Need help to buy new laptop

[swem8]

Hi,

have decided to buy a laptop to use on travels etc.

Budget: Not over 1400USD

Main use: games ( SC2, Mass Effect 3, Diablo3, Guildwars 2), Some "design" works ( illustrator, indesign, photoshop, CAD), Streaming music/films/games,

Dont realy care about battery life.

Screen size 15'' or more.

Dont care about storage size since i will use portable harddrives. Would however prefer faster if possible.

I will like to have atleast 8gig ram since i intend to do a bit of rendering.


Questions:
Do I need i7 to keep up with the games/programs I intend to use or will i5 do the trick. How much more do i have to pay to get i7 instead of i5.

Is SSD an option with my budget or is it still WAY too expensive?

What brands do ppl prefer? Should i stay away from any?


All help is much appreciated! Tips on specific laptops or just inputs.

Thanks alot!

/erik

 

[AntiZig]

Hello,

gaming brand laptops we recommend here are typically:
Clevo (Sager), Asus and MSI

Alternatives would be Dell alienware and Toshiba Qosmio series, since they do come with gaming GPUs.

In regard to i5 vs i7, for now, I think you'll be fine with i5, but say in 4 years you might not be.

SSD, well it all depends on the size of the ssd, 128 gb is around $200. So if you find a decent model for $1100 going with an ssd upgrade DYI solution is the cheapest option.

regarding what people prefer, well thats personal preference, so I don't see why you are asking other person's preferences without expressing yours. Some people like backlit keyboard and shiny lights, they go with Alienware/MSI, so people like sturdy bland look because it looks solid, those people pick Asus or Sager. Other people base their preferences on other features different manufacturers/vendors provide, it's up to you to do the research and figure out what matters to YOU.

 

[AntiZig]

As far as recommendations,
Asus G54/74 are 15" and 17" gaming laptops (if I recall correctly there were G74 on sale for around $1200)
Sager NP8150/8170 - same thing 15" and 17" models from Clevo can be picked up for about $1k depending on features.

Here's a good reference website, you can get pricing idea and component options:
www.xoticpc.com

 

[bbgink]

My choice is $1,299.99 TOSHIBA Qosmio X775-Q7272
Intel Core i7 2630QM(2.00GHz) 17.3" 6GB Memory 2 x 500GB HDD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214394

 

[gamer25]

here

http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/64364-35-best-laptop-gaming-2000

 

[swem8]

Thanks for all the help,

thinking about those 2:

ASUS N53SN; Upgraded to 16 gig ram

or

ASUS N75SF;

Any thoughts on them?

/thx