A laptop to use with an external gpu (gaming)

[Max Guymer]

Hello, I was wondering what laptop to get, because I need one for my coursework, but I'd also like to game on it so I looked into external pcie board that plus into a mini pcie slot on the laptop (e Graphics card). I will be running a gtx 970 on this board so I need a laptop with an accessible mini pcie slot, and a processor that won't bottleneck the 970

Budget is around £250 - 350
Size isn't a worry
full 1080p resolution, although 720p won't be too bad
Portable Laptop
I want to play games at med to high settings (I'm using an external pcie board so I can use a desktop gtx 970 with it)
Needs to have a good processor, I don't mind too much about the gpu in the laptop. (read the above)
Battery life, about 5 hours, doesn't matter too much because where I work I can use a socket to charge
1tb of storage
Optical drive, i'm not too bothered about
I live in the U.K
I'm pairing the laptop with an external gpu at home (gtx 970) so I need a laptop with a processor that can keep up with that

 

[i7Baby]

Budget?

 

[tomshardwarenoob]

http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/msi-gs30-shadow-and-gamingdock-preview/

 

[Lutfij]

Max Guymer,
follow this thread and you'll see a better response molded for your needs.

but what tomshardwarenoob posted will be out sometime this month as per PCperspective's mention at CES.

 

[Max Guymer]

Hmm, It looks interesting, but I can't help but think it's going to be like the alienware one, overpriced. I found one that isn't overpriced and quite simple, I was actually looking for a laptop and not an external pcie board, but okay.

 

[Max Guymer]

Max Guymer,
follow this thread and you'll see a better response molded for your needs.

but what tomshardwarenoob posted will be out sometime this month as per PCperspective's mention at CES.

Thanks for the reminder, It's been a while since I posted on here

 

[i7Baby]

For a 350quid budget you won't get a top line laptop.

You'd need a good i7 to help keep up with a gtx970. I don't think your budget will cover that eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=msi+laptop+i7&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=24568435254&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6798084195041685573&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2u601w67jq_b

Have a look here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laptops-Gaming-Computers-Accessories/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A429886031%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A1628896031

tick the boxes with what you want and see what you can find anywhere near your budget.

 

[Max Guymer]

I can push my budget up to 500, but surely an i5 could keep up? The i5 pairs quite nicely with a 970 in desktops

 

[i7Baby]

Not all i5's are the same. Looking at Haswell CPUs:

Desktop i3 = 2 cores, 3-4 MB cache, hyperthreading, no turbo boost
Desktop i5 = 4 cores (mostly), 6 MB cache, no hyperthreading, turbo boost
Desktop i7 = 4 cores, 8 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost

Mobile i3 = 2 cores, 3 MB cache, hyperthreading, no turbo boost
Mobile i5 = 2 cores, 3 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost
Mobile i7 = 2 cores/4 MB cache, or 4 cores/6-8 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost

 

[Max Guymer]

Ah, what about amd cpu laptops do you know what would be good paired with a 970?

 

[Max Guymer]

Not all i5's are the same. Looking at Haswell CPUs:

Desktop i3 = 2 cores, 3-4 MB cache, hyperthreading, no turbo boost
Desktop i5 = 4 cores (mostly), 6 MB cache, no hyperthreading, turbo boost
Desktop i7 = 4 cores, 8 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost

Mobile i3 = 2 cores, 3 MB cache, hyperthreading, no turbo boost
Mobile i5 = 2 cores, 3 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost
Mobile i7 = 2 cores/4 MB cache, or 4 cores/6-8 MB cache, hyperthreading, turbo boost

I did manage to find this: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_E1-572_4th_Gen_Core_i7_6GB_750GB_15.6_inch_Windows_8_Laptop_in__NX.M8EEK.032/version.asp

Would that be any good with a 970?

 

[Lutfij]

Max, mate,
desktop grade CPU and GPU's are worlds apart from mobile CPU's and GPU's. Reasoning behind that is they need to engineer cooling solutions for high TDP mobile chips. Big coolers will mean bigger and heavier laptops and potentially hotter lappy's as well. In short mobile CPU's and GPU's are severely crippled desktop grade counterparts.

If you can hold on for a month, post CES announcement, you will see a plethora of Haswell refresh cpu's on a revised lithography see release. More power and less heat.

Could you elaborate on this fact

I'm using an external pcie board so I can use a desktop gtx 970 with it

?

Edit;
for the mobile platform that 4500U isn't bad but if you're going to pair it with a GTX970, you're introducing bottleneck with only 1.8GHz from the i7 to provide.

 

[i7Baby]

As I said, laptops i7's are weaker than desktop i7's. Even desktop i5's - http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-4500U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4690K/2743vs2432

 

[Max Guymer]

Hmm, then maybe i'll just go for a refurbished laptop for work, and stick to my desktop

 

[i7Baby]

Sounds a good idea.

 

[Max Guymer]

Max, mate,
desktop grade CPU and GPU's are worlds apart from mobile CPU's and GPU's. Reasoning behind that is they need to engineer cooling solutions for high TDP mobile chips. Big coolers will mean bigger and heavier laptops and potentially hotter lappy's as well. In short mobile CPU's and GPU's are severely crippled desktop grade counterparts.

If you can hold on for a month, post CES announcement, you will see a plethora of Haswell refresh cpu's on a revised lithography see release. More power and less heat.

Could you elaborate on this fact

I'm using an external pcie board so I can use a desktop gtx 970 with it

?

Edit;
for the mobile platform that 4500U isn't bad but if you're going to pair it with a GTX970, you're introducing bottleneck with only 1.8GHz from the i7 to provide.

I found this video recently and the product caught my attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_8EYQ-2RA

 

[Lutfij]

😀

You learn new something everyday eyh? I know I did!

In terms of innovation, I think its a stepping stone for people looking for gaming with a handful of components old or new. MSI, Asus and the likes tried the same tactic since 2010 but hasn't garnered much momentum. Maybe 2015 will change all that...?

In terms of functionality, well the best thing you could do is build a 1200 UK pound system in a small footprint and have a lappy/notebook or ultrabook for your office needs. Increases the number of items to manage but you're getting your money's worth for it. Furthermore a desktop with a good budget and parts selection can outlast a gaming laptop and allows you to clean it up better than a lappy does.

 

[Max Guymer]

😀

You learn new something everyday eyh? I know I did!

In terms of innovation, I think its a stepping stone for people looking for gaming with a handful of components old or new. MSI, Asus and the likes tried the same tactic since 2010 but hasn't garnered much momentum. Maybe 2015 will change all that...?

In terms of functionality, well the best thing you could do is build a 1200 UK pound system in a small footprint and have a lappy/notebook or ultrabook for your office needs. Increases the number of items to manage but you're getting your money's worth for it. Furthermore a desktop with a good budget and parts selection can outlast a gaming laptop and allows you to clean it up better than a lappy does.

Ahahah, not even 1200, I need only spend another 250 on an i5 4690k and a new mobo

 

[Lutfij]

I assumed you were going for a complete overhaul or new system and I also assumed you were looking for something compact since you stated a DIY pcb and a laptop for gaming.

Too many assumptions though.
i5-4690K
Z97I Gaming ACK

 

[Max Guymer]

I assumed you were going for a complete overhaul or new system and I also assumed you were looking for something compact since you stated a DIY pcb and a laptop for gaming.

Too many assumptions though.
i5-4690K
Z97I Gaming ACK

Yeah, I was looking for a replacement for my desktop, as it takes up too much space and I didn't mind sacrificing performance as all I play is Dota 2, csgo and a couple of other easy to run games

 

[Lutfij]

You an go through a couple of SFF cases:
Bifenix Pandora/Prodigy
Coolermaster Elite series
Corsair 250D
EVGA Hadron Air
Fractal Node 304
Inwin BP series/D-frame mini
are some examples of chassis' that take up minimal footprint

If you're interested in a custom case - then I might know someone selling a Compact Splash chassis in your country. I say: "why compromise?"

 

[Max Guymer]

You an go through a couple of SFF cases:
Bifenix Pandora/Prodigy
Coolermaster Elite series
Corsair 250D
EVGA Hadron Air
Fractal Node 304
Inwin BP series/D-frame mini
are some examples of chassis' that take up minimal footprint

If you're interested in a custom case - then I might know someone selling a Compact Splash chassis in your country. I say: "why compromise?"

Hahah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the custom case 😛

 

[Lutfij]

Should I state that it costs more than $220 inclusive of shipping? 😛

 

[Max Guymer]

Should I state that it costs more than $220 inclusive of shipping? 😛

Ahah, that's a problem for me 😛

 

[Lutfij]

I got 4 of them if you'd like to know 😛

Nevertheless mate, I think we've moved far from the topic. If you're interested we could hook you up with a sff system or if you'd like hold out until the mid of this year for news on new tech. You can pull off your work in the meantime with a notebook for work. If the GTX970 is lying around, perhaps look for a potential buyer and trade hands. Recover some dough and make a purchase later...?