Gaming Laptop

[kickass101]

Chassis & Display
Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3630QM (2.40GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
AMD® Radeon® HD 7970M - 2GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio + SPDIF/MIC/Headphone Jack
Battery
Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£19)
Intel Anti-Theft Technology
FREE 90 Day Intel Anti-Theft Trial - Prevent Data Access upon Theft
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft

Price: £1,155.00 including VAT and delivery.

This is the build for a gaming laptop I've got in mind just want some opinions on it my budget is £1200.

 

[Keithg]

That is a very balanced spec the only additions I would make is the improved thermal paste and silver warranty.

Enjoy.

 

[kruppsy]

+1 for Keithg's post.

Not sure if you could upgrade the SSD to an Intel one for better R/W speeds and keep under budget? but worth looking into.

Also read up on some of the driver issues the 7970m appear to have, it seems to be affecting a lot (not all) people. The drivers were so bad 3-4 months ago it forced my hand into getting the 680m instead.

One recent thread from these boards https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?22378-ATI-7970M-Driver-Issues

 

[kickass101]

I've upgraded the SSD now and hmmm the 680 goes alittle over the top. If people not everyone having driver issue then ill assume the user cocking up somewhere

 

[Toxophilix]

Agree it's a well-made spec, kind of the default spec for a 17" PCS gaming laptop, I think.

I'd also be concerned about the GPU driver issues though. Sure, there are always issues with drivers, part of the human condition etc etc, but there seem to be way too many reports with this card lately. It does have good performance for the price though. Hmm.

 

[kruppsy]

If people not everyone having driver issue then ill assume the user cocking up somewhere

Very true!

It was a genuine issue a while back though with Enduro, the switching between the iGPU and GPU, just wanted you to be aware.

 

[kickass101]

The driver issues could be related too people trying to say the GPU isn't performing right with the Processor bottle-necking the GPU. So there always people gonna have problems. I've had a quick search and most people don't have issue it just a few. I will look into it more but i normal sort out any issue if it does occur i could just send it back and have the GPU changed?

 

[Keithg]

I believe the most recent drivers have fixed the enduro problems. There is also the 675mx to consider, it is probably cheaper and is only 5% slower than the 7970 from some benchmarks I have seen.

 

[Razor1911]

I also agree with the others. The gaming laptop is well balanced and it will be good for you if you already upgraded that. Except that, everything is perfect.