Solved! Gaming Laptop for College ~1800 USD

[Nandu201]

1. What is your budget?

Around $1800 USD willing to push it a little bit.

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

14-15.6"
3. What screen resolution do you want?

1920x1080 preferably but one lower is fine, basically the best i can get for the price.

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

In between honestly, like 7 pounds at most.

5. How much battery life do you need?

2 hours minimum

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)?

Highest settings on starcraft 2, witcher 2, wow, battlefield bad company, and most games coming out soon (IE mass effect 3, skyrim etc.)

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

Programming, Video editing, streaming at times
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?

500gb+ is fine
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

As i am not the one buying it my dad refuses to buy from sager, for reasons unknown to me so thats ruled out. Newegg is probably the most preferred site.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?

I want to keep it throughout college so 4 years minimum.

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

DVD ROM, Blue Ray doesnt matter to me.

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.

Like i said my dad doesnt like sager so thats out, i do like backlighted keyboards although thats not a necessity. Favorite brands are probably dell/alienware/MSI and ive seen all those computers, just trying to see what you guys think is the best bang for my buck.

13. What country do you live in?

USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.

Id like a computer from a reliable brand and something that will last me 4 years without much trouble.

Thanks!

 

[hpfreak]

How about the ASUS G53?
Or Alienware m14?

Those are both well known gaming laptops...


Here are some specs for the Alienware m14x:
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz edit
VIDEO CARD 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
LCD PANEL 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2 edit
WIRELESSHD None edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive edit
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio edit

The subtotal is 1724 US dollars.
It doesn't come in full HD. But it is pretty sweet.


This is bigger then you wanted it to be, but I recommend it:
Asus G74:
http/www.frys.com/product/6684004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG



Now, what I think fits you perfectly is:

ASUS G53:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230030&cm_re=asus_g53sw-_-34-230-030-_-Product


I'll search for more...

 

[hpfreak]

Cyberpower has a nice system to....

http/www.cyberpowerpc.com/cart/showcart.aspx?url=%2fsystem%2fXplorer_X6-9300_Gaming_Notebook&ref=add'

Incase the link doesn't work, here are the specs and price:

•CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Mobile Processor 2.00 GHz 6M Intel Smart Cache, Max Turbo Freq. 2.90 GHz
•HDD: 750GB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive [+70]
•MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-1333 SODIMM Memory [+69] (Corsair or Major Brand)
•MOTHERBOARD: Intel HM65 Chipset Mainboard
•SOUND: Built-in 3D Premium Surround Sound
•VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M 1.5GB GDDR5 PCIe Video

Total: $1,644.00

 

[hpfreak]

Ohh... another one... From iBuyPower:

Subtotal: 1499.99 US Dollars

Battalion 101 CZ-12 [2] Gaming Laptop
1 x Case ( Battalion 101 CZ-12 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 Widescreen LED TFT Laptop w/ HDMI Port, Li-Ion Battery, Universal AC Power Adapter - Original Metallic black )

1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM Mobile Processor (4x 2.30GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )

1 x Memory ( 8GB [4GB x 2] 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM [Laptop Memory] - Corsair or Major Brand )

1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 2GB 3D Video )

1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 500 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Laptop Hybrid Hard Drive with 4GB SSD )

1 x Optical Drive ( 8x Dual Format DVD±R/±RW + 16x CD-R/RW Combo Drive [CZ-12] )

1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( Built-in 3-in-1 Media Card Reader/Writer [Laptop] )

1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )

1 x Network Card ( Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN [Laptop] )

1 x Internal Wireless Network Adapter ( Intel Ultimate-N 6300 a/g/n Wi-Fi Card )

1 x Operating System ( Microsoft Windows 7 Professional + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-bit )

1 x USB Ports ( Built-in 2x USB 2.0 Ports + 1x USB 3.0 Port [Laptop] )

1 x Carrying Case ( Free Deluxe Carrying Case )

0 x Headset ( None )

1 x Video Camera ( Build-in 1.3 Mega Pixels Digital Web Video Camera )

1 x Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard One(1) Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )

1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )

 

[hpfreak]

ahh... Here's another awesome lappy:
http/www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=serial-price&serial=P151HM&promoteid=90000366&screenid=13146702&cpuid=30139603&hdid=40112657&cdromid=20074690&ramid=80117615&batteryid=10140101



Sorry that I'm throwing so much at you, I just found a bunch that are pretty good, and I just decided to show you... well... all of em xD

 

[r3xx3r]

How about the ASUS G53?
Or Alienware m14?

Those are both well known gaming laptops...


Here are some specs for the Alienware m14x:
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz edit
VIDEO CARD 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
LCD PANEL 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2 edit
WIRELESSHD None edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive edit
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio edit

The subtotal is 1724 US dollars.
It doesn't come in full HD. But it is pretty sweet.


This is bigger then you wanted it to be, but I recommend it:
Asus G74:
http/www.frys.com/product/6684004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG



Now, what I think fits you perfectly is:

ASUS G53:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230030&cm_re=asus_g53sw-_-34-230-030-_-Product


I'll search for more...

the alienware m14x wont work the way you have it spec'd out. Dell is telling me that processor needs DDR3 1600MHz, u have 1333MHz. but it only adds $80.

Here is a revised, working M14x:

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
MEMORY 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz edit
VIDEO CARD 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
LCD PANEL 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Advanced-N WiFi Link 6205 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology edit
WIRELESSHD None edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive edit
SOUND OPTIONS Soundblaster® X-Fi™ Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled

$1,819.00

 

[Nandu201]

Hey guys thanks for the awesome replies! Yeah the m14x was the one i was looking at, and i cant buy a non-american brand apparently so that rules out ibuypower and cyberpower . Another thing is, i like the g53s specs but the looks kill it for me, i saw it at best buy and im ok with standard laptops but it just irked me. Im gonna be staring at this laptop for 4 years, i actually also saw this MSI GT683 and it looked very good.

 

[Sequences]

Since you have a significant budget, why not build a nice desktop for all your gaming/intense needs and get a netbook for mobility?

 

[hpfreak]

Well, judging a book by its cover is one of the biggest mistakes that man has ever made... But anyways, I have the G73, the big brother to the G53... And I like the way it looks, but thats preference.
Like Sequences said, Getting a desktop, then having a small netbook for mobility would be a good combo, but on a college campus, I'd guess it'd be safer to have your prize carried around with you...

Okay, Here is a keeper... the AVA Direct Gaming Laptop Clevo P150HM.

It cost 1500 Dollars, it has a Core i7 (2nd gen), Full HD display, 15.6" screen size, you get to choose the graphics card, either a 560, or even a 485m (fastest on the planet.)

Anyways, here is the link to the AVADirect configurator, also, the nice thing about it, it is USA based...

http/www.avadirect.com/gaming-laptop-configurator.asp?PRID=19610

 

[hpfreak]

Well, one question Nandu, you said your budget is 1800 Dollars, does that include tax w/ shipping? Because, otherwise, we should aim lower with the price because your going to pay 100-200 dollars extra for tax... depending on where you live.

 

[Nandu201]

i really like the ava u linked me il certainly add that one to my list! My budget is 1800 after taxes so yeah around 1500-1600 for the actual computer itself. Thanks for all the answers by the way guys ive got alot of new computers to look at now lol. And yeah i hate to judge a book by its cover but i dont like the slant and the extremely straight edges on the g53, i liked the g51 jx alot and it was one of the computers on my list.

Problem with a desktop is that the dorms where im going are a tad small and i dont really want to lug my desktop to college since il be coming home semi frequently and when i do i dont want to be stuck with a netbook. I plan on keeping my custom built gaming pc at home for trips home .

 

[hpfreak]

Yeah, I think you just need to get an all in one... meaning, performance, quality, and mobility. I'd try to configure one in the meantime, to take some work of your shoulders...
I just want to say, 4 years is a loong time to plan to keep a laptop.. .I mean, I have laptops that are 5 years old, 10 years old... but, neither of them are good for anything anymore, they're just sitting in a corner of my room filling up with dust...
You see, technology doubles ever 600 days or so... If you plan on keep the same lappy so long, you won't be able to enjoy the latest games, or softwares at some point, they'd probably still be compatible, but it won't be comfortable using the older system.
That's why its important to get the best of the best of your still going to stick to that plan... Well, this is somewhat irrelevant to the thread (sorry!) I justed wanted to get this factor out of the dougout and onto the field so you'll know what else you need to consider in the long run.

 

[hpfreak]

More

http/www.gentechpc.com/system_dept.asp?dept_id=SD-008