17" gaming laptop

lacio

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Jun 10, 2011
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18,510
Hello everyone,

like many I have always used Tom's hardware very useful tips and in the past it was a bible to me before approaching to any computer store. After many years of assembling PCs for myself and many friends, I have spent a couple years away from the cutting edge IT, gaming and all alike as I was involved in an always busier work schedule that did not really allow me much time to spare for anything. Such changes also included getting rid of my old beloved PC and getting a lousy work laptop for I move quite frequently.
As of now I finally worked a lot things out and I was able to cut some time out to play a few hours weekly but I found out (not too surprisingly) that my 3 year old work laptop cannot really keep up the pace with latest games out there (nor the old ones for that matter :pfff: ).
I have spent quite a few days looking through a large number of reviews and opinions and trying to get up to speed with the latest technologies but I feel quite (utterly) lost when it comes to choosing an actual laptop model/brand. So here I am asking for some guidance into what would suit me best.

What I am looking for:
- 17 " screen (can't really cope with 15~" anymore, I'm too used to wider screens and in general for gaming I prefer larger screens)
- Optimal gaming performances (I mainly play LoL which I would like to run with 1600x1200 resolution smoothly, but I would also like to enjoy some nice 3D shooter without worrying too much about requirements for a couple years to come)
- Budget: 1250$ - 1000 Eur as my very top, the cheaper the better. :) (living in Europe at the moment, so an advice on where to buy it online it would also help)
- Good heat sinking, (I don't particularly like those laptop fans to place underneath it, nor burning my fingers after 1 hr play time in the summer, so anything to avoid lagging for some extra effort)
- Reliability; it has to last at least 2-3 years..I have had bad experiences with Acer in this sense...and would like to avoid consider it junk the day the warranty expires.

As you might have noticed they are really general requirements as I would like to keep the choice as open as possible. I have some configuration preferences already, mainly built on top of the reviews read but I would like your honest opinion for your suggestions!

Thank you!

Lacio

PS: As I have said I am a big PC fan, but for my current condition I really have no place to put it and with all the moving I am involved with it would be a huge hassle, so yeah, i know that for gaming PC are just better, but I really need a laptop! :D
 
Hello LaCiO;

Where in the EuroZone are you?

You'll be looking at 17" laptops with a standard 1600x900 resolution with optional 1920x1080 resolution.

What are Samsung RF Series RF711-S01 17" notebooks going for over there?
We recently saw a sale on that model for $750. Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz Sandy Bridge CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 17.3" 1600x900 LCD w Geforce GT 540M graphics.
It's a bit light on GPU power since the GT 540M is a mid-range card, but in your budget range that's about as much as you can get at the 'low end' of your budget.
 

lacio

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Jun 10, 2011
3
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18,510


I currently live in the Netherlands, do you think there will be international shippings here? I also have an address in the UK though.

where about did you see such offer?

The laptop you described would be quite fit for my needs and the price looks very appealing! :)

 

lacio

Distinguished
Jun 10, 2011
3
0
18,510


Well this option would be really ideal for me, but I couldn't yet find it anywhere around here.
ASUS products are a little harder to come by in Europe.
Any other suggestions?
 
Dell and HP both have 17"models but the GPU power is quite a bit less than the GTX 460M.
Dell XPS 17 has GT 550 or 550M
HP Pavilion dv7t has Radeon HD 6770M
Both have 1600x900 or 1920x1080 options.