Best KabyLake Gaming Laptop for around £2000

[Irask]

Hi,

As you're probably aware that new Kabylake gaming laptops came out not long ago.

I am looking for a Gaming Laptop with a 120Hz G-Sync IPS screen around the £2000 mark more or less.

I did a lot of research on what is available. I was able to find a few but it seems that 9/10 website is providing wrong information about 120Hz G-sync Laptops.

The specs I have in mind are:

120Hz G-Sync Display (IPS)
i7 7700HQ
16GB 2400 Mhz Ram
256GB m.2 PCIExpress SSD
nVidia GTX 1070

If anybody knows a KabyLake 120Hz G-Sync Laptop around £2000 then I'd love to know about it.

All help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[gw2]

Do you have a particular preference for where the air exhaust ports should be?

Do you want them facing away from you, or do you mind them being on the sides?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I am not sure if a 120HZ screen is going to make much difference in many games,since you would have to drop settings and resolution to get 120FPS in most newer games.

[Irask]

Do you have a particular preference for where the air exhaust ports should be?

Do you want them facing away from you, or do you mind them being on the sides?

I don't really mind, but preferably blowing from the back.

[Irask]

I am not sure if a 120HZ screen is going to make much difference in many games,since you would have to drop settings and resolution to get 120FPS in most newer games.

In FPS games, the 1070 runs most at around 120 on max settings. And 120Hz is a huge difference from 60Hz, but I guess you really wouldn't understand if you haven't played on a laptop with 120Hz. I tried on both and the difference is ridiculously big. The main reason I want 120Hz + G-Sync is more for the games that come out next year or in 2 years. I'll probably have to run them at 60 or 70, and not lose out of gaming experience due to not having G-Sync.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

In FPS games, the 1070 runs most at around 120 on max settings. And 120Hz is a huge difference from 60Hz, but I guess you really wouldn't understand if you haven't played on a laptop with 120Hz. I tried on both and the difference is ridiculously big. The main reason I want 120Hz + G-Sync is more for the games that come out next year or in 2 years. I'll probably have to run them at 60 or 70, and not lose out of gaming experience due to not having G-Sync.

I have a GTX1080 and I can't hit 120FPS in many games. I certainly can't do that with games like PS2,which are far more CPU limited during critical firefights with a few 100 people at one point.

Then you get other games which are not only CPU limited but have server limitations on top of this.

Edit!!

Plus another issue - that laptop CPU over time is most likely not going to hit 3.8GHZ but a lower clockspeed. Most reviews won't be testing performance after a few hours of gaming.

Second Edit!!

The same with the card,it will probably settle at a bit lower clockspeed too,in a cramped laptop case.

Most reviews don't test very intensive areas of games - they tend to test parts which are easy to benchmarks as they need to reproduce the results to make a fair comparison.

Like I said you will need to drop settings and resolution to try and get close enough to 120HZ with more intensive games.

You would need to avoid anything other than a 1080P panel for example,and even then you would need to adjust settings to get rid of the ones which eat up performance with not much visual improvements.

I did that with PS2,where shockingly some settings could eat up 5FPS+ on a GTX1080 for some reason,so I didn't see the point of using them. That is an old game too.

[Irask]

I have a GTX1080 and I can't hit 120FPS in many games. I certainly can't do that with games like PS2,which are far more CPU limited during critical firefights with a few 100 people at one point.

Then you get other games which are not only CPU limited but have server limitations on top of this.

Edit!!

Plus another issue - that laptop CPU over time is most likely not going to hit 3.8GHZ but a lower clockspeed. Most reviews won't be testing performance after a few hours of gaming.

Strange, because I was able to hit max of 130 fps on BF1 with a GTX 1070 and 6700HQ. MSI Dominator Pro. Also Overwatch 100+ easy.

In any case, what do you recommend?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Strange, because I was able to hit max of 130 fps on BF1 with a GTX 1070 and 6700HQ. MSI Dominator Pro. Also Overwatch 100+ easy.

In any case, what do you recommend?

Try Planetside2 - that game has situations where you can like 200 people crammed into small areas and it destroys systems. You also have single player FPS/RPG games like Deus Ex:Mankind Divided which you wil not be getting 120FPS anytime soon on max settings. ARMA 3 is another one which is mental at times.

Overwatch and BF1 are designed to run on consoles,so are not taxing of graphics cards and as long as you have enough threads run smooth. Games like Planetside 2 and ARMA 3 are PC games,and they are another kettle of fish. Watch Dogs 2 is just as bad - even at 1080P,you would need two GTX1080 cards to get 120FPS.

The whole issue,is you need to weary of expecting a GTX1070 of running FPS games at 120FPS for the next few years.

Plus if you already have a laptop with a mobile GTX1070 I don't see the point of getting another one which is going to add basically nothing in reality.

I would suggest trying to get as fast a card as you can for a new laptop,and stick to a 1080P screen(or a 4K one due to scaling). Have something with GSync which will help,but I would not be too enamoured with worrying if the panel can hit 120HZ unless all you intend to play is those two games anyway,since again there is no guarantee BF5,etc will do the same.

Remember the XBox Scorpio is looking to be a huge performance upgrade over the current consoles,so I expect the next tranche of console games to start pushing even more effects,etc to use that processing power and using things like upscaling to make up the difference in resolution.

Also make sure the laptop can actually take an external graphics box of some type. Personally I would not touch any gaming laptop which could not run an external graphics box for £1000+ as I don't see the point of a laptop like that.

You also get tiny mini-ITX cases like the DAN Cases A4-SFX which can take a Titan X and a high end mini-ITX motherboard if space is at a premium.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Had a look around the interwebs,Gigabyte say their SC15 KL GSync laptop with a 120HZ screen will be released around June.

TBH,if you already have a laptop with a GTX1070,I would probably get a GSync display and use that instead. A 24" 144HZ one is around £250 to £300 IIRC. Not sure if these KL ones are anything other than a sidegrade especially when you consider laptops are easier to implement GSync and FreeSync in the first place.

Plus either way,a £2000 laptop with no upgradeable graphics seems a waste to me,as GTX1070 performance will probably be midrange in 2018.

[Irask]

Had a look around the interwebs,Gigabyte say their SC15 KL GSync laptop with a 120HZ screen will be released around June.

TBH,if you already have a laptop with a GTX1070,I would probably get a GSync display and use that instead. A 24" 144HZ one is around £250 to £300 IIRC. Not sure if these KL ones are anything other than a sidegrade especially when you consider laptops are easier to implement GSync and FreeSync in the first place.

Plus either way,a £2000 laptop with no upgradeable graphics seems a waste to me,as GTX1070 performance will probably be midrange in 2018.

I do not own a laptop with a 1070. Just tried on a friend's laptop.

I just spoke to MSI, and they said their KabyLake 120Hz laptops are all TN panels with no G-Sync. And actually said to me "There's no point having 120Hz and G-Sync on a laptop" and when I told them that Asus have a 120Hz G-Sync Display in their GL753 laptops, they said it's impossible, and its "software G-Sync" not an actual chip in the screen. I'm not sure what they were talking about.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I do not own a laptop with a 1070. Just tried on a friend's laptop.

I just spoke to MSI, and they said their KabyLake 120Hz laptops are all TN panels with no G-Sync. And actually said to me "There's no point having 120Hz and G-Sync on a laptop" and when I told them that Asus have a 120Hz G-Sync Display in their GL753 laptops, they said it's impossible, and its "software G-Sync" not an actual chip in the screen. I'm not sure what they were talking about.

They are right - the laptop display interface is different than desktops,so you don't need all the same hardware bits as a desktop display so it will be software based. In fact the first demo of FreeSync was on a laptop.

But since you are starting from scratch I would try and get a laptop with an external graphics box - it means you have a way of upgrading the graphics card.

The EVGA SC15 seems to have GSync and 120HZ but "only" a GTX1060.

Out of interest is there any reason you need a laptop?? Surely a small desktop would mean you could actually could get a faster and more upgradeable system which is still reasonably portable. Its why I have only used SFF desktops for the last decade after getting fedup with desktop replacement laptops.

[Irask]

They are right - the laptop display interface is different than desktops,so you don't need all the same hardware bits as a desktop display so it will be software based. In fact the first demo of FreeSync was on a laptop.

But since you are starting from scratch I would try and get a laptop with an external graphics box - it means you have a way of upgrading the graphics card.

The EVGA SC15 seems to have GSync and 120HZ but "only" a GTX1060.

Out of interest is there any reason you need a laptop?? Surely a small desktop would mean you could actually could get a faster and more upgradeable system which is still reasonably portable. Its why I have only used SFF desktops for the last decade after getting fedup with desktop replacement laptops.

I'm a student, and I already have a desktop. My younger brother needs a laptop, and I wanted to give him mine, which has a gtx 870m, and wanted a replacement. Since the laptops have near desktop version of graphics cards then I thought why not pay a bit for portability since I travel quite a bit.

I guess I'll have to wait. Or just settle with a 60Hz G-Sync IPS Laptop with a 1070 and just enjoy everything on Ultra for the next few years @60 FPS.

[gw2]

They are right - the laptop display interface is different than desktops,so you don't need all the same hardware bits as a desktop display so it will be software based.

Is desktop GSYNC which is driven by hardware superior to laptop GSYNC, or do they both look the same onscreen and perform the same?

Is laptop GSYNC powered by the cpu or gpu?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I'm a student, and I already have a desktop. My younger brother needs a laptop, and I wanted to give him mine, which has a gtx 870m, and wanted a replacement. Since the laptops have near desktop version of graphics cards then I thought why not pay a bit for portability since I travel quite a bit.

I guess I'll have to wait. Or just settle with a 60Hz G-Sync IPS Laptop with a 1070 and just enjoy everything on Ultra for the next few years @60 FPS.

Probably wise,if you are spending £2000.

Is desktop GSYNC which is driven by hardware superior to laptop GSYNC, or do they both look the same onscreen and perform the same?

Is laptop GSYNC powered by the cpu or gpu?

IIRC,part of the reason AMD and Nvidia need modified scalers for FreeSync/GSync is partly down to the display connections used in desktop monitors. Newer laptops use something called embedded DisplayPort which actually already supported variable refresh rates on laptop LCD panels to save power.

Desktop scalers tended not to support it so either needed newer generation ones with the feature enabled(basis of FreeSync) or a Nvidia proprietary scaler with similar tech.

[Irask]

Probably wise,if you are spending £2000.



IIRC,part of the reason AMD and Nvidia need modified scalers for FreeSync/GSync is partly down to the display connections used in desktop monitors. Newer laptops use something called embedded DisplayPort which actually already supported variable refresh rates on laptop LCD panels to save power.

Desktop scalers tended not to support it so either needed newer generation ones with the feature enabled(basis of FreeSync) or a Nvidia proprietary scaler with similar tech.

After a lot of research. I've got my eye on the MSI GT73VR 7RF Titan Pro. But I will wait until 20th Jan to see how the prices turn out.


Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad Core Processor
17.3" Full HD 120Hz G-Sync Screen
32GB DDR4 RAM
512GB (2x 256GB SuperRAID) M.2 nVme SSD + 1000GB 7200RPM HDD
GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Graphics
USB3 | HDMI | Bluetooth | DisplayPort | Thunderbolt 3

[Marcvs]

Ive heard some good things about the MSI/Asus GTX 1070 laptops, personally I use a blade 14" with a 1060 because of the weight. One of my colleagues has one of the dual GPU sagers and you cant lift the thing.