BEST laptop for gaming / video editing under $1500?

[willsmart]

Hello!

I am looking to buy a laptop under $1500. I will be using it for gaming and video editing (using programs like Premier and After Effects). I would like it to be somewhat light and portable, because I will be traveling (sometimes) with it and carrying it around in a backpack.

Requirements, but if you have a recommendation that doesn't 100% meet these, then that's fine:
– At least a small SSD for booting up more quickly - if the computer has a large SSD, I’m even happier, but I know that SSD’s can get very pricey. Make sure there is lots of HD space regardless
– 16gb of RAM, helpful for video editing
– Intel i7 processor
– A nice display! I was looking at laptops like the Digital Storm Triton, and I heard from reviews that the display was bad. For video editing (or gaming!), I want to have at least a decent display so I can see what I'm doing and so it's enjoyable.
– preferably a 15 inch display; a little bit smaller is OK, but larger isn’t quite portable enough
– I don't need a built-in disk reader
– preferably a laptop that is interchangeable; for example, if I want to add more RAM or a larger SSD, I don't have to completely strip the computer apart to do so

My priorities go roughly like this (after staying below the $1500 budget):
1. Performance
2. Screen Quality
3. Look & Feel of the laptop - again, nothing too large / heavy so it isn’t a pain to transport or carry around.

Something like...

this:
http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Laptop-59425943-Black/dp/B00K6ZIMFY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433448813&sr=8-1&keywords=Lenovo+Y50-70+15.6+inch+UHD+Notebook

or this:
http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T7XRGGC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

... seems pretty nice, but I just don't know if you guys would have different recommendations or issues with my examples.

Thanks! If anything isn’t clear, just let me know.

 

[Construkt]

If you're doing a lot of video editing, in addition to the extra memory and SSD, you're going to want a laptop with an IPS display, as they have the best viewing angles and color reproduction available.

You can get an idea of the good options available on this list to compare a bunch of different models side by side.

I would say that the Alienware 15 for $1549 is the way to go. Nvidia GTX 970M graphics, full quad-core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD (it also has 2 m.2 slots so you can stack this up if you wanted), a 15.6" 1920x1080 IPS display, and up to 7 hours of battery life.

It's a little on the heavy side at 6.6 lbs, but the quality, room for expansion, and specs seem ideal for your needs.

The highly portable alternative would be the Gigabyte P34Wv3 or an MSI GS60 Ghost, but they're going to be a lot louder, hotter, and get much less battery life.