Lappy Barebones Noob

I have a G51VX... BB edition. I've upgraded the CPU, added some cooling mods, and a bluetooth adapter. It's in great shape and works great for most games I play... scoring over 12k in 3DMark when "tweaked". This thing is pretty much maxed as far as hardware. I need to start considering new options for a future purchase.

I'm new to the laptop building thing, so I need some ideas. Here's what I'll be looking for, when the time comes.

First, I want something upgradable... especially in the GPU department, dual would be preferred. I like having options. The G51VX is pretty much locked in with the ASUS socket & cooling system. I want something with a lot of options & potential, but can be purchased with minimal hardware to keep the price down.

What brands, sites, or lappies do you guys recommend? The lower the price, the better. I'm willing to keep it down at a barebones level to keep the price down, if it can be upgraded extensively later. Second, I like smaller screens... definitely 15" or lower. Ideally I'd find a highly upgradable 14" barebones that could be purchased for $500-800, but I'm not sure that's possible with a dual GPU lappy. I'll probably need to go to 15".

Any advice is appreciated. I'd like to know what my G51VX would be worth too, with the T9600 upgrade. Here's a link to the build...

G51VX - New CPU *again*

I'm more concerned with new lappy options tho. Thanks in advance.

 

your not going to find a 15in dual GPU laptop...


IRRC the only 'current' dual gpu laptop is the m18x, I know clevo has one coming soon though...

Your best bet would be a clevo/sager 15in with a 560m/i7 quad. They start around $1100, but can be upgraded...

 

Yeah, after doing a bit more research I discovered the dual GPU is more of a luxury. I thought it was more common. That shows how much I know. :-|

Do they sale a barebones version of that laptop? Say, bare minimum GPU/CPU/Memory... or MB only?

 

Sager and Clevo Laptop Forums - Sage and Clevo Notebook Computer Discussions


start here, come back in 1hr...

 

There are several dual GPU laptops. Sager/Clevo make some, and Alienware makes some too.

Barebones laptops for consumer purchase are rare and kind of a waste. Laptop components are pretty expensive to buy separately.

 

Thanks guys... I'll read up.

I'm looking for barebones because the incremental costs are justifiable, while the full $1400+ isn't. So, if I go with a low level setup with upgradable components, I can upgrade parts over several years... as others are moving on and selling them & as finances allow.

 

I don't think there is a MXM laptop for under $1k unless you go refurb, check out dell.com/outlet for those

 

I can go refurb too... no problem with that. I just want something I can upgrade... video especially. Thanks. It looks like I just need to do more research. I assumed there'd be a 15" low level a person could buy, possibly a well known standard, and upgrade it. I do that with my desktops typically... buy a decent motherboard with good headroom, throw in some base components to get it running, then upgrade over the years.

 

Laptops aren't like desktops in that regard. Most low-end laptops have the GPU soldered to the motherboard. You won't get a laptop with upgradable video (MXM) in a notebook under 1200, typically.

 

MSI MS-16F2-002 (MS-16F2-ID1) 15.6" FHD LED Intel® Core™ i7 Barebone Gaming Notebook

It's MXM and pretty cheap.

Another interesting option:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wan...690-pc-interest-barebones-alienware-m18x.html

 

Once you start pricing out components to add to that MSI, it's not really that cheap. Consider that you're going to have to add a CPU, memory, a hard drive, a Wifi module, and an OS.

 

Unless you have to buy brand new, there are plenty of MXM laptops that don't cost an arm and a leg (you won't have the latest and greatest though). A good portion for Core 2 Acer laptops utilize MXM video cards. MSI's gaming series utilizes them, ASUS pre G74 series utilizes ASUS reverse MXM. Alienwares pretty much from 2006 and beyond utilize MXM. Sager/Clevo rebrands too.

You can call up pretty much any Clevo reseller and buy the laptop with/without the components, you just need to call. The saves aren't substantial (if you don't have the cards, are unwilling to upgrade yourself, etc).

But if you want a laptop that is upgradable for the immediate future, I'd recommend selling the G51VX and saving ~1500-2000 for a Clevo/rebrand or an M18x.

 

rjtech last quoted me just 600$ for the p151hm barebones without GPU.

Also, don't forget the odd acers out there, like the 8735g. Although you pretty much have to build a heatsink, these laptops work with the newest GTX 460m cards and such.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. It's gonna be difficult to invest $1500-2000 in a laptop and not see a dramatic improvement in performance. I understand the upgrade potential & quality is hard to put a price on, but it's the up front costs that kill me.

I don't mind mods, especially hardware mods. I'll cut a chassis, mod a cooling system, whatever... to get a good deal. I've recently started checking out the G51JX... seeing what might be swappable in/from my G51VX. I figured there'd be some similarities between the machines... and was really hoping to see a comparison write-up on here. I haven't found that yet. Again tho, I'm not sure what improvements I'd see in performance. My VX does pretty good... 12k isn't a bad score in 3DMark06.

Edit: I do realize the C2D/DDR2 isn't gonna work in an i7/DDR3 MB too. I was checking out the LCD, GPU, wireless/Bluetooth, components.