Best gaming laptop under 1600USD

[amdenthusiast]

Hi,
I'm planning to buy a gaming laptop.Much of a desktop replacement.
I'm not that kinda hardcore gamer.Just like to play games in free time...
I'm confused between the Asus G73JH,G73Jw and G53Jw...
Have only considered Asus just now, therefore want suggestions on other brands also...
The laptop has to have a global warranty.....otherwise won't buy it...
So hit me with suggestions
Thanks

 

[The_Prophecy]

I'm a big Asus fan myself, as I purchased a Asus G51J about 8 months ago and I love it. The G53 looks awesome, but we don't quite know when it will be available. I say go for one of the G51 series systems if you can't wait for the G53 line to appear.

The differences in the various models you noted above are in the specs of the hardware. Most of the units in the same series (G51J and G51J-A1 for example) look physically identical, but some may have more ram, or faster ram, or various sizes and quantities of hard drives included.

Dig around a bit and you should be able to find detailed specs on any model you want. If you need help interpreting something you find, post it here and we will decipher it for you.

 

[Maziar]

Hello
Performance wise,G73JH is the best because it has a HD 5870M(compared to GTX 460M in the other too)
However the later models have USB 3.0,slightly faster CPU and Wireless HD

 

[amdenthusiast]

The later models have resolved cooling issues also(I suppose) coz it has the 460M
and agreed it is slower than 5870 but it's not that slow.....
and I'm leaning towards G53...it'll be available on xoticpc by the end of the month and I can wait till then....
I'm using a 14.1" lappy right now and i think 15.6" will be enough for me...
it also has better ram and cpu,is less costly and obviously is more portable...
so most probably I'll go with G53Jw....
so pls suggest if i should finalize it or not...
Thanks

 

[amdenthusiast]

Now what I'm thinking about is a notebook cooler...
Which one do you people think will fill best for G53Jw??

 

[Maziar]

Well if you need portability then go with G53JW,i think it has a good cooling solution,so you may not need a notebook cooler.So order it and then decide whether you need a cooler or not.

 

[The_Prophecy]

Maziar makes a good point. Try the laptop out first and see what the temperatures are like before spending extra money on a cooler that you may not need.

 

[kpm1]

I'm leaning towards MSI's badboy for now:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152211

 

[bbgink]

I think Gj3JH is better for the price and alittle bit gaming performance
here is my reason:
Asus G73JH : 17.3-Inch + i7 + 8GB RAM + 1TB HD + ATI 5870 [Price : $1,600-1,750]
ASUS G73JW: 17.3-Inch + i7 + 8GB RAM + 1TB HD + Nvidia GTX 460M [Price : $1,800]

gaming benchmark (notbookcheck.net)
ATI 5870 : bad company 2 ultra playable @ 32 fps, CoD ultra playable 50 fps
Nvidia GTX 460M : bad company 2 ultra playable @ 31 fps , CoD ultra playable 47 fps

 

[photonboy]

Some points:

1) OPTIMUS. OPTIMUS. OPTIMUS. (NVidia Optimus for notebooks has two graphics chips. The heat-producing GPU is only used for games and other programs and is turned 100% off when not needed. I can not stand a "gaming" laptop without this as the heat is unbearable when typing, drains the battery and is much noisier with the fan.)

2) 4GB RAM is optimal. No more, no less. (8GB is not needed but adds heat to an under-ventilated space)

Basically look at two things:
1) Optimus
2) GPU

Your gaming capability is going to be mainly about the GPU chosen so look at benchmarks. The OPTIMUS is about turning it off when not needed. AMD/ATI has no such capability so I can't recommend ATI/AMD for a "gaming" laptop.

 

[The_Prophecy]

Optimus is a personal preference, but you've made an interesting point. 4GB vs. 8GB alone does not run hotter. If the 8GB set requires a higher voltage to operate, then yes you would be correct. 4GB is optimal now... but if the OP is planning to keep the unit for a few years, they may want to get 8GB now for when 8GB becomes "optimal".

Gaming laptops are not designed to have long battery life. The most you will get out of a modest gaming laptop is 2-3 hours. My G51J only gets 1 hour with a barely used battery, but I don't need more than that, nor do I expect any more than that.

Optimus is a great idea, and I hope AMD implements something like it soon, but it's not the be-all end-all gaming laptop feature. It all depends on what the OP wants, and whether he/she cares about and needs a feature like Optimus.

The keyboard heat issue you mentioned is subject to the particular unit's cooling system, and the overall construction and physical layout of the laptop's guts. My G51J for example, does not have that problem, though I've seen plenty of older Lenovo and Dell laptops where I work that do have the problem.

 

[humbe]

Hi.. I'm trying to decide between the Asus G51Jx G53Jw and G73Jw myself right now.

I like the G73Jw specs best. But I think it's grossly huge. Most of the time I'll be using it from my desk at home, where I have keyboard/mouse/24" monitor I'd like to use, so the bigger screen isn't really what I want. I'd like to be able to take it into the living room or take it on some vacations, and then I'd rather have a bit smaller computer.

The G53Jw thus sounded like the obvious choice, but from the looks of it, it is still huge. It's almost as big as the G73, and just as big as 17" laptops of other brands.

The G51Jx on the other hand, has about the same screen size as the G53Jw, but it is actually the size of a 15" laptop, and not that oversized.

Performance wice, all of the 3 alternatives are probably overshooting my requirements. But what I really like is a stable and quiet computer. That sounds like it should have a good cooling solution and hardware not generating too much heat. And then the G51Jx sounds like a bad choice compared to the G53/G73. Both due to worse cooling, and because I think that nvidia card is running cooler than the ATI card.

I'd love to be able to have decent battery life too, but I haven't seen any laptop that can be a desktop replacement gamer PC and still be able to have battery lifetime of 4+ hours (even if not using it for performance heavy applications).

So then I'm back with the G73Jw. It's hefty bulky, but at least I'd be happy with everything else..

Any thoughts? Are my cooling/noise worries of the G51Jx overrated? Are the G53Jw actually noticable smaller though it doesn't look like it from the dimensions advertised?

 

[amdenthusiast]

Best answer selected by amdenthusiast.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar