seems to be a variable problem affected by several factors. I remember on the SONY VAIO laptop I had before my last PCS one, I never noticed any sound issues when using headphones, whereas I did notice a similar issue when plugging headphones into a desktop tower at a university library. I immediately noticed the problem on my PCS laptop when using my in-ear headphones, so tried buying some other over-ear headphones. This reduced the hissing, but did not eliminate it completely, so evidently this is a problem that can be somewhat mitigated by the headphones being used.
So what I’m asking is if anyone else is aware of this kind of problem? Do more recently developed sound cards eliminate this “interference problem” or is there always going to be hissing? But then why was it not present on a SONY laptop…? From what I can see in the PCS build options, there are no choices over any laptop’s built-in sound card, but I could try buying an extra external one. I don’t really want to do that, and when I tested out an external card before, it didn’t fix the issue (although that was a pretty cheap, basic external sound card).
5) OS: I’ve used Windows 7 for many years now, and am rather stuck in my ways. Still from what I can see Windows 10 is very similar in functionality and performs well. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about some of the default settings concerning advertising and privacy, but these are all easily adjustable, correct? More importantly for me, is there known to be any major issues regarding Windows 10 and particular PC games or programs? I’m sure there’s always going to be unexplainable glitches from time to time, and I imagine some of the problems people report are due to them upgrading their existing OS to Windows 10, which confuses the compatibility with already installed games/programs. But I’m just asking if any general problematic trends are known?
Also, how much hard drive space does Windows 10 take up? I plan to get a laptop with an SSD and a HDD, so want to know how much of that SSD will be taken up by the OS.
6) WiFi/Wireless: I don’t understand how the “Bluetooth & Wireless” options when building a laptop differ. If I choose one of the “killer gaming” options, will it actually have any effect on my download/upload speeds? Surely that’s much more dependent on the Internet supplier in my home?
7) Power Cable: When experimenting with some PCS build combinations I’ve found that the website tells me I need to choose a power lead with higher wattage to be able to function with certain components (e.g. GTX 980M). Now physics was never my strong suit, so here is a very stupid question: If I were to get a power lead with a higher wattage than is strictly required for the laptop’s components, would this have an effect on function/performance? I’m assuming reality doesn’t work in the simplistic way of “Add more power, things run better!”
Does requiring a higher wattage power lead have any effect on what happens when I unplug the laptop and run it on battery?
8) Keyboard: Small question. Are the light up colours of PCS’ laptop keyboards adjustable? I’ve been happy with my current laptop having a blue backlight to the keys, but I think the multi-coloured keyboard lighting of the 17.3” Octane II (for example) is quite garish. Can I adjust it to just one colour?
Wow, that’s a lot of questions! Like I said, I try to be very thorough. I appreciate any responses and explanations I receive, and I’m really looking forward to soon getting a powerful laptop for modern gaming!
Obviously I realise that when it comes to gaming performance, desktops are better than laptops, but my life circumstances happen to mean that a laptop is much more practical. What I’m looking for is a system that can run games at a steady 1080p/60fps, with older/less demanding games on mostly Ultra graphics settings, and modern/demanding games on Medium-High settings.
But before all my main questions… Is there a particular time of year that PCS refreshes/changes what hardware they sell? I’ve been tinkering with build options for a while now, and have seen some components appear and disappear. NVIDIA has recently announced new, powerful desktop GPUs, although as far as I’m aware there isn’t any info on mobile models. If something new comes along, will it change the price of the currently available options? Is there a regularly scheduled time of year where prices all change?
1) GPUs: I think the most important thing to me when playing games is a stable performance without much stuttering or screen tearing. So I was wondering if the GTX 900M series of GPUs (i.e. 970M, 980M) can utilise adaptive v-sync/variable refresh rate; where v-sync only activates once the framerate is above the monitor refresh rate (60fps). My previous laptop
(with a GTX 675MX) never gave me this option in the NVIDIA Control Panel, so I wonder if it’s something mobile GPUs don’t usually do… Or is it dependant on the screen’s hardware? I really hate screen tearing, so this is a very important thing I need to find out.
I know that some of PCS’ laptops have 970M/980M cards with the G-SYNC ability. From what I understand this gives the same function as adaptive v-sync, but works in a different way. However, these GPU options are much more expensive, so that’s why I’m wondering if the cheaper options available can do regular adaptive v-sync.
2) CPUs: How do laptop CPUs compare to those of desktops? I know that a mobile version of a graphics card will not be as powerful as the desktop equivalent model number, but I wonder if that’s the same with CPUs. Will pretty much any i7 CPU be good for modern gaming and day-to-day work? Or on a laptop do I need to have a higher-end model?
3) Disk Drive: How come pretty much all the laptop models available can’t have a CD/Bluray drive built into them? I know that people tend to be moving away from physical media, but I still think it’s useful to have the ability to access it built in. My previous PCS laptop was able to have and SSD, HDD and a disc drive, so I wonder why that’s not an option anymore.
4) Sound Cards: An issue I noticed immediately on my previous PCS laptop was a background hissing sound when I plugged in and used headphones. I’m not sure it’s an issue everyone can hear, but it’s something I always noticed. I think I heard an explanation once that this hissing is because the sound card inside the laptop is surrounded by so many other hardware components in a small space that there is interference. I don’t know for certain if this is the reason though.
This seems to be a variable problem affected by several factors. I remember on the SONY VAIO laptop I had before my last PCS one, I never noticed any sound issues when using headphones, whereas I did notice a similar issue when plugging headphones into a desktop tower at a university library. I immediately noticed the problem on my PCS laptop when using my in-ear headphones, so tried buying some other over-ear headphones. This reduced the hissing, but did not eliminate it completely, so evidently this is a problem that can be somewhat mitigated by the headphones being used.
So what I’m asking is if anyone else is aware of this kind of problem? Do more recently developed sound cards eliminate this “interference problem” or is there always going to be hissing? But then why was it not present on a SONY laptop…? From what I can see in the PCS build options, there are no choices over any laptop’s built-in sound card, but I could try buying an extra external one. I don’t really want to do that, and when I tested out an external card before, it didn’t fix the issue (although that was a pretty cheap, basic external sound card).
5) OS: I’ve used Windows 7 for many years now, and am rather stuck in my ways. Still from what I can see Windows 10 is very similar in functionality and performs well. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about some of the default settings concerning advertising and privacy, but these are all easily adjustable, correct? More importantly for me, is there known to be any major issues regarding Windows 10 and particular PC games or programs? I’m sure there’s always going to be unexplainable glitches from time to time, and I imagine some of the problems people report are due to them upgrading their existing OS to Windows 10, which confuses the compatibility with already installed games/programs. But I’m just asking if any general problematic trends are known?
Also, how much hard drive space does Windows 10 take up? I plan to get a laptop with an SSD and a HDD, so want to know how much of that SSD will be taken up by the OS.
6) WiFi/Wireless: I don’t understand how the “Bluetooth & Wireless” options when building a laptop differ. If I choose one of the “killer gaming” options, will it actually have any effect on my download/upload speeds? Surely that’s much more dependent on the Internet supplier in my home?
7) Power Cable: When experimenting with some PCS build combinations I’ve found that the website tells me I need to choose a power lead with higher wattage to be able to function with certain components (e.g. GTX 980M). Now physics was never my strong suit, so here is a very stupid question: If I were to get a power lead with a higher wattage than is strictly required for the laptop’s components, would this have an effect on function/performance? I’m assuming reality doesn’t work in the simplistic way of “Add more power, things run better!”
Does requiring a higher wattage power lead have any effect on what happens when I unplug the laptop and run it on battery?
8) Keyboard: Small question. Are the light up colours of PCS’ laptop keyboards adjustable? I’ve been happy with my current laptop having a blue backlight to the keys, but I think the multi-coloured keyboard lighting of the 17.3” Octane II (for example) is quite garish. Can I adjust it to just one colour?
Wow, that’s a lot of questions! Like I said, I try to be very thorough. I appreciate any responses and explanations I receive, and I’m really looking forward to soon getting a powerful laptop for modern gaming!
