Final Thoughts
Gaming laptops, there really are not that many to choose from, but if you are going to make a gaming laptop there are 2 main things that you are going to need if you want gamers to take your product seriously. First off is the hardware, you are going to need to pack your laptop with hardware that is going to play the latest games. Secondly the laptop needs to be flashy, backlit keys and lights are a must! I don’t know what it is about gamers, but they like lights! It seems like iBUYPOWER did a great job at both of these things.
On the hardware side iBUYPOWER has packed the Valkyrie with some of the best hardware available. The Intel Core i7-3610QM running at 2.3GHz is what you are going to need for gaming and definitely gets the job done. If you want even more power you can upgrade the processor to an i7-3820QM (2.7GHz). You need a powerful video card if you want to play the latest games and iBUYPOWER has used an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M 4GB. This is one of NVIDIA’s best offerings for laptop graphics available. And just like the processor it can be upgraded, to a GTX 680M if you want to get a little more performance. Add in 8GB of DDR3, a faster hard drive and a Blu-ray player and you have a pretty impressive system. To give you an idea of how the CZ-17 can handle games check out our gameplay video below.
Gamers like flashy things, it’s a given. While the Valkyrie CZ-17 might not have the best overall design it makes it for it with all of the lights. Not including the keyboard you have 8 different accent lights on the laptop. These give it a cool look and let people know that you are not just using some ordinary 17-inch laptop. The backlighting on the keyboard is a definite plus. It not only looks cool, but allows you to easily see the keys at nighttime and low-light situations.
The 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 screen is very vibrant and has a matte finish so you will not have to deal with glare that you would see with a screen with a glossy finish. The keyboard is very comfortable and for those who plan on gaming with this laptop the keyboard is most definitely suitable for that. The speakers on the laptop are very clear and powerful, much more so than your normal laptop. You have a total of 5 USB ports (3x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0) so you have more than enough connections for all of your accessories.
This is a large laptop so keep that in mind. It is not the lightest laptop either at 6.9lbs. The battery life while gaming is not the best, but that is expected. I would assume if you are gaming that you are not going to be running on just battery anyways. The 9-cell battery should give you about 3 hours and it is removable so if needed you could purchase extra batteries.
There really were not a whole lot of issues that I ran into with the CZ-17. Although I was quite disappointed with the trackpad. It was not that responsive at all. I would suspect that 80% of users will be using a dedicated mouse with this laptop anyways so it is not that big of a deal. Also the area around the trackpad is a fingerprint magnet, you will notice this after using the CZ-17 just a few times.
When it comes down to it the iBUYPOWER Valkyrie CZ-17 is a great gaming laptop that can play the latest games, has enough processing power do complete even the most CPU-intensive tasks and looks good doing it. For those looking to move away from a desktop this could be a viable desktop replacement. Overall ThinkComputers gives the iBUYPOWER Valkyrie CZ-17 gaming laptop a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 matte screen
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M 4GB graphics
– Backlit keyboard and other accent lights
– Comfortable keyboard
– Plenty of expansion (USB, eSATA & extra hard drive bay)
Cons:
– Trackpad not that responsive at all
There is no such thing as A gaming Laptop when will people learn
LOL the video linked is the wrong video
It’s not like a laptop is a gamers first choice, but when you want to game on the go, a laptop is the only logical choice. True gamers want to game ALL the time, so a gaming laptop is a must. When will you learn 😉
thekarate-kid: how about you shut your mouth and actually buy one and learn this for yourself and yes there is such a thing as a gaming laptop meaning they are specifically built to handle process and play games you fucking dumbass
What are you talking about ? IBUYPOWER is a gaming computer company, meaning their computers are intended for gaming, so when looking at the laptop, and what the company focus’s on primarily, it is definitely a gaming laptop, so you are wrong sir, IBUYPOWER made this system specifically for gaming, so yeah there is such a thing as a gaming laptop
I bought one of these. The keyboard failed after 2 weeks. The keyboard is NOT a steelseries keyboard like they want you to think it is.. It’s a cheap hong kong knock-off. They refused to send out another keyboard. They also refused to sell me another keyboard for it. So I paid $1400 for a pc I cant even use.
orrr…. buy a usb keyboard xD
orrr…. buy a usb keyboard xD
Ignoring that the karatekid, I purchased my Valkerie after X-mas, upgrading to the gtx680 4gb and a 2.4ghz i7. I bought it as a rig I could take to someone’s house and game with them, and as insurance for if/when components in my PC quit on me. My Valkerie will run Skyrim at full-tilt graphics on my 24″ 1080p monitor, so it is indeed a desktop replacement. For less than $1600 ( 5% off for those not needing rush order, though they still got it to me in less than two weeks!).including a GTX 680 4gb GPU, that is a killer deal!
That sounds not likely. I have purchased both a Valkerie and my present PC from IBuyPower, and their service is exceptional. I know that all this guy needed to do was send it in, and I suspect he just wanted a keyboard sent to him.
Also, the keyboard can be upgraded, by the user, with a Steel Series board, though it’s a little more complex than the other upgradeable components. You’ll have to buy the keyboard from a seller rather than Steel Series themselves, because they won’t sell one piece meal like that for some, I assume warrantee, reason.
The fact that the bottom is removable and the HDD/1 RAM slot/optical drive are all within easy reach is yet another reason why I love my Valkerie! I upgraded to the GTX 680 4gb, and left the 750gb HDD in place, since I can easily install my own SSD to accompany the HDD. It’s a beauty of a monster laptop, that’s for sure!
nicccee! i’m getting one today:) i might end up upgrading to the 680 in the future as well 😀 i have my fingers crossed that the 780 fits too