Looking for a gaming laptop

[Killjoy000]

1_What is your budget?
around 1500

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
would prefer 5-10lbs, 16-18 inch

3_What screen resolution do you want?
hd or hd-friendly

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
again, prefer a little smaller than most "desktop replacement"

5_How much battery life
do you need?
prefer at least 2 hrs

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)?
would like to play DoW2, League of Legends, etc at reasonably high settings. if any FPS, then medium/low settings are ok

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

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?
prefer at least 200gb, not a big deal

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post the links to them.
anything is fine

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?
4-6 years

11_What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
would love a bluray but probably not in my budget

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.
any brands are ok.

13_What country do you live in?
us

14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.

Thanks to all for any suggestions.

 

[godwhomismike]

I would say wait until next week, when HP releases their Core i7 Mobile laptops, and after laptop makers are allowed to sell Windows 7 on their computers.

As of now, I would say looking into the following:

Dell Studio 17 (Base price $1099) Following upgrades bump it to $1525:
Intel Core i7 820QM 1.73GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
17.3” HD+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
500GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)


Dell Studio XPS 16: $1474

Intel ® Core ™ i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Full HD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi MB
ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 – 1GB


Dell Studio 15 (Base $999) Upgrades below $1524

Intel® Core™ i7-820QM Processor (1.73GHz, 8MB Cache, Turbo Boost)
1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
15.6” Full High Definition (1080p) High Brightness LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera/Facial Rec
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570




Other laptop manufacturers should come out with their Core i7 Mobile Notebooks this week, but as of now, Dell has the best pricing.

 

[Killjoy000]

I was looking at the Studio 17. Do you think this card "1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650" is good enough for my needs?

Retailers can sell Windows 7 next week?

 

[Maziar]

Well i know you don't want a 15" model but take a look at SAGER NP8690 it has
Core i7+ GTX 280M which makes it the fastest 15" notebook period,its $100 more but i think its well worth it:
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8690-built-clevo-w860cu-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2659.html

 

[lostandwandering]

Well i know you don't want a 15" model but take a look at SAGER NP8690 it has
Core i7+ GTX 280M which makes it the fastest 15" notebook period,its $100 more but i think its well worth it:
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8690-built-clevo-w860cu-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2659.html

I would recommend it too, but when it's configured with 4gb of RAM, a 7200 RPM HDD, and an OS it's close to $1900. It'd be worth it for the GTX 280M, but don't know if the OP wants to spend that much.

The HD 4650 in the Dell is able to play the majority of today's games at decent settings. Will it be the best experience? No, but it will certainly work. Take a look (scroll down for benchmarks): http/www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-4650.13883.0.html

 

[Killjoy000]

I'm willing to do one of the 1900 resolution 15.6 monitors. I guess the comparison for the Sager is the Alienware 15. I have a 17% off coupon for it. But it doesn't have a 280M, only a 260 I believe. How do you think that comparison is? I hadn't heard of Sager until recently.

 

[lostandwandering]

I'm willing to do one of the 1900 resolution 15.6 monitors. I guess the comparison for the Sager is the Alienware 15. I have a 17% off coupon for it. But it doesn't have a 280M, only a 260 I believe. How do you think that comparison is? I hadn't heard of Sager until recently.

When you configure the two systems out to come as close together as they can get, the Alienware actually comes out more expensive for less performance.

Alienware:
Intel i7 720QM
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
NVidia GTX 260M
15.6'' HD 1600x900 screen
4gb DDR3-1333
320gb 7200rpm HDD

Total: $1924

Sager:
Intel i7 720QM
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
NVidia GTX 280M
15.6'' HD 1600x900 screen
4gb DDR3-1333
320gb 7200rpm HDD

Total: $1867

I left both of them with standard 1 year warranties and whatever stock battery options they came with.

Having used a Sager system for the last 2 years, they would be my choice over Alienware just about every time.

 

[Killjoy000]

Yea it looks like at standard prices, the Sager comes out ahead. But I have a 17% off coupon for the Alienware, so it would be cheaper. If the Alienware were $1750 vs that Sager at 1867, what do you think? Anyone else have an opinion?

More/most importantly, how much better is the 280M than the 260M? You can't get the 280M in the Alienware.

 

[Maziar]

GTX 280M is like 10-15% faster than GTX 260M,if you can afford the SAGER model then go for it,otherwise go for the Alienware

 

[Guest]

For now i would suggest the studio 17 or the xps 16. (The Studio 17) base price $1099 (maxed out) lower than $1500 / the maxed out settings would be 4 core i7 processor (2.8)ghz 17.3 hd widescreen truelife facial recognicion. 1gb hd radeon 4650 blu-ray/dvd/cd drive backlit keyboard for just over $1300 STUDIO XPS 16 more expensive/ just under $1700 for these settings/ 4core i7 processor (2.8 ghz) 15.6 full hd widescreen with face recognicion ( or add $180 for rgb led which has blue red and white pixels to maximize sight and preformance) 1gb hd radeon 4670 blu -ray/dvd/cd drive with backlit keyboard/ leather accent on back. so they are both good laptops with blu ray and 1gb radeon vid cards/ rgb led is nice to have laso on the xps. Alienware would be from over 12 pounds. so those are the specks CHA CHA!

 

[Guest]

LIVE ON PC

 

[godwhomismike]

Yea it looks like at standard prices, the Sager comes out ahead. But I have a 17% off coupon for the Alienware, so it would be cheaper. If the Alienware were $1750 vs that Sager at 1867, what do you think? Anyone else have an opinion?

More/most importantly, how much better is the 280M than the 260M? You can't get the 280M in the Alienware.

Where can I get this 17% coupon?

 

[godwhomismike]

Released today:


HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition series
# • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
# • 3GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# • 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# • 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
# • 15.6" diagonal High Definition LED HP Brightview Widescreen Display (1366x768)
# • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support

Total: $999


HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition series
# • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
# • 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# • 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# • 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
# • 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
# • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support

Total: $1150



HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition series
# • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
# • 3GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# • 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# • 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
# • 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
# • Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer

Total: $1300



HP ENVY 15
# • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
# • 6GB DDR3 System Memory (3 Dimm)
# • 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# • 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4830
# • 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)

Total: $1800

 

[enmaalvb736]

Two questions:

How did you get the 17% off coupon?

The HP Envy is pretty cool, though that ATI 4830, how does it compare to the 260 or 280 from Nvidia?

 

[Maziar]

ATI HD 4850 performs like a GTX 260M,so ATI 4830 should be a little slower

 

[lostandwandering]

^Yeah, I would expect the HD 4830 to be around the GTS 250M in performance.

 

[Killjoy000]

I ended up going with a Dell Studio XPS 16. The nice 16 inch RGB monitor swayed me. It has the i7-720, 4gb of 1333mhz ram, the HD 4670, windows 7 ultimate, 9 cell battery, and bluray drive (with hdmi port). Got it for $1500 after tax and shipping, plus I get a $100 Dell gift card coming back.

I know the graphics card is a bit weaker than I had planned on. But I think the multimedia and cost of this laptop outweighed that downside. I think it'll be a little lighter too (although not sure with the bigger battery).

Thanks to everyone for your help! Much appreciated.

 

[Maziar]

No problem,hope you will enjoy it