Gaming laptop sub $900

[itendo]

from the outset i am limited in my buying options to brick and mortar stores, or any of the few internet stores that are willing to give out their tax (FEIN) id. (the reason being that i am buying through my employer who offers a computer loan program where they pay for it directly.)

last January i built my first homebrew (i7 920 / ATI 4850) with components purchased through GlobalGOVED.com (part of tigerdirect) and i am going to go through them again since they are one of the few participating vendors.


ANYWAY - im looking to drop about $900 on a gaming laptop for photo editing / manipulation AND world of warcraft (like every other sucker). im basically looking to max the settings as much as possible while maintaining about 45-60fps. i dont expect it to perform like a desktop but i dont want to sacrifice too much. im also not too worried about battery life.

heres two pcs i have lined up:

[ATI Mob. 5470] A50-15616 ::Asus K52Jr-X4 Laptop Computer - Intel Core i5-430M 2.26GHz, 4GB DDR3, 320GB HDD, Blu-Ray/DVDRW, 15.6" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Brown(3.8 lbs) [http/bit.ly/dANudc]
$1,299.99 | - $400.00 | $899.99

[Nvidia 310M] T78-16105 ::Toshiba Satellite A505-S6030 PSAT9U-00K001 Laptop Computer - Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 16" Display, NVIDIA GeForce 310M, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit(10.2 lbs) [http/bit.ly/dhHWUe]
$999.99 | - $20.00 | $979.99

the second one is over budget and i would be willing to spend the extra if it was likely a much better value, but im not so familiar with laptop chipsets (gpu/cpu) and how they bottleneck performance (esp in games). i am hoping to get a good 4 years out of this guy in gaming, photo, and media watching through hdmi/vga to my 42" (1080p). help me learn what makes a good value.

 

[Maziar]

First of all don't expect great gaming experience with either of them(since you saud for 4 years) because both GPUs are considered as low-end ones however GT 310M performs significantly better and can handle games on low(and some on medium settings with a low resolution)
The only option that i found which gives you a significantly faster setup and its worth it would be ASUS G60 but its $999
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+-+Blue/Black/9736955.p?id=1218164036446&skuId=9736955

 

[itendo]

on this kind of budget im definitely not expecting great, what i mean by getting four years out of the machine is more along the lines of it being a reliable build rather than something that will be able to play next-gen games. i mean, im only playing warcraft and not much else. does that clear up what i meant?

i was actually just looking at the asus g72 (best buy: http/bit.ly/6ya2Nm $1000) and the alienware line (dell participates).

thanks for your help.

 

[Maziar]

G72GX is good and has a slightly more powerful VGA but the ASUS G60 one has a better CPU,overall the difference isn't much.
AW laptops all cost more than $1000,if you can pay that money,then definitely take a look at ASUS G73(in bestbuy),it costs $1200
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+-+Black/9741729.p?id=1218165344675&skuId=9741729

 

[itendo]

Best answer selected by itendo.

 

[itendo]

Thanks for the help. Is Asus' warranty/customer service pretty good?

My experience with Dell has always been pretty poor. Basically from Dell, even with the better service plans it has been more effective to DIY or get a local service call.

 

[Maziar]

Since i live in Iran i don't know about the support of either company but judging from customer's reviews it seems ASUS has a better warranty