Laptop $600-1000 range

[Cream Soda]

My friend is in the market for a new laptop and he's looking in the 600-1000 range. Basically wants to be able to game with it and have it last a decent amount of time.

Any recommendations?

I was looking at this for 800

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834246324

but then I saw (Even though it's refurbed, for only 200 more wtf)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152314

Anyone ever got a refurbed laptop before and is Newegg reliable with something like that? (Also, for the specs is it worth the price).


Any other recommendations are welcome. Looking for quad core, but if there's a decent i3 or i5 that will play current games, can look at those, too

Edit:
lol nvm out of stock guess those sold quick

[Franzer]

That lenovo is a pretty solid machine for $800. Couldn't go wrong there.

[Cream Soda]

Anyone heard anything about Tegra tech store? They're selling the MSI I was looking at from newegg earlier, also refurb, for the same price.

[Melena]

Problem with refurbs is they only get a 90 day warranty more often then not. It's one of the few things depending on price i would even consider an extended warranty on just due to that fact.

[Anakron]

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6165-...wconfigure=yes

It's a little more expensive (gets close to $1k with Windows) but compared to the Lenovo:

+ better GPU (The 650M is almost 2x as good as the 555M. The 650M is slightly better than the GTX 560M)
+ faster and more RAM
+ 1920x1080 (The Lenovo is 1366 x 768 )
+ faster hard drive (you can upgrade to 750GB for $20 also)
+ likely better battery life (it has Optimus, which can shut down the discrete GPU when not needed)
- weaker CPU (you can upgrade to a better one for $70)
- $100-200 more (more if you add on more options)

Also no tax unless you're in Nebraska.

[Osede]

That lenovo is a pretty solid machine for $800. Couldn't go wrong there.

this, and there is lot of student rebate for lenovo which can be up to 200-300

[Cream Soda]

oh not sure if this changes anything, but he wants to be able to play XIV with a good framerate (at at least standard settings)

[Yugl]

I highly recommend Anakron's link. I have a NP8130 which would be around the price you're looking for, but it seems the model is no longer sold.

[Anakron]

I highly recommend Anakron's link. I have a NP8130 which would be around the price you're looking for, but it seems the model is no longer sold.

The equivalent today would be the NP9130, which has a much better GPU (a rebranded 570M, but still very strong), but it'll be around $1150 with Windows, so a little out of the price range.

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9130-...wconfigure=yes

[Yugl]

Are you just saying that because of similar specs or is there a way to find out about this stuff (X model going out for incoming Y model)? I hate not having this kind of info off hand. Shame the price on the new one is much higher. Though I'm guessing my laptop was cheaper not just because of the parts but because of Cyber-specials.

[Anakron]

It's the replacement for the NP8130, which was really a Clevo P151HM1. The NP- designations are Sager models, which are rebrands of Clevo models (the P- designations).

P151HM1 = NP8130
P151EM1 = NP9130

I've been looking into a 17" myself, so I've been browsing the NotebookReview forums and learned a lot recently. The new Clevo / Sager models just came out a couple months ago, and coupled with both new Nvidia and AMD GPUs, and Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs, it's a pretty good time to buy now (though as with all tech stuff, they'll be outdated again soon enough).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/

[Yugl]

I see; I can't believe I missed the congruity within the Sager models even (NPX130). That site is great for info if anyone is looking for laptops. I did months of review using that site + BG + random other sites when searching for my laptop.

[Cream Soda]

@Anakron, last couple of questions I think

Of the two links you posted, how much better are they than

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834230352 (would this run xiv by the way?)

and how much better is the NP9130 than the 6165, with the configurations my friend has set up, it's $1039 vs $1249 and it looks like with his configs that the differences are

6165: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - S1P318)
nVidia GT 650M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology (SKU – S3R520)
Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)

9130: 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen (SKU - S1R324)
nVidia GeForce GTX 670M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology (SKU - S3N501)
Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)

How much of an upgrade is it in general, and on a budget, is it worth the upgrade (with his main concern being able to play ffxiv)

[The Stig]

Both GPUs are on the "lower" end of top tier. The difference isn't very big either.

So if your friend is one of them people that loves to crank all settings to max full, even on a laptop (which is futile), then he should pay more to avoid less disappointment (as it has more memory). The more expensive one uses new technology introduced in March 2012, in comparison to the cheaper one of January 2012.

Basically, cheaper one can be considered high end in 2011, but not today. More expensive one uses new tech and is somewhat higher end, will pull ahead a bit in benchmarks.

Oh, and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834230352 will run ff14 fine.

[Anakron]

Both of the Sagers' CPU are roughly 10% better than the Asus' (assuming he upgraded to the i7-3610M).

The 6165's 650M is about 10-15% better than this Asus' 560M
(This 2GB 560M only has a 128bit memory bus width, and is weaker than the usual 192-bit 560M. For more info: http://technopat.net/forum/blogs/bur...bit-1-5gb.html)

The 9130's 670M is about 30-40% better than this 560M. The 670M is actually a rebranded and higher-clocked 570M (last gen), but it is still more powerful than the newer 650M.

Sagers are generally better built than Asus laptops, and that's not even counting the fact that this is a refurbished Asus. I wouldn't go for the Asus if I were him.

FFXI was very CPU intensive, but I don't know if that's the case for FFXIV. If it is, then the gap between the Sagers would lessen, but even then, I would go for the 9130. One of the big differences between the two Sagers (aside from GPU) is that the 6165 shares a fan and heatsink for both the CPU and GPU. The 9130 has one fan and heatsink each for CPU and GPU, leading to a better cooling solution, and potentially a longer lifetime. The air intakes on the underside of the 9130 are also much bigger and better-placed (see pics at the bottom of post).

There are also reports that the 6165's CPU is throttled when the GPU goes on (read: CPU is much slower when GPU is running). This appears to be intentional, so it may or may not be changed in the future and could theoretically make the 6165's newer CPU perform slower than the Asus'. The 9130 has better speakers as well.

Some additional thoughts:

• If he does decide to go with the 6165M and doesn't mind a bigger laptop, I would take a look at the 6175, which is the same thing, except it's 17" for like $20 more.
• To get an additional $50 or so off, your friend can make an account at the NBR forums and make 5+ posts, which would open up NBR-specific discounts at the Sager resellers. http://forum.notebookreview.com/
• Also, he can contact Larry @ LPC-Digital, who may give him a better price than Xotic for the same product (after making the 5 NBR posts): http://www.lpc-digital.com/notebooks.html

(Pics of the internals are for the older models, but you can get an idea of what's underneath)
6165: One (small) intake on the top right:
http://www.xoticpc.com/laptop/6165/6165_4A.jpg
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3...513o2_1280.jpg

9130: Two larger intakes on the two upper corners:
http://www.xoticpc.com/laptop/9130/9130_4.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/27x0a36.jpg

Let me know if you have more questions. I've been doing a lot of research and reading since I just ordered mine (an NP9170 from LPC-Digital) so I'm happy to help.

[Cream Soda]

Money comes and money goes, looks like you've opted him to shell out a few more dollars for the 9130. The cooling things were pretty much the deciding factor here. He's ghetto, like me, so aside from the separate paste for cpu and gpu, the pics of the bottom were also contributing factors. As I mentioned, we're both pretty ghetto so while cooling pads are an option at home (well for him I have one but lol I don't have power), we set our laptops up on a couple books (one on each side) and with the 9130, if the edges sit on books, it won't be covering anything that requires ventilation.

Also, good looking out on the discount and alternative option. I'll have him contact Larry now.

Last question, since the 9130 is pretty much sold, how long is shipping from this site/Larry? He's traveling 2 weeks from this upcoming Monday and doesn't know whether to get it shipped to his house or to his destination (he'll be gone about a month)

Edit:
From the base product, these are the planned upgrades

Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU - S2N224) ( + 70 )

- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU ( + 35 )

8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4R371) This here would be better than the 12gb ram? Have never needed anywhere near 8, yet alone 12 and this should be faster, no? they're the same price
Remove All Branding ( + 0 ) Is this even worth it? I don't mind stickers and stuff as long as they look cool

750gb 7200rpm (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) (SKU - S5R306) ( + 20 )

Sager - Intel® Advanced-N 6235 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth (SKU - S8R111) ( + 25 ) As a frequent wifi user and never plugged into a lan, how is this vs the stock wireless?

[Anakron]

8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4R371) This here would be better than the 12gb ram? Have never needed anywhere near 8, yet alone 12 and this should be faster, no? they're the same price

The 1600MHz are really only noticeably faster than the 1333MHz in benchmarking and video-editing, but you don't really need 12GB for gaming either, so I'd stick with the 8GB (that's what I did for mine).

Remove All Branding ( + 0 ) Is this even worth it? I don't mind stickers and stuff as long as they look cool

I think the biggest thing they'd remove is the "Sager" on the lid that you can see here: http://www.lpc-digital.com/sager-np9130-features.html , so it's a really minor preference thing.

Sager - Intel® Advanced-N 6235 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module + Bluetooth (SKU - S8R111) ( + 25 ) As a frequent wifi user and never plugged into a lan, how is this vs the stock wireless?

This part is something I didn't look into much. Some people say it doesn't help range, only speed when you are in range, in which case it'd be likely be useless for you guys. It's one of the pieces you can upgrade yourself somewhat easily later if it becomes a problem, but it's not much either way, so if it'll help set his mind to ease, then go for it. (e.g. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-6235AN-H...7369168&sr=8-1)

The thermal compound is something I opted for myself because I'm lazy, but it's also something you can do yourself if you're handy: http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Coo...ref=pd_cp_pc_0

Regarding shipping, these are fairly new models and parts, so everything may not be available right away. I imagine the laptop won't be delivered before the week of 6/4, but it'd be best to contact your reseller to get a better estimate.

EDIT: Not sure if you saw my edit, but don't contact Larry until you have the NBR account with the 5+ posts. All these reseller discounts are specific to NBR members. And to be clear, most resellers only give you $50 off of $1500, but Larry may offer you a discount even if you're under $1500.

EDIT2: Hate to throw in more options if budget is a problem, but just for his consideration, maybe drop the ICD and the wireless upgrade ($60) and adding $35 for a better screen ($95). The viewing angles are much better and they can display more colors. Here are the visual differences (warning, images are very big) and the actual thread if you want to read up:
Thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sage...ns-photos.html
Stock:
http://www.mythlogic.com/images/scre...0%20Angles.png
Upgraded Matte:
http://www.mythlogic.com/images/scre...1%20Angles.png
Upgraded Glossy:
http://www.mythlogic.com/images/scre...4%20Angles.png

[Cream Soda]

Not crafty at all, so can do -the card, but keep the paste, wasn't expecting the -50 for making 5 posts, so upgrading the screen would make to +20 of previous expected price.

In your opinion, matte vs glossy?

[Anakron]

Glossy will make the colors "pop" more and appear more vibrant, but glare can be a problem if outdoors or have concentrated sources of light indoors. A lot of people also report more eye strain from glossy, so matte is the safe choice unless your friend has a personal preference for glossy. Can always stop by a local retailer to see some examples. For example, I believe Macbook Pros are all glossy and most others are matte.

I went with stock glossy myself, with the understanding that I can buy the better panel myself for like $130 later and keep my stock panel, rather than pay $185 just for the upgraded glossy panel (the panels for the 17" cost more, but the 15" panels are cheaper). But for the 15" panel, you won't save much by doing it yourself (unless you also want to keep the stock panel).

[Cream Soda]

Looks like Lary has a $60 off promo code. Reliable buying from them, etc.? Other than that, we're pretty much set since 60 > 50 lol

Edit: We ended up registering for the forum anyways. It won't let me post in any threads though, says I lack permission