Buying a Gaming Laptop?

[Guest]

I'm in the market for a Gaming Laptop and since I'm new to PC Gaming I have no idea what to buy. I want a Display of 14-inch or less and since it will not be leaving the house, unless I move, would a Extended Warranty be worth it? Reason why I like smaller screens sometimes I do like to watch Movies or Videos with the Laptop in my lap and I have a small residents with people I live with. My budget is around $2,000.00 and I'm looking at the Aorus X3 and last year's Razer Blade 14, but I'm also looking at Lotus PC. Also, I play games from Steam and Origin EA and most of my games are Adventure or Fighting and Online MMORPG.

 

[evtehbaus28]

MSI, Alienware, and Razer make the best gaming laptops. Personally, I like MSI the best, their laptops look beautiful.

Anyway, you've got a pretty high budget it seems. I would recommend getting a desktop if it will only be at your house, because $2000 is actually more than enough to buy a decent desktop rig that will run any game at max settings. However, if you have your mind set on a laptop, then consult this article to help you choose. Many of my recommendations were on it.

http/www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2020688,00.asp

 

[velo3100]

Personally I would really recommend a desktop for you as you won't be using it outside of your house. It is also less likely to be knocked over small children. But if you want a laptop I would get the razor blade 2014 in my opinion. It should be enough to handle most games and watching movies will be awesome because of the high resolution.

 

[Prostar Computer]

Most gaming laptops are in the 15" class. Beware of some of the smaller 13.3" and 14" gaming laptops, as they're more prone to having thermal issues.

The Aorus systems have a nice feature set, but there's not a lot of user feedback about them yet, so it's hard to speak to their reliability/stability. MSI makes nice systems, though they tend to run hot. Clevo has a 13.3" system called the W230SS that addressed a heat concern in the last generation, and now it runs cooler and is more stable.

If you can manage the slightly bigger system, I recommend going with a 15" class laptop. Most of the market has these and 17" class systems, giving you a better selection and one with better cooling capabilities than a smaller laptop will have.

 

[Mitanshu Katrodia]

Hey,
I would recommend you to buy a desktop PC over a gaming Laptop
buying a PC will make u able to upgrade the system in future to be compatible with High-End graphic games.
Using a laptop for gaming would result to over heating. If you still prefer to buy a laptop , then you must go for a Alienware laptop.
Alienware laptops are designed to be used for gaming. So you can consider buy a Alienware Laptop over PC if you wish to go for a Laptop over PC

 

[Prostar Computer]

Hey,
I would recommend you to buy a desktop PC over a gaming Laptop
buying a PC will make u able to upgrade the system in future to be compatible with High-End graphic games.
Using a laptop for gaming would result to over heating. If you still prefer to buy a laptop , then you must go for a Alienware laptop.
Alienware laptops are designed to be used for gaming. So you can consider buy a Alienware Laptop over PC if you wish to go for a Laptop over PC

Alienware laptops are fine to consider, but do explore your options as the competition is appealing and, often times, a better value.

 

[drapacioli]

Alienware is currently slightly outdated too, especially for the price. If you're going for such a high-budget laptop, you would want to find something with the current gen graphics. MSI, Asus, Lenovo, and Sager/Clevo make good alternatives. You can find much better specs for the same price using these brands to compare. In fact, you can get better graphics and the same processor on a $1000 gaming laptop than you can with Alienware's $1349 14-inch i7 offering!

 

[Guest]

Has any one heard of Lotus Eclipse Gaming Laptops? They make a 13-in with a 1080p Display and they use the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M, I'm considering them because they offer lifetime support and they are assembled in the USA. Also, they offer 16GB memory and i7 processor and 500GB SSD all for under $2,000.00. But they also have other configurations and some people have said having someone build your laptop is better then buying a production line type from a major name company. Ok, if I get a desktop is the Alienware X51 any good?

 

[drapacioli]

I have heard of the Lotus Eclipse laptops but I don't know anything about them other than the fact they exist. I haven't heard anything negative though either.

The X51 is ok at the entry level, but once you get beyond the $700 model it's a horrible value. For $2000, if you want a desktop I recommend finding something with a GTX 770 or better. There are $1500 options here on newegg, leaving you with $500 on a monitor setup http/www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100019096%20600030537&IsNodeId=1&PriceMin=100&PriceMax=2165

Or for a laptop you could get something with the GTX 880M, which is pretty much the fastest single graphics chip on the mobile market right now and will play anything you can throw at it in 1080p:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233043

I've never used a Gigabyte laptop, but their components typically have good reviews so I would consider buying a laptop from them. Perhaps someone with firsthand experience can weigh in on their laptops a little better. Personally I would rather go with one of the 17" options, but I know you said you wanted something smaller.

 

[Guest]

Yea, reason why I need something in a small form is because I live in a single wide trailer with family right now. So, I like the option of being able to take something from one room to the other an lay back in the recliner and watch a video with the laptop sitting on my lap. That's why I'm looking for a 14-inch or the 13-inch models for that reason or I was looking at the Alienware X51 because it doesn't need a lot of space on a desktop if I had to put it in my room.

 

[drapacioli]

Right ok, well the Razer Blade is an ok option for the 14" that you mentioned, but I would say that the difference between a 14" and 15" laptop when being stored is next to nothing. You'll get a better value and better cooling from the slightly larger laptops, however I understand if you want to go with the smallest you can find. If space is at a true premium, a SFF desktop will take up more space than a laptop, so you'll probably want to avoid them.

I checked out the Aorus laptops, the 17" one was reviewed by notebookcheck.net and they found it to have extremely inadequate cooling. Considering the smaller space constraints of the 13", I wouldn't trust them to have found a better cooling solution there at all. I would avoid them because of that, cooling is one of the most important things to consider in a gaming laptop. After all, what good are the components inside if they are constantly throttling or if they're overheating to the point they will have a reduced lifespan? The Razer Blade 14 also runs VERY hot, but not as hot as the Aorus (still in the 90s though, which is too hot).

 

[Guest]

Which is better the Razer Blade 14 or the MSI Ghost? How does the MSI Ghost compare in thickness to the Razer Blade 14?

 

[drapacioli]

What's the exact model of the MSI Ghost? In general MSI's tend to run hot too, but if you're not buying the top-spec'd version it might run cooler. In terms of quality, the Ghost and the Blade 14 are very similar, so it comes down to specs and cooling really.

 

[Guest]

Would buying a Laptop Cooler be just as well in handling the heating? And if so what would is the best laptop cooler if I was going all out on the Razer Blade 14 or even the Aorus X3? I'm still on the fence because I don't want to get into a system and find out it wasn't worth it. Like I said I am so new to PC Gaming and there are a lot out there and I see sights like iBuyPower, Cyberpower, Razer, MSI, Alienware, Origin and a whole lot more and all the reviews are good. But, I have decided that it will have to be a Gaming Laptop because of size of my residents and I might travel some with it too. So, another question is are these extended warranties worth the money? And, yes, I will be trying to keep the laptop screen size as small as I can 15-inch will be the max no more than that but I prefer the 14-inch or less.

 

[Guest]

What's the exact model of the MSI Ghost? In general MSI's tend to run hot too, but if you're not buying the top-spec'd version it might run cooler. In terms of quality, the Ghost and the Blade 14 are very similar, so it comes down to specs and cooling really.

I'm looking at the MSI Ghost Pro model from Newegg with a conf. 16GB Memory, 256SSD + 1TB 7200 rpm HD, with the GTX 870m the price is the same as the Aorus X3 Plus. But I also thought about conf. with 128SSD to reduce cost also.

 

[drapacioli]

That would be the top spec version I believe. It'll be a powerful laptop, just be aware it's VERY hot, like it'll burn you if you try to game on your lap hot. You can go either with that or the Blade 13/14. I've been looking for cooler solutions and they just don't seem to exist at this price range without going into 17" models. The Razer Blade will likely get better battery life on regular use due to the larger battery, if that's important to you.

 

[Lalith Reddy]

have a look at the lenovo y50 uhd it has a uhd display , i7-4710,gtx 860m 2gb or 4 gb and 16gb of ram, 15.6 inch