Solved! Gaming Laptop Advice

[IMontoya]

1. What is your budget? About $1300-1600

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15 or 17

3. What screen resolution do you want? 1080P

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

5. How much battery life do you need? Non factor as I plan on having it plugged in.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? I'd like to be able to run any game at the highest settings without a hitch.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? Photo editing, movies, games.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500gb at the very least.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. I'm currently looking at this model http/www.malibal.com/boutique/pc/configurePrd.asp?idProduct=285

However, the only caveat I have with this, is should I try to shell out for a 485m? Or should I stick it out with the 460m and upgrade at a later date?

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? As long as I can.


11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? Wouldn't mind a Blu-Ray but it isn't a deal breaker.

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. Doesn't necessarily matter which brand it is, as long as the customer support is helpful.

13. What country do you live in? USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. Should I opt for the 2720QM or stick with the 2630QM? Is there a considerable difference between the two and if so is it worth the price? Lastly, should I opt for the hybrid drive? Would I be able to notice a speed increase for some tasks?

Thanks for the help.

 

[WR2]

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? I'd like to be able to run any game at the highest settings without a hitch.

Hello IMontoya;
If that is your goal, and you don't want to be somewhat flexible, that should be a positive indicator to get the GTX 485M.

GTX 485M has roughly the same 3D gaming power as a desktop HD 5830. Or about 15% less GPU power than a desktop GTX 460.
The GTX 460M has about 20% less GPU power than a desktop GTS 450.

 

[WR2]

Looking at the Malibal Lotus you linked it doesn't seem to offer the option to upgrade the GPU to the GTX 485M.

I don't think a CPU upgrade is worth the extra $160. In most games you'll be GPU limited before you're ever CPU limited.
In other applications I think you'd need stopwatch type testing to notice the difference.

Hybrid drive: I haven't heard that Seagate worked out the problems with the Momentus XT hybrid drive yet. But I see there is a new model listed on NewEgg.

Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB old
Seagate Momentus XT STAN500100 500G new
check out some of the customer feedback reviews.

 

[IMontoya]

Thanks for the reply, oops, looks like I linked the wrong model, this is the model I was looking at with the ability to upgrade to the 485m: http/www.malibal.com/boutique/pc/configurePrd.asp?idProduct=279

Reason I would only want the 460M now is just the fact that getting the 485m puts me overbudget; however, the performance in that GPU is very substantial compared to the 460M and I wouldn't have to worry about any capability issues for a while.

As far as the CPU and Hybrid drive units are concerned, I thought as much but I always like to hear the opinion of an expert.

 

[bbgink]

If you prefer the 460M please check these choice :
G73JW-A1 [$1,289.99 with Rebate]: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220861

Qosmio X505-Q8102X [$1,499.99] : http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214279

Qosmio X505-Q8100X [$1,299.99+$9.99 Shipping]: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214177

MSI GT680R-008US [$1,499.99+$14.99 Shipping] : http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152239

 

[IMontoya]

Thanks for the options bbgink, the MSI looks pretty good (unfortunately it's out of stock @ newegg ); however, I am still mulling over the option of getting a laptop with the 485m.