[ROOTPetraeus]

Originally Posted by Trusty

hat's over $1000 NZD, like 1.3k

Yeah I don't realllly want to pay that much, but its looking like I will have to pay at least a bit over $1000. Again, its only a rough guideline so people don't suggest things over 1.5k etc
Want to keep my options open atm.

[SmokyMcPot]

Originally Posted by SQL.inFeZa

Get one of those fraglabs one from ACL. They were hella solid.

Yeah - Seriously those laptops were insane, I remember chatting to Glade and Vanzr *if my memory servers me correctly* at ACL Gold Coast - the RRP of them is really low for what you get.

I work by day at an electronics retailer, and I can tell you for sure that you're better off with a Fraglabs one than anything you will find at the major retailers laptop wise!

[sheepy]

If your playing the the absolute lowest settings, the the GPU becomes less of an issue.The Asus G73sx is a great Laptop, but please keep in mind that the best time to purchase a laptop would probably be in Q2 this year, We are currently nearing the end of the current generation of components, meaning theres the new generation of processors (ivy bridge - about 17 % faster) and New generation of Graphics cards ( Geforce 600 series and Ati Mobility 7k series (both manufactured under the new 28nm process which means higher clocks, less heat and less power consumption) just over the horizon. This means that if you buy a computer now, its highly likely that within 2-3 months u'll see totally new models that are much more powerful, as we are currently at the end of a cycle and the beginning of the next.

However, as they say, you buy based when you need something, and as such with the lowest settings there are some models you may want to look at.

- I'm not sure how much the Asus G73 is in NZ, but if it is nzd 1.3k, its still a good buy and a good investment. Get the newer iteration of the model with the 560m if your going for this. Theres also a G53 (15 Inch version)

- http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Multim...specifications This is a great option that retails for around 1.1k where i live. U can get various versions of this and you will want the version with at least an I5. The screen resolution does not matter. Note that it contains and 555m and a lower screen reso means that if you need to power games at the native resolution of the screen, it will do so very efficiently.

http://h20424.www2.hp.com/campaign/c...ion-dv6/glance
The HP DV6 retails very reasonably where i live. But it is one of the better bang for buck PCS, the standard model includes both an I7 and an ATI 6770. but theres also a 6470 version. These are worlds apart. If you go for this make sure it containS the ATI 6770


http://www.msi.com/product/nb/GT683.html

The MSI GT683 gaming series notebook is also a great choice if you don't mind a flashy notebook that screams i'm a gamer. It has a 560m card.

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Multim...specifications

The Asus N73SV is more of a multimedia entertainment machine, though the 540m in it is no slouch. Low settings should be piece of cake.


Ok to summarise a little. above we have listed 2 gaming machines that are over your budget for sure

- Asus G73/G53
- MSI G683

Please note however that both these machines offer about 2x the 3D processing capability as the rest of the laptops listed here. If the price differential for 2 x the performance, which may help for future games, go for these.


Other than these, there are the other 3

- HP DV 6 (ATI 6770)
- ASUS N55 (Geforce 555m)
- ASUS N73SV (Geforce 540m)

I'm not 100 % sure if they are priced below 1k NZD But the N55 was retailing for about 1.1 k - 1.2k at a shop in Singapore ( Personally i feel N55 is the best value for money.) Plenty of Asus notebooks deliver great value. Hope this was helpful to you. Once again keep in mind that we are on the horizon of the next generation of Processors and GPUs.


Either way, the 1000$ range is typically entry level low end notebooks. Ideally laptops at the 1.3-1.4k range can give you the best bang for your buck.

Quick Comments

	nirvAnA:
	NOM:
	ROOTPetraeus:

[ROOTPetraeus]

Wow thank you SO much, sheepy! I'm gonna take a look at all those laptops and see if I can source any in NZ Really, really helpful posts

[sheepy]

Just one Last thing. I also had a look at FRAG Labs, They offer incredibly good value for money if your willing to go for at least their 15 inch model with the 560m (Vector F15). ( Even better value than the G series PCs i linked you.)

[ToRSpartaz]

Havent seen you for aaaaaaages Sheepy ^^

[sheepy]

haha thats cause i don't post much. But i'm a real hardware geek and this was too tempting.

[ROOTPetraeus]

Originally Posted by sheepy

Just one Last thing. I also had a look at FRAG Labs, They offer incredibly good value for money if your willing to go for at least their 15 inch model with the 560m (Vector F15). ( Even better value than the G series PCs i linked you.)

hmm I had a look for this and the models you suggested but can't seem to find any in NZ apart from some really expensive ones
><

[sheepy]

Hey Petraeus If you are not able to find them atm ( Though i'm sure they'll be on display at IT stores ) Are there are NZ online stores you are familiar with that i can look at?

Edit - Wow the Harvey Norman new zeland HP DV6 IS 1.6K NZD . Thats insane. Such a huge difference from Singapore. what channel do you reside in? I'll come chat with you. And i see the Asus G73 also listed at 3.1k NZD ..... omg Stuff is so expansive there.

[ROOTPetraeus]

Originally Posted by sheepy

Hey Petraeus If you are not able to find them atm ( Though i'm sure they'll be on display at IT stores ) Are there are NZ online stores you are familiar with that i can look at?

Edit - Wow the Harvey Norman new zeland HP DV6 IS 1.6K NZD . Thats insane. Such a huge difference from Singapore. what channel do you reside in? I'll come chat with you. And i see the Asus G73 also listed at 3.1k NZD ..... omg Stuff is so expansive there.

Hey sheepy ^^
Yeah prices get pretty ridiculous over here T_T
Umm I usually get my stuff from PB technologies, Harvey Norman or JB Hi Fi. Never bought a laptop from anywhere but the apple store before though >< I'm in Winter Nights chat But I will seek you in the aLt chat too! Again, thank you so much for the help.

[ROOTPetraeus]

Ok thanks to everyone for the help! sheepy helped me find the laptop I needed so I'll probably buy it this weekend ^^
http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=...-back-i7-2670Q
sheepy is seriously the most helpful tech guy ever! xD Outlined everything with explanations and websites and gave plenty of options

[sheepy]

No Problem Patraeus, my pleasure as i love anything hardware related, and i hate how advertising can be so misleading.

Just a few snippets of info so that this post can be useful for future laptop buyers.

- I7 helps immensely with streaming ( a CPU intensive task)
- For low settings , a geforce 540m will more than power through it. ( 180 fps avg )
- Also to consider when recommending a laptop to a buyer is that there should be at least a service center nearby for the brand you choose. Having to pay for shipping your laptop back to the service center and wait weeks for repair is not cool.

[NOM]

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np5165-...hr-p-3063.html
About $1002 USD including worldwide shipping, might cost a bit more because i calculated it to Australia and not NZ.

Quick Comments

sheepy:

Xotic PC is awsome

[sheepy]

Xotic Pc IS Great . I myself purchased a sager 8150 from them when i was in the US. However. the bigger question here is ...

1 - If he purchases a sager it probably means if there are any problems he will have to ship it back to the US himself and pay for the shipping himself, and wait a long time followed by shipping to get his laptop repaired and back.

2- I'm pretty sure there will be additional taxes. upon arrival. GG Mera ordered a sager 15 inch gaming model with the 6990m recently and there where taxes ( though i'm sure it differs from place to place)

3- Also Please note that the 555m in the 5165 (correct me if i'm wrong) . is the cut down version with a smaller 128 bit memory bandwidth. This means it performs strongly below the typical 555m and closer to the 550/540m. http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-...M.41933.0.html

Forum post discussing the 555m version in this notebook ( 144 shaders and 128mem bus)

Choose carefully, because things aren't always what they seem when buying pc hardware and in particular notebooks.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sage...150hr-use.html

Personally, if i where to buy a sager notebook, the notebook from them with the BEST bang - for - your - buck is HANDS Down their 15 incher with the 6990m - That beast will run this game on ultra while streaming. The reason why i recommended that acer is because he wanted to stream, and only plays on low settings. Also he intends to use the laptop LED screen. ( a low resolution suits a mid range graphics card alot better. If you get a full HD laptop screen and a mid range card. the card is going to struggle and stuff always looks bad when u down the resolution away from the native resolution of a screen).

[sheepy]

Hey Petraeus. I came across something amazing

http://www.xoticpc.com/force-16f2012...f2-p-3376.html

This has a 570m , Which is incredibly powerful . An AMAZING Card in a 1k usd Laptop.... You may want to consider this as well. This is an insane deal. But of course there will be shipping costs.

Some Info on the performance to expect from a 570m

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-...M.56635.0.html

SC2 at low - 260 fps ~
SC2 at Ultra - 44 fps ~