Practical Gaming laptop for a student on a budget

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
0
10,510
TL;DR
I want a mildly compact laptop with no larger than a 15.6 inch display, 4th or preferably 5th gen i7 CPU for multitasking, no less than an nVidia 960m GPU, the ability to expand storage and memory if needed, decent build quality able to withstand everyday usage, and around $1,500. Recommendations?

Preferred Brands: Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Lenovo
Brands I'm avoiding: Acer, Alienware, HP, boutique built brands (Cyberpower, iBuypower, etc.)

I am a freshman college student needing a laptop.
Screen: I need it to be compact as I will be carrying it around to classes every day, so no 17+ inch displays, 15.6 inch IPS is the sweet spot.
CPU: I am a Chrome taboholic, and love running multiple programs at once, also I am going to be majoring in Computer Science so I would like to have an i7, no Core-Ms.
GPU: I do light to medium gaming, Cities: Skylines, Terraria, Chivalry, and a few FPS titles, so a personal requirement is a discrete graphics card, preferably in the GTX 900 family.
Memory: 8 Gb or greater of RAM is definitely a must in gaming for me. Even better if expandable.
Storage: I would like at least a Tb and if at all possible expandable drive options(M.2, 2.5 inch, etc.)

Having built my own rig a little while ago, I come from a PC enthusiast point of view and would like to be able to tinker with the internals. If I can buy a cheaper laptop and upgrade the internals later while not missing out on a processor or graphics chip, that would be ideal. And of course I always appreciate good craftsmanship and premium materials...metal casing, nice keyboard and mouse pad, a plethora of ports, decent battery life, but I know at my price point things come at a cost and can make sacrifices.

Feel free to ask any questions and recommendations are certainly welcome!
 

Eximo

Distinguished
Herald
Your requirements aren't quite compatible with each other. Certainly not on any student budget.

Such a PC would be well over $2,000 (and likely be in that 17" range you don't want)

With rare exception it will have to have "M" class processor (though that term is confusing with Intel's latest naming scheme)

HQ, MQ, and MX processors are commonly found in gaming and professional level laptops.

If you want to be able to tinker, then Clevo chassis are your best option. You can get a desktop processor in a laptop that way, but this makes the machine a lot less sleek and portable. The link below will get you a desktop class processor, a GTX970m, and your 15.6" IPS display, but it starts at $1500.

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9752-clevo-p750zm-p-7850.html?wconfigure=yes
 

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
0
10,510
eximo, I believe my requirements are certainly compatible. The best example I can find is the Lenovo Y50 with a 15.6"/960m/i7/8Gb/1Tb/@$1,149... http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50/
I know it sounds like I'm answering my own question, but I just wanted to make sure I exhaust all my options before dropping the money, so I decided to ask the community.


 

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
0
10,510
filippi, I looked at the GT series and they do interest me, however I took a look at them at one of my local electronics stores and they are just a bit too chunky for everday carry in my opinion. Maybe if they had modified that DVD slot on the side it would be slimmer, but I think GE62 is just as capable in a smaller form factor...there might even be a 970m GE62 floating around out there, but I can't find it for sale? o_O


 
The only laptop I can think of is the new razor blade with the 1080p display. That should be able to play the games you have said and it is very light. I don't know how long it will last due to the thinness. But the upgradability in this laptop is terrible. If you don't mind that, then I would go for this laptop.
 

filippi

Honorable
Oct 18, 2012
159
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10,710


So why not get the MSI GE Series GE62 w/ a GTX 965M 2 GB. It is the form factor you like w/ a very good gpu for the games you play. And its $200 less than your OP budget.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152711&cm_re=GE62-_-34-152-711-_-Product

See http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-965M.134120.0.html

Performance

Thanks to the increased efficiency, the GeForce GTX 965M performs similar to the previous Kepler-GPU GeForce GTX 870M (1344 shader, 192-bit GDDR5). The more expensive, also Maxwell-based GTX 970M (1280 shader, 192-bit GDDR5) is a further 35 to 40 percent faster. Overall, the GTX 965M is fast enough to run demanding games as of 2014/2015 with high details and FullHD resolution. In some titles, even additional quality features like anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering are possible.
 

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
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10,510
The Razer Blade would definitely be on my list if it wasn't for the price. It meets all my requirements, but if I even wanted to get near my price I would have to get a model with a 765m at $1,700. It's just not worth it to me. Thanks though!


 

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
0
10,510
I am definitely considering the GE62 w/ 965m along with the Gigabyte P35w v3 and the Lenovo y50 w/960m. These are probably on the very top of my list.
I just would like to know the quality of each of them. MSI's strong suit seems to be their outer shell build quality and the Steel Series keyboard, the Gigabyte option allows a 970m under $1500 and is said to have a great screen, while Lenovo is known for their keyboard quality, and is the cheapest option, but doesn't have that great of a screen.

Have you had any experience with these laptops?
Any input is appreciated!


 

filippi

Honorable
Oct 18, 2012
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10,710


You really did your home work :D

The strong point about MSI gaming notebooks would be the build quality. This is really important for students because the equipment usually travels a lot. I never saw a single complain here about that matter so should be a safe bet.

Good luck mate :D
 

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
0
10,510
Hah, yea I like to know exactly what I'm buying before I drop the cash. Thanks for the discussion and suggestions!


 
I was talking about the new one with the gtx 970m.


 

decimalpoint

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
8
0
10,510
Like I mentioned before, this would be my dream laptop...Slim, light, powerful, but it all comes in at a price that is waaaaaaaay over my budget of $1,500. If you know anyone that is selling their's for that much, please get me in touch. Otherwise, I doubt that the Razer Blade with the 970m will ever touch $1,500.


 
OK will do.