Which one? [Laptop]

[Corrosion]

I'm currently looking around for a good laptop which I will use for nearly anything mainly gaming. I'm deciding between 2 that I found in local shops.

MSI GX700P-053
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=prodtmpspec&prod_no=1227&maincat_no=135&cat2_no=&cat3_no=#menu (http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=prodtmpspec&prod_no=1227&maincat_no=135&cat2_no=&cat3_no=#menu)

OR:

XNi 8227d[C] (sorry don't have any link but description is quite good)

17" TFT-screen ClearView WXGA resolution 1440x900
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2,2GHz, 800Mhz FSB, 4Mb cache)
Intel PM965 + ICH8M
nVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GS 256Mb dedicated
5.1 digital(SP/DIF of HDMI)
2 stereo speakers + subwoofer
1.3mp WebCam
Microphone
4GB DDR2 667MHz (2x 2Gb)
100GB SATA2 7200RPM
DVD-/+ dual layer with LightScribe technologie
56k fax/modem
10/100Mbps LAN ethernet
Intel 4965AGN 300Mbps network module (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Bluetooth ClassII versie 2.0 met EDR(Enhanced Data Rate).
4x USB2.0 connector
HDMI digital 5.1 surround sound and digital video incl.HDCP)
1x DVI-I
1x ethernet RJ45
1x Express Card 54 (34) slot
7-in-1 Cardreader for Memory Stick(Pro, Duo), SD, Mini SD, MMC, RS-MMC
BagI was going to get the XNi laptop for the faster CPU and double the RAM but then VGA is lower on memory then the MSI one.

NVIDIA Geforce 8600M GT, 512MB VRAM VS GeForce Go 8600M GS 256Mb

What would you guys choose? MSI or XNi?

EDIT: Games I will play on this are mainly WoW and UT3 - wow shouldnt give problems and I think both are fine for UT3.

[Pirvy]

i am biased and i'd reccomend the MSI because of their track record

The performance should be fairely similar, with a small advantage going to the XNi. My reasoning for this is:

+MSI - I **THINK** the GT version of the 8600 is faster than the normal one
Neutral - 512MB vga ram vs 256MB vga ram on a card of that speed will not be the limiting factor so i wouldnt really consider it as important
+XNI - Faster CPU is always better
+XNI - 4GB Ram is better than 2GB ram... but i dont think this is a huge difference

But - i've never heard of XNi, dont know if they are built well, and dont know what warranty they offer. On the other hand - MSI are built well and carry a good 2yr warranty.

Also WoW used to work well on an MSI laptop i had with a centrino and GeForce 6600 - i'm pretty sure both of these laptops will be comfortable with it :)

[badboy]

if you want to hav a look at good laptops check www.laptopsdirect.co.uk
Im buying mine from there this week and the pries are way cheap than in malta.

The shipping cost is 49 Sterlings.

I would choose MSI for the simple reason that i never heard of Xni Laptops. I dont think that 4gb are really needed on a laptop and both of them have the same specs.

[V0rteX]

and i guess you can always upgrade your MSI's RAM in the near future if you would feel like to

[Corrosion]

It is true- XNi are something new to me too - only thing that is currently pushing me back from getting it.

I couldn't find much information about it online and had to contact the seller via email to get them.

One thing about it is that it doesn't have any OS installed but its not really a problem since I could do that myself.

[Corrosion]

and i guess you can always upgrade your MSI's RAM in the near future if you would feel like to

I don't think it is possible - 2GB max for MSI

[V0rteX]

u can always remove the present modules and replace them with 2 2gb sticks no?

[badboy]

u can always remove the present modules and replace them with 2 2gb sticks no?

afaik yes you can do that...most laptops have 2 slots for RAM so thats the way it has to be done.

[billy]

I think the MSI one will be slightly faster for games due to the GFX module

[G-lock]

gx700 comes in 2 versions , the 2.2 dual core and the 2 ghz
the 2 ghz GX700 does not have the fire decals , and gaming mouse . ask pirvy to be specific . the 2.2ghz GX700 costs roughly lm800 .

[Corrosion]

gx700 comes in 2 versions , the 2.2 dual core and the 2 ghz
the 2 ghz GX700 does not have the fire decals , and gaming mouse . ask pirvy to be specific . the 2.2ghz GX700 costs roughly lm800 .

ouch thats quite expensive for my budget hehe, average budget is of Lm600 :(


PS, thanks all for the great replies till now:)

[Corrosion]

u can always remove the present modules and replace them with 2 2gb sticks no?

Specs on MSI site say: 1GB/2GB (DDR2 533/667) ,Max:2 GB
Max 2GB overall I think, or I'm mistaken?

[Pirvy]

Specs on MSI site say: 1GB/2GB (DDR2 533/667) ,Max:2 GB
Max 2GB overall I think, or I'm mistaken?

i think you are referring to this model right? since the MSI site only has general specs

http://www.sirap.com.mt/systems/index.asp?cat=MSI%20Gaming%20Laptop%2017%20GX700%2 0Performance

the other one which glock mentioned is the extreme version with better specs but a larger pricetag, imo not worth it

[Corrosion]

i think you are referring to this model right? since the MSI site only has general specs

http://www.sirap.com.mt/systems/index.asp?cat=MSI%20Gaming%20Laptop%2017%20GX700%2 0Performance

the other one which glock mentioned is the extreme version with better specs but a larger pricetag, imo not worth it

Yep, that's the one pirvy

There is written: VGA: Discrete NVIDIA Geforce 8600M GT, TC1280MB
What does TC1280MB mean exactly? Never seen so much memory on a vga hehe :|

Other specs are really nice and as most said they are very similar. MSI looks the best bet till now because of such a well known reputation.

[Pirvy]

i'm out of touch with hardware so take what i say as a maybe :)

i think TC refers to TurboCache which lets the VGA card use a portion of the main memory as its ram. If i remember well 512MB are dedicated to the VGA, and then it can use (as configured/needed) another 768MB of memory from the system's main

Kurt

[G-lock]

i think you are referring to this model right? since the MSI site only has general specs

http://www.sirap.com.mt/systems/index.asp?cat=MSI%20Gaming%20Laptop%2017%20GX700%2 0Performance

the other one which glock mentioned is the extreme version with better specs but a larger pricetag, imo not worth it

hekk ghidlu il bjorn lofl ................

[Pirvy]

hehehe

xtara wiehed? :)

ifhem nice u hanzir u ghandu l'instant overclock button cool immens imma jien ma nasalx biex nonfoq daqshekk fuq PC iktar.

[G-lock]

hehehe

xtara wiehed? :)

ifhem nice u hanzir u ghandu l'instant overclock button cool immens imma jien ma nasalx biex nonfoq daqshekk fuq PC iktar.

ijja xtara it top of the range bil blue ray . 2.2ghz , 8600gt , 2 gb ram etc , the works so to speak .

[Corrosion]

I chose the MSI one based on the feedback I got and as I didn't want to risk alot. It works fine although I didn't like Norton that much - just cause I hate it. I've installed Vista ultimate to make it work as a 64bit and will do some stress testing very soon.

[Polter]

aw nhar it tnejn li gej ha tibda xi offerta fejn itnata lura 16% on any pc/laptop mixtri. ma nafx kif inhi ezatt pero xi incentiva biex jamlu malta aktar pc smart jew xi haga hekk qrajt