Help with choosing a gaming laptop

[ramalpan]

Hello, I am looking for a gaming laptop and my budget is about $1300.
There have been several gaming laptops I have seen but I am having a hard time choosing which is the best for me.
I am not really a big fps gamer and I tend to play more RTS games like Supreme commander Forged alliance and Total war games. I also would like the laptop to be 6 pounds or less and to be somewhat thin. I would also prefer the laptop to have a decent battery life. At least 3 hours or more when I am not gaming.

The laptops I was considering are:
ASUS G550JK-DS71
http/www.xoticpc.com/asus-g550jkds71-preorder-p-7121.html

the Lenovo y50
http/shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50/

MSI Apache pro 033 (or any other apache pro which might be better)
http/www.xoticpc.com/msi-ge60-apache-pro003-p-6958.html

Asus N550JV-DB72T (or any asus that is similar to this model)

As I usually play Supreme commander the most the CPU is also important
Most laptops I see use the i7 4700HQ, how good a cpu is this and is there a better i7 which i should look for. I'm finding it hard to understand the difference between the mobile i7.


Help is appreciated!

 

[Prostar Computer]

Hey ramalpan,

All three of those are pretty good laptops. The Asus probably has the best cooling capability. Their G750s might be worth a look; more powerful, although they may be too heavy for what you're looking for. The 4700 is a good CPU, and it will treat you well in gaming. With the current generation of i7 (Haswell), a rule of thumb is that the higher the number, the more powerful the processor (4700xQ, 4800xQ, 4810xQ, 4900xQ, 4910xQ, etc.). Often the increase in performance is simply from a higher clock speed, but the 4900 and up will offer more cache as well.

 

[ramalpan]

Hey ramalpan,

All three of those are pretty good laptops. The Asus probably has the best cooling capability. Their G750s might be worth a look; more powerful, although they may be too heavy for what you're looking for. The 4700 is a good CPU, and it will treat you well in gaming. With the current generation of i7 (Haswell), a rule of thumb is that the higher the number, the more powerful the processor (4700xQ, 4800xQ, 4810xQ, 4900xQ, 4910xQ, etc.). Often the increase in performance is simply from a higher clock speed, but the 4900 and up will offer more cache as well.

So which asus were you suggesting? Also is it worth swapping out the HDD for a SSD. The website I was thinking of buying from gives you the choice of a primary hardrive

 

[Prostar Computer]

Consider the Asus you mentioned (or one of their G750 models). The Asus laptop will almost definitely run cooler than the others you mentioned. And yes: SSDs are definitely worth it. Just bear in mind the price per GB is much higher. If you need a lot of capacity, consider a two drive set up (one SSD + one HDD) or go with a large SSD if possible.

 

[ramalpan]

Consider the Asus you mentioned (or one of their G750 models). The Asus laptop will almost definitely run cooler than the others you mentioned. And yes: SSDs are definitely worth it. Just bear in mind the price per GB is much higher. If you need a lot of capacity, consider a two drive set up (one SSD + one HDD) or go with a large SSD if possible.

If I do choose to swap out the hdd with an ssd does it void my warranty if i open up the laptop? It will be easy to install windows 7 right, whether it is on a swapped in SSD or an HDD.


BTW thanks for all the help!

 

[Prostar Computer]

Usually no. We customize G750s here and I know that even if an end user adds/replaces a drive, the warranty is not void. Just keep in mind that if the drive is not from Asus, they won't service it (or they'll replace it and you might lose it) under their warranty.

Installing Windows 7 is a little tricky on Windows 8 systems. Since Windows 8 keys are hard coded into the BIOS nowadays, you have to enable CSM and disable Secure Boot in the BIOS setup first. In some cases, you might need to convert the drive to a MBR type disk as well. Once you've got that done, you can install 7 (and it installs fast to SSDs).

And you're welcome! I'm glad I can help.