Advice before buying

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Posted: 24 Jul 2015 at 10:25am

Hi Manapie.... I'm not a laptop guy, but the laptops are all easily upgradeable. Parts like the ram, drives and video card are mostly removed by taking off a bottom panel or two. With some laptops, the second pair of DIMM slots for ram expansion above your 16gb, are under the keyboard, also easy to remove. The instruction booklet will normally have an upgrade section.

From what I've heard, the mobile video cards are real expensive and might be something to invest a little more in for longevity.

Hope this helps and maybe a laptop owner will drop by. Big%20Smile

Roykirk

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Posted: 25 Jul 2015 at 10:32am

Yes, the Krypton is easily upgradeable for RAM, drives, and possibly the video card (although I've not tried the latter). Yes, there are two slots of RAM that are harder to get to, so if you think you'll need 32GB down the road, you might want to get it now if you're not comfortable taking apart a laptop. I stuck with 16GB and thought I might add the other 16GB later, but have had no need for it whatsoever.

And as bprat22 mentions, upgrading a video card down the road is more about expense than how easy it is. I've had DS quote me an upgrade from my 880M to a 980M and it's $800+.

Basically, invest with this priority if budget is a concern: GPU>CPU>RAM with the caveat that upgrading the CPU will likely be difficult, but again, I can't attest to it as I haven't tried it.

Manapie

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Posted: 25 Jul 2015 at 1:19pm

Hmm seems like I can't choose a 980m on the Krypton anymore. So how would the 970m do on the games I mentioned on the first post? Is it better to switch to a different chasis and get a 980m?

db188

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Posted: 25 Jul 2015 at 5:02pm

i hate to break it to you, but those mobile versions way under perform to their desktop equivalents, especially for the price. a 970m is equivalent to a GTX 670 and a 980m is equivalent performance to a GTX 770. so you tell me, can you play the games you want to play at "high/max settings" at the max resolution your laptop screen allows if you were running either of those two discrete desktop cards? my guess is probably not. how much do those cards cost compared to the mobile versions? way, way overpriced. go with a SFF pc that you can move around if you need portability/space. forget about gaming on laptops. besides, their screen technology and build quality is ancient and just plain BAD!

Roykirk

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Posted: 26 Jul 2015 at 11:00am

Originally posted by Manapie

Hmm seems like I can't choose a 980m on the Krypton anymore. So how would the 970m do on the games I mentioned on the first post? Is it better to switch to a different chasis and get a 980m?

It's interesting that they're not offering the 980M on the Krypton as it has been available before. Not sure of the reason for this. But in any case, you really do want to get the best GPU you can in a laptop since it's pricey to upgrade and so you want to look to future games, not just what you're playing now.

The games you list would do fine on a 970M, but you're not going to be playing those for next 3 or so years, are you?

If I were to buy today, I'd purchase a Harker rather than a Krypton as it's a newer chassis design and has some things on it that I prefer over the Krypton, so your thought of going for a different model would certainly work.

Manapie

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Posted: 26 Jul 2015 at 2:35pm

Yeah it's too bad can't choose the 980m on the Krypton as I really liked that chasis. But now might end up with either of this two.

Behemoth Chasis:1246267

Harker Chasis:1246519

The Harker is a bit more expensive, but unless I'm mistaken the CPU I chose for it is better than the Behemoth one.

Roykirk

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Posted: 27 Jul 2015 at 8:25pm

Originally posted by Manapie

Yeah it's too bad can't choose the 980m on the Krypton as I really liked that chasis. But now might end up with either of this two.

Behemoth Chasis:1246267

Harker Chasis:1246519

The Harker is a bit more expensive, but unless I'm mistaken the CPU I chose for it is better than the Behemoth one.

Yes, the Harker CPU is definitely newer and more powerful. The 4810MQ is the same CPU from my Krypton of April 2014. The 4790 is also desktop class, so more powerful as well.

The Behemoth chassis is intended for SLI, so it's also a lot fatter than the Harker or Krypton, so keep that in mind as well.

Otherwise, both builds look good. Your Harker build is the one I'd buy at this time, other than the external Blu-ray since I already have one of those. Like you I'd also go for Windows 8.1 or 10 Pro rather than Home, but that's because I've always gone for that level since Windows XP. I also like the ability to join domains and the ability to address more RAM.

Manapie

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Posted: 07 Aug 2015 at 3:52pm

Just placed my order :D. Ended up with the following.

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm Harker 17.3 Inch Laptop (Model: S:9773)
Display: NVIDIA G-Sync - 17.3 Inch (16:9) (Resolution: 1920 x 1080) (Anti-glare) LED-Backlit Display
Screen Calibration: - Not Available
Processor: Desktop Class - Intel Core i7-4790 (Up to 4.00Ghz) (Quad Core) (8MB Cache)
Thermal Compound: Premium CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise)
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
Storage Drive 1: 250GB Solid State - Samsung 850 EVO
Storage Drive 2: 1TB 7200RPM (SATA 3Gb/s)
Optical Drive: External USB - Blu-Ray Player (Blu-Ray 6x) & DVD/CD Writer
Wireless Card: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 + Bluetooth 4.0 (M.2 Socket)
Graphics Card(s): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 8GB with NVIDIA Battery Boost
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office Suite: - No Thanks
Cooling Pad: - No Thanks
Extra Charger: - No Thanks
Extra Battery: - No Thanks
Carry Bag: - No Thanks
Audio: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: Please Prioritize: Ship Within Four Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Really excited for this one :D.

Snaike

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Posted: 08 Aug 2015 at 7:40am

Outstanding! and congrats....

Roykirk