Solved! Need help finding a laptop for gaming/school!

[chineseswashbuckler]

1_What is your budget?

-900-1000 after all the fees. I live in sf, ca so that's 9.5% tax and that energy tax and w.e. other tax and shipping.

2_What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?

-15'-17'

3_What screen resolution do you want?

Pref 1920x1080.

4_Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?

Desktop replacement and portable. Weight isn't an issue with me, I'm a 200 pound 6 foot dude, I care about performance.

5_How much battery life do you need?

Doesn't matter, will be plugged in all the time.

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)?

Aion Online US. High settings; low settings look yucky.

http/www.aionsource.com/topic/5392-aion-closed-beta-system-requirements/

LFD2. High settings pref. Low settings okay.

http/www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=617&game=Left%204%20Dead%202

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

-Movies (Do not need blu ray, i have an external blue ray player)
-Regular Schoolwork (Have a copy of MS Office 2007 already)

8_How much storage (H.D.D Capacity) do you need?

500GB 7200RPM

9_If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

10_How long do you want to keep your laptop?

2 years minimum.

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

CD/DVD player/burner

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.

Brands considering:
Dell
HP
Asus
Sony VAIO

Brands I will consider
lenovo: I've used IBM (lenovo) brand products for a while. I know everyone says they are a reputable brand. I think it's solidly built, but their designs are horrible imo. I would have to get a super good deal for me to buy lenovo.
Toshiba: I don't know anything about their performance and their long lastability.

13_What country do you live in?

USA

14_Please tell us any additional information if needed.

-Is i5 and i7 processors have a noticible difference? Are they future proof for another two years?
-Glossy screen>matte
-Regular keyboard buttons>Glossy buttons
-Webcam would be cool.
-Style>brand.

 

[prem_k]

Try ASUS N61JQ-X1. It's available on Newegg for $999 + $14.83 shipping.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220696

 

[exela]

You can check alienware , you can get something nice woth 800-1000$ from what i know.

 

[chineseswashbuckler]

i'm liking the asus n61, anyone else have options?

Alienware just doesn't give me enough bang for the buck. I could get others models way stronger for my price range.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[kndrwllmsn]

I would agree with chinesewashbuckler about Alienware...notoriously high prices for laptops that are known to not be well built units.
Other than that..."brand" honestly doesn't matter one bit...all laptop parts come from the same place and computer companies just slap their brand name on. The only thing that differs is appearance and quality of customer service.
Just do a lot of research and compare laptops closely. All you really need to worry about is: hard drive space, RAM, what operating system you prefer, and the graphics card! (and if you're really picky on the display itself.)
Hard drive space: try for 500 GB or if you can find it cheap: 128 solid state drive
RAM: 4 Gb will cut it, try 6 if it's still in the price range
OS: Find the one you like a stick to it: XP, Vista, Windows 7...having the newest doesn't mean it's the best.
Graphics Card: just make sure it's a dedicated graphics card. a 512MB is perfectly fine for most pc games. And between Nvidia and ATI- it's really just preference.
Between the i5 and i7...don't be excessive you don't need these processors to run games...trust me. My laptop from 3 years ago is still trucking it out with anything I throw at it (except Crisis).
Good luck with a laptop! ---maybe think about investing in a desktop/netbook combo, since desktops are upgradeable.

 

[jetbruceli]

I have always suggested people to get Gaming low cost notebooks from
IBUYPOWER
http/www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_CZ-11_Ultra_Gaming_Notebook

I have been deployed twice and needed a notebook to do it all but be portable.
Alienware just seems to suck up your money for the same product you can find at
ibuypower.

Newegg has some good deals there too.
Good luck!

 

[Avro Arrow]

http/www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/60098-20-general-laptop-advice