Solved! $2000-$2500 Laptop for me

[Michael9292]

1. What is your budget? I would like to spend $2000-$2500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? I want a desktop replacement notebook that will be used primarily for gaming and college work in the fall. Size is irrelevant because I want be carrying it everywhere with me and I can get a netbook if I need to do that in the future. I would like at least a 15” and I really like the m17x size screen

3. What screen resolution do you want? I want the highest possible resolution without over doing my budget. I am not computer savvy so I’m somewhat at a loss for what is best here.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Desk top replacement

5. How much battery life do you need? 1-2 hours

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
Rift-High; WoW-High; HoN-High; Dota 2-High; any future releases in the next two years-med/high

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.) The only other operations will be basic word documents and research required as I attend college

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? Minimum storage is needed. Probably around 320 GB

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. N/A though I wouldn’t mind getting a few sites recommended.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? I’m looking at 7-10 years of post highschool so I would like my notebook to last as much of that as possible.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? Basic Package

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. I don’t really have any preferences at this point. I just want a good machine that will be easily serviced if needed.

13. What country do you live in? USA
14. Sound isn’t a major deal but I at least want a good headphone jack to provide quality sound as I play.

 

[Michael9292]

Thanks for any help offered by the way. I appreciate it alot because I know people sacrifice their time to do this!

 

[Klosteral]

Ok my friend, sorry nobody has replied so far but I will do my best to help.
I have two options for you, both from the company Sager, sold by Xotic PC (www.xoticpc.com).

Option 1: Sager NP7280
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np7280-custom-laptop-built-the-clevo-x7200-p-2881.html?wconfigure=yes
Add in the SLI GTX 460M (+200)
Add a Blu-Ray combo drive (+120)
Add a 750GB HDD (+75)
Total = $2429
The only problem with this machine is that it is a definete desktop replacement. It will weigh more than 12lbs! That said, it supports not one, but two GTX 460M graphics cards and an i7-950M as standard.

Option 2: Sager NP8170-S1
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8170s1-clevo-p170hm-p-2982.html?wconfigure=yes
Add i7-2820QM (+350)
Add GTX 485M (+360)
Total = $2444
This laptop weighs about 8.5lbs and it has the new Sandy Bridge CPUs in it. It also supports the new Nvidea GTX 485M - the best single laptop graphics card currently available.

Both laptops have 17.3" gloss screens (the same size as the M17x) and both of them are definetely gaming grade. Do keep in mind that these are desktop replacements. Neither is light or easy to carry around and they have unplugged lifespans of little more than an hour each, even on powersaving mode.

-Klosteral

 

[Michael9292]

Of those two which would be the faster option overall and which would have the better graphic card set up? Thanks!

 

[Klosteral]

I would say that the NP7280 has the more powerful processor and the dual graphics cards are very powerful. It also has two 500GB hard drives for extra space. My desktop only has two 500GB drives (one for backup and one for data).

That said, the NP8170 is much lighter and has the GTX485M which is currently the best single laptop card out there. The new Intel i7 processors made with Sandy Bridge architechture have a more efficient turbo-boost function but the clock speeds are slower.

I would say that if this laptop is only going to sit at a desk, plugged in, go with the 7280. It will be a pain in the arse to move around and will have crap unplug life, but it is what you wanted. A fast desktop replacement that can play all current and future games on meduim-high settings.

[See the website below for average graphics card performance information in FPS]
http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

-Klosteral