Upgraded G46vw VS new G750JX

Hardware
1

Hi Guys,

I am looking to buy a laptop. I use Ableton & Touch as my main creative/performance tools.

I am considering an upgraded 14’’ G46 for mobility, with a bit of compromise on power - around 1600$ - i5/i7, 16go Ram, 750go 7200rpm + 256go msata, GTX660M 2go

Or go all the way power with the newly out 17’’ G750JX… 1750$ - i7, 16go ram, GTX770M 3go, 1TB 5000rpm + 256go ssd. Bulky and chunky (still good looking tho). Kind of painful to bring to a gig if there’s not much room.

Here are my questions:

  • G46 comes with i5 but can be upgraded to i7 for a hundred bucks or so. Do you guys think it’s worth it?
    Gamers say it is not worth it (for games…), but I’m wondering about Touch Designer?

  • I would get the G46 upgraded by HIDevolution, which is in the US, since I could not find any proper canadian online laptop store that does upgrades too (which is a shame!). I live in Montreal.
    I am afraid of customs… Do you guys have had any experience with ordering a laptop in the US? Will I pay crazy taxes on delivery? Making me regret to buy abroad…

  • I’ve seen all the posts about the optimus technology… I think the 660M does not use it, while the 770 probably does… Do you guys know? Don’t want to go the most powerful and end up with less performance!

Any advice is welcome

Cheers

2

For $100 I would spring for the i7.

Purchasing from the US depends on the company you are buying from. Some have there own brokers, others don’t. You will have to pay HST at the very least, as well as a brokerage fee (not too much, depends on if they have a custom broker) and of course shipping. I would contact the company and talk to someone directly, they can usually give you an exact amount.

We recently made some changes to 088 that seems to resolve the Optimus problems. If you are running 088 I wouldn’t worry much about it anymore. (see those threads in the forum for updates on that issue)