Suggestions for a "gaming" laptop under $999

Kunming said:
Indeed I've read that BF3 utilizes all the cores and that's great. My friend will not be playing any
FPS games though, I'm pretty sure of that. Do programs like PhotoShop and/or Final Cut Pro also
use all cores? Because to me it often feels like i5 is the sweet spot for most things and that getting
an i7 is really only for if you're really "desperate" for performance. And from the benchmarks
I've read, i7's don't even seem to perform that much better than i5's in terms of cost/benefit.
Or am I wrong?

Right. Well my friend is one of those types that "likes pretty things" so I imagine
my friend being inclined to wanting the glossy screen. However as it's a computer
destined for studying purposes, I'm all too sure there will be plenty bad lighting situations
abound; not least sitting outside on a sunny day. But if glossy means "more colours"
won't that have an effect on:

1 - How good games look?

2 - How precisely colors are displayed during image-editing?

And "junky77" did you have any particular screens in mind, when you said there
are better 1080p screens? I'm just wanting all options to be clear :). You don't have to
answer this specific question if it's too much hassle finding stuff or whatnot ^--^
Click to expand...

So what games will she be playing?

About the Photoshop and Final Cut pro:
a. Isn't Final Cut is for Apple OSs? Is that what she works with?
b. Video editing software can benefit a lot from a good GPU, but it depends on the software. Premiere Pro, for example, can make a good use when applying effects/filters.
c. I5 vs I7 - only when rendering it can be beneficial to have an I7, but really, unless you are some kind of rendering baron that spending time rendering significant time of your day, I don't see a reason to spend more money on it. Better invest in things like SSD, or flowers.

About the screen - First, it doesn't really matter for games as long as the screen is good enough like the Y500 one. Secondly, if she needs a really good screen in terms of colors or things like that, there are some laptops that can be configured with a more high quality screen, like the Sager NP6165 (GT 650M) or the Eurocom Shark (GTX 660M) - a 95% adobeRGB gamut screen is available for them. You can also install it yourself on an HP dv6t-7000 if you want to get dirty. The Y500 screen, for example, has a 90% sRGB coverage, which is way lower.

But I think that if she needs to be that professional, you should consider getting some good desktop screen which will be better.

thoughts?
 
The only games will be League of Legends, primarily.
As I've said, SC2 is only a "maybe". It's just nice to use SC2
as an example for games that aren't free to play, but require
a little bit better hardware perhaps. I'd just like my friend to have the
opportunity to play other games, should my friend want this :). SC2
was on the map due to the low prices I've found (thus I was considering
gifting it to my friend) and how the expansion "Heart Of The Swarm" has
just recently been released too.

Yes Final Cut is for Mac. I just couldn't stick around long enough to remember
Premiere Pro haha. My friend uses a Mac for most of all the work that needs to
be done. Thus my friend is quite the supporter of Apple software. Actually, this has
also been a point of concern, since I don't yet know my friends stance on the likes
of Windows 8 and it's infamous overhaul of the UI and so many laptops now come
with Windows 8; when I'd rather avoid it, just to be sure.

Alright. Well I rarely use Premiere Pro myself, so it's nice to know it can make
good use of the hardware. My friend will be studying on some course that'll virtually
require constant usage of such video-editing software. Thus it's no fun if things
lag or can't run right ^^. I just wonder, because an acquaintance of mine runs with
an i7 laptop (though I don't know about the GPU) and he reported some lag in at
least PhotoShop (though I don't know if you can rightfully compared PhotoShop with
Premiere Pro).

lol SSD OR flowers. Good one. I was certainly considering an SSD too, however
since my friend is pretty much moving to a different country and will be staying there for many
years, I thought that a regular HDD would be better. I mean, unless my friend is able to
buy an external harddrive, going for an HDD seems tempting as there's usually more
storage. I know you can get SSDs with like 500GB or so? But they seem awfully expensive.
Now comes the time for one of those questions that begs for a slap in the face: Is it
anywhere "realistic" to worry about a laptop with an HDD having the HDD break (in one
way or another), due to the constant movement the laptop has to endure; seeing as HDDs
have "moving parts" compared to SSDs?

Desktops are out of the question I think... Even though hey, a desktop would of course be
much preferred to a laptop. Yet I don't know how or where my friend will be living so both
the cost, transport and placement of a desktop or just a desktop screen, isn't really practical.
 
1. SSD and HDD - as most laptops come from HDD anyway, you can buy some nice 128GB SSD for 80$-90$ and make the HDD into an external one.
If you are interested in a 17.3" laptop, then there might be a room for an SSD and HDD inside.
An HDD has indeed moving parts, but if you take care of the laptop it should be ok.

2. For LoL and SC2 you don't need much, especially SC2. a GT 650M / GTX 660M / dual GT 650Ms will be an excellent configuration.

3. About photoshop and premiere - this is really a matter of the specific laptop and all. For example, you can use an I7 with some slow HDD and things like that. Also, it depends on the GPU too.

Options:
a. There is the Lenovo Y580 (1000$) is a good option since it also has a good battery performance. Also includes Blu-Ray Burner.
b. The same Lenovo Y500 (900$) with dual GT 650Ms. Much higher gaming performance than the Y580 GTX 660M in most cases, but lower battery performance.
There is a hack to make the battery performance better, but I guess you don't want to mess with the Y500 bios.
c. MSI GE60 with GT 650M, matte 1080p screen (the Y5XXs has a glossy one), it's lighter than the Y500 and an overall good laptop.

Personally, if you think your friend will appreciate the high graphics the most, I guess the Y500 is the more interesting option, also because you save 100$ you can use for an SSD.

What do you think?
 
The Y500 does not come with dual GT 650Ms by default. It is like an extra $400. Plus I dont even see it in stock now.
 
junky77 said:
1. SSD and HDD - as most laptops come from HDD anyway, you can buy some nice 128GB SSD for 80$-90$ and make the HDD into an external one.
If you are interested in a 17.3" laptop, then there might be a room for an SSD and HDD inside.
An HDD has indeed moving parts, but if you take care of the laptop it should be ok.

2. For LoL and SC2 you don't need much, especially SC2. a GT 650M / GTX 660M / dual GT 650Ms will be an excellent configuration.

3. About photoshop and premiere - this is really a matter of the specific laptop and all. For example, you can use an I7 with some slow HDD and things like that. Also, it depends on the GPU too.

Options:
a. There is the Lenovo Y580 (1000$) is a good option since it also has a good battery performance. Also includes Blu-Ray Burner.
b. The same Lenovo Y500 (900$) with dual GT 650Ms. Much higher gaming performance than the Y580 GTX 660M in most cases, but lower battery performance.
There is a hack to make the battery performance better, but I guess you don't want to mess with the Y500 bios.
c. MSI GE60 with GT 650M, matte 1080p screen (the Y5XXs has a glossy one), it's lighter than the Y500 and an overall good laptop.

Personally, if you think your friend will appreciate the high graphics the most, I guess the Y500 is the more interesting option, also because you save 100$ you can use for an SSD.

What do you think?
Click to expand...

True, true. I hadn't actually thought much about that first option.
17" will probably be way oversize for my friends needs (or wishes for that matter) even though I think
it sounds excellent. My friend is careful with the laptop(s) but there's still a lot of moving
around, so I was just curious... Getting up, grabbing it, putting it in a bag. Taking it out again, putting it
on a desk. Back in bag, then out on another desk. Then unto the bed maybe etc. etc. I know that nothing
will likely happen, it's just that if the laptop should break, my friend would be royally s****ed.

That dual stuff is like music to my ears really hahahaha. I will definitely be pushing for something
like that configuration if possible. It looks to be quite a bargain that Y500 indeed. I'd be most happy to hear
about the hack, if you would indulge me. I'm not a complete stranger to the BIOS. Tweaks are nice ! (y)

The MSI GE60 is also attractive. It strikes me as being the more balanced option, which I think is also a
definite plus. Time for another ridiculously lame question: But does it really matter all that much, if you have
a 7400 or 5400 (or however much they were) RPM HDD? Is the difference ultimately noticeable and thus
something you should place an emphasis on?

I think my friend just wants to get the most "bang for the buck" as funds are low ^--^.
 
7200RPM is the new standard. If a laptop comes with a 5400RPM drive, it's either old or going cheap in the wrong places.
 
Well, the Y500 on Lenovos site doesnt say it comes with GT650Ms in SLI, but the one on Newegg does. Wierd.
I +1 StickMan, that is my only gripe about the Y500 and Y580, they only offer 1TB 5400RPM drives. Hopefully the update in the coming months (June 2012 was when the Y580 was released), will add Haswell chips and a SSD option. If they dont offer an SSD in the next release, it cant really compete much against SSD baring machines.
 
The one from Lenovo doesn't come with an SLI. You can also see it by fact that it includes a DVDRW. In the SLI models there isn't a DVDRW.
 
junky77 said:
The one from Lenovo doesn't come with an SLI. You can also see it by fact that it includes a DVDRW. In the SLI models there isn't a DVDRW.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I would go for the fan instead of the 2nd GPU personally, but blowing hot air on your mouse side is not fun.
 
Hiya, I've been busy these last couple of days.

I've looked through the thread once more and noted some things
down.Thank you for all the support thus far :).

My thoughts have come to whether the possibility of an ultrabook is
the answer. Mainly it's the Zenbook and Macbook Air that have occupied my
thoughts, but other input is certainly always appreciated too.

Zenbook - http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/01/zenbook-touch-u500vz-quietly-surfaces/

Even though it might be more expensive, an ultrabook is attractive because of the
lightness of it. It can still pack some pretty decent hardware IMO too. The reason I'm making
such a big deal out of weight, is that my friend happens to have this aggravating back
problem, that makes things that are actually pretty light to most people, seem heavy or heavier.
Thus it's no use if a laptop weighs "a ton" in my friends opinion; having to carry it around back
and forth. It makes finding a proper laptop more difficult surely, but if worst comes to worst,
it'll just have to be a "heavy" or "heavier" laptop anyway, if the price to performance ratio is very good.

An acquaintance of mine has a Macbook Air that has something like an i7 processor I think. He claims
it runs smoothly with pretty much everything he does - Also image-editing.

Thoughts on this? Are ultrabooks just fancy little "nice to haves" or do they have some merit?
I've never owned an ultrabook myself, so I've only been able to read about them.
 
1) Ultrabooks will overheat like crazy. 2) They have low voltage components, which means less power, and thus worse performance. 3) They are overpriced.
 
To add on to the above, none ship with dedicated GPUs that I'm aware of, so you won't be doing any gaming on them.
 
You might as well get the y580. It has basically the same specs but lacks a hybrid ssd. The 660m in the y580 makes up for it though. I would wait personally since Haswell is a month away and Lenovo will update the y580 with hopefully a ssd.
 
True. It would definitely be worth it, waiting for Haswell. I just wondered
about that system.I'd just like a bit more diversity in the choice of options :).

Trust me, I haven't forgotten about the Y580. Especially
not when there's this guy on this tech forum I know, called JC713 who likes to
keep reminding me about it. ;) Thank you for the input.
 
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