Animation - Lenovo W520 vs. MSI GT683DX vs. Asus N75SF

[Stormyy]

Msi notebooks are sleek and have a sturdy chassis with brushed aluminum. They're not bland like the filth Clevo makes. They have Dynaudio speakers (exclusive), Windows key is removed to prevent exiting games (exclusive), matte screen by default (ah whatever), GT70 comes with an ssd by default without having to put one yourself or having to do it on a barebone retailer, a Cooler Boost button (it's a plus), TDE button, and a good looking chiclet keyboard with color backlighting (Clevo notebooks have this already, but their keyboard is old school).

[MidnightSun]

Msi notebooks are sleek and have a sturdy chassis with brushed aluminum. They're not bland like the filth Clevo makes. They have Dynaudio speakers (exclusive), Windows key is removed to prevent exiting games (exclusive), matte screen by default (ah whatever), GT70 comes with an ssd by default without having to put one yourself or having to do it on a barebone retailer, a Cooler Boost button (it's a plus), TDE button, and a good looking chiclet keyboard with color backlighting (Clevo notebooks have this already, but their keyboard is old school).

Mostly personal preference statements, really.

Going down your list: personally, I find MSI notebooks tacky-looking and extremely gaudy; the Windows key is very important for some of the multi-desktop hotkeys I use, not to mention accessing the Start Menu; Clevos also come with matte screen options, I believe; many, including myself, would prefer to install an SSD aftermarket; and I dislike the aesthetics and feel of MSI's chiclet keyboard as well (one of my friends has a last-gen one).

Don't know much about the speakers, so can't comment on that; the cooler boost button is an interesting feature, though.

The W520 does have a nice FHD screen option, so I would opt for that, as well as the more powerful Quadro 2000M if GPU power is critical.

[Stormyy]

personally, I find MSI notebooks tacky-looking and extremely gaudy;

You're just not a fan of gayming keyboards (color keyboard).

It's not that you need backlighting because you can't touch type, it's that backlighting is aesthetically pleasing. That's why MSI and Clevo aimed their crosshairs at Alienware because more and more people are getting into that, and they want a cheaper alternative.

[rABiD_kittEn]

Very cool for so many of you to chime in. I appreciate all of the input.

I've been putting off buying one for a bit now since it was only weeks away before the new CPUs came out, and it was already suggested to me here at NBR to wait. I'm just getting impatient because everything takes soooo long on the computers I currently have. I think they've only released some of the Ivy Bridge, so some prices haven't come down much yet.

I might be able to wait a little bit longer and see how much more they will go down. I have to put it on credit, so unfortunately am a little limited as to where I can buy it.

Again, thanks for the input and for the tips. I'm going to go over your posts again. And I'll see how much longer I can wait. :P I'll post an update!

>^.,.^<

I dig the lit keyboards... I'm a sucker for glowing extras.

Sager NP6165 / Clevo W150ER - XOTIC PC - Sager 15.6" Laptop

This is next gen. Make sure you get the i7 3610qm as it is ivy bridge quad core and if you want choose windows 7. I saw it on another thread and it easily fits your budget I believe.

Wow. Didn't think I'd be able to afford the next gen.! Was just waiting to get a deal on the "old" ones (they'll be slick and fast to me). But if I can that would be awesome. I'm checking it out...

Thank you!

[Jarhead]

Msi notebooks are sleek and have a sturdy chassis with brushed aluminum. They're not bland like the filth Clevo makes. They have Dynaudio speakers (exclusive), Windows key is removed to prevent exiting games (exclusive), matte screen by default (ah whatever), GT70 comes with an ssd by default without having to put one yourself or having to do it on a barebone retailer, a Cooler Boost button (it's a plus), TDE button, and a good looking chiclet keyboard with color backlighting (Clevo notebooks have this already, but their keyboard is old school).

Seems mostly to be personal preferences really. I have the same opinion as MidnightSun in that MSi laptops look tacky (as do Alienware). Brushed aluminum still means that the notebook is made of plastic, so build quality is exactly the same between both (metal skin is only for eye-candy, not structural reasons). Most Clevo laptops come with matte as default as well.

Your comments on Clevo laptops makes me wonder if you've ever used one before. The other points you made (SSD, island-style keyboard, backlight) are pretty standard across all notebook brands these days, so I don't see your point. The rest seem to be just gimmicks imo (though I haven't heard of Dynaudio before, though I'm sure JBL speakers are comparable).

[frodoz737]

For 2D and 3D you should consider the GPU first, then work back words with CPU/chipset, memory and hard drive. Forget about fanboys and looks, you need a working machine, that also does the rest. Within your list I would go W520, i7 Quad Core, SSD with the Quadro 2000M, but consider all options your budget allows.

[Stormyy]

Seems mostly to be personal preferences really.

Why does everybody keep saying that. Of course it's preference. You asked me why I THINK MSI is better than Clevo, not tell you how it truly is better than, which isn't possible anyway because there's nothing wrong with Clevo besides the appearance of their notebooks. And JBL is great, it's a few steps a ahead of Altec Lansing, but not as good as Dynaudio. The only ones on par with Dynaudio is Klipsch (Alienware notebooks) and Harmon/Kardon (Toshiba Qosmio).

[rABiD_kittEn]

For 2D and 3D you should consider the GPU first, then work back words with CPU/chipset, memory and hard drive. Forget about fanboys and looks, you need a working machine, that also does the rest. Within your list I would go W520, i7 Quad Core, SSD with the Quadro 2000M, but consider all options your budget allows.

Thanks for that.

[rABiD_kittEn]

Arrrrgh! I'm having trouble finding a Quadro 2000M that fits into my budget. The 1000M does... *sigh*

[Jarhead]

The Quadro 1000M is similar to performace as the GeForce GT540M, whereas the Quadro 2000M is like a GT555M. You should be alright with the 1000M, but more power is always nice .

Try calling the OEM and haggling, you'll be surprised by how much you can save. My W520 with 2000M and 1080p ended up costing me about $1650 before tax, compared to the retail price of the configuration at $2200.