Laptop

[Playplay]

Hi guys,

I'm about to get a new computer to run Resolume (and maybe Ableton link and Max Runtime). My options so far are:

Razer blade 14" ($1700) vs Alienware 13" ($1500) vs Sager NP9155 Notebook 15" ($1990) The screen size doesn't mater, the smaller the better for portability.

They all have GTX 1060 6Go
They all have 16Go DDR4 2400 MHz
Razer and Alienware have 7th gen i7-7700HQ, the Sager has an 8th gen.

Thoughts?

C.

[Playplay]

Is there a big difference between 7th gen i7-7700HQ and 8th gen?
I wont have more than 6 layers playing at the same time on rare occasions (most times I need 3 layers).

Thx!

[AdevProjects]

Out of those 3 I would choose between the Razer and the Sager. The Sager has the best performance. However it is also the most expensive of the 3. Razer one looks the best and has better portability.

It looks like the Sager has a desktop i7 8th (8700 or 8700K) gen vs the portable versions of the i7 7700 (HQ).

So you would get the benefit of a desktop CPU and that cpu being a newer generation. Benchmarks show the 8700 performing 40-60% higher than the 7700HQ depending on where you look. You also get 6 cores / 12 threads on the 8700 vs 4 cores / 8 threads on the 7700HQ.

With 8th generation intel chips you will get the newer chipset (Sager specs says Intel Z370 - meaning overclocking support for the 8700k), on this chipset vs previous version there are more PCIe Lanes available to CPU / PCH meaning more devices / ports should be available.

With all that being said - if you are running at most 6 layers over 1 or 2 outputs, I expect any of the 3 to do the job just fine.

[Playplay]

Thanks a lot for your detailled reply!
Is there another option you would recommend in this price range or are these 3 options the best in this category?

Why do you say the Razer has best portabilty when the Alienware is 13", Razer 14" and Sager 15"?

[Arvol]

Razers are Uber thin and portable. Other brands can be bulkier, even with smaller screens.

Asus gets a lot of love and msi is in the mix as well.

My 2 goto options are Razer and clevo's
I'm a sucker for a sexy machine that performs so Razer is my tool of choice.
Clevo's have more native outputs, but I haven't been in a situation where I needed more than 3 outs at a time.

All of the ones listed should work just fine for what you're doing.

A good GPU, ssd, and proper cooling are key points to look into.
If you do a ton of fly dates, something that fits well into a carry-on is important as well (good luck with 17" Laptops lol)

[elgarf]

There is a bunch of new laptops on 8th gen processors, MSI GS65, Gigabyte Aero 15W/15X, Asus GX/GM501...

Personally I'm looking for g-sync + thunderbolt 3 light and thin options, but there is only Asus, which don't have Ethernet & miniDP =(

[drazkers]

There is a bunch of new laptops on 8th gen processors, MSI GS65, Gigabyte Aero 15W/15X, Asus GX/GM501...

Personally I'm looking for g-sync + thunderbolt 3 light and thin options, but there is only Asus, which don't have Ethernet & miniDP =(

Why do you think g-sync is important?

[elgarf]

Why do you think g-sync is important?

If you have g-sync, you don't have optimus (laptop display connected to discrete gpu, not internal). So, there is no bunch of problems, related to optimus. But on the other hand battery life is worse.

Hardware optimus switch has not so many laptops as g-sync, I think.

---

There is also cyberpowerpc's tracer laptop, which don't look based on clevo. Looks pretty, but without TB3...
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Tra ... lim-VR-300

[drazkers]

Why do you think g-sync is important?

If you have g-sync, you don't have optimus (laptop display connected to discrete gpu, not internal). So, there is no bunch of problems, related to optimus. But on the other hand battery life is worse.

Hardware optimus switch has not so many laptops as g-sync, I think.

---

There is also cyberpowerpc's tracer laptop, which don't look based on clevo. Looks pretty, but without TB3...
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Tra ... lim-VR-300

I think its just better to point out that Optimus shouldn't be on the machine in case they somehow add that feature down the line. I figured you're point was that, but its kinda a round about way of saying, Optimus causes alot of issues. The root point is great for sure.