Some question re building a custom laptop Eurocom

Hello

I am a noob when it comes to buying custom laptops, so some questions may sound stupid - sorry in advance ;-). I also hope this is the right forum....


So I am buying a custom laptop from Eurocom...

I am stuck on the screen. I am a gamer and play a range of games from FPS to MMORPG - I tend to play MMORPG, strategy and MOBA games more than FPS [Overwatch ]. I am also trying to future proof my laptop somewhat - my current Lenovo is almost 5 years old.

So...I am investing in a new 15" model with a 1070 GTX card.

I love the idea of a 4K screen on an IPS panel, but it refreshes at 60. The other option is a TN panel at 120, but 1080 screen.

I have been doing research on 4K panels, and apparently battery life goes the way of the dodo with a 4K, there are issues with scaling in games and OS [I will be using Windows 8.1], and fonts become tiny [I am on the wrong side of 50, so its something to consider].

TN panels are generally worse with the color gamut than IPS panels.

Does any-one have any sage advise? For my needs, is the TN panel better or should I go for the 4K panel?

The TN panel is pricier than the 4K screen, so its not about cost.

For future proofing GSYNCH is a no-brainer.

The next thing is unlocked BIOS and delidded CPU - I don't overclock, but I know that one sometimes needs to make changes in the BIOS such as boot sequence etc, adding memory, changing a drive. I am just wondering whether one can do that still, or is the entire thing locked?

RAID - do I need that? I have never had it, so I don't think its something I would ever use.

And a last question, if I buy a machine without a HDD or want to add memory - can I add the new drives to the machine/add memory, or does it have to go back to the company to do that? I couldn't find that info on their website.

Thanks for any help or advice.

 

@africanleopard TN generally means not only poor color reproduction - which is actually the case with some IPS panels as well - but also poor viewing angles, brightness and contrast ; on the other hand, while you can try overclocking your IPS panel, it definitely won't go 120Hz, which is indeed quite proficient for gaming. You definitely need unlocked BIOS; delidded CPU would be very good too. RAID - skip it, useless for most ppl. You can add drives and RAM later, however make sure HDD caddy is included with it.

 

Most GSYNC 120Hz panels are TN and very few panels are IPS. You can opt for calibrated screen.
With Prema BIOS you can hide certain drive in BIOS itself when installing multiple OS so that two drives don't conflict during OS installation.
I heard that 120Hz TN panel can't be distinguished from IPS because of anti-glare and superior color reproduction. Only downside is viewing angles. I don't have that AUO TN panel but my sister has TN panel of LG on her lenovo, before calibration the brightness was so high and color reproduction was worse. After calibration, the difference is night and day for color reproduction but viewing angle is worse whilst seeing IPS panel side by side.