Gtx 960m or 860m

[Joshhi]

Hey guys I am getting a new gaming PC my budget is $1000 and I am considering an Asus ROG laptop with a GTX 860m and 2 GB video memory or HP laptop for $200 cheaper with a GTX 850m and 4 GB video memory. Both have slightly different variations of the i7 processor. Now my main question is now that NVIDIA has released the GTX 960 and 965 I am wondering if I should wait and buy a laptop with those instead.

The games I will be playing are FIFA 15 some battlefield 4 maybe far cry.

BTW the laptop will have to last a few years

 

[QwarkDreams]

I'd wait for the 965m or save some more money and buy a laptop with a good GPU ( 970m/980m).
The 860m is okay but it will only last you a few years if you're willing to lower the graphics settings and don't expect to run most newer games on ultra.

Fifa is no problem. Even with the 850m you'd get above 100fps (but I'd stay away from HP). But Battlefield and Far Cry are a lot more demanding. You can play them with a 850m/860m, but the framerate will be low. Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - NotebookCheck.net Tech
Games will get more and more demanding on hardware and if you can't run your games on ultra now you can't expect future games to run on higher settings. The laptop will last you a few years but only if you play the same or older games.

Edit: you can take a look at some MSI gaming laptops too. Asus and Gigabyte are good brands too for gaming laptops.
If you can wait a bit more and save up you could wait for laptops with the new Broadwell CPUs. They are very energy-efficient and should give you a longer battery life.

And if you can give up on the mobility you could build a nice desktop PC with even better specs for about the same price (but you would need to replace both the motherboard AND CPU if you want to upgrade your CPU because both Intel's 1150 socket and AMD's AM3+ socket won't be supported by the next generation of desktop CPUs, but even the current generation of CPUs will last you a couple more years).
Something like this will cost you ~$1000 (with rebates, without an OS) -> http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qPhq99

 

[Joshhi]

I'd wait for the 965m or save some more money and buy a laptop with a good GPU ( 970m/980m).
The 860m is okay but it will only last you a few years if you're willing to lower the graphics settings and don't expect to run most newer games on ultra.

Fifa is no problem. Even with the 850m you'd get above 100fps (but I'd stay away from HP). But Battlefield and Far Cry are a lot more demanding. You can play them with a 850m/860m, but the framerate will be low. Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - NotebookCheck.net Tech
Games will get more and more demanding on hardware and if you can't run your games on ultra now you can't expect future games to run on higher settings. The laptop will last you a few years but only if you play the same or older games.

Edit: you can take a look at some MSI gaming laptops too. Asus and Gigabyte are good brands too for gaming laptops.
If you can wait a bit more and save up you could wait for laptops with the new Broadwell CPUs. They are very energy-efficient and should give you a longer battery life.

And if you can give up on the mobility you could build a nice desktop PC with even better specs for about the same price (but you would need to replace both the motherboard AND CPU if you want to upgrade your CPU because both Intel's 1150 socket and AMD's AM3+ socket won't be supported by the next generation of desktop CPUs, but even the current generation of CPUs will last you a couple more years).
Something like this will cost you ~$1000 (with rebates, without an OS) -> http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qPhq99

Thanks, think I'm going to wait on the 965m or buy a laptop with modular replaceable parts. BTW why would u stay away from HP?

 

[QwarkDreams]

Thanks, think I'm going to wait on the 965m or buy a laptop with modular replaceable parts. BTW why would u stay away from HP?

HP's laptops aren't really known for being gaming machines. An exception would be the Omen. They're more office/multimedia laptops and many people complain about their quality and the customer support.
Brands like Asus, Gigabyte and MSI are better known for their gaming-series laptops (Alienware and Razer too, but they are overpriced and you can't replace the RAM in the Razer Blade).

Not sure if a laptop with replaceable parts (I assume you mean that the GPU is replaceable) is such a good idea. Changing the RAM modules, HDD/SSD and wireless module is no problem with most laptops (some require a bit more teardown and in some cases you'll even void your warranty). But being able to change the GPU in a laptop is a rare feature and sometimes comes with restrictions (I heard that some high-end laptops from Asus have that feature but you'll only be able to use mobile GPUs from Asus).

Laptops aren't as upgrade-friendly as desktop PCs upon a certain level and if the laptop supports it it will most likely be expensive. Buying a GPU for your laptop ain't exactly as easy as buying one for your desktop.

It's much easier/cheaper to just buy a laptop with a better GPU than looking for laptops that allow you to swap out the GPU.

Also, this years CES just ended. There were a bunch of new laptops announced, so the "older" high-end gaming laptops might get cheaper sometime during this year. Going with last generations hardware ain't a bad thing since it will still good performance (870m/880m and m290X are still beasts).

Also, keep in mind that some AAA titles (mostly Ubisoft titles like Assassin's Creed Unity and Far Cry 4 are poorly ported and require even on desktop PCs very powerful/expensive hardware to run good on ultra settings). Buying a PC and expecting it to run future games fluently on ultra settings is impossible. You can only delay the time where you will need to lower the graphics settings by paying more for powerful hardware.

You can find some great gaming laptops for ~1200-1300$ with 1080p display, enough RAM, good CPUs and GPUs with 3-6GB VRAM that should last you a few years.

Not a buying-recommendation, just an example: Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More - Newegg.com

 

[Joshhi]

Thanks again

 

[DavidinCT]

Yea, wait....As I have learned over the years when it comes to gaming computers, buy the BEST you can possibly get and it will last you longer. This is very important when it comes to gaming computers.

 

[QwarkDreams]

btw....it might be worth waiting a little longer for the Core M laptops.

And as I said before, swapable GPUs for laptops aren't a thing anymore. In fact the whole "build your own custom laptop"-thing died out a few years ago. The number of OEMs offering those GPUs is almost zero and the price doesn't justify the means at all. If you really want to be able to upgrade the GPU in your laptop you can take a look at the MSI G30 docking station and I think Alienware has a similar (but proprietary) solution. Although, those aren't mobile solutions, but intended as a desktop-replacement.

Alienware?s external graphics solution is here, but do we need it? | KitGuru

If you don't want to spend thousands of dollars - in addition to an already quite expensive laptop - I'd suggest you save up for a much more powerful laptop with a 980m in it.