Need help deciding between laptops

[Xenyatta]

Before the inevitable incoming of "Just get a desktop!", I have reasons why I want a gaming laptop in my life over a desktop. I'm going to be doing travelling and I need a laptop for a variety of things but being it's my main machine with my life on it, I want it to be gaming ready as well as gaming is part of my life.

I currently have a Sager 17.1" laptop with a 1060 in it. I really have had no problems with it and I love the machine itself but honestly it's too big and awkward when I'm trying to pull it in and out of my backpacks and luggage at TSA and other places. It's 7.5 pounds heavy by itself and I am having a hard time finding comfortable bags for a laptop this size. It doesn't fit on any of my lapdesks comfortably. All around it's size makes travelling harder and is the reason I want to sell it off and get a 15.6" instead.

So I'm trying to decide which to get. I mulled around the idea of upgrading to a 1070 and sager has a 15" 1070 but it's 5.9 pounds which is heavier than I'd like and their thinner model found with a 1060 inside is closer to 5.3 pounds. I'm holding out hope that they find a way to put the 1070 in the thinner chassis but for now it is what it is. If I went with either one of these, I'd upgrade to the 15.6” 120Hz display.

Here are the stats for the 1070 laptop: http://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP8157.html
Here are the stats for the 1060 laptop: http://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP8156.html

I've also entertained the idea of the Asus Rog Strix ASUS GL502VS-DS71 which has a 1070 but every review I've seen the weight has been different. I've seen it as low as 4.7 pounds to as high as 5.3 pounds. I held one similar at a local store and it's fairly light which is good. Bezels are huge which makes it look more like a computer from 2003 but it seems like a beast of a machine for it's size.

Here's the link for that one: http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-gl502vs-ds71.html

I entertained the idea VERY briefly of the Aorus 15" with a 1070 and a 3k monitor but it's so expensive (to the tune of $2400) and I haven't seen AMAZEBALLS reviews for it's price so it's being nixed. Yes it's got a great screen, 3 slots for M.2 drives plus a 2.5" drive at the weight of 5.5 pounds but $2400 seems way too much for something where the reviews aren't overly kind.

Lastly I entertained the idea of the new Gigabyte Aero 15 that came out this week or last. It's super thin, super light, hardly any bezel width, fantastic battery life, light weight plug, thunderbolt connector but the downside is it's only a 1060, there is no 2.5" hdd and there are only 2 M.2 drives. Now I know that by making it have 2 M.2 drives is what makes the battery way better than the rest but it also jacks up the price exorbitantly. In order to have a standard 256 GB hard drive as the loading drive and a 1 TB storage drive in M.2 form, you've easily added on $500 to the price if not more. It starts at $2,000. I haven't seen a bad review about this machine yet and if it takes a few extra months to pay off but it's worth it, then so be it but I want my money to go towards something of value not just pretty salesmanship.

Here's the link for the Gigabyte Aero: http://www.gigabyte.com/Laptop/AERO-15#kf

So here's my question, do I hold out that Sager puts a 1070 in a smaller chassis? Should I look at the lighter Asus? Should I bother going up to a 1070 at all? Should I seriously entertain the Sager 1060 or the Gigabyte? I am not a gamer who is playing all the AAA level titles out there. I play WoW, Overwatch maybe Diablo once in a blue moon, I'll play Mass Effect Andromeda, I do some art editing on photoshop, video editing for auditions, sometimes I stream. I just want something with enough horse power that I won't have to replace it for 3-4 years and accounting for software needs getting increased over the years.

Any thoughts, reviews or recommendations would be helpful. Watching endless review videos just isn't helping. Thanks!

[Denpepe]

You could also check out the MSI stealth line, they are made for portability.

[Vertigo X]

I can't speak for your other options but I personally have the GL502VS and have no complaints (except bloatware but that takes like 5 min to remove). It does what its supposed to do. I also picked mine up for around 1450 at one point or another so I'd shop around a bit if its not urgent. It is, like you said, extremely light.

The big thing is don't expect desktop performance from the laptop. You're going to be limited by your CPU. I'd normally say you don't need the 1070 and just stick with the 1060 but because you play mass effect and you want this to last a bit longer you're pretty solid with the 1070. It all depends on how much you want to spend really.

/2cents

[Xenyatta]

You could also check out the MSI stealth line, they are made for portability.

I took notice to the MSI Stealth Pro when I was checking out Origin and realized it was the same machine but way less if I went with MSI. A lot of reviewers say their big complaint is how ridiculously loud it gets and it gets so hot that you can barely touch it or put it on your lap. It was a contender for a bit but those reviews soured me on it.

- - - Updated - - -

I can't speak for your other options but I personally have the GL502VS and have no complaints (except bloatware but that takes like 5 min to remove). It does what its supposed to do. I also picked mine up for around 1450 at one point or another so I'd shop around a bit if its not urgent. It is, like you said, extremely light.

The big thing is don't expect desktop performance from the laptop. You're going to be limited by your CPU. I'd normally say you don't need the 1070 and just stick with the 1060 but because you play mass effect and you want this to last a bit longer you're pretty solid with the 1070. It all depends on how much you want to spend really.

/2cents

Thank you!

[Alantor]

The new Gigabyte Aero looks great, I'd get that one, can't beat best battery life + 2kg + gtx 1060

Edit: If you don't mind +5kg laptops then there are other options... (just awful imo)

[Flaks]

The new Gigabyte Aero looks great, I'd get that one, can't beat best battery life + 2kg + gtx 1060

Edit: If you don't mind +5kg laptops then there are other options... (just awful imo)

The problem with the thin and lights including the MSI gs and gigabyte series is they get super hot and loud. If you're willing to compromise slightly on weight, graphics and aesthetics, the heftier guys like the dell inspiron 7000 and it's acer/lenovo contenders do really well.

The only laptop that's tiny that doesn't have overheating issues is the alienware 13 but I know how much people hate that brand. Avoid razer blades like the plague because it's the worst contender for overheating issues and throttles like crazy because of it. Also avoid gaming laptopts with killer wifi cards or opt to an intel chip if you can. I've had my fair share of problems with those.

If you're willing to compromise portability A LOT there's a lot of options in the 17 inch range which net you much better specs for a great price.