Acer 15.6" Predator

[Stealth_Eagle]

Hi all,

 

I'm in the search of a new laptop to replace my old one and this is one of the options that I have found: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1262773-REG/acer_nx_q0raa_005_15_6_predator_15_notebook.html

 

My current laptop specs are as follows: GTX 750M, I7-4960HQ I think?, 16 GB 1600 RAM, and a 1 TB SDD. I'm able to run DCS at low-medium settings with 20-30 frames on average for pretty much everything (multiplayer and single player).

 

Any thoughts on this specific laptop and how well it will handle DCS? I'm hoping to running on high settings with consistent 40-60ish frames. I greatly appreciate any help. Currently, a desktop is not an option due to finances so I can not go that route.

 

Thanks,

Eagle

[cichlidfan]

Not bad.

 

While I would never recommend a laptop for DCS, that one has the potential for acceptable, with compromises, performance.

 

Don't expect to run all of the eye candy cranked up and you will probably like it.

 

I can't help but to point out (since you mentioned budget) that you could build a desktop with equivalent specs for less money. Building a PC is not hard. I walked my brother through it and he doesn't know the difference between a transistor and a resistor, or even why electricity works.

Edited September 17, 2016 by cichlidfan

[Stealth_Eagle]

Not bad.

 

While I would never recommend a laptop for DCS, that one has the potential for acceptable, with compromises, performance.

 

Don't expect to run all of the eye candy cranked up and you will probably like it.

 

I can't help but to point out (since you mentioned budget) that you could build a desktop with equivalent specs for less money. Building a PC is not hard. I walked my brother through it and he doesn't know the difference between a transistor and a resistor, or even why electricity works.

 

Thanks for the help. The reason why I can't go with a desktop is that I need a laptop for engineering and I can't add a desktop on top of a decent gaming computer. Sorry for not making that clear.

[cichlidfan]

Thanks for the help. The reason why I can't go with a desktop is that I need a laptop for engineering and I can't add a desktop on top of a decent gaming computer. Sorry for not making that clear.

 

No problem. Everyone has different needs. I am lucky enough to be able to dedicate purpose built machines.

 

As I said, the laptop sounds like a decent deal if portability is a requirement. I actually use a gaming grade laptop as my heme office computer just because of the fact that I can just grab it when I travel and all of the important stuff is already there. At home it is connected to a separate monitor/keyboard/mouse but a portable 17 inch gaming machine is nice to have when away from my primary rigs.

[BitMaster]

I have owned a few of those gaming laptops and one thing beyond speed and shiny exterior is the service you get.

 

My findings, Asus is maybe faster and better than Dell/Alienware but the service at Dell is way beyond Asus'.

 

Asus wanted me to send my gamerig in to exchange a broken BlueRay drive ( 14-21 days !! ).

From Dell I got send 3 drives without any hassle and no waiting and after 4 y they broke it while repairing it and paid me 1k€ net on the table as a remedy. Try that with Asus !!

 

I love Asus for mobo and GPU and the quality overall but the service for laptops lacks far far behind from Dell,

 

I say this as a privateer/owner and salesman for such devices.

 

I also wouldnt judge by weight..and if..the heavier the better for gaming usually.

[Stealth_Eagle]

I have owned a few of those gaming laptops and one thing beyond speed and shiny exterior is the service you get.

 

My findings, Asus is maybe faster and better than Dell/Alienware but the service at Dell is way beyond Asus'.

 

Asus wanted me to send my gamerig in to exchange a broken BlueRay drive ( 14-21 days !! ).

From Dell I got send 3 drives without any hassle and no waiting and after 4 y they broke it while repairing it and paid me 1k€ net on the table as a remedy. Try that with Asus !!

 

I love Asus for mobo and GPU and the quality overall but the service for laptops lacks far far behind from Dell,

 

I say this as a privateer/owner and salesman for such devices.

 

I also wouldnt judge by weight..and if..the heavier the better for gaming usually.

 

Yeah, that is a good point. I've already ordered it and it is suppose to arrive tomorrow so fingers crossed for not having an issue with it. Thus far, I have never had any issues with my computers, I'm just desiring higher performance.

 

As for Alienware, I looked into that but the prices for the same specs as that one, it would be at least $400 (USD) for an equivalent laptop.

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Cheers,

Eagle

[Dudikoff]

While that's a decent GPU, it might be better to grab one with the new Nvidia Pascal cards. 1060 is a bit faster than the 980M (while it has a lower TDP so it produces less heat) and 1070 is not so far from being twice as fast. Unlike the older "M" notebook models, these new cards are pretty much the same GPU's as the desktop ones (the 1070 on notebooks even is a bit better in some ways as it has an extra computing unit unlocked).

 

While it might not be an Acer Predator, you should be able to find 1070 models starting at around $2000. E.g.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=laptop+1070&N=100157995%20601211659&isNodeId=1

 

Personally, I'd return it for sure and opt for one of the 1070 ones as the GPU performance increase is huge and you really need that for DCS.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Dudikoff

[Stealth_Eagle]

While that's a decent GPU, it might be better to grab one with the new Nvidia Pascal cards. 1060 is a bit faster than the 980M (while it has a lower TDP so it produces less heat) and 1070 is not so far from being twice as fast. Unlike the older "M" notebook models, these new cards are pretty much the same GPU's as the desktop ones (the 1070 on notebooks even is a bit better in some ways as it has an extra computing unit unlocked).

 

While it might not be an Acer Predator, you should be able to find 1070 models starting at around $2000. E.g.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=laptop+1070&N=100157995%20601211659&isNodeId=1

 

Personally, I'd return it for sure and opt for one of the 1070 ones as the GPU performance increase is huge and you really need that for DCS.

 

Wow, that's a great find. Apologies for the delay in replying. When I was looking at those earlier, I for some reason remember them being more expensive than they really were. Did some review hunting on them and found a good one. Acer Predator has been returned and new laptop is on its way. I wish I hadfound these earlier.

 

Cheers,

Eagle

[Dudikoff]

Wow, that's a great find. Apologies for the delay in replying. When I was looking at those earlier, I for some reason remember them being more expensive than they really were. Did some review hunting on them and found a good one. Acer Predator has been returned and new laptop is on its way. I wish I hadfound these earlier.

 

Cool, glad you could do it. Twice the GPU performance is certainly worth the hassle of returning it.