Thoughts on a used MSI GT683R please.

[Vitric9]

I saw this laptop on the local PC ads. It is good or what I need, I will end up using Adobe creative suite 6 if it does not get to hot.
I had to look up the name so it may not be correct, but it got the same specs nearly. there are two MSI gaming laptops from 2011 that have similar names and specs, one uses an i7 2630QM and ther other an i7 2670QM.
here is the basic spces on the ad: i7 2630QM, 16GB RAM, GTX 560M, 17" Display, 500GB WD HDD and a 250GB hitachi HDD( must be a Secondary internal drive...That is the meat of the issue, So how are these holding up in 2014 , is $700(CDN) too much?

 

[C12Friedman]

... is $700(CDN) too much?

IMO, Yes. I think ~500 CAD range would be more appropriate. If support and some kind of warranty are provided, then $700 seems about right

 

[Vitric9]

The things I like about it is the Nvidia Fermi GF F16 GPU. It is a solid GPU for a laptop though I imagine at higher frequencies it would get very hot. It would be nice to be able to use Adobe Creative Suite 6 software, more specifically Premiere Pro and AE and having a Fermi GPU is the way to go with Adobe CS6 and CUDA accelerated programs. Though the i7 2630QM is not the fastest i7 Mobile CPU, even compared to most of the other Laptop i7 quad cores from Sandy Bridge alone. The laptop comes with a lot of accessories but Most of them I would not even use. It is hard to find decent prices on PCs and PC hardware Locally where I live. The local ads are riddled with overpriced Core 2 PCs and laptops.
I am not sure how a warranty would work if it is registered to the buyer. Not too likely to get support. Plus when I see " Legitimate Copy of Windows" or "Genuine Copy of windows" it kind of rubs me the wrong way, That should not even be mentioned unless you really want that info to be seen. Another one is "Has not been overclocked" ... I don't feel it is necessary for me to put that in. ...I really forget where i was going with that My brain is just not working and it is late...

 

[C12Friedman]

It sounds as though you're feeling it's a near perfect fit for your purposes and I would agree with that. In this case, the fit for your uses may warrant the additional $200 - it is your call. My primary concern (laptop cooler will help with GPU heat dissipation) is the age of the system, I'd guess about 2-3 years old and some of the components can become less stable over time.
I would still think it's overpriced (hardware considerations only) but if it fits and you get a few years use out of it, I'd think you could consider yourself ahead. It surely isn't a terrible price especially when compared to some of the overpriced machines out there.

 

[Vitric9]

I am going to hold out...I have some PC parts that I may sell. Though I am sentimental about my Sandy Bridge i5. Though if I were going to sell now would be the time before it becomes too dated. A performance/gaming laptop does not make sense to me unless It is cheap enough. For the budget minded buyer spending $1300 on a laptop is ridiculous... Even If I do get a new laptop with only one HDD in it I would swap an SSD in and use External drives. how much could a half decent i5 laptop cost?

EDIT: I know how much the are right now on major retailers but sometimes there is good deals