GAMING LAPTOP FOR CHRISTMAS

[feoieno]

hi guys im new in this forum
so,
I want some GAMING LAPTOP suggestions to buy this christmas.
My budget is MAX 1000 USD
I want a thin and light laptop
Like 14 or 15 inches for PORTABILITY
GT 630M OR GT 650M are two interesting VGAS
The games that i want to play are COD:BO2, Counter strike GO, Assassins creed 3, i really would like to play BF3 but i think with the native resolution nothing in my budget can reach it.
I am really interested in the Samsung Series 7 Chronos (i can buy it for 1000) or the Lenovo Y400

So as the examples i want a very COOL (appearance) and THIN laptop.

Im also lookin for SURFACE PRO, but nobody cant ensure that his I5 with integrated 4000 graphics can handle a game.

THANK YOU ALL.

 

[Simplexity88]

Should be solid.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Y580-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Dawn/dp/B009AEPQDI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353952613&sr=1-1&keywords=lenovo+laptop

 

[feoieno]

Should be solid.

http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Y580-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Dawn/dp/B009AEPQDI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353952613&sr=1-1&keywords=lenovo+laptop

the y580 looks more like a giant brick!
i really want a thin and light laptop even if the specs are a bit worse

 

[the great randini]

options


ASUS U46SM-DS51

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230263



acer?
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215672

 

[KernalPanic]

the y580 looks more like a giant brick!
i really want a thin and light laptop even if the specs are a bit worse

According to Lenovo's site, the Y400 you list and the Y580 are the same weight and thickness.
5.95lbs and 1.4" thick.

This is a quite reasonable weight and thickness. Your "giant brick" description couldn't be furthur from the truth.
Perhaps it just exceeds your personal preferences...

Yes, you can find thinner and lighter, (the Samsung is 0.66 lbs lighter and .46" thinner) but you are going to be dealing with heat issues or lower performance than you list if you go any smaller and try to game for extended periods in this price range.

The Samsung has a 640m, which isn't too much lower than a 650m, but will heat up that much smaller frame fairly quckly.
If you do go lighter, I recommend a laptop cooler for when you want to game.

The Y580 really is the best combination of GPU/CPU/size/price right now, especially if you can find it on sale for $800-850 or less and plop in an SSD to replace the mechanical HDD. (SSD = less power, less heat, slightly less weight than mechanical HDD)

If you truly can get the Samsung for under $1000, (assuming its the 900p and 640m one) then that is a pretty decent deal. With your priorities, it seems the best choice. (link please, it usually retails for $1200)

Most of the time combining "ultralight" and "gaming" gets you a higher price tag than $1000.

 

[feoieno]

According to Lenovo's site, the Y400 you list and the Y580 are the same weight and thickness.
5.95lbs and 1.4" thick.

This is a quite reasonable weight and thickness. Your "giant brick" description couldn't be furthur from the truth.
Perhaps it just exceeds your personal preferences...

Yes, you can find thinner and lighter, (the Samsung is 0.66 lbs lighter and .46" thinner) but you are going to be dealing with heat issues or lower performance than you list if you go any smaller and try to game for extended periods in this price range.

The Samsung has a 640m, which isn't too much lower than a 650m, but will heat up that much smaller frame fairly quckly.
If you do go lighter, I recommend a laptop cooler for when you want to game.

The Y580 really is the best combination of GPU/CPU/size/price right now, especially if you can find it on sale for $800-850 or less and plop in an SSD to replace the mechanical HDD. (SSD = less power, less heat, slightly less weight than mechanical HDD)

If you truly can get the Samsung for under $1000, (assuming its the 900p and 640m one) then that is a pretty decent deal. With your priorities, it seems the best choice. (link please, it usually retails for $1200)

Most of the time combining "ultralight" and "gaming" gets you a higher price tag than $1000.

thanks for the reply,
So, the samsung chronos HERE IN BRAZIL is 2000 REAIS (1000USD), the model comes with a i5 (ivy) and a GT630m 1gb and 6gb of RAM...obviously the performance does not compare to a y400 or y580, but its substatially much thin.
The thing i like in the Y400 is the good looking apearence, the round shape, opposite from the y580 that looks like a old 1999 notebook

Ive seem some comparison GTX 660M and GT 650m and people are saying that they are almost identical (performance) VGAS.

I really don't know what to think because lenovo y400 is the most "beautiful" laptop for the price/performance.
thanks

 

[KernalPanic]

The 640m, 650m, and 660m are all built upon the same GPU.
The 650m and 660m have higher clocks and the possibility of faster GDDR5 RAM instead of DDR3. (The 660m is guaranteed to have GDDR5 and the highest stock clocks.)

Those that claim the 650m is the same as the 660m are those willing to overclock.
The 15% stock difference (assuming GDDR5 in both) isn't a huge difference, but it does help. Due to the fact you are looking at thinner and lighter laptops, I suggest against overclocking due to the additional heat that thinner laptops simply do not have the cooling to handle easily.

There is about a 10-15% difference between 640m, 650m DDR3, 650m GDDR5, and 660m. (with around a 40-45% difference between the 640m and 660m)

The 640m is around 70% (yes 70%) faster than the 630m.
The 630m is little more than a rebrand of the previous generation 540m.

It's clear I cannot give advice on eye-of-the-beholder things like how the laptop looks as our opinions are far different on this matter. (1999 notebooks would make the Y580 look like an ultra-thin)
However, let me caution you on dropping down to the 630m, as you are pretty much giving up on "gaming" laptop if you do.

Even the 650m is almost twice as much GPU as the 630m.

The Y400 is an excellent choice. If it matches what you are looking for physically, its stats are quite decent. Also check out the Y500 which is only marginally larger and would have the option for a full 1080p screen for a very small price difference.

The 630m-equipped Samsung isn't a horrible laptop, it just gives up so much GPU potency that I hesitate to call it a "gaming laptop" by today's standards. I would say its more like an ultra-thin with some gaming capabilities. (which would be outrun by year-old+ budget gaming laptops costing less than $500 like the Asus K53TA)

You might choose to save up for the $1200 640m-equipped Samsung if you really like their laptop looks.

 

[feoieno]

Best answer selected by feoieno.