1. #1

    Gaming laptop or To build a gaming computer...

    So I'm going to be going out to school in less than a year, and I was thinking about getting a laptop just for mobile gaming, however at the same time it's not that big of a deal.. I've been out of the computer building game for quite some time and I'm on a budget of 1200~...

    For a gaming laptop I found a pretty sick deal on this
    Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216022 (newegg first)

    "TOSHIBA Qosmio X875-Q7380 Notebook Intel Core i7 3630QM(2.40GHz) 17.3" 12GB Memory DDR3 1600 1TB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M"

    (broken URL, sorry it wont let me post links yet)

    and from similar desktop builds, i've noticed that it costs roughly the same to get specs on par.. Might be wrong, any suggestions??

  2. #2
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Actually, building a desktop in this price range will net you much better performance than using a laptop. The numbers on the GPU do not coincide with the numbers on a desktop GPU. That is one common misconception.

    This being said, do you have any peripherals you could reuse? (Monitor, keyboard, mouse) Would you need Windows?

    In fact, read this first then get back to us
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  3. #3
    Budget = ~1200
    Resolution= 1680x1050
    Games / Settings Desired = Diablo 3, Guild Wars 2, WoW, SC2 On thie highest setting possible
    Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc). I sometimes edit videos on occasion
    Country: United States
    Parts that can be reused: None
    Do you need an OS?: No
    Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?: I've been looking for a better quality monitor, but not necessarily needed (Currently using a Samsung 226BW)

    And everything should be from newegg if possible
    Last edited by worship; 2013-03-13 at 07:32 PM.

  4. #4
    Deleted
    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
    CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($76.99 @ Amazon)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($72.99 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Total: $998.89
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 15:37 EDT-0400)

  5. #5
    See after seeing those specs, that looks like a terrible setup, and worse than the actual specs on the gaming laptop I linked

  6. #6
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    This pushes your budget a bit going through Newegg only.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($107.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.98 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
    Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1207.88
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 15:41 EDT-0400)

    If you look at the discounts you could get by getting at separate locations (Amazon, Outlet PC and NCIX as well as Newegg) you could save ~$70.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($107.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.45 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($224.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
    Total: $1138.33
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-13 15:43 EDT-0400)


    Edit: To remark on your comment... 8GB is PLENTY of RAM for the system. 12GB is not going to be touched for every day performance and gaming. As far as the SSD, it really is able to be fit in your budget AND speeds up the system in every day tasks. There is no reason to turn your nose up at it.

    Edit 2: I should also mention that this monitor would kick the crap out of the laptop screen you would be getting on that one. Not to mention the actual performance of the "budget" GPU.
    Last edited by Idrinkwhiterussians; 2013-03-13 at 07:48 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  7. #7
    Honestly that doesn't seem like it's worth getting over the laptop either...

  8. #8
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by worship View Post
    Honestly that doesn't seem like it's worth getting over the laptop either...
    If you do not want to trust us, that is ok. You did however ask for advice, which is freely given.

    To sum up: Get one of the builds posted above and be happy. Get the laptop and be hemming and hawing about performance for the money spent.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  9. #9
    Just seems Odd that going to ibuypower.com or something similar would yield much better specs at a much lower rate.. figured you could get better if you built it by yourself.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by worship View Post
    See after seeing those specs, that looks like a terrible setup, and worse than the actual specs on the gaming laptop I linked
    I don't mean this in a disrespectful way but I'm just going to say you don't really know what you're talking about, there is absolutely nothing terrible about the build and it will outperform the laptop no problem. If you came here to get advice great, if you came here to let us know you already decided on getting a laptop then by all means go for it and be happy with your choice.

  11. #11
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by worship View Post
    Just seems Odd that going to ibuypower.com or something similar would yield much better specs at a much lower rate.. figured you could get better if you built it by yourself.
    You would not get the same performance/specs at ibuypower or whatever other sites. A lot of the time they use no name parts to slap in the machine and often do so at a detriment to the end user. That 700W noname power supply? MAYBE it would actually put out 476W. That unbranded MB? It is probably Biostar. I dont think I need to go further with this.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  12. #12
    I'm not, i'm still split, pardon if my comments are coming out as offensive, but rather... doesn't seem like the best bang for the buck

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by worship View Post
    Just seems Odd that going to ibuypower.com or something similar would yield much better specs at a much lower rate.. figured you could get better if you built it by yourself.
    Please link a build that cost less with better specs, again you're wrong and you don't actually seem like you're looking for advice.

    ---------- Post added 2013-03-13 at 09:00 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by worship View Post
    I'm not, i'm still split, pardon if my comments are coming out as offensive, but rather... doesn't seem like the best bang for the buck
    Honestly, sure you could nitpick and change something for personal preference but other than that there is no better bang for your buck with that system.

  14. #14
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
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    You honestly don't know what you're talking about worship, i'm sorry. If you don't want to take our advice then your free to buy your laptop or something worse from ibuypower.com thats heavily overpriced.

    Also what makes you sure that ibuypower gives you better performance for the same price rather than building yourself?
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  15. #15

  16. #16
    Deleted
    You linked the HDD as the GPU.

    You're paying $200+ extra compared to the build I gave you for no real performance gain for gaming.

  17. #17
    Fixed, and I said I had a budget of 1200.. Meaning I want whatever is the best bang for the buck.. And No performance gain? an i7, liquid cool, and a much better video card, I believe it's somewhat worth it, expesially future proofing

  18. #18
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
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    Much better video is not really true, the one you linked have awful cooling.. Comparing them at stock i'd say there isn't more than 8-10 % difference in performance. When overclocking I believe the 7870XT would provide better or same performance compared to the 670 EVGA in which the temparature will most likely hold it back.

    Also the I7 provides worse or same performance than the 3570K since most games don't use hyperthreading. (More than 2-4 cores)

    As for the H50 cooler, there is better cooling available like the Noctua DH 14.

    If you want to use your 1200 $ budget then here you go.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.11 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
    Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.49 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Total: $1150.51
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-14 00:15 EDT-0400)
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by worship View Post
    Fixed, and I said I had a budget of 1200.. Meaning I want whatever is the best bang for the buck.. And No performance gain? an i7, liquid cool, and a much better video card, I believe it's somewhat worth it, expesially future proofing
    This will be the last I say in this thread because honestly you're not worth spending my free time on. Liquid cooling isn't an auto +1 up. For gaming, no there is no real noticeable performance gain gettign i7-3770K instead of i5-3570K.

    Yes the GTX670 is a better card but at the time you hadn't linked it so i couldn't tell which one was in the build. The 7870XT however is quite cheap and will max out a lot of games at 1080p and since my budget was only ~$1000 there was still room for extra. Also in that budget there was a 250GB SSD.

    But since you seem to already know all this and know what's better I don't understand why you came here for advice.

    Have a nice day good sir.

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