MSI Raider GE73 8RF vs MSI Titan GT73VR 7RE

I've been eyeing up a MSI Raider GE73 for a laptop, but I've noticed that a few sites like HIDevolution and xoticpc sell a kaby lake GT73VR 7RE Titan-427 for either the same price or lower. Would it be worth it to go with a 7820HK over an 8750H and get the build quality of a Titan? I know the Titans are also heftier. The other difference is even though they seem to be the same model, xotic says their panel is 120hz 1080p, but also 3k/4k, but HIDevolution is 1080p only, but Gsync.

 

Current offerings are GE73-012 & GE73-013, one with 1070 and the other with 1060. Price difference is $300.

Common Spec:
1. 8th Gen Intel Coffee Lake Core i7-8750H 6 Core
2. 17.3" 1920x1080 TN @120Hz 3ms, 94% NTSC

Passmark benchmark comparison:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i7-8750H-vs-Intel-i7-7820HK/3237vs2938

 

We offer a panel swap, the default (and best for gaming) is the 120Hz, but if you need higher resolution for something the others are available. I'd only really go for the HK if you need something unlocked. If you're not messing with overclock, then the 8750H is a great CPU.

 

I noticed that Xotic had the GT73VR on sale for $200 less than the Raider, which is one of the reasons I was considering it over the Raider. Is the stock panel not gsync on the GT73VR 7RE Titan-427? HIDevolution is advertising it as such while Xotic doesn't mention it (unless they're panel swapping, too).

 

Default panel is rated for G-Sync, the others are not.

 

Is this the 7820HK model + GTX 1070?
If so that's a good deal.
Is this the CM238 chipset version or the HM175 version?
If you are buying a GTX 1080 model with the HM175 chipset (aka GT73EVR), be warned that there is a maximum power draw limit of 330W in this unit, enforced by the EC, which does not exist in the CM238 version, because the CM238 has to allow for an SLI configuration (230W * 2). Exceeding 330W system power draw on the HM175 version will hard set the CPU to 800 mhz without raising any throttling flags (i was pretty appalled by that). I was able to test this on a CM238 GT73VR by flashing the HM175 EC on it (17A1EMS1.112) and encountered that limitation. I was never able to physically pull more than 330W even with a 230W GTX 1070 modded, but i was able to emulate it by setting PSYS_PMAX to 2700 in the Bios (337.5 watts).

What this did was, with NO CPU LOAD AT ALL and with just heaven benchmark running, instantly capped the CPU to 800 mhz.

On the CM238 based EC (17A1EMS1.108 or 17A1EMS1.109), this didn't happen.

 

The one OP is referring to is the version with the 1070

 

I wouldn't pay more for a laptop that doesn't have G-Sync.

 

Once you've gone with G-Sync, there's no turning back.

 

I just ordered the MSI GT73VR Titan-427 from XoticPC. I was also eyeing the Raider, for similar reasons, and I decided on the Titan because I like the 7820HK being unlocked, even if I don't overclock it, the option is there. I also like the Titan's size mainly because it allows for maximum cooling. My other pause was the displays. I didn't want 4k on a 17" screen, especially for a GTX 1070, but the 3k screen was interesting. However I passed on that because the strange native resolution didn't fit my gaming purpose for the laptop, and the FHD screen is 120hz so that's nice. There's a lot of expansion room in the Titan, and for the price that XoticPC lists it, you really can't go wrong with the CPU/GPU combo. I had wondered if getting the Raider would future-proof me better for 6 cores vs 4 cores, but after reading up on the two processors, the 7820HK is a much more attractive CPU everywhere that I looked.

I'm letting XoticPC do some cooling upgrades too since they will have to disassemble the unit to populate Dual-Channel 32GB memory that I added.