Buying a portable gaming laptop

[Tulips747]

1_What is your budget? Up to $2000 Canadian (could probably do a bit more if worth it..say up to $2300 absolute max)

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 17" (would go down to 15" but prefer 17")

3_What screen resolution do you want? 1920 x 1080

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Portable. Used for traveling only.

5_How much battery life do you need? 2 hours or more would be nice but will mostly plug it in so not really a big deal.

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)?

Play EQ2 (main), WOW, Allods online and Diablo 3 when it is released. Played on high if possible but would go to medium if necessary.

7_What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo / Video editing,watching movies, Etc.)

Stream live tv (justin and myp2p). Watch blueray movies.

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need? Minimum 500 gigs.

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

http/www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX27463(ME).aspx
http/www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_W870CU_Gaming_Notebook (can be customized, ie blue ray)
http/www1.ca.dell.com/ca/en/home/Laptops/alienware-m15x/pd.aspx?refid=alienware-m15x&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1 or
http/www1.ca.dell.com/ca/en/home/Laptops/laptop-alienware-m17x/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-alienware-m17x&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1 (also customizable but I worry about the weight??)
also considered briefly this one http/www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX26925(ME).aspx (reviews there at least are not great). I've read about bios problem with this brand.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop? 4 or more years if possible.


11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?

Blue Ray reader

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.

Alienware, love the looks and loved the performance of my "old" desktop area 51.
IBUYPower, currently is my desktop, love it, no problems at all. Great buy for the price.
Asus, good bang for the buck as well, but I read a review that stated EQ 2 didn't run all that great.
Do not like HP or Acer. Bad past experiences with those in desktops.

13_What country do you live in? Canada


14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.

I'm not a big fan of Dell and unfortunately that's where Alienware is now. I once placed an order for a Desktop from Dell. Salesman sounded like he was from India. He understood my order but suddenly couldn't understand English anymore, when I tried to cancel the order. It was like pulling teeth to have it canceled although, production had not started. I felt a lot of relief when I finally had it canceled. Ordered the Alienware Area 51 (was not owned by Dell at that time).

Any advice I'd very much appreciate. I'm a 5'3" petite female. I'm also a flight attendant so something that doesn't weigh a ton would be great. I already have enough stuff to drag around with me. (although, weight is an area I would give in to if it were really worth it)

Thank you so much in advance for any advice.

 

[lostandwandering]

The Asus G73 and the Battalion 101 W870 are going to be better at gaming than either the G51-3d or the Alienware M15x. The base config on the M17x will give you similar performance the the G73 and W870, but it's going to cost a fair deal more, not worth it IMO.

Also, as a suggestion, shop around for the I Buy Power laptop. It is built off of a Clevo W870 or Sager NP8760 chasis which is sold by a lot of other companies. You may be able to find it for less. That is unless you are happy with the support you have gotten from IBuyPower in the past, then by all means.

 

[Tulips747]

Best answer selected by Tulips747.

 

[Tulips747]

Thank you very much lostandwandering. I made my purchase, went with the Asus G73JH A1. So far so good. Plays my main game just fine (EQ2). It's big and heavy though, so not that great for mobility but a very nice laptop nonetheless.
Thanks again for your opinion.