Lightweight Gaming - 13"-14" IVB+650M Machines?

[VideSupra]

Hello all - I'm looking to upgrade in the next month to a small gaming machine. I would like IVB (unless SB would be just as good? Not really sure if IVB is worth the investment?) and 650M Kepler or better. I want to keep it small - 14" or lower and under 5lbs, preferably closer to 4lb or less.

Right now, with the disappointing 640LE in the Y480, I'm stuck looking at the 11.6" Sager NP6110. It looks like a great little machine but is just a bit too small for my taste. If I can't find anything else, I'll get it, but for now Im holding out for something more the size I'm looking for.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

$1000-$1200 (max, closer to 1k or lower the better)

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

Don't care - I like well build machines (read NO FLIMSY SCREEN HINGES)

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

Don't care but I dont expect IVB/650M to be available within the next month in refurb condition.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Gaming (D3, Skyrim, BF3), photo work (Photoshop/Lightroom), and Office Work (PPT, etc). Will be plugging into an external 1080p monitor, so need something that can run on that smoothly.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Both. I'd say 70/30 desk/travel. But when I travel its 10hr days staring at the screen on the move, which is what worries me about 11.6" size or 5lb+ weight.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

Yes - as stated above mostly RPG/MMORPG/MOBAs - some FPS (don't need ultra settings but would like to future proof as much as possible).

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Don't care. Anything over 3-4hr of office work (office/excel/ppt) is fine. Will be plugged in for gaming.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Online is fine.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Any version of W7 Home Premium or higher is fine.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer?

Resolution isn't a big deal for me, I'm fine with a x768 screen since most of my work will be on a 1080p monitor.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?

Glossy is fine, whatever is cheaper.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

The Alienware is ugly. I like minimalistic and slick. Clevo/Sagers are perfect re:style.

15) When are you buying this laptop?

Ideally prior to May 15. Potentially as late as late June.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

My current machine has served me for 5 years. I'd love a 4+ year machine but 3 would be good too.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

SSD if its worth the money - don't think I really need it but I won't turn it down if the price is right. 500gb is fine for HD. Hell 250 is probably enough but the different is what, $15? Ill pay the extra $15.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

Don't need one - if I can get one I'd love a Blu-Ray drive. Not necessary though - anything goes here.



I know there's a big release coming the 29th - are there specific models I should be looking at/for?

Thanks!

[VideSupra]

Also, if going for a 13"-14" - does the IVB v SB really make much difference? Will the performance boost be THAT noticeable and future proof my machine so well as to make it worth the extra few hundred it will surely cost me? Or should I look for an SB machine that I can throw a Kepler card into and call it a day?

[VideSupra]

120 views and no responses? Am I that out of luck?

[A_Grounded_Pilot]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I have a Clevo m860tu (15", core 2 duo, FX3700m) and would like something a bit lighter. I'm on the road a lot and an extra seven lbs in the suitcase is a lot. The W110ER is just way too small for me. Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are going to be announced on the 29th, but that doesn't mean that's when you can get your hands on one. I don't know what that timeline looks like, but I'd expect late May/early June. They'll be more efficient than the current Sandy Bridge processors (longer battery life) thanks to a new 22nm silicon vs Sandy's 32nm. AMD and Nvidia just announced their new generation of mobile graphics cards (28nm versus the current 40nm). The only card I've seen real, reliable benchmarks on is AMD's flagship 7970m, which is a complete beast. If it's any indication of the rest of the new 28nm chips, they will be well worth waiting for from a performance/watt standpoint (more power in a smaller chassis). Expect this new GPU silicon to hit the market in a few weeks as well. It's a good time to be looking.

EDIT - rereading your posts, it looks like you know most of that. To answer your questions, IVB is a direct replacement for SB, at the same price points. You should not be paying more for IVB according to some of the resellers on this board, so wait a few weeks and get the good stuff. As far as specific models, I can't really help you there. Let me know if you find a well-built, good looking (non-UFO) 13"-15" with a MXM 3.0c slot and a creative enough cooling solution to support 100w worth of IVB and GCN/Kepler.

Also, have you ever used a machine with an SSD? They're unbelievably snappy, and if you can swing it, worth every penny. They really improve the day-to-day user experience. Unless you're doing some CPU intensive stuff, my personal advice would be to choose a slower processor and memory and funnel the extra cash toward an SSD. That said, SSDs are much more expensive per GB than a regular platter HDD, and likely won't fit the budget. It might be a great upgrade for you to do two years down the line when you have some cash and they're cheaper.

[HTWingNut]

Lenovo Y480. Definitely 640m but possibly 650m or 660m and Ivy Quad, 1366x768, I believe option for 1600x900 possibly.

Otherwise go for the Clevo W110ER / Sager NP6100. An 11.6" beast with quad core Ivy Bridge 3612QM and GT 650m.

The only difference SB vs IVB will make is primarily with integrated GPU performance (HD 3000 vs HD 4000), and possibly slight battery life improvement.

[VideSupra]

Lenovo Y480. Definitely 640m but possibly 650m or 660m and Ivy Quad, 1366x768, I believe option for 1600x900 possibly.

Otherwise go for the Clevo W110ER / Sager NP6100. An 11.6" beast with quad core Ivy Bridge 3612QM and GT 650m.

The only difference SB vs IVB will make is primarily with integrated GPU performance (HD 3000 vs HD 4000), and possibly slight battery life improvement.

I was totally sold on the Y480 but the 640M/LE really sank my spirits. I'm hoping they announce something soon but I've talked to their sales reps and they no somewhere between squat and diddly about the 650M ever seeing the light of day. I may default to the 11.6" unforutnately with no other options

Re: IVB v SB - so for a gamer with a new GPU and little care about battery life, SB is the better bang for the buck, right?

[HTWingNut]

I was totally sold on the Y480 but the 640M/LE really sank my spirits. I'm hoping they announce something soon but I've talked to their sales reps and they no somewhere between squat and diddly about the 650M ever seeing the light of day. I may default to the 11.6" unforutnately with no other options

Re: IVB v SB - so for a gamer with a new GPU and little care about battery life, SB is the better bang for the buck, right?

I'd say yes. Of course IVB hasn't officially been released, only a handful of questionable benches released. But for the most part I'd say SB is still a safe bet.

If you can wait another month, I'm sure AMD will have some nice combos with Trinity CPU + 650m competitor (7770m perhaps?).

[VideSupra]

I'd say yes. Of course IVB hasn't officially been released, only a handful of questionable benches released. But for the most part I'd say SB is still a safe bet.

If you can wait another month, I'm sure AMD will have some nice combos with Trinity CPU + 650m competitor (7770m perhaps?).

I havent kept up with the ATI/AMD side of the equation at all - what does their timeline look like?

And again, my focus is game performance some future proofing. Is there difference between an SB/IVB i7 worth the hundreds of dollars now? Are they interchangeable or will I need a whole new laptop to upgrade to IVB (new mobo, etc)?

[HTWingNut]

Ivy Bridge chipset/socket is backwards compatible with Sandy Bridge but not the other way around, at least not with laptops. So if you buy a machine that supports Ivy Bridge but comes with an SB CPU then you'll have an upgrade path.

AMD is releasing their "next big thing" called Trinity, probably available in a few weeks. CPU-wise they're not nearly as strong as Intel, but their integrated GPU will likely be on par with a GT 540m or 6650m, all within a 35W package. The 17W chips are supposed to be similar to the current 35W Llano in performance. See my sig for benchmarks. The 6620G integrated GPU is quite powerful and plenty for 720p gaming. And the CPU is about i5-2520m performance, Trinity should be slightly better.

[Rivals]

Was also disappointed by the 640m LE in the y480.

I'm in the same boat as you. I've been patiently waiting for a thin and light 13-14 inch laptop with a decent dedicated graphics card.

Here's a few I've been keeping an eye on.......


Samsung Q470 / Samsung SERIES 5 500P4A

Samsung SERIES 5 500P4A - A Closer Look - YouTube

Upcoming Samsung Q470 notebook with NVIDIA GT 650M



Gigabyte U2442n

Gigabyte 13,3"-Ultrabook U2442V with Nvidia GT 640M - YouTube



Still though my search continues.........