Thinking about a new gaming laptop. No rush.

[onewayrun]

I've had a 17" macbook pro for about 5 years now. Have never really been able to play games on it, and now that I have my desktop set up I'm thinking it'd be nice to move on.

1 note before I go really into everything- I LOVE the matte screen on my macbook pro, and it seems most laptops have stopped doing this. No question, it's worth the small loss in contrast/fidelity to have almost no glare. Every time I look at a laptop, for years, I immediately hate the gloss, it's like looking into a mirror!

1. What is your budget?
My budget is the sky- but it'll take time. I'm not in a rush, if it takes me a couple months to save up that little bit extra, no problem. I'd like to stay below 3k for sure, ideal would be the 2k mark.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
I love my 17" screen, wouldn't want to go below 15 or 16." I think 18 would be awesome but my mbp is pretty light so the 17" hasn't been frustrating to move around.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
1080, no questions. If they make higher now, then higher.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable, but I'd like it to have some power. If the gaming doesn't last 5 years, no problem. But I'd like for the laptop to last at least that long.

5. How much battery life do you need?
2-4 hours, it's not too difficult to plug in just about anywhere anymore.

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)?
I'm pretty sure I will waste my entire life away on The Division, and/or Elder Scrolls Online. Would like to try out WatchDogs, big fan of the newest Splinter Cell, Skyrim, Crysis 3. Would like to play on high settings, as long as these games won't look poor, can run very smoothly 60fps+, I'll be happy for the next 5+ years.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Almost entirely gaming. I have a small macbook air I take around for military forms and if I need something small for internet/entertainment. It will, hopefully, last a long time. This will be strictly for vacations/ military schools where it's unreasonable to bring a desktop, deployments, etc.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Have a 250 Samsung SSD in my desktop and I'm in love. I'd like at least 250 ssd, maybe a larger standard HDD for storage but I don't think it's too much of a hassle to delete games I'm not using and keep the ones I am playing. Won't be storing other media on it.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
I'm a fan of newegg/amazon, whatever works.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
I'd hope 5+ years. I doubt the gaming would stay maxed that long, but if I can play the current/upcoming gen games well, I'd be happy. Upgradeability would be nice, but is not a deal breaker.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
They still make dvd drives? Honestly, hardly need a drive at all, but I guess I'd like a bluray for the occasional movie?

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.
I owned an Alienware desktop before they were Dell and I loved them. Have custom built my desktops every since. My current macbook has survived 2 infantry tours to Afghanistan, being bent and then bent back after a helmet dropped about 8 feet onto it while open. I'm interested in tank-style laptops. I can hike a couple hundred pounds, 15 for a laptop is not a big deal.
I'm scared of all these brands I don't know- have been a fan of sony or gateway in the past but it seems there are a hundred brands now. No idea where to start, looking for longevity though.
I will NOT buy a Toshiba. Had a bad experience. About 10 years ago.

13. What country do you live in?
US

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.

If I could build a clean/quiet laptop on my own I would do it. I'm picky as hell and patient. If I can't find the perfect laptop, I won't buy yet.

Any more questions throw them my way!

 

[jaguarskx]

If you want a 17" gaming laptop that is very light for it's size, then consider the Razor Blade Pro 17 for a MacBook Pro like price tag of $2,499. However, due to weight constraints it only has a GTX 765m graphics card. While it is good, you can get a GTX 780m graphics card in a heavier laptop.

http/www.amazon.com/Razer-Blade-Gaming-Laptop-256GB/dp/B00FJT51VK/ref=dp_ob_title_ce


Here is a link to 17.3" laptops at XoticPC.com. The least expensive laptop witha GTX 780m is the MSI FORCE 1763 for $1,634. The most expensive laptop with the GTX 780m is the MSI GT70 2OLWS-683 at $3,099. Nearly all laptops between those prices has a GTX 780m with one exception; the SAGER NP9390-S for $2,201 which has 2x Radeon 8970M graphic cards.

http/www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-laptops-ct-95_51_150.html

If you want an 18" laptop, then you have one choice, the Alienware 18 which has 2x GTX 780m. However, it has a glossy screen.

http/www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-larger-laptops-ct-95_51_166.html

 

[onewayrun]

Wow, I had no idea Razer was making a gaming laptop. Interesting, that's going to require some research. As small as it looks, you'd think heat/noise would be a serious issue though. It looks almost exactly like my macbook pro, but black. Good idea.

Is MSI legit? I have never owned, nor do I know anyone who owns MSI anything. I'm a believer in brands, and getting what you pay for. Would rather pay for a company that does it right and has a reputation for it. Don't know anything about MSI though.

 

[jaguarskx]

MSI was originally an OEM supplier of laptops to other brands before they began selling laptops under their own brand name. Similar to Asus.

Not sure how good MSI's own laptops and support stacks up against the competition, so that is something you must research.

Regarding the Razor, I do know that initially there were some bugs with the multi-function glass mousepad / secondary display. Some of the apps Razor designed to run on that mousepad were a little buggy. Again, you need to research to see what the current situation is with that glass mousepad.

 

[onewayrun]

Thanks for the ideas, research research research.

 

[sora]

MSI is pretty legitimate if you want a 17 inch laptop. If you didn't really care for the screen size I'd go with the Lenovo Y510p.