My first gaming laptop

PENDEMIC

Honorable
Jan 21, 2013
1
0
10,510
I have a budget of 2800 USD. I would really like to spend less than 2500 though.

The brands i like are
Sager
MSI
ASUS
Lenovo
I don't mind robust computers so the design is not a problem.
I avoid gateway, dell, HP, and ACER due to the experience my friends and family have had with them.

The websites i have been navigating include
xoticpc, by far my favorite
maingear
sager
origin
msi
digital storm
NW-falcon
pudget systems
ibuypower
cyberpower

I currently reside in Mexico but will be shipping to Southern California.

I'm looking for a 15'display only. I plan to keep this laptop for 3+years and expect it to run 2013 games.

I'm interested in playing any type of FPS mainly BF3 and Farcry 3. Settings at least medium. 80-100 FPS. Like someone once said playing a game for the graphics is like watching porn for the story. I do not care how much better it could be if i get a desktop.
Besides gaming i will be using my laptop to work with software like solidworks or inventor. That's as far as additional tasks go.

The battery that comes with the computer is good enough i do not care about the battery life.

For my hard drive I want a 750gb with 7200rpm. I also want to place a msata SSD im having trouble deciding if I should use it as an OS drive or for the Intel SRT.


The three laptops that i am interested in are
Xoticpc-Sager NP9150 special edition (first option)
I like this one just because it is less expensive although i like what MSI has included like the Killer e2200, TDE technology, and the audio jacks that have been coated with gold.

Xoticpc-MSI GT60 0NE-403US (second option)
I like the steel series keyboard and the features i stated above.

Maingear Nomad 15 (last option)
I was recommended to use this website although its more expensive i guess because of all the extra stuff they give by default and the warranties. Now correct me if I am wrong but it seems that the Nomad 15 is the MSI GT60 but with maingear branding and stuff.

If any upgrade is necessary in the future which laptop will give me the best flexibility?


This is what i am interested in having on my laptop unless i receive substantial feedback telling to downgrade/upgrade or avoid

- 15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Sager Screen

For the display xoticpc gives another option titled
15.6" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080)
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration

Considering that I'm plan to keep this computer for 3+years should i get these options that i underlined or is this something i can upgrade later, do myself, or should i just avoid this addons.

- 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3840QM (2.8GHz - 3.8GHz, 8MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)
The 3940 seems to expensive.
Is there a big performance leap from the i7 3740 to the 3840. Should i downgrade?

- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU

- nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
I guess it is the best discrete graphics card.

- COPPER COOLING UPGRADE - Extra Cooling Copper Heatsinks Applied to the Heatsink/Heatpipes

- 16GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)

- 128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD - Preconfigured as an OS Drive
For a msata drive im still unsure if this is the best option, i'm just looking for a SSD with decent read and write speeds. 128gb is my max that i would like to have though.
MSI config by default on the xoticpc site manages super-raid, im going to have to call and see if a downgrade is possible. But pretty much i would like your feedback as to what to go for in this case for instance which ssd with its properties, amount of memory, intel, crucial, or OCZ, finally if to set as OS drive or intel srt.

- 750GB 7200RPM [Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache]

- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software

- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3)
I've heard this is the best wireless network card i plan to get a new router to take full advantage of this card when i dont want to be wired.
MSI promotes that it has a killer e2200 network card when sager does not, is this network card better than the one a sager computer has.

- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system

- No Operating System Redline Boost
Again since i will be keeping this laptop for quite some time should i get my system overclocked and my OS redline boosted.

- Windows 8 Professional - 64-Bit (64-Bit CD Included)

I hope you guys can educate me and guide me to the right direction.