Aero 14 -- where to buy for warranty? Moving to Europe soon

Hi all

I'm pretty much settled on buying a Gigabyte Aero 14 as a replacement for my Macbook Pro retina from 2012. I require a nvidia GPU with a lot of RAM for deep learning stuff, and a resolution higher than FHD for photo editing. I prefer the Aero 14 over the Razer Blade because the battery life seems better, but if you know any other portable options, please tell me!

I'm not sure where to buy the laptop from. I currently live in the US. I will move back to Europe in a few months, and I want to have some kind of international warranty in case my laptop breaks. I would also like to equip the laptop with a non-standard amount of RAM, 32GB. Since opening the case and putting the RAM in myself, which I would be fine with, usually voids the warranty, it seems like going to a seller that can put it in for me is the better option.

• Where should I buy?

So far I found hidevolution, gentech pc and xotic pc. It seems like hidevolution is the only one that explicitly offers a "global warranty". Not sure about the other two -- what does it mean to get "manufacturer's warranty" in the case of the Gigabyte laptop?

Other points that I find important:

• I'm used to a tall "enter" key on the keyboard. Seems like the Aero 14 comes in different keyboard layouts, with the US keyboard having a short "enter" key. Will any of these sellers offer to choose a keyboard layout? Not a big deal otherwise, just a preference.
• I'm a student -- any chance for student discounts?

Thank you for all your inputs.
- ibd

 

I'd suggest the Dell Alienware 13 actually - OLED screen - basically the best screen on ANY laptop - still portable, large battery, better and quieter cooling, supports 32GB RAM with ease - Dell warranty is stellar in Europe.

 

That Alienware comes in quite a bit heavier at 5.8 pounds. Coming from a Mabcook Pro Retina that's a pretty hefty switch at almost twice the weight. However, that OLED screen is indeed pretty phenomenal.

As far as where to buy, you listed the three options that come highly recommended.

 

HIDevolution is probably your best bet - their service is really good. Otherwise, 5.8 isn't really that heavy - it looks like a lot but then again, MBPs are extremely light - my device is about 5.5 and it's extremely easy to carry daily.

 

Thank you for the suggestion. As @mischieftain pointed out, these things are a bit heavy for my taste. We have two of its bigger brother, the 17 inch model, at work, and while very performant, they're also humongous.

Why do you think HIDevolution is my best bet? Anything that separates them from the other options besides the warranty?

 

The 17 is MUCH larger and heavier though - do make sure to carefully examine the 13 - it's really not that heavy or bulky - it's just taller than most but not by much.

HID are basically the best of the best in terms of support - feel free to ask @Donald@HIDevolution about global warranties.

 

Doing a side by side customization (Aero 14) between HID and GenTech, GenTech is more affordable and includes a couple spring sales (liquid ultra on GPU/CPU and 30-day dead pixel guarantee) that make it a much better deal.

Also, if you are picking up an additional AC Adaptor, GenTech charges $75 for a second adaptor, while HID will charge you $125. When you add up the numerous deals and additional charges, you'll be paying quite a bit more if you go with HID.

It's definitely worth comparison shopping before pulling the trigger.

 

I did this comparison, and I came up with the exact same differences that you have found. Thank you. The thing is that I would like to have a warranty that will cover me when something breaks in 2 years when I'm back in Europe. I've been using Apple hardware for 10+ years. While they're great, I still had to use their customer service for every single device I had. That's how I grew attached to having a safety plan in case something breaks down. I will probably ask GenTech PC about their warranty directly, once I can PM people (5 post minimum)...

 

Don't forget to check with HID - there's a reason they're considered the best of the best.

 

I just ordered from HIDevo today. I calculated that I'll need to send the laptop for repair at least twice over the next 3 years. Since shipping from my place in Europe would be very expensive, it quickly offsets the slightly higher price I paid for it compared to Gentech (or Xotic if they price matched). Also, the support I have received so far from @Donald@HIDevolution is stellar. So in the end both the calculation and the feeling agreed on my decision.

Hope it ships soon!

 

Great! Which model did you end up with?

 

I got a black Gigabyte Aero 14, with a 32GB RAM upgrade. Ordered some other stuff like a repaste, too! I expect performance should be quite beastly for my purposes.
A friend of mine actually got the Alienware 13. I played around with it a bit and I still prefer the Gigabyte. He also claimed that for his deep learning stuff, it was only slightly less performant than a desktop with the GTX 1080. Of course from this we can conclude he is not using the 1060 to its fullest extent yet, but it also shows once more that synthetic benchmarks don't always translate to real-world performance.

 

Enjoy, hopefully temps remain in check with HID's repaste.