Help me build a PC (desktop, laptop,work, or performance).

[JACK-2]

Any advice on laptops? I need something cheap but powerful.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

May 14, 2015 20:13:34 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Any advice on laptops? I need something cheap but powerful.

What is your plan with it? What price range?

[JACK-2]

600-800 and I wanna play Video Games with it. I can lower it if it's too expensive.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

May 14, 2015 20:34:22 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

600-800 and I wanna play Video Games with it. I can lower it if it's too expensive.

What kind of gaming are you trying to do? Stuff like SF4 and the occasional RPG, shooter?


My go to for everyone is always Sager. You'll get the best value for your money and you get a great cooling system and customization to boot. One with a dedicated graphics card is right in your reach.

www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6659-clevo-w650sc-p-8071.html

This has a GTX 950M and will suit your needs perfectly. I use them and I can't say enough about them. You get a student discount as well. Buy from Xotic PC (the site I linked you to) because you'll get great customer service as well.

I like gaming laptops because I can take them anywhere and use them for anything. People are mobile nowadays and you'll want to be able to do what you want everywhere.

Let me know if you have questions.

[JACK-2]

Yeah, something for Arkham Knight and SFV possible too. Will, Sager be good too? Also, if I buy it as is with not customizations will it still be able to play this gen games?

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

May 15, 2015 3:08:22 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Yeah, something for Arkham Knight and SFV possible too. Will, Sager be good too? Also, if I buy it as is with not customizations will it still be able to play this gen games?

Yes. I have one from two years ago and I play all fighters and Batman games. I can also play demanding stuff like Tomb Raider and modded older games. If you were to record and play top tier games simultaneously you''d get some slowdown as recording is very demanding and you'd likely need to lower settings. This model is also battery friendly.

It's about the specs and that's the best you'll get at $800 by far.

On another note I love the fujitsu convertible tablets for what they do. They're an all around business tier with a dual digitizer so they're great for drawing and stuff like that. They're not gaming devices though. I need to review them.

[JACK-2]

Ah man thanks a bunch.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

May 15, 2015 3:31:24 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Ah man thanks a bunch.

When are you getting it?

[JACK-2]

ASAP. I needed anew comp for a while and I start online summer courses in 3 days.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

May 15, 2015 3:45:14 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

ASAP. I needed anew comp for a while and I start online summer courses in 3 days.

Online school is the way to go. Much more convenient.

[JACK-2]

Can I subscribe to this thread. So, when I get the cash this week I can still have the link.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

May 25, 2015 0:40:28 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

Can I subscribe to this thread. So, when I get the cash this week I can still have the link.

Yes. Go to the board page (where the threads are) select the thread, and go to the bookmark option.

Then when you want to access it later you go to the top right and choose the "save" button on the third to the last button (might be a different name on some skins) but it lets you access your bookmarks.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Bumped for laptop suggestions.

[WarMachineRhodey]

Here are some very good builds that suit many budgets. They are also updated when newer hardware comes out. Yes i know the subreddit name is "PC masterrace" but the info is generally good. Just treat it like browsing srk lol. www.reddit.com/r/PCMasterRace/wiki/builds

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Good stuff. These things change every year so the posts will need to be updated.

Yea, people asked me about laptops. I'll keep things pretty straightforward.

Sager will *almost* always be the best deal you're going to get price/performance wise unless you're getting some super deal or something. They're usually the best for a solid $1,000-$1,200 laptop, which is where I assume you guys are trying to stay. So there's that.

Let's look at why they're a better deal than say, an Alienware:

For $1,269 you can get a Sager 8677.
www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8677-clevo-p670re3-p-8650.html

Compare that to an Alienware 13 at $1,349.
www.xoticpc.com/alienware-13-960m-6500-hd.html

Here you get a smaller screen, worse CPU, worse GPU, smaller hard drive space, and worse customization options (Sager laptops can be upgraded if you choose to do so, though you're best buying what you want right away while you're building it). Not only that but Sagers have from what I've seen the best cooling system. MSI have good speakers, and Alienware looks flashy and has a good warranty but you WILL pay for it.

Don't bother with Apple, that's just trendy overpriced junk. People used to say it was "for art", but I do photo editing, photoshop, and drawing with a fujistu for $200 that has a touchscreen and a Wacom digitizer, and a Bosto for a large drawing tablet so don't buy the bull.


A GTX 970M will be enough to game on whatever you want if you want to save the money. It'll play fighting games, RPG's and FPS type games just fine. Here's a comparison video:




A GTX980M will be the best card you can get in terms of performance and you get decent battery on it. Here's how it stacks up to other cards, including the desktop counterpart.




Not bad at all. 62fps compared to 72 fps for the desktop version on Battlefield 4 Ultra Settings. If you get a card like this, you'll be set for many years. It will be a beast.

Here's where an exception shows up. MSI has a black Friday deal still going so you can spend $1,395 on an MSI force and get the 980, it will be a simple model and the CPU will be weaker for certain tasks but it will game quite well. You might consider that.

Here's the link to it.

www.xoticpc.com/force-msi-1781-221045-980m-msi-gt72-barebones-p-8111.html


Also you get student and military discounts on top of your sales, so happy shopping!

Let me know if you have questions.

[WarMachineRhodey]

Damn 62fps on ultra settings bf4. That laptop is a beast. If you dont play many AAA titles that laptop will be good for a very long time.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Dec 8, 2015 11:48:21 GMT -5 WarMachineRhodey said:

Damn 62fps on ultra settings bf4. That laptop is a beast. If you dont play many AAA titles that laptop will be good for a very long time.

Yea and the 970M is still plenty enough to play whatever you want, especially if you focus on fighting games and classics. You can still get 3-5 years playing main games if you gradually lower your settings after 3 years or so.

My rule of thumb is spending no more than about $1,300 on a laptop. Even if you replace it in 3 years you'll get a light newer model with better battery and performance compared to getting a hefty monster rig at $2,500 and then it's out of date in 5 years. That deal I posted was about $1,300 or so with a 980M which is a kickass deal.

People have to just understand laptops. I like having everything in one machine I can take everywhere and play at anytime. No need to buy a console or handhelds can actually save you money. It's a good time for PC gaming indeed.

[magicattack]

Both 970m and 980m are really nice cards if anyone goes the laptop route.


<edit>

C your last link isn't working. The one for the laptop with the 980m.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Dec 8, 2015 22:11:42 GMT -5 magicattack said:

Both 970m and 980m are really nice cards if anyone goes the laptop route.


<edit>

C your last link isn't working. The one for the laptop with the 980m.

The sale is likely over. It was a Black Friday one so it lasted a while.

[JACK-2]

May 15, 2015 3:02:53 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

My go to for everyone is always Sager. You'll get the best value for your money and you get a great cooling system and customization to boot. One with a dedicated graphics card is right in your reach.

www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6659-clevo-w650sc-p-8071.html

This has a GTX 950M and will suit your needs perfectly. I use them and I can't say enough about them. You get a student discount as well. Buy from Xotic PC (the site I linked you to) because you'll get great customer service as well.

I like gaming laptops because I can take them anywhere and use them for anything. People are mobile nowadays and you'll want to be able to do what you want everywhere.

Let me know if you have questions.

This recommendation still valid?

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Read my most recent recommendation on it.

[JACK-2]

I bought the Sager8677 as is.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8677-clevo-p670re3-p-8650.html



So you got a 17.3? Not bad.

You'll definitely enjoy PC gaming as everything is cheaper and runs better. Go to cheapshark for deals as they're often better than Steam since you have multiple stores.

[JACK-2]

Seems like I'll be able to play SF5 no problem.

[JACK-2]

What's funny is people spend the same amount of money on Macs lol.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Yea and they'll be optimizing it too on release, so you'll be set.

You'll also be able to type on here quickly and easily without a phone.

Did you check the Faye vs Fujiko thread?

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

They spend WAY more on a decent Mac. To get a Mac that could perform like that you'd be dropping over 2k *easily*.

They're fanatics.