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Still making my way through this entire thread but I have a few questions to ask: I am in the market for a new laptop which basically functions as a 3d workstation. Is it worth buying a Haswell gaming laptop or would I be better off looking at the older I7s which should be cheaper now that the Haswell is out? Haswell's improved battery life is nice but I don't care about the improvement in integrated graphics performance. Now that Haswell is out, have there been any significant price drops in older gaming laptops? Does anyone know of any great deals? I like Asus, Fujitsu and MSI but am willing to consider IBM if the specs are right. Thinkpads aren't traditionally made for artists though. Not in the market for an Apple, Dell, HP, or Sony. What I really want is CPU power and GPU power. I can always upgrade the ram if I need to. Thinking around 1200 budget but I can go a little higher if I need to. Don't care about screen size very much and I can swap out the HD if that becomes an issue. Sager notebooks are great but I was hoping to find something as good at Fry's and be able to walk out the door with it. Don't have much time to wait on shipping. I guess "durable and powerful" would be my two picks from the OP. Totally given up on buying a tablet which will support Zbrush well enough. Currently I am typing this on a MSI GT627, and although it has served me well, I need to sell it to invest in a (Haswell?) replacement. Any other 3d artists out there upgrading to a new laptop? Is there enough evidence that tablets are strong enough to run 3d apps / zbrush? Most everything I have read leads me to believe it isn't worth going to a tablet just yet. Any thoughts on the Toshiba Qosimo? sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Jun 11, 2013 |
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Jun 11, 2013 04:35
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Alienware's are just too drat expensive for me. Also, they are really ugly IMO. Surprised you think the Sager's are ugly. I heard they are just modified Asus laptops, but I could be wrong. This looks like pretty sweet specs. Not sure how it compares to the MSI, Asus, or Sager though. Any thoughts?
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Jun 11, 2013 07:05
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InstantInfidel: I have a 3d workstation. This is for 3d on the go. What is wrong with the Toshiba, or the Fujitsu, or even the Sager laptops for that matter? I am strongly considering the Thinkpad W530 but it is a little above my price range. Perhaps with the student discount and selling this machine, I might be able to afford it. Very tempting, considering the high praise this thread gives to Thinkpads. Regardless, I will never buy a Mac, so that isn't an issue. This MSI GT627 I am using has been very capable over the years but I think the build quality is lower than a ASUS, Sager, or possibly Fujitsu. The options xoticPC gives are pretty drat impressive. So much range! Does anyone know what their shipping is like? sports: Macs have never been ideal for gaming. Not ideal for 3d mobile machines either. However, the guys that develop for Zbrush apparently develop it on a Mac. Of course, all Zbrush needs to run well is a strong CPU and a lot of ram. Mudbox requires a strong GPU, but not Zbrush. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 10:57 on Jun 11, 2013 |
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Jun 11, 2013 10:54
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I need something which will handle zbrush and maya very well. Briefly considered getting a tablet (or samsung slate) but I am not sure the power is there yet. The lead 3d modeler from Naughty Dog uses a samsung slate to model in zbrush on the go, so that is something to consider. Not going the Mac route because most everything I run is PC based and I don't want to spend the extra ram running virtualized PC apps. Also don't want to spend more on a Mac. I would rather put that extra money into better PC specs. I currently run a I7 970 for my workstation at home because I was too poor to get a xeon. I know that I can't replace that power on the go but I am not sure a tablet or Surface Pro is good enough for 3d and digital illustration work. However, it is 2013, and tablets have come a long way. The Haswell chip has added a lot of battery life and improved integrated graphics, but I am more interested in discrete graphics and will keep it plugged in on the go for the most part. Just hoping it might drive down prices of slightly older laptops. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 12:28 on Jun 11, 2013 |
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Jun 11, 2013 12:17
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Just read this online: Screen: the 1920x1080 screen on the W series has been described as one of the best notebook screens available. The new Retina screen has been described as revolutionary. Advantage: Apple Power: both can be configured with very similar components. Advantage: even Design: the Macbook Pro is roughly half the thichness and weighs a pound less. The Thinkpad has looked the same for years. Advantage: Apple Connectivity: the Macbook Pro has 2 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, audio, & 2 Thunderbolt ports. The Thinkpad has 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports (one of which is always available for charging), VGA, Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, audio, and ExpressCard ports. Advantage: Lenovo Battery Life: rated battery life for Retina Macbook Pro - 7 hours; rated battery life for W530 using same Watt-hour battery - 12.8 hours. Advantage: Lenovo Durability: the Macbook has not passed any military spec tests, the W530 has. Advantage: Lenovo Versatility: the Macbook is non-upgradeable, has no optical drive (although they offer an external USB-based optical drive), and all parts are soldered or glued into place or use proprietary connectors. The W530 has a detailed maintenance guide that tells how to replace every single part, memory and storage can be easily upgraded by user, ultrabay contains optical drive or additional hard drive according to user's needs. Advantage: Lenovo Warranty: Apple is widely considered to have the best tech support in the business, but their warranty does not cover accidental damages. Lenovo is considered to have very good tech support as well, and their warranty can be configured to cover accidental damages. Advantage: even Price: total estimated price to buy Retina Macbook Pro with my desired specifications - around $2800; total price to buy W530 including aftermarket memory & SSD upgrades - around $2400. Advantage: Lenovo What is up with the thinkpad sales? Do they happen often? There is one ending tomorrow!! (12% off!) http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/w-series/w530/ Sounds like a Haswell Asus or Sager might be a cheaper solution if I am willing to go without the Quadro GPU. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 14:20 on Jun 11, 2013 |
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Jun 11, 2013 14:17
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You mean wait for a Lenovo Haswell? Not sure I will have that option.
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Jun 11, 2013 14:30
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you ate my cat posted:Man prices just keep on falling on the Ivy Bridge T-series. Down to $665 for a base T-430, I'm sure that was in the low 700s when I looked this morning. Anything more to the rumor that today was Haswell day? Yeah - I feel like the Haswell line mean new Lenovo's introduced very soon and therefore the W530 I am eyeing will drop even further. But When?? In the meantime I will continue to drool over the new MSIs . . . even with the B&N link, the Thinkpads are a lot more expensive than a new MSI or Sager configured with a Haswell.
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Jun 13, 2013 23:11
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Wait . . . so the Ideapads have Haswell chips but not the Thinkpads? Also, is there a further faculty/student discount after the B&N link or is that B&N link the actual faculty/student discount? What I am wondering is if you can stack coupons here. Also: Is the IdeaPad Y510p Laptop THAT much worse than the ThinkPad W530? Getting the Quadro over the NVIDIA GeForce GT750M seems to be the big difference for me. However the Ideapad has MUCH more HD space (and SSD), the Haswell CPU, Blu ray with HDMI out, and a built in camera. The only reason I can see getting the W530 is that Quadro GPU and someone said the difference was negligable. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jun 14, 2013 |
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Jun 14, 2013 03:31
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DrDork posted:Right this moment, yes, there are (some) Ideapads available with Haswell chips, while there are no Thinkpads (yet). This will change over the next few weeks as Lenovo fleshes out the rest of their lineup with upgraded machines. Arrgh. I was going to pull the trigger tonight. Sounds like I should wait one more pay period. Thank you for the prompt response. Leaning towards seeing what the W530 Haswell upgrade will look like. Just wish I knew how long I have to wait.
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Jun 14, 2013 06:22
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WHERE MY HAT IS AT posted:You're telling me. I'm waiting to pull the trigger on a yoga 13, it's killing me Wow. If that Yoga 13 came with a Haswell, Nvidia GPU and a Wacom digitizer, I would be all over that for digital illustration. A lot of people like the Microsoft Surface Pro for digital painting but I can't bring myself to buy a tablet just yet. A transformer on the other hand . . . hmm. Just ran a search and the Lenovo forums are saying September / October Not sure how accurate that is but the consensus is that it takes a couple of months for new chips to get integrated into the Thinkpads. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Jun 14, 2013 |
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Jun 14, 2013 06:36
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DrDork posted:I seriously wonder how much being able to brand your product as an Ultrabook is actually worth these days. Especially with the touchscreen requirement, which I imagine ads not insubstantial costs to the machine (as well as causing all sorts of nasty second-order effects: do you really want to be supporting a laptop with a squishy matte screen that people are poking with their fingers?), it seems like a tough sell from a business perspective, especially since I can't see the touchscreen being a huge seller in some markets. I am really torn here. I want a wacom digitizer with the best CPU/GPU combo I can find. At the same time, most tablets are not good enough to paint at high res with photoshop, much less sculpt in zbrush. So . . . go with a Samsung slate or a Lenovo Yoga or Surface Pro? The surface pro isn't really strong enough IMO. A Yoga with a Haswell seems ideal but my real question is this: Which slate/tablet/ultrabook with touchscreen is best for someone who wants to sculpt or paint on the go? Business applications are always going to be priority, but are tablets/transformers finally good enough for 3d modelers as well as 2d illustrators?
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Jun 19, 2013 05:58
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Cream_Filling posted:In the current gen? I'd think about the Thinkpad X230T. They've been around in various forms for a long time, so at least you know that the physical design stuff will last without breaking, the cpu won't be throttled by bad thermals, and I know they have wacom digitizers. Though they only come with HD4000 and I think they're being replaced by other stuff with shakier track records next gen. Thank you. Hadn't looked at the Thinkpad X230T yet. Those specs are nice but the HD4000 is almost a deal breaker. 3d software is known to always run better on a Nvidia GPU. At least the software I use. Anybody know if the wacom digitizer is 512 or 1024 or more levels of sensitivity? The fact that has an I7 and up to 16gigs of ram plus a Wacom digitizer makes that really tempting though. Nice battery life too. Really a shame that is being replaced with something worse. shrughes: That Thinkpad Helix seems pretty close to the X230 but you are paying a lot more for the I7 variant and you are capped at 8gigs for the ram. I have to wonder if it is better to have a detachable keyboard, or a screen that "transforms". Seems like both would be fine for zbrush since zbrush only cares about CPU and RAM, not GPU. Those Helix models aren't even shipping yet and they are using 3rd gen Intel chips. Seems like they would be one of the models which could really use the Haswell boost since the GPU is integrated. Are the Ultrabooks all required to have certain specs? (touchscreen, battery life etc.) sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Jun 19, 2013 |
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Jun 19, 2013 19:50
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Calidus posted:The Ultrabook specs are set by Intel and they change every year. This next generation of Ultrabooks are required to have touchscreens while the last generation was not. Hmmmm . . . Are current touchscreens as good as a Wacom digitizer? Here is a review of the X230T on Autodesk's Area site. http://area.autodesk.com/blogs/pointsnap/lenovo-thinkpad-x230t-review (No middle mouse button!) Does anyone know of a tablet or transformer with Nvidia GPU AND wacom digitizer? Or better yet, one that will have a Haswell in it soon?
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Jun 19, 2013 20:44
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whalestory posted:How do these look? http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y410p/ That is a pretty drat good deal. I have been waffling between a Helix, X320T or W530 . . .but that is just really good bang for your buck. $450 off! The only big turn off for me is the 1600x900 screen, but other than that, it is a great deal on Lenovo's first Haswell machines. Anyone know if you can upgrade beyond 8gigs on that Y410P? EDIT: drat. Looks like the Helix drivers don't support pressure sensitivity. WTF?!!? The hardware is rated for 2k levels of sensitivity but doesn't work. Pressure sensitivity doesn't work on the the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro either!! sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 05:58
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voltron posted:The y510p with 750M SLI is still cheaper at Newegg than at the B&N Lenovo site. I don't understand. Just checked and Newegg is telling me that is out of stock/discontinued.
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Jun 25, 2013 08:07
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Hmmmm. So, is it safe to assume that the driver issue will be solved eventually for software like zbrush and photoshop? Is it also safe to assume there will be no Haswell version of X320T because the Helix is the succesor to the X320T? I don't really like the idea of half the device swiveling on one point. Is there any other reason to go with the Helix over the X320T? Seems like some don't like the build quality of the Helix here.
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Jun 25, 2013 08:34
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NeoSeeker posted:I'm debating between the Lenovo Y500 and Y510p. I want a laptop now but I want haswell also just for the sake of being a tech whore. The Y510 has haswell on it as I understand it. I have to admit that this is pretty tempting. Is the build quality THAT much different between an Ideapad and a Thinkpad? VVV Thanks for the review! VVV sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 12:16 on Jun 28, 2013 |
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Jun 28, 2013 11:38
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sports posted:Getting a business class laptop with integrated CAD graphics (Quadro, etc.) is good provided that you're going to use the laptop to model and model only, on the same software you bought that year, and the same OS too. Most business-class GPUs have special drivers to push CAD performance, which is very different than what a typical game needs. I have given up the idea of getting a tablet to sculpt on the go because I need my laptop to VJ with. Was about to buy the W530 but I read your post and realized there will be a new Haswell enabled Lenovo line which will be suited for CAD. Hopefully with something better than the Quadro K2000. Is it worth it to wait for the successor to the W530, or configure a SAGER? Hmmm. Somebody was talking about MSI build quality earlier. Wellll . . . The LCD cover and bezel has broken on my old one. Laptop works fine except not being able to close it. Considering doing what this guy did. http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...pic-inside.html
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Jul 6, 2013 09:31
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dissss posted:I'm not sure if there is anything better (for CAD purposes at least) - the K3000/4000/5000 require quite a lot more power. drat. Guess I will be looking a bit closer at Clevo or Sager.
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Jul 7, 2013 01:58
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Klaus Kinski posted:Aren't the ASUS gaming laptops pretty well regarded and like half the price? Just got one and the drat thing is huge and heavy. I do like the battery life and the way the power consumption / cpu speed scales so well, so quickly. Seems very, very sturdy but the downside is the immense scale / weight.
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Nov 22, 2013 13:37
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Oh wow - I haven't been to this thread in a few years. That's.... uh... a lot of pages. Trying to buy the best portable 3d workstation replacement for around 1600 or a little more. Recently had the pleasure of running Maya on my friends MSI GS66 and was kind of amazed at the boot up time as well as the performance and relative silence of the laptop. Right now I am using a Surface Book 2 but it just isn't cutting it anymore for 3d. In the past I have had both an ASUS ROG and a MSI which each only lasted a little over two years. The MSI connection between screen and base wore out completely and the ASUS ROG somehow lost the power connection from the motherboard to the port. Actually had the port replaced but it didn't fix the problem and by that point it was already out of warranty. So suffice to say I am reluctant to buy another MSI or ASUS but that's what I find myself looking at for pure bang for buck. The MSI GS66 was on sale at Best Buy but doesn't seem to be anymore. Alienware is another option but (as always) seems overpriced. Traditionally I have always gone Intel / Nvidia but seeing the cpu benchmarks for some of these AMDs is enough to make me switch. Is there some powerhouse laptop you guys recommend for around that price range? I don't need a 17 inch screen and I don't care about speakers so much. Basically I just want the best CPU / GPU combo for that price range and ideally somewhat portable - since this will primarily be for a VJ station and teaching 3D remotely. Nvidia RTX GPU is the biggest requirement followed by the beefiest CPU I can afford and then HD space. Something like this would be great but about 1k more than I can afford right now. Ugh.
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Feb 21, 2021 06:46
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Lockback posted:Can you wait for stuff to come back in stock? People who are looking at more medium-level gaming can get pretty good deals right now (a $1000-1100 2060 setup is probably more bang for the buck than a $1500 3060) but if you're looking for higher end I think it's kind of a waste to shell out for a 2070 or 2080. When will that be exactly? As for 2060 vs. 3060 ... I really don't understand how important it is to jump to the 30 family vs. the 20 family if what I really want is RTX. Is it more important to get a 3060 vs. a 2080 for example? That zephyrus ryzen 9 looks great but the eluktronics has both a webcam and (mini) SD slot built in... both of which are very appealing because I have to teach remotely and I would like to ideally add space via a SD card. Just had a ridiculous argument with a friend about external HDs and he claimed that firebolt / thunderbolt(?) is a thing for PCs and I said no - that's a Mac thing - which he owns (macbook pro). Turns out he is right... https://thunderboltlaptop.com/complete-list-of-thunderbolt-4-laptops/ In any case I would rather have a larger onboard SSD drive than ever go external for VJ work. Why are there are so few high end laptops with full size SD card slots? Why are there so few high end gaming laptops with thunderbolt 4 ports? Why do MSI laptops typically have built in webcams but ASUS typically doesn't? Also what is the relation from thunderbolt to USB C? Is it the same port? It looks like thunderbolt 4 is MUCH faster than USB C so I am a bit confused. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Feb 22, 2021 |
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Feb 22, 2021 02:35
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Lockback posted:A 3060 is faster than a 2060 by about 30%+ depending on resolution. You gave your budget of around $1600 so I assumed you were looking for higher end, but if not laptops with a 2060 can be found with a real good deal. Oh I DEFINITELY want a higher end one. However - getting 1.5 terabyte + 32 gig ram seems like a better deal vs. jumping 2060 to 3060 in terms of price. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-15...p?skuId=6409444 I mean ... I am going from a surface book 2 so ... I am using an SD card to DOUBLE the space available currently. That seems pretty appealing if I can do that again, given how hard it is to upgrade a laptop hard drive vs. ram. It looks like the ASUS can go up to 40gig RAM if you flip out the 16 gig chip with a 32 gig chip. The HP spectre has a webcam, SD slot AND thunderbolt. Also seems to work with the stylus I already have for the Surface Book 2 BUT.... of course ... Iris graphics. drat. Trying to make the new laptop a 3D workstation replacement and relegate the surface book 2 to being a glorified tablet for drawing / painting (and some 3d sculpting) but drat if it isn't tempting to get another laptop with the tablet built in (ie 2 in 1) but of course, they just aren't anywhere near as powerful. Asus G15 is very tempting - as is the G14 really but that laptop lid screen - WTH? So gimmicky. However - I would love to VJ a gig and get my laptop lid to say NOT THE DJ! STOP REQUESTING SONGS!! They would probably ignore the flashing laptop lid and ask me to play a song anyways. This Asus G15 is pretty great but not available yet (?) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1616909-REG/asus_g513qr_es96_15_6_republic_of_gamers.html/specs VVV OH - If I wasn't clear - I use mostly Maya and Zbrush, followed by Resolume. This is primarily why I want to upgrade! VVV sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Feb 22, 2021 |
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Feb 22, 2021 04:13
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Definitely need as much space as I can (being a VJ and rendering animation with Maya). The Ryzen 9 5900HX would be ideal for the insane clock speeds but there aren't that many laptops with that CPU so my options are limited. As for the SD card vs. external HD... you are proving my friend right apparently. Was trying to tell my friend SD was faster than anything external but it sounds like I am just wrong because SD tech is so old. I was thinking the distance between the SD card and CPU would make it speedier than anything with a cable. Oops. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Feb 22, 2021 |
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Feb 22, 2021 04:34
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space marine todd posted:You can easily upgrade the SSD in the Asus G14 or G15. The G15 even comes with two slots. And an NVME drive is going to be insanely fast, compared to even a USB 3.0 drive. Oh - that changes things - since upgrading my RAM and HD are both pretty important to me. Or, will be in the future. That's why I was hoping for a SD slot. Also, this rabbit hole goes pretty deep. Thanks for the help guys!! sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Feb 22, 2021 |
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Feb 22, 2021 04:51
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Corte: I actually really love my Surface Book 2 but I hate the fact that it's so hard to upgrade. It is overpriced compared to the yoga. I will admit. Recently I read about the power block underpowering the laptop by design so I am about to buy a surface dock 2 which supposedly fixes the problem. For painting / drawing / some sculpting it is great. For heavy duty 3d or newly released games, I don't think it cuts it anymore. I need something a bit more powerful at this point but if you are getting a machine primarily for painting / drawing and browsing / office apps, then it is fine. Pros: Powerful for a 2n1 (nvidia version) Solid build (looks like a macbook pro) Great screen (4k) Very light. Tablet separate from base weighs almost nothing. Nvidia and battery greatly improves performance and life Stylus has a magnet to keep it stuck to side of screen Cons: Powerblock gets SUPER hot because it is underpowerd for the machine. This is fixed with the surface dock 2 - as mentioned. Small HD space / hard to upgrade hardware. This is *sort of* fixed with using an SD card to extend HD space a bit. Digitizer feels a little clunky compared to wacom digitizer and drivers can be finicky for line weight in Photoshop. Zbrush works great but for some reason Photoshop needs a lot of tweaking with drivers to work perfectly. Other apps like Paint storm pro and realitic painter don't seem to have this problem. It seems to have to do primarily with the digitizer driver and photoshop. "Shoelace effect" which I can't seem to completely fix. Relatively few ports. This is somewhat forgiveable, but between this and the powerblock issue, the surface dock 2 becomes pretty appealing. Screen detach mechanism is ... uh ... well ... finicky. This is something which has been mostly fixed with updates but sometimes you have to reboot to force the detach function to work. This might be a deal breaker for a lot of people. I actually find myself using the sylus with the screen attached to the base so I can use the Nvidia gpu with zbrush soooo.... it doesn't bother me much. That's REALLY disappointing news about the alienware battery life. I was strongly considering it too. Hmm. Went to Best Buy last night and was disappointed to find all the laptops packed up or sold. The location was shutting down and rep told me "sorry - all the display models were sold". Even the open box deals didn't look good. Unfortunate. The Eluktronics are looking good but I don't know how much I should trust such an off brand. Reddit users seem to like them though. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Feb 24, 2021 |
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Feb 24, 2021 20:34
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wemgo posted:My g15 came in and im very satisfied. Ive spent maybe only an hour on it, but the build quality is good and the screen is a dream. Feeling the same way about upgrading to something suitable for high end 3d! Finally made it to a Best Buy yesterday which wasn't closing. First two out of the three I visited were shutting down. Sign of the times I guess (?) They only had a G14 and no G15s but the guy said he could order me one - however the 30 series RTX was unavailable regardless. My impression was that the build wasn't very solid on the G14 at all and felt kind of cheap, given what was inside it. There was an open box G14 marked down to $1250 which seemed like a fair deal but there was nothing else in the store which came close to the G14 specs. I am going to look at one more best buy just to see if they have a G15 or something similar but at this point I expect to just order my laptop online. There just isn't any point doing anything else unless I want to wait for the next generation of latpops to drop... which I don't have the time to do. BH photo is backordered for most of their higher end laptops but man I wish I could just pull the trigger on this one. Newegg and Amazon seem to have marginally more in stock but they are price matching Best Buy for the most part. MSI machines are starting to look better and better. My friend's MSI GS66 Stealth was a little heavy but the build was very solid and it was almost silent on a heavy load. Most impressive laptop I have used yet but then again I haven't actually seen the ASUS G15 in person yet. Really wish the HP envy had Nvidia as their GPU because the stylus for the surface book 2 works with it and it's an all around pretty good machine except for the Intel Iris GPU. Heading to Best Buy and Costco now to try one last time to find something stronger than the ASUS G14. Costco can sometimes have lucrative deals. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Feb 27, 2021 |
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Feb 27, 2021 21:13
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I mean - it feels like plastic. The MSI GS66 stealth felt much sturdier IMO. Also the G14 seemed small... but maybe that was my imagination.
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Feb 27, 2021 21:34
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Ah - that makes a lot of sense!! Any opinion on Dell or HP for highend laptops? HP Omen line looked kind of interesting. Same with the Gigabyte Aero. I just don't understand why some of these manufacturers are chintzy with ports or webcams but I guess you have to cut corners somewhere. Frustrating how some of these manufacturers have have their ram soldered on. It isn't like that's a detail that's advertised or easy to discover. Like the some of the alienware models have soldered ram? WHY?? sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Feb 27, 2021 |
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Feb 27, 2021 21:58
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shrike82 posted:amd not supporting thunderbolt really sucks considering how good ryzen laptops are otherwise Yeah - gotta agree.
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Feb 28, 2021 07:46
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Having a really hard time deciding here. The MSI machines seem available in so many configurations and I have had two different people recommend the MSI Stealth GS55 - which is $1500 at Best Buy right now. After doing some research I see that there is an M15 variant as well, which looks pretty similar. One with RTX 2060 available now for $1500 https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834155659?Item=9SIA7ABDET1567 and one available with RTX 3060 also for $1500 ( ... but not out for another two months.) https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834155830 I feel like the GS55 is a slightly better deal here https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-gs...p?skuId=6409057 but there are a lot of options for MSI. Including this one MSI GF65 Thin at 1300 https://www.newegg.com/core-black-msi-gf-series-gf65-thin-10ue-071-gaming-entertainment/p/34-155-716 Even saw a few models with ports on the back, which I really like. It makes more sense to send video out of the back of a laptop vs. the sides. Also - most MSI laptops have webcams, which I need for my job. On the ASUS side there is the G15 - which I was recommended via this thread. It's a little more than what I want to pay at around $1800 but it's hard to beat that CPU / GPU combo of a Ryzen 9 + RTX 3070. I was leaning heavily towards the G15 based on what I have read and the recommendations in this thread, despite the lack of webcam and thunderbolt port. Then I saw there was a ASUS TUF DASH which was $1450, had the RTX 3070, and thunderbolt. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-t...p?skuId=6448936 ... just no Ryzen, or webcam, of course ... Lastly this ASUS M15 comes in at $1640 with a RTX 2070 BUT has 2TB SSD and 24G of ram soooo... https://www.newegg.com/dark-gray-asus-rog-zephyrus-m15/p/2WC-000N-02FH5 That's pretty tempting, even though I know I can potentially upgrade the G15 later with more SSD and ram. Hard to resist starting with 2TB and 24G of ram, given that I have a surface book 2 with 512 HD and 16GB ram. I am telling myself that a 10th gen I7 isn't worth it just for just more space and ram but the thunderbolt port makes it a little tempting. The screen on the ASUS M15 is also kind of disappointing at only 1920x1080 but then that's also the same as the MSI GS66 Stealth and MSI 15M I was looking at. *ugh* My priorities are CPU / GPU as a 3d artist but as an animator I want as much space I can get. Also, ram of course. After that both screen and weight are important since I will bringing the laptop to a lot of gigs. I am nervous of MSI's build quality but the one's I have seen in Best Buy seem fairly solid. My last MSI laptop broke something like 8 years ago, so maybe it's time to give them another chance. On the other hand - none of the laptops I have looked come close the cpu benchmark of the Ryzen in that Asus G15. It's feels like a choice between power vs. ports and expandibility. What the heck. There is an ultra slim ASUS G15 with that Ryzen 9, RTX 2060, and only $1300?!? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QV7KMQZ Help! Too many drat options. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 10:30 on Mar 3, 2021 |
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Mar 3, 2021 10:23
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Lockback posted:Oh real good call. Yeah I think for his rendering needs he really should strongly prefer Ryzen. Yeah - this is indeed the struggle. The Ryzen's are cooler and at least on the synthetic benchmarks seem to trounce intel. The intel machines seem less powerful but more well rounded. Especially because of the thunderbolt, which I really want to take advantage of for HD space. Lack of webcam on the Asus machines annoy me because I have gotten used to the webcam on the machine I have. Do I go with the Best Buy G15 which has the RTX 3070? Or go with the newegg version where I can max out the RAM (40gigs!) for abouot the same price but get stuck with the RTX2060? https://www.newegg.com/black-xotic-pc-rog-zephyrus-g15-ga502iv-ph96-gaming-entertainment/p/2WC-000N-02D77 Or go with the more well rounded but slower MSI GS66 or ASUS TUF DASH - both around 1500 ?? Which it sounds like you guys are saying are very similar in builds. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-t...p?skuId=6448936 The MSI GS66 stealth did impress me a lot but I didn't get a chance to try out a Asus TUF as I have had bad luck with Best Buy. Also that Asus M15 I linked to earlier is now out of stock. drat. https://www.newegg.com/dark-gray-asus-rog-zephyrus-m15/p/2WC-000N-02FH5 bull3964: Thank you! It sounds like maxing out the newegg version of the G15 might be the way to go. Will I see that much difference between 2060 and 3060? If the jump is marginal I would rather have the 40 gig in RAM (because 3d). Also - is there a different ultra slim version of the G15? I was confused by that. Or is it the same? sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Mar 4, 2021 |
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Mar 4, 2021 01:04
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bull3964 posted:The newegg link is for the GA502. Last year's model. So, it's not the latest ryzen, not the revised cooling system, not the QHD display. Wait - is there a 32 gig version of the G15 which retains the dual channel config? I only see 16, 24 and 40. Regardless, I definitely want more than 16 running Maya and I don't relish the idea of cracking open a laptop - even though I know both the ram and SSD HD should be easy to install. Seems like from what you are saying - unless I pay for the for the 3080 variant, I won't get 32 gb dual channel. I can't even find the G15 RTX 3080 32GB anywhere (?) Looking very closely at this best buy link but the idea of having 8 gigs soldered on is really deterring me. I mean.... eventually I would just want crack it open myself when I could afford the 32GB RAM upgrade. However - guess I would have this year's gpu and cpu. Which seems like the best bang for buck at this point. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-r...p?skuId=6448848 Guess I am wondering if this year's G15 is really that different from last year's when you consider Xotic's extra 32 GB chip. Sounds like the answer is yes...or are the G15 3080's underpowered and not worth the jump in price? I can't even find one for sale. Dual channel 32 GB would be great, regardless if one chip was soldered on. Lockback: I am almost ready to pull this trigger on that bestbuy link above even though it is a bit over my budget. Don't know what you mean by external SSD though. Through USB3? There is no thunderbolt with AMD obviously. The Amazon G15 with the 2060 is a full 500 bucks cheaper (1300) than the G15 with the 3070 at Best Buy (1800). That seems like a steep bump for the difference between 2060 and 3070 but ok. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Mar 4, 2021 |
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Mar 4, 2021 02:50
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bull3964 posted:There are 4 models of the GA503 (the 2021 G15). Thank you for all the help!! The Best Buy one is what I have in the cart right now ... I don't understand the 24gig bit. Does it not recognize all 40gigs of RAM if you max it out? Only 24? I plan on getting the 16gig variant from Best Buy and popping in 32 gig chip like Xotic did. Sounds like it isn't too hard. What is the SSD HD max? 4 TB? Did some research and the Gigabyte AORUS was what was rated as the G15's primary competitor for what I do. 32 gig RAM, full SD card slot and the same price as the G15 but I am reading that in most ways the G15 is better. Notably that Ryzen. Not gonna lie. I like my arrow keys and it looks like the G15 doesn't have them (?) Also - wait - there is no print screen key on the G15 ?!? ... What? I actually use that daily. Ugh. Last whim is this MSI i9 refurb. https://www.amazon.com/MSI-P65-Creator-654-Productivity-Thunderbolt/dp/B07QP4Y176/ref=sr_1_21 It is cheaper than the G15 and better in some ways... but the i9 doesn't seem to rate as well as the Ryzen and of course it is the 2070 instead of the 3070. I suppose if I buy the G15 from Best Buy I can always return it in 15 days, as is their policy. Hmm. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Mar 4, 2021 |
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Mar 4, 2021 05:41
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bull3964 posted:Arrow keys? The keyboard has them. I guess you are talking about a numpad. Ah - yeah - I see now that there are arrow keys. Just smaller. So adding a 32 gb chip is very doable later but sounds like it would void the warranty. Well, I sorta figured anytime you open a laptop it would void the warranty. Now I am just irritated that the G15 open box deal I had in my cart expired and the price went back from 1630 to 1800. drat. Should have pulled the trigger when I first saw the open box deal. Looking at reddit shows me that the most common complaint is popping with the speaker. I wonder if that explains the open box deal. Oh - incidently - the MSI GS66 Stealth my friend has can be upgraded to a max of 64gig RAM. Interesting. Although I can't imagine many would take advantage of that. At least the ram isn't soldered on to my knowledge. As for the Gigabyte Aorus. Definitely tempting but objectively the G15 is better on most fronts. The web cam placement on the gigabyte is pretty lame but I prefer the full size SD card slot vs. the mini SD. The vents on the bottom of the Aorus are also pretty cool. However, it's just hard to argue with the G15's Ryzen's power over the intel i7. Hopefully there will be another open box deal. Right now it looks like most of the Asus G15s are sold out completely at Best Buy. Guess I might wait a little longer after all. Didn't expec the deal to disappear out of my cart while I was writing these posts.  sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 07:18 on Mar 4, 2021 |
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Mar 4, 2021 06:52
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Oh weird. I kind of assumed if you opened something like a laptop it would void the warranty. Good to know! Well - in the time I wrote the last post ANOTHER open box G15 appeared on Best Buy for a bit less money. However this one is excellent vs. ceritified excellent. I think I am going to roll the dice. *** WTF?!? It happened twice. This time when I went to enter the payment info, I get told it is no longer available. How long do they give you to type in the info before it gets yanked from the cart?? This is getting kind of silly. "ASUS - ROG Zephyrus 15.6" QHD Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 9 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 1TB SSD - Eclipse Grey - Eclipse Grey is no longer available for shipping. Sorry about that! You still might be able to get it if you check nearby stores for availability." Super weird. I think I might just go and visit Best Buy in person one last time. Who knows ... maybe one will actually appear in store ... (?) sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 10:11 on Mar 4, 2021 |
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Mar 4, 2021 07:26
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Cheese Thief posted:
Thinkpads have always been legendary for build quality... and that little red nub / mouse thingie. wolrah: TIL more about warranties. I just always assumed that cracking open a laptop would void the warranty because that's true with a lot of electronics as a whole. ilkhan: I knew that 8gig was soldered onto the Asus G15 16 gb model. I want 32 or more so that's another reason why I am leaning towards the MSI GS66 Stealth - because I can upgrade to 2x 32gig sticks of ram and assumedly get better performance than I would with 40 gigs in the Asus G15. Easy math there. great big cardboard tube: Great name BTW. Sorry about the repetition. The jump to 32gig and to 3080 is one I can't afford even if I could find it. The real problem is how rare these G15s seem to be. I have been to 4 Best Buys and I am about to go to a 5th right now. The only G series I have seen in store has been the G14. I tried to buy a G15 from the best buy site and it's either sold out, or not available in my area. The website tells me there is a display model about an hour away so I am getting in the car to go now. At the point of frustration where if I don't see the G15 in store, I am just going to get that MSI GS66 which is definitely in store and cheaper than the G15 by about 300 bucks. Also, it has a webcam, thunderbolt port, upgradeable to 64gig RAM and a better screen! Soooo... although I want the raw power the G15 offers, I have to settle with a cheaper, more well rounded option, if it simply isn't available anywhere to buy. I guess I could settle for last year's G15 model for uh https://www.amazon.com/Zephyrus-Gaming-GeForce-Windows-GA502IV-XS76/dp/B08QV7KMQZ/ ... 500 bucks less... but I don't want to wait for shipping and the MSI stealth specs look better for what I can buy right now in store. Except of course for that Ryzen chip. Just wish there more laptops using the Ryzen 5900HS and that they were more available. Here is a comparison video but I would be getting the MSI stealth with the 2070 RTX AFAIK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4My3U_9aKE The difference in screen quality is considerable. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Mar 6, 2021 |
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Mar 6, 2021 23:02
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Trip report: According to the Best Buy rep I talked to tonight: "No Best Buys have any RTX 30* series stuff and won't for the foreseeable future." I don't think there was a single laptop with this year's RTX 30* gpu in the entire store, which backs up what the guy said. No workstations either. Judging by what I see on BnH and Adorama, this is across the board. The rep did offer to order me a Asus Strix but noted it would take about a week and the price would be over $2200. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-r...p?skuId=6409456 I did get a chance to look at the MSI Stealth and the MSI Raider a little closer. Didn't realise the Raider had ports in the back. So did the Alienware and the Razer Blade. The Razer's 4k screen looked impressive but the RGB keyboard was glitching out badly on the display model. Amazon has some G15 RTX3070s but they all appear to be over 2k. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Zephyru...15095814&sr=8-4 Same with Newegg https://www.newegg.com/p/2WC-000N-03N15 Hell - they are going for over 2k on Ebay at this point too. Ugh. What exactly is the difference between the MaxQ and Super RTX cards? Super is better but the Max Q is ... overclockable? A little confused at the difference but I can tell you the Raider was 300+ more than the Stealth and had the 2070 Super and 32g of RAM. A quick look at the Best Buy website shows me that all their 3070 MSI Raiders are sold out, of course. Also - is it any harder to upgrade RAM on a MSI vs. Asus? Is the MSI Creator any better or worse than the Raider or Stealth? The specs to this MSI Creator look very similar to the MSI Raider at Best Buy but with a better screen and about the same price. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DHY3VF6 sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 10:01 on Mar 7, 2021 |
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Mar 7, 2021 06:28
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Lockback posted:Why are you going to stores and not just using the websites that show you stock? "Why are you going to stores and not just using the websites that show you stock?" I was hoping to take advantage of Best Buy's return policy in case there were problems. Such as the speakers on the G15, which I have been reading sometimes pop. Also - when the G15 was in stock it was 1800, which is cheaper than I can find it almost anywhere else. Interesting info about Max Q. That makes sense it is Max Quiet vs. Super. Notably the MSI Raider was Super and the MSI Stealth was Max Q ... which makes sense because well ... the stealth IS pretty quiet on full load and the Raider was noticeably larger and bulkier. Just wish they put ports on the back of the Stealth as well as the Raider. At this point Amazon seems to actually have the G15 GA503QM with the 3060. I can't find it anywhere else. I really wanted to get the 3070 variant from Best Buy but it just doesn't look like it's in the cards. bull3964 posted:Some manufacturers like MSI have been known to use a flipped motherboard in some models that makes upgrades significantly more difficult. So, it's worth it to seek out upgrade instructions before you purchase. This is very interesting. I was going to possibly go with the stealth because there are two RAM slots available to push the max to 64gigs. Seems like the way to go for upgrading and I am sure the Raider is similar. The fact that Asus solders there chips is really a deterrent if you want to keep DDR. Now I want to look up how easy it is to upgrade the Raider. The Strix and Raider are interesting but I am not a big fan of the RGB aesthetic. Even the Creator series is interesting for the screen. What is holding me back are the older I7s vs. that Ryzen in the Asus. Otherwise the MSI machines look pretty good to me. Especially the upgradeablility, the webcams, thunderbolt and of course screen refresh rate.
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Mar 7, 2021 20:42
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I don't want to play games on my laptop, I want to make them. Point is that I need the same kind of specs. Why is this G14 listed with a webcam? https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-Zephyrus-G14-Ultra-Slim/dp/B08TP5SQY4/ref=sr_1_5 That's gotta be wrong, right? It's official. I can't find a G15 with a 3070 listed ANYWHERE online for under 2k. I can find one listing on Amazon with a 3060 from HIDevolution which is around 1900 but once I go to 3070 it jumps to over 2100. This drives me a little batty considering I had three separate G15 RTX3070 open box deals from Best Buy for less than 1800 but none would allow shipping to my address. The Best Buy rep said that was really common but I don't understand why I can add it to the cart if it can't be sent to the store or shipped. I suspect open box deals can only bought in store so it is back to rolling the dice on ... uh ... Fridays ... when they get new stock in. As I said earlier, the guy told me that absolutely no Best Buys are carrying ANY inventory with the RTX 30* gpus so I feel like that's about as good as an answer as I will get with Best Buy. So back to the big online retailers which appear either sold out or a few hundred dollars too high. I am using this for both VJ work and 3d work so I want the best specs I can get for the money but the more I think about it, the more I think the needs are not *exactly* the same. 3D = Best CPU/GPU combo available + RAM!! Color accurate screen. 4k screen preferred but not required. VJ = Best CPU/GPU combo available + RAM!! Ports on the back, multiple video outs, large screen (15 or 17), HD space!!! The only thing I can really cut corners on is refresh rate because I don't care about gaming and as a VJ I usually pipe out the video to a projector or capture card. Also - a SD card reader is nice but I suppose not a deal breaker if it is missing. Same with webcam. The thunderbolt interface is best for VJing off an external drive but I suppose even that can be cut in favor of a Ryzen. Recently I found buying a surface dock 2 really helped with the performance of my surface book 2 because the original powerblock is very underpowered for the specs on the laptop. I have tried VJing with the surface book 2 and it doesn't really cut it outside of the admittedly super cool feature of using touch screen to pick videos during a show. The surface book 2 is next to impossible to upgrade so I am looking at the MSI machines primarily for their upgradeability and availability. Just trying to avoid getting stuck with last year's I7 or RTX 20* gpu. Seems like everyone else has the same problem. When does stock typically come in? Or is this shortage indefinite? I am willing to play the waiting game a little longer if it means getting that Ryzen. This site seems pretty good about listing what's available on a CPU basis. https://laptopmedia.com/top-laptop-cpu-ranking/ Not a fan of the RGB flashy stuff but I am wondering how getting a Asus Strix is that different than a G15? Is there a big difference in build quality? The Strix looks like it might be bulkier but possibly easier to upgrade? Back to the original problem of not wanting an I 7 from last year, despite the increasingly attractive price point. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-GeForce-i7-10875H-Windows-G532LWS-DS76/dp/B0876M6CG9/ref=sr_1_17 Looks like there is a Strix with an even better Ryzen than the G15... but of course unavailable. https://laptopmedia.com/review/asus-rog-strix-scar-17-g733-review-a-brand-new-keyboard-and-an-rtx-3080-are-waiting-around-the-corner/ Getting any laptop with additional RAM and HD installed is very tempting but I am not sure it is worth the big bump in price vs. just getting a better CPU/GPU. Definitely willing to crack open a laptop if I have to. Just not the surface book 2 I am typing this on lol. The surface dock 2 and a large SD card are about it as far as upgrades are concerned. sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Mar 8, 2021 |
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Mar 8, 2021 21:35
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