[SOLVED] Suggestion between these 5 laptops?

Jan 23, 2019
4
0
10
Approximate Purchase Date: Before the end of the month

Budget Range: Price isn't necessarily an issue, but would like to optimize value. So yes, the $3,000 is surely better, but is it THAT much better than the $2,000 ones? And will the $3,000 even work well or last long in a laptop with the heat I assume it would generate? That said, I would like something higher end so that it could potentially not be too out of date should it still be working well in 4-5 years or longer (I can hope, right?)

System Usage: Being able to multi-task. Don't run any crazy games (may look into doing some light video editing in the future), but generally I like having lot of programs running (Blender, Virtual DJ, Firefox with 25+ tabs, Chrome with 5-10 tabs, Excel, Second Life which is the only game I really play). Last few laptops I've had broke due to hardware problems & less than sturdy builds (HD failing, hinges breaking, etc), so if there's a way to determine sturdiness or if a particular brand is associated with sturdiness, by all means suggest it

Country: USA



Anyway, have found these laptops in my search:

1: Sager NP9175 - 17" (1920x1080), i7-8700K, NVIDIA GTX 1070 (8GB), 2TB FireCuda SSHD, 32GB (16x2) 3000MHz RAM, Win 10 Home, IC Diamond Thermal Compound (to help with heating?) for $2,559


2: Tracer III 15 Xtreme VR 600X (via cyberpowerpc) - 15" (1920x1080), i9-8950HK, NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB), 1TB M.2 SSD (with 32GB Optane), 1TB 7200RPM HD, 16 GB (8x2) 2666MHz RAM, Win Pro for $1,700 (17" option available with same specs for $2,000)


3: EON17-X (via originpc) - 17" (1920x1080), i9-9900K, NVIDIA GTX 1070 (8GB), 2TB FireCuda SSHD, 16GB (8x2) 3200 MHz RAM, Win Pro, GELID GC-Extreme Thermal Compound (for heating?) for $3,071


4: Lenovo ThinkPad P52 - 15" (1920x1080), Xeon E-2176M, Quadro P2000 (4GB), 1TB 7200RPM HD, 16GB (8x2) 2400MHz Ram, Win Pro for $1,972


5: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 - 15" (1920x1080), Xeon E-2176M, Quadro P2000 (4GB), 1TB SSD PCIe-NVMe, 16GB (8x2) 2666MHz Ram, Win Pro for $2,264
 
Solution


The 8700k and the 9900k are desktop CPUs. They are not laptop CPUs. They will be faster, but will use a lot more power and generate more heat. Same can be said for the 9600k and the 9700k. All of those CPUs are 95 watt parts.

The i9...
The Sager and the EON are gonna have pretty bad battery life and heat will be an issue. Those are desktop CPUs in a laptop. So they will get very hot and use a lot of power.

The Tracer and the Lenovo are you better options for a laptop in my opinion. If you can use the Quadro in the Lenovo's, then go for it. If not, then I would go with the Tracer cause it is cheaper.

I dont think I would choose the Thinkpad P52 because I would not spend 2k on a laptop that does not have a SSD and the $250 price increase for a 1tb PCIe SSD is not too bad for the P1. Apple would charge you 1k more for that part.

For portability, 15" is the way to go. 17" is pretty big and you will run into issues with having bags that can carry it. I travel a lot and take a 15" laptop with me and it would be a pain to carry a 17".
 


The Sager has the desktop CPU or the Tracer? Or is the i7-8700K that much better than the i9-8950HK?

On the EON, I can also do a i5-9600K for $350 less, or a i7-9700K for $180 less. Could even change to 32GB RAM (16x2, 3200MHz) with that processor change. Or would those processors still be too much for a laptop?
 


The 8700k and the 9900k are desktop CPUs. They are not laptop CPUs. They will be faster, but will use a lot more power and generate more heat. Same can be said for the 9600k and the 9700k. All of those CPUs are 95 watt parts.

The i9 8950hk though is a mobile part. It is a 45 watt part. Although it will still get hot and throttle, but not as bad as the desktop CPUs. Some for the Xeon E-2176M. It is a 45 watt mobile part. The more watts a part uses, the more battery it will require and the more heat it will need to dissipate.

The Tracer and Lenovo are laptops. The Sager and the Eon are basically portable desktops. Both will have different advantages and disadvantages.
 
Solution


And the 17" isn't going to make it easier for heat to dissipate than a 15"? Just a size and portability thing?
 
The bigger the case, the better heat dissipation. I would think the 17" would keep things a little cooler. But the battery life will still be an issue. But in the end, none of those laptops are gonna have very good battery life.

The problem with the 17" is portability. A 17" wont fit in most standard backpacks.

If I were you, I would check out pcperspective.com. They have some really good laptop reviews that will go into a lot more detail.

https://www.pcper.com/reviews/mobile
 


Tracer III 15 Xtreme VR 600X (via cyberpowerpc)
* 17.3", FHD 1920x1080, 144Hz, IPS Anti-Glare
* i9-8950HK
* NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB)
* 1TB WD Blue Series SATA-III SSD (with 32GB Optane), 512GB ADATA XPG PRO PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
* 16 GB (8x2) 2666MHz RAM
* Intel HM370 Chipset
* Li-polymer Battery, 4 cells, 62.32wh
* Win Pro
* $2,065

EVO17-S (via originpc)
* 17.3", QFHD 3840x2160, 60Hz, IPS level G-SYNC Matte Display
* i9-8950HK
* NVIDIA GTX 1070 (8GB)
* TWO 500GB Samsung 860 EVO M.2 SSDs (Raid 0 configuration), 2TB Seagate 2.5" FireCuda SSHD
* 32GB (16x), 3000MHz RAM (G.Skill Ripjaws)
* No specifics on battery or chipset outside of the chipset being Intel
* Win Pro
* GELID GC-Extreme Thermal Compound for heating
* $2,840


Double RAM (& faster) with GTX 1070 over the 1060. Seems like better hard drives too, but the larger display (had to choose it to get the i9-8950HK) seems like a potential drawback on heating for no real noticeable visual difference on the smaller screen

The EVO seem like the better bet on holding up longer? Would rather spend $800 more if it might get me another 1-2 years while being largely better

And I generally stay plugged in on it, just at different places in the house & at work. So battery & power usage isn't a major issue as long as the power won't be so much more as to add a ton more heat