High Performance Laptop Recommendations

Vidya

Vidya

Vidya

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Joined
20 Aug 2011
Posts
182
Hello,

I'm moving away soon and I'm leaving my desktop computer behind so I'm looking to buy a high performance laptop that has good portability and isn't big and bulky like alienware for example. I will mainly use it to play Guild Wars 2, surfing and some work.

Specifications I'm mainly looking for;

Quad-core processor
Dedicated GPU 640M+

Big bonus;

SSD or SSD/HDD hybrid.
1080 resolution

Laptops I've considered so far:

Lenovo IdeaPad Y580
Sony Vaio S15

My budget is around the £1,000 mark, if anyone could recommend any laptops I would appreciate it!
 
Mr Plow said:
Have you looked at OCUKs own custom gaming laptops?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=LT-007-OE

It runs the 7970M instead if an Nvidia GPU but ticks all the other boxes for only a little more than you want to spend. (It is a 17" chassis though)
Click to expand...

That is as big as an alienware more or less.

I would recommend the Sony Vaio S15, apart from the screen being a little iffy with reds and oranges its an amazing laptop, really thin, only 2kg. I would recommend removing the software that comes with it to reduce the price.
 
Fallen god said:
That is as big as an alienware more or less.

I would recommend the Sony Vaio S15, apart from the screen being a little iffy with reds and oranges its an amazing laptop, really thin, only 2kg. I would recommend removing the software that comes with it to reduce the price.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, it seemed to look a little less bulky in the pictures but as you say is still most probably too big for the OP.
 
Fallen god said:
That is as big as an alienware more or less.

I would recommend the Sony Vaio S15, apart from the screen being a little iffy with reds and oranges its an amazing laptop, really thin, only 2kg. I would recommend removing the software that comes with it to reduce the price.
Click to expand...

If you have one, what model does it say on the black sticker on the underside of your laptop, not the product name

Wondering 'cause my sister has one and it says SVS151A12M, I was wondering if the different combinations of GPU + CPU + WWAN determine the model number, if you could let me know what CPU + GPU version you got and if you got WWAN
 
For that price range, there's a few decently powered laptops that fit the bill.

Sony VAIO S15 - Decently powered, and very light, probably the lightest "powerful" laptop around. It's also going to be a couple of hundred £ more than the others to get a similar spec unfortunately

Lenovo Y580 - The most powerful of the bunch, 1080p, 660M, 3610QM with a 1TB drive and 64GB SSD for £1000. It's a bit bit though, nowhere near as hefty as the Alienware/Clevo models though.

Samsung Series 7 Chronos (NP700Z5C-S01UK) - A good middle ground, nearly as powerful as the lenovo, but has a 900P screen and only an 8GB flash cache. It's got a 640M, but it's the GDDR5 version, which is exactly the same chip as the 660M, just clocked lower. So with an overclock, you've got the same performance. It's also available for £200 cheaper than the lenovo, but I can't say where. (This was the one I went for in the end). It's also nearly as small and light as the Sony, less than an inch thick, and around 2.4KG

OcUK also sell the MSI GE60 which is very similar to the Lenovo Y580, but with a different design, worth taking a look at.

Then there's the Dell XPS15 (the new one), but stay away from this at all costs. It's plagued with issues, and is extremely expensive for the hardware you get. It's a lovely looking machine, but it's just not fit to be sold at the moment. Massive throttling issues in anything demanding, and abysmal wifi performance on most models.

I think that's about it. Hope it helps!
 
Vidya said:
If you have one, what model does it say on the black sticker on the underside of your laptop, not the product name

Wondering 'cause my sister has one and it says SVS151A12M, I was wondering if the different combinations of GPU + CPU + WWAN determine the model number, if you could let me know what CPU + GPU version you got and if you got WWAN
Click to expand...

My GF ordered one, when she gets it I will ask her to look for you :D
 
DAnDan said:
Then there's the Dell XPS15 (the new one), but stay away from this at all costs. It's plagued with issues, and is extremely expensive for the hardware you get. It's a lovely looking machine, but it's just not fit to be sold at the moment. Massive throttling issues in anything demanding, and abysmal wifi performance on most models.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I read the issues, and i still orderd it. Erm.. opps :)

Well it could be ok!
 
****199 said:
Yeah, I read the issues, and i still orderd it. Erm.. opps :)

Well it could be ok!
Click to expand...

The Wi-Fi issues you may get lucky with, and not get a unit which is affected with it. Sadly the throttling is across the board though, so I hope you weren't planning on gaming on it!
 
Vidya said:
Hello,

I'm moving away soon and I'm leaving my desktop computer behind so I'm looking to buy a high performance laptop that has good portability and isn't big and bulky like alienware for example. I will mainly use it to play Guild Wars 2, surfing and some work.

Specifications I'm mainly looking for;

Quad-core processor
Dedicated GPU 640M+

Big bonus;

SSD or SSD/HDD hybrid.
1080 resolution

Laptops I've considered so far:

Lenovo IdeaPad Y580
Sony Vaio S15

My budget is around the £1,000 mark, if anyone could recommend any laptops I would appreciate it!
Click to expand...

have look at the Clevo's at ************
 
ChilledLJ said:
have look at the Clevo's at somewhere
Click to expand...

The problem with those is that they're near enough as big as the Alienware laptops, which is something the OP specifically wanted to avoid.

Also, with the new rules on here you'll need to remove the competitor name.
 
DAnDan said:
For that price range, there's a few decently powered laptops that fit the bill.

Sony VAIO S15 - Decently powered, and very light, probably the lightest "powerful" laptop around. It's also going to be a couple of hundred £ more than the others to get a similar spec unfortunately

Lenovo Y580 - The most powerful of the bunch, 1080p, 660M, 3610QM with a 1TB drive and 64GB SSD for £1000. It's a bit bit though, nowhere near as hefty as the Alienware/Clevo models though.

Samsung Series 7 Chronos (NP700Z5C-S01UK) - A good middle ground, nearly as powerful as the lenovo, but has a 900P screen and only an 8GB flash cache. It's got a 640M, but it's the GDDR5 version, which is exactly the same chip as the 660M, just clocked lower. So with an overclock, you've got the same performance. It's also available for £200 cheaper than the lenovo, but I can't say where. (This was the one I went for in the end). It's also nearly as small and light as the Sony, less than an inch thick, and around 2.4KG

OcUK also sell the MSI GE60 which is very similar to the Lenovo Y580, but with a different design, worth taking a look at.

Then there's the Dell XPS15 (the new one), but stay away from this at all costs. It's plagued with issues, and is extremely expensive for the hardware you get. It's a lovely looking machine, but it's just not fit to be sold at the moment. Massive throttling issues in anything demanding, and abysmal wifi performance on most models.

I think that's about it. Hope it helps!
Click to expand...

I'm gonna' go with the Samsung, is this the one you're on about http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Samsung_CHRONOS_700_1217865.html

Was just unsure 'cause it says the 640M is DDR3
 
Yeah that's the one. They've got the listing wrong, it's definitely GDDR5 on that 640M. Just pulled up GPU-Z to confirm it.

Just a heads up, you can get it for £900 (£800 after the £100 cashback, so £20 cheaper than the one you linked to) from a certain large internet retailer.
 
Last edited:
DAnDan said:
Yeah that's the one. They've got the listing wrong, it's definitely GDDR5 on that 640M. Just pulled up GPU-Z to confirm it.

Just a heads up, you can get it for £900 (£800 after the £100 cashback, so £20 cheaper than the one you linked to) from a certain large internet retailer.
Click to expand...

I can't seem to find it, the link I used was the cheapest I could find! Any clues?
 
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