Well - Shucks. GT663R or GX660R?

Nuts. Just when I thought I had it all nice and narrowed down, just before I placed my order today, I read the press release and did a web search, and indeed: I found that they will have a GT663R.

Marvelous.

Okay. As someone who has really never had any issues with either nVidia or ATI (excuse me, AMD) GPUs in the past - And someone who wants this nice 15.6" notebook to last me for 2-3 years of enjoyable RTS gaming, I defer to you, the MSI and other computer people to help me out.

Since the only reason I was solid on choosing the GX660R over the ASUS G53 is, well, essentially the "R" (Raid) possibilities, I will be getting one of these notebooks. I've read everything about the GPUs that I can (i.e. do not get the beta driver) and now just when I figured out that I had everything together. Technology changes.

Marvelous.

-Facepalm- Alright kids. Help me out. Tell me which one you would choose and why?

 

I'd wait until the official prices of the 663 come out. A reporter posted that the i5 version was going to be something in the 1300-1400 USD range, and that the i7 version was going to be 2600$, claiming: "it's not something for someone on a budget".

Those prices could be wayyyyy off, unless the i7 version comes with an extreme + maxed ram.

The 660R is a great machine, but if the 663 is going to cost 1000$ more, then grab the 660R. Again, the prices were from a reporter who went to the UK's MSI showroom, I believe.

 

Wait time could also be an issue, I don't believe there was an offficial release date for the GT663R ? Could be wrong here. If you don't have a need for a Nvidia card, I say go ahead and pick up your GX660R and start enjoying it.

 

As someone who's been happy with GPUs (and IGPS) from both companies, I can understand the dilemma. Considering that the 5870 and 460m should be about equal--outperforming each other in different areas--you really can't go wrong with either machine.

I'm predicting that the GT663R will be in the $1600 range. Seems reasonable. (For comparison, similarly specced Asus G73jh and G73jw are about the same price)

 

Here's a warning....if you wait for the GT663R to go on sale with the GTX 460M then you're likely going to get caught up by the launch of the AMD HD6000 series and want to start waiting for MSI to launch a G X663R.

 

Great point!
The new offerings from ATI are rumored to be out relatively soon.
It's going to put pressure on Nvidia again.

 

I know! it's a vicious cycle. And if I wait for the Southern Islands GPUs, well shucks, I might just as well stick around and wait for Sandy Bridge in January right?

Actually from what I've read the "mainstream release" of that notebook in the US is 'sometime around Halloween' Which is about my deadline for finally getting one.

Essentially, I was just fishing to see what most people thought of between nVindia and ATI/AMD, since I've had notebooks with both GPUs in them, and had no real issues. Maybe someone had an issue I was unaware of?

Heck, I can wait a week or two just to see what there is to see. That being said, in terms of a 15" form-factor, I think that either the 663R or 660R are the best offerings on the market as of the date of this posting.

 

just get what you need if you need it right now, if keep on waiting, the game will never end

 

Sandy Bridges is releasing in Q1 2011 and will be mainstream in Q2-3 2011, I was reading last night, so no sense in waiting for that Ya, grab what you need now.

 

The ATI mobility gpu's are the best bang for the buck!

ATI > Nvidia

 

Screw it. What can I say, I'm just another guy that's afraid of commitment.

Tonight I'll finally order the GX660R. No more second-guessing.

 

hahaha congrats!!! your next move should be saving for the ssd or better processor or even max out the rams at 12gb

 

Actually what I'm going to do is get 2x 320 hybrid Seagate's and RAID them.

I just don't like the "price-per-gig" of the SSD right now, but I figure that the hybrids RAIDed together will increase startup/shutdown and cache access to some programs.

That should be good enough for me!

And I've yet to do ANYTHING that uses 6GB of RAM.

That being said, maybe I'll save for an ES/QS 920XM processor. But no rush. Given that this is my first "real laptop" upgrade in more than two years, I believe it will seem more than "fast enough" when I get it

 

I don't really see the benefit of raid. why not just a big 640GB HDD? Aren't you just gonna game on it? If stuff gets lost get it from a backup external or redownload.

 

I'm aware of the benefits/risks of a RAID 0 array. I have a netbook (which, by the way is fantastic) as I need it for battery life and portability and it does all my basic office stuff - I just hated the price I paid for my Intel 80GB SSD - though I do love it so.

That being said, this while a Gaming-type computer, is also going to be the home base and hub workstation at home. The multimedia platform put in with the TV via HDMI and the like. It's my "desktop replacement" except that I prefer the 15.6" Form-Factor.

The sole purpose for choosing this model over say, the ASUS G53 is the ability to RAID. I figure that two 320 hybrids in RAID 0 give me the 8GB cache for the most important (most used) programs on my computer, and thus with the most "common" applications make it almost feel like there is a pseudo SSD performance for certain things without the SSD price.

Believe it or not, I still like to get the media in my hands for gaming when possible. Yes. I'm an old-fart gamer who remembers once games came on multiple floppy discs.

This is just a half-step anyway. Eventually I figure I'm going to grab dual 128 SSD's and RAID those suckers together once I figure out just how to get TRIM support (there must be a way!). If this is impossible, then chances are I'll just go with the dual HDDs, one SSD and one platter. But in the meantime, I've been wanting to test out the dual Momentus XT's in RAID.

Besides, isn't it just fun to learn for yourself what can and can't be done?

 

Ah I see.

For me I don't plan on carrying the laptop to anywhere so I got the 740. I only need a laptop cuz I believe every 4 months for school/co-op jobs at different locations.

As for speed, don't really see the price justification for just a bit faster loading. I never notice it anyway. I get home, turn on the computer, do other stuff while it boots.

People say they never knew they needed an SSD until they got one, so I guess I won't get one for a while! (PS I use my HDD pretty much exclusively for Steam)

 

Why not use hybrid hard drive? Close to SSD performance, but only a tad bit more expensive than regular HD.

 

I did! Probably lost in my wall of text, but you're thinkin' along the lines I am. I figure that an 8Gig cache will speed up the most common-used things (boot up, Office, some games)

But yeah, once I got my first SSD in my netbook? Pfft. I liken it to the first time I got a cell phone in college (yes that old). Before I got one, I figured "I don't need that garbage." Now who can live without one?

So the SSD spoiled myself. Damn it.

 

hahaha i feel you, my previous laptop before the upgrade was ferrari 4000 series, which is a turion 64 2.0 ghz SINGLE CORE. after using it for 5 years, i upgraded to i7 820qm, wow talking bout the difference

 

haha new technology is always the best, just kinda pumps up your perception of your quality of life. A laptop most people use for at least 3-4 hours a day (10-12 in my case since I also use my GX640 for work) EVERY SINGLE day of the year so it's well worth getting yourself a nice one.

why not just RAID the 500GB XTs? in terms of price per extra gigs its not a bad option at all.