GTX970M or GTX965M

Tired of waiting for the Asus GX500 (new Asus G501) without any news about its technical specs, I am considering to buy a MSI GS60 2QE, but the only thing I dislike is the battery performance (I expect from 3.5 to 4 hours of coding into virtual machines and listening some music).

In the CES 2015 the new Nvidia GTX 965M graphic card was announced. I don't know much about its technical specifications and but as far as I could see surfing the net, it will be less powerful than the actual GTX 970M but with a improved and better power consuption.

So, I'm asking you for advice about my new laptop, should I wait until the MSI puts on sale the GS60 model with the new GTX 965M and see first a review? Maybe I should buy now the actual version of the MSI GS60 with the GTX 970M becase there is no expectations on a better battery performace?


In the last case, should I keep waiting to see the Asus GX500/G501, which theoretically is coming out in the 2nd quarter of the year ? (or maybe for another model)

Thanks in advance for your advise

PD: I can only buy computers from Spain, so there are some companies like Origin, which does not sell in my country.

 

I would suggest the GTX970M since it is much better then the 965M and since the laptops your'e looking at can't upgrade the GPU, it's important to get the best as possible when you buy it.. As for waiting, don't bother as by then GTX1070M will come out when Asus release the GX501... This nonsence has been going on since June or before..

If your'e budget is limited, look at getting the Clevo P650SE/SG with 970M/980M.. They'll be cheaper then MSI and a much better package overall (you can get IPS screen, 4-5 hours battery life, better cooling etc)..

 

TomJGX thank you so much for your response. I really prefer the MSI design and portability over than the Sagem/Clevo, despite the last one could be better speaking about performance and battery life. My budget is limited, but I've been saving some money from the last 2 years, when my Alienware m15x (first model of 15.6" since Dell bought Alienware) started to be so heavy for my back .

So, the improvement in power consumption in the GTX 965M will probably not compensate the performance decrease?

PD: Excuse my English, it's not my native language

 

The new Clevo models he mentioned are just as portable as any MSI laptop.

Have at look at the following review

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...clevo-p650se-gtx-970m-htwingnut-s-review.html

 

Well the Sager model is 0.6kg heavier (2.6kg vs 1.97kg) and 0.6cm bigger, plus the power supply, which is 0.48kg heavier (0.990kg vs 0.515kg). Because I don't care about battery duration or hotting issues during gaming or performing really heavy tasks (I would do this tasks with the computer plugged in and probably with a cooling base) and I prefer (personal opinion) the MSI design, that's why I liked the Asus GX500 too .

Just wanted to know if the battery will last enough to spend 3 hours of programing while I'm lying in the sofa or watching a movie during a train or airplane trip.

Anyway, thank you so much for your contribution. GS60 is a big investment and I have many doubts :|

 

Fair enough, personal preference is just that - personal preference.

The Clevo is overall a bit heavier, true.

My only concern with models such as the GX500 is that by the time they are finally released, they may have outdated hardware (given how long they've been in development). Again this is just speculation on my part, but you sometimes see that. But if they're released with a GTX860M and a Haswell-based CPU, it may not be worth it.

If you're not in a rush, there's no harm in waiting to see what happens.

 

I've been waiting 7 months and no news, I holded on until CES 2015 to see something, but no, same info as 5 months ago (or even less). I think that is more enough, besides I share the same concerns as you with the gx500, in addition to the Asus politics without saying anything about the probable final specs, heating issues, etc.

In the worst case, I have a 15 days period for full refund of the MSI GS60. The only doubt I have now, is about the screen type I should choose: 1080p (think is the best option), 3k or 4k.

 

If your'e getting the GS60, make sure you know how to repaste it as openning it up to do so is a nightmare... Because once factory thermal paste dries out, it will overheat like nothing.. If you can, find some reseller that offers repasting with IC Diamond or some thermal paste when you buy it so that 1-2 years down the road, you don't have to do this yourself..

 

I have opening a lot of laptops from my friens, so It can't be so difficult. I have the Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste, hope it will be good enough to avoid that overhead. My concerns are about the warranty with MSI and my reseller if I open it.

 

That's the problem with MSI.. They have a lot of these stupid seals.. I would call up and check with MSI Spain if they allow servicing of the insides and if they do, as long as you don't damage anything, you'll be fine... Make them send you an email or something which you have on record in case when you have to repair it and the tech tries to void your warranty (there are some techs who are jerks )..

 

I don't know if you want or can wait for the Asus, but IMHO the Asus is a better choice, the MSI is colored-lighting plastic, and it can got really hot.

The Asus GX500 is now G501 (some Asus mistake I guess) and it was announced in CES 2015 with 4th i7 ando gtx9xxx series

If you are from Spain I suppose we can talk in Spanish:

La MSI es una opción interesante, pero no para mi, es puro plástico con lucesitas de colores a un precio sumamente alto, te dejo mi opinión si te sirve de algo, las Asus son mejores maquinas, más solidas en el material que usan, y el G501 (antes GX500) se supone que tiene los mismos materiales que el MBP, en otras palabras es sólido y aunque no conozco el precio, es probable que sea mas económica que la MSI

Good luck mate!

http://www.cybershack.com.au/news/ces-2015-asus-new-4k-gaming-laptop-surprisingly-thin

 

Always buy the best you can afford, 970 for sure.

 

Well, I can wait, but it's been hard to work in the research only in the office, spending more times that I should be there, instead of doing that in my sofa (or even the weekends at home).

I hated the old plastic MSI build, but the GS60 has a full alluminium body ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-GS60-2QE-Ghost-Pro-4K-2QEUi716SR51G-Notebook-Review.134510.0.html), with a really good hot management.

The only reason because I don't have my GS60 right now at home it is because it appears to be out of stock in all the MSI distributors in Spain, and neither they or I know if it's going to be stock anymore. There are just the 3K/4K glossy screen models, which I really dislike (3K-4K in 15" is nonseless, neither the SO or the applications are ready for that).

The problem with Asus G501, is that we don't know the real specs and we will have to wait, at least 3 months to buy it in Spain/Europe, and add 10-20 days until there will be a good review talking about power consumption, fan noise, heat management, throtling... Not just the typical FPS and standard benchmarks.

I would appreciate some comments speaking in favour of GTX965M compared to GTX970M apart from the price (maybe generated hot or power consuption...).

In spanish:

Los nuevos MSI de la gama GSX0 difieren mucho de lo visto hasta hace 1 año de MSI, están hecho práctiamente todos en aluminio, tienen una gestión de la temperatura que ya le gustaría a muchos y unos acabados que no tienen nada que ver con otros modelos, incluso dentro de la misma marca.

Sinceramente, estoy hasta las pelotas de esperar por el Asus, hace casi un año que lo anunciaron y siguen dándole vueltas. En principio saldrá a la venta en España a finales del segundo trimestre del año, pero fíate tú. Además no pienso comprar un portátil sin que antes alguien haya hecho una review en condiciones, analizando la construcción del PC, la pantalla, la gestión del calor, el ruído de los ventiladores, la duración de la batería, etc...

Y si hablamos de precio, la gama alta de Asus (portátiles NX) es tan cara o más que los MSI.


Thanks for all the answers

 

The GTX965M is a fail chip IMO.. it literally is the most stupid thing NVIDIA has released... especially, with the price difference between the 965M laptops and 970M laptops, makes no sense to get the 965M since 970M laptops are only $50-100 more..

 

Agreed. The price/performance difference between the 970 and 980 makes sense. But the 960/965 doesn't.

 

Puedes echarle un ojo a la recientemente anunciada Racer Blade de 14' o al Aorus x3 v3 que igualmente tienen un i7 de 4 núcleos y la gtx 970 en caso de que sigas sin conseguir el MSI en España, aunque creo que que el RB no se esta vendiendo en Europa todavía según leí en alguna parte del foro.

Una pena por Asus que se haya tardado tanto con este modelo, y si, es posible como apuntas tu, que el g501 llegue a tener un precio algo elevado también

 

That was what I though, but I was not sure and I didn't understand how Nvidia could do that or even why some laptop manufacturers started to assemble that graphic card instead the GTX970M. No sense.

Thanks for all the answers

 

Despite how every other GTX X70M GPU (770M/870M/etc) has always run a liiittle too hot and the 965M is plenty fast enough for any game out right now. It's faster than the 870M, which was considered the best GPU out of the 800M series and yet....now everyone thinks that's horrible...

I'm looking forward to the 965M mainly due to the lower heat output.

 

770M and 970M both run very cool. 980M as well for the performance it offers (2 x 680M and as cool if not cooler than a single 680M). 870M runs the hottest of the bunch, but that's a given.

If you look up the benchmarks, 965M does not beat 870M. It's a tossup depending on the game. Some see 870M winning by a significant margin due to its 192-bit bus. 965M is such a fail card because of its questionable perf/price compared to 970M. There is virtually no benefit to 965M unless you're really penny-pinching. Any form factor that can take a 965M can take a 970M too, no problem.

 

There you said it: "right now", if the laptop needs to last 2+ years (over which hardware requirements only will increase) then the relatively small extra investment will be worth it to a gamer.

 

I didn't say it was horrible. I just think the relatively small premium most sellers ask to upgrade you to the 970M makes it a no-brainer. Unlike the $300 to go from the 970 to the 980, which is a large chunk of money for a large chunk of performance gain.

 

It's not a fail card. It's faster than your 650Ms in SLI and draws less power in doing so AND is considered the mainstream mid-range GPU for gaming laptops. That's not really a fail card in any case. But you're biased against anyone who says you're wrong.

If you buy the 965M and under the expectation that you'll be able to run every game out there at max settings, you're kinda delusional. You don't buy a card like that without at least researching it firsthand. Furthermore, I consider it better than the 870m mainly due to how MUCH cooler it runs AND draws less power while doing so.

 

First one I've added to my ignore list on the new XenForo system, LOL. Just don't go asking for any more help over PM again, because I won't see it.

 

I'm shocked to say this but I 100% agree with you about the 965M.. it just makes no sense...

 

Hi CapitanShinChan, to directly answer your question from personal experience, the 965m will offer no better battery life than the 970m, as neither will be used with the general usage as you propose due to Optimus. So, battery life will be identical as each will be using the Intel iGPU. For example, I got very similar battery life between the 860m version and the 970m version.

I absolutely LOVE the GS60 line; I bought the original 860m version the day it was launched, really enjoyed it, and then upgraded to the 970m version because it's the GPU this chassis needed all along... absolutely works great, doesn't run hot, and performs fantastic. Super lightweight and easy to travel with... I considered other options before buying my second GS60, but nothing beat it in my opinion when considering the overall package. Go for the IPS 1080p screen if you can find it, gorgeous. 2nd choice is the 3K, another great screen but will run into some Windows scaling issues occasionally. 4K is the third choice, as it's unfortunately limited to 48Hz refresh rate.

Having said that, battery life is the compromise of the lightweight.... I get between 2.5-3 hours of basic usage, but no more. If you must have 3 hours or more all the time, I fear you'll be disappointed.

 

After contact 15 online shops which sell MSI laptops in my country (Spain) and having no response from MSI Iberia (spanish official MSI sede) after 1 month since my first email to them, one of the online shops told me that the MSI GS60 with GTX970 and FullHD 1080p matte screen is discontinued by MSI (at least in Spain) and also the 3K edition. There are only remaining the version with the GTX965 and 1080p screen or the GTX970 and 4K panel.

I've been looking for this laptop for more than a month, no answers by MSI Iberia, stupid decisions about discontinue the best model, MSI you just lost another 2 buyers (a coworker and me). I supose we will wait for the Asus G501.

Thanks to all of you for your answers guys ;D

 

Ebay uk has plenty of sellers selling GS60 1080p model.. They will ship it to you in Spain for a slight cost but warranty etc will be valid there...

 

But they had the UK keyboard layout, we have our own in Spain. That could be a pain in the ass for programming and writting stuff

 

Only other option is to go for a Clevo laptop.. You can get the Clevo P650SE/SG with a 980M for the price of GS60 with 970M.. You'll get a 15.6" IPS 1080p display, 970M/980M, up to 32GB RAM, up to 2 7mm 2.5" HDD/SSD and 2 M2 HDD/SSD etc.. It weighs a bit more but battery life is much better and build quality is good too.. I would not recommend the Asus G501 and if anything goes, it's coming with a 960M which is obsolete and not to mention, the price will be very inflated...

 

Yo estoy igual que tu, con las mismas dudas sobre cual coger...

 

Thank you all guys for the answers, you're awesome

Actually (for work related reasons I can't keep waiting without a laptop) I'm going to buy the 2QD edition of the MSI GS60 (1500€ ~ 1683$), because in Spain there are just that option and the 4K screen (which costs 1900€ ~ 2130$).

Would be nice to know if it would be possible to upgrade the card in the future (maybe put a 970 or 980?).

In the worst case, (a laptop from MSI or Asus G501 which fits better my needs comes out), I can try to resell it for 1000€ (1125$).

 

GPU is not upgradeable... I wouldn't get the GS60.. Look at the P651SE/SG.. Much better battery life etc and you can get a spanish keyboard too...