Matrix Games Forums

I'm ready to give up on my old 32-bit IBM T60 and move grudgingly into the 21st century. I need a desktop substitute that'll stand up to most of my games and apps.

My Paradox games have stopped working and I'm sick of hunting down broken dependencies. Europa, Crusader Kings, and Steam (on purpose, thanks for Nothing and less than nothing, Steam!) are down in no-longer-supported 32 bit. Europa and Crusaders are probably down for gfxdriver issues but it doesn't matter; this stuff is getting harder and harder to repair when it breaks, and life moves on, and I have other softwares such as Android Studio and various other development environments I'd rather be putting time into than keeping the old 32 bit workhorse running. It's time to take the old dog out for that last walk behind the barn. Sniff.

Flashpoint Campaigns:Red Storm, WitW and TOTH still work on the old T60... THANKS! But it's also still time.

I need to run these games, at a minimum:

CMANO WITW FCGR TOAW TOTH CSME
Paradox: Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis

It would be nice if I could run Flite Sim X on at least medium settings but of course that's a lot to hope for.

I need to be able to run Elipse IDE, all attendant plug-ins, Android Studio, dual-boot Linux and whatever else I need to throw at it.

Of course I'm expecting to pay for dedicated on-board graphics and battery life is not an issue.

Here's a few ideas of what I've been finding in the approx $1k range, in no particular order of preference:


ASUS ROG Strix GL753VE-DS74 17.3"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2WG5HN?m=A15EHDQVYNLON8

ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH71 15-Inch Gaming Laptop
https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15- ... B01578ZKPO

Acer Aspire V17 Nitro Black Edition VN7-792G-79LX 17.3
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015XBKYB0

Any comments on these? Other ideas? Something you like better, especially if you actually own it and it's still in active production?

64 Bit, Win7 if I can get it, Ten if it's my only choice, I guess.

Thanks for any help!

you only need a few pointers, advice goes the same with laptops as it does with desktops.

cpu = brain power, the cheaper the chip, the slower the brain overall works, so all will be slow or slower, add it a cut down one which is a power saving one into the mix in a laptop, and this is double the issue.

memory, more is always better, with less being worse, so simple, 32 bit o/s doesn't need more than 4gb in total, so base mem + vga mem = total 4gb

desktop / laptop, 64 bit, 8gb is great, 4 gb is way too tight, and this is total ram, so base + vga, and rule applies, more = better

so 8gb with a 1gb vga, = 9gb total, which is better than a 8gb laptop which shares 4gb with video, which is bad, or poor to poorer to say the least.

won't mention onboard video, as tbh, if your budget is too low for a 1gb card, then i wouldn't buy one, desktop or laptop, same rule applies

now storage, laptops default to a 5400 HDD, so power saving and rather slooooow

desktops default to a 7200 HDD, again old tech, but ok ish, add in a SSD a solid state drive, or even a SSHD, a hybrid HDD and SSD combo, and it's better than either a 5400, or a standard 7200 HDD, with only a pure SSD being faster, but costing more for a good size drive.

regarding screen size, as once bought it can't be altered in laptops, the biggest and cut corners elsewhere, makes it heavier and also less portable, but well worth it.

if budget is really tight, don't cut cpu, memory or storage, as you can always plug into a larger monitor at home, and make it a desktop once there

ASUS GL753VE-DS74 17.3-Inch Gaming Laptop GTX 1050Ti 4GB Intel Core i7-7700HQ,5400RPM HDD

$1,299.00 but over budget, but a great bit of kit, medium to high end

ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH71 15-Inch Gaming Laptop, Discrete GPU GeForce GTX 960M 2GB VRAM, 16GB DDR4, 1TB (ROG Metallic)

$1,068.00 smaller screen, but still a nice one

Acer Aspire V17 Nitro Black Edition VN7-792G-79LX 17.3-inch Full HD Notebook (Windows 10)

$849.00 wow, good price

a really competitive price, medium again to high end, kind of a budget maker over in the UK, but makes some solid stuff, had a few of these for friends and really like the prices and builds, for me wins hands down, then again i tend to not buy branded as such makes, as you pay a premium for a brand, ROG for one

alienware is another

i can say from my experience - go with asus for sure and my current ASUS Rog is just brilliant - its only drawback is its size meant i had to get a bigger, more expensive laptop bag but it is worth it
My last laptop was an ASUS too and also superb
16gb ram and 2gb gfx are a minimum must

Acer - dont get it, my wife has one and it is unstable and this was after the shop person had to convince her that acers are better now - because apparently they were renown for being bad in the past and hence cheaper i guess, her ACER now crashes more often than i would find acceptable but she has all her work backed up always so she puts up with it.

Asus is indeed looking good so far, I have an old Asus FJ model that just won't die. I looked at Alienware tonight and it just doesn't impress. I'm unsure about MSI. Lenovo doesn't seem like that great an idea. Are there any of you out there running particular ROG models that you like, don't like, WTF? Anyone with problems on Asus ROG models running Matrix-distributed games or any other problems for that matter? How about Linux? Anyone having good/bad/indifferent luck when trying to dual boot? Problems running Linux would be a deal breaker for me.

Check out Puget Systems, an excellent custom computer maker...expensive but great! [:)]
https://www.pugetsystems.com/

ORIGINAL: Magog

Asus is indeed looking good so far, I have an old Asus FJ model that just won't die. I looked at Alienware tonight and it just doesn't impress. I'm unsure about MSI. Lenovo doesn't seem like that great an idea. Are there any of you out there running particular ROG models that you like, don't like, WTF? Anyone with problems on Asus ROG models running Matrix-distributed games or any other problems for that matter? How about Linux? Anyone having good/bad/indifferent luck when trying to dual boot? Problems running Linux would be a deal breaker for me.

my ASUS ROG is this one
https://www.amazon.com/G751JY-VS71-WX-1 ... s=asus+rog

i got it at the end of 2015 and its been superb and still is - it is large but super quiet and the 2 exhaust ports and where they are positioned are so much better to moving heat away from the laptop. it is not the newest model but i certainly plays the newest games very well still, better than i had even expected.

Although this might be expensive but if it's a long term purchase then perhaps the Alienware 13 with 13.3 inch QHD (2560 x 1440) OLED Anti-Glare 400-nits Display. I saw an old version of the Alienware 13 but had the OLED display. It's really is gorgeous. I have a Dell XPS 15 with the UHD display which is awesome, but the OLED display is even better and you get a Nvidia 1060 to boot. Doesn't make a real difference with Matrix/Slitherine games and scaling can be an issue with Win32 apps - i.e. AGEOD games were hard to read at 1080p I can't imagine what it would be @4k. You get the added benefit of probably not having to buy a new satchel/backpack for your new rig

I love my Dell XPS15 though. Great build quality, it's up there with MS or Lenovo business class notebooks/hardware. It's a 15" laptop in a 14" frame because of the ultra thin bezel.

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptop ... 13-r3-oled
http://www.pcmag.com/review/342593/dell ... touch-9550

I bought a MSI laptop with a 17" screen. Works well and can play anything.

ORIGINAL: wings7

Check out Puget Systems, an excellent custom computer maker...expensive but great! [:)]
https://www.pugetsystems.com/

Sweet Jeebzuz [X(] I put in my machine, came up with a $4985 bill

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

ORIGINAL: wings7

Check out Puget Systems, an excellent custom computer maker...expensive but great! [:)]
https://www.pugetsystems.com/

Sweet Jeebzuz [X(] I put in my machine, came up with a $4985 bill

Like I said, they are expensive, they use quality components and they have lifetime tech support...and no I don't work for them or consult or promote them for pay...I'm just a very satisfied customer.
If you are a do-it yourself-er, obviously they are not for you! [:)]

ORIGINAL: Agathosdaimon

ORIGINAL: Magog

Asus is indeed looking good so far, I have an old Asus FJ model that just won't die. I looked at Alienware tonight and it just doesn't impress. I'm unsure about MSI. Lenovo doesn't seem like that great an idea. Are there any of you out there running particular ROG models that you like, don't like, WTF? Anyone with problems on Asus ROG models running Matrix-distributed games or any other problems for that matter? How about Linux? Anyone having good/bad/indifferent luck when trying to dual boot? Problems running Linux would be a deal breaker for me.

my ASUS ROG is this one
https://www.amazon.com/G751JY-VS71-WX-1 ... s=asus+rog

i got it at the end of 2015 and its been superb and still is - it is large but super quiet and the 2 exhaust ports and where they are positioned are so much better to moving heat away from the laptop. it is not the newest model but i certainly plays the newest games very well still, better than i had even expected.

I second the recommendation for the ASUS...I've had the same machine since it was released and I haven't found a game that can't be played on it. I can play games like The Division, Witcher III on ultra, as well as heavily modded Skyrim.

Playing games like CMNAO, Flashpoint Campaigns, WITP-AE and WiTE are a breeze.

The downsize is its size and weight...if you're OK carrying approx. 6kg worth of laptop and have a bag that can hold it, the ASUS is a great machine.

Cheers,

Well, my laptop search is hopefully over, with an Asus ROG 17 inch Nvidia 1060-packing monster on the way. It's overkill for most Matrix games but I'd like to use my old copy of Flight Simulator once in a while too. Thanks for all your helpful suggestions.

Bottom line: Todays big-gun gaming laptops are all about the Nvidia GForce 10xx-series graphics cards. The 1050 and 1050Ti are the newest, but are at the bottom in performance but still faster than the old 950 series. The 1060 gives a large jump in performance, and the 1070 and 1080 are at the top but you'll have to pay. If you expect to play around with Virtual Reality you'll need at least a 1060. Speaking of VR, I've heard of problems with the Asus ROG series in this regard but since I've got no plans to buy a headset from Oculus or whoever I didn't research it further.

For further data, wander around at tomshardware.com and prepare to be mightily confused by the time you're done. There a lot of very, very nice laptops out there capable of good-to-great gaming performance but the model numbering and options make trying to figure out what is new, what is older and where exactly a specific model fits on the DoesItKickAss scale often very difficult.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia ... 32471.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia ... 33291.html

Here's the list of contenders I wound up choosing from. My choice is the last one listed. Anyone of them would probably be pretty great. I couldn't go with a 15inch monitor because my eyes are getting old even with glasses, and frankly War In The West and quite a few other great games just aren't worth playing on a small screen.

My choice should show up on Monday and after a backup, I'll start repartitioning for a Linux dual boot and getting rid of some of the bloatware before installing anything, maybe later in the week. Thanks again for the the helpful comments.

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-GL702VM-DB7 ... B01KB0X0OQ

Asus ROG Strix GL702VM-DB74 17.3" G-SYNC VR Ready Thin and Light Gaming Laptop NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB Intel Core i7-6700HQ 16GB DDR4 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

$1389

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WORUIA

ASUS ROG GL702 Republic of Gamers Laptop (NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 6GB, Intel Quad Core i7-6700HQ CPU, 17.3" Full HD, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 10) Best New 2016 Custom Gaming Notebook Computer

$1334.99

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-GL702VM-DB7 ... B01KB0W4R0
https://www.amazon.com/Asus-GL702VM-DB7 ... B01KB0X0OQ

Asus ROG Strix GL702VM-DB71 17.3-Inch. G-SYNC VR Ready Thin and Light Gaming Laptop (NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB Intel Core i7-6700HQ 16GB DDR4 1TB 7200RPM HDD)

$1299.00

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 57X4UV0350

ASUS ROG G752VM-RB71 17.3" Overclocked Gaming Laptop, GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5, Core i7-6700HQ, 16GB OC DDR4,1TB HDD

$1399.00

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY1ZCM5

ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74 17.3" Traditional Laptop

$1499.00

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IS33JNK

MSI VR Ready GE72VR Apache Pro-024 17.3" Powerful Gaming Laptop Geforce GTX 1060 i7-6700HQ 12GB 128GB M.2 SATA + 1TB Windows 10

$1299.00

and our winner:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KB0X0OQ

$1389

Which was at the top of the list in the beginning.