Can someone refer a good gaming LAPTOP?

[Midnight]

My hardrive is going on my old lap top and I need a new laptop. I don't currently have the amenities for a desktop, so I have to stick with laptop. FA Zire and FA Revenant helped a bunch (thx guys) but I want to get some more opinions and feedback. Any help would be nice. I am not proficient on gaming technology and so forth...

[Levi]

How much you looking to spend is where we need to start.

[FiveMagic]

Whats your price range?

 

Edit: lol, ninja'd

Edited September 6, 2012 by FiveMagic

[putts]

what are the specs on the current laptop?

what do you plan on doing with the laptop?

Edited September 6, 2012 by putts

[Midnight]

I guess that is a little important. My price range is not to exceed 1000 USD, but I don't mind spending a few hundred more.

 

Right now my lap top is a Dell Vostro 1500 with Windows XP and 160GB of RAM. I don't know the specs on the cards but I think it is a Nvidia GEforce. I am looking to use the new laptop primarily for gaming and photos, but occassionaly school work and internet research. But again primarily gaming with games like COD, Halo 4, Assassins Creed, Mass Effect etc. High demand games that require a lot of visual and sound dynamics. I care more about visual then sound however. It needs to have a good memory because I tend to save more to the computer than actual external storage units.

 

Thanks guys!

[ajnl]

Could check out the Dell XPS ultrabooks. A friend of mine has one and loves it. He plays games like Starcraft 2 on it.

 

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-l321x/pd?ref=1733brandName

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-14-l421x/pd?ref=1733brandName

 

Dell also have some summer clearance at the moment. And you can check out any student discounts they may have.

 

http://www.dell.com/us/p/performance-laptop-deals?ref=usen-deals-tile&c=us&l=en&s=dhs

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2012 by ajnl

[+fluffybunny+]

If your looking for mainly a gaming laptop then Alienware has some of the best. I'm adding a link for the Alienware M14x. Most AW laptops are very pricey, however this one is modestly priced for a lot of band for your buck. Between $1000 and $1700 depending on the specs you want. Check it out. Hope this helps you in the right direction.

[ajnl]

If your looking for mainly a gaming laptop then Alienware has some of the best. I'm adding a link for the Alienware M14x. Most AW laptops are very pricey, however this one is modestly priced for a lot of band for your buck. Between $1000 and $1700 depending on the specs you want. Check it out. Hope this helps you in the right direction.

 

I think Alienware is overpriced for its specs. But they are awesome computers for sure.

 

bang* for your buck

Edited September 6, 2012 by ajnl

[Quovadis]

@ AJ

Depends on what deals you get . I got my desktop at 3000$ ( was 4500$) . Even ibuypower.com couldn't beat that price .

 

IMO buy from www.ibuypower.com or get a deal on AW

Edited September 6, 2012 by QuoVadiS

[Levi]

What's your current processor speed?

[ajnl]

You can also check out ASUS laptops. A friend of mine just bought a similar one to this one.

[rolf]

What do you want to do else on it, besides gaming? Do you take it to school/work every day? Do you require some battery time, or is 2 minutes enough. What screensize do you want?

 

 

If only gaming, look for the best GPU there is within 1000$ range. The Alienware M14x as Fluffybunny said is possible for 1000$, where every upgrade is possible but not necessary. The only upgrade I personally would do, is the screen with higher resolution (+75$). The 1GB of the GPU is sufficient, upgrading CPU is almost never necessary, if 6GB is not enough upgrade it yourself, etc. That Alienware M14x has a Nvidia GTX 650M. Higher than a 650M you won't get in a laptop for sub1000$.

 

Another 14" laptop is the Lenovo Y480, which has a 640M but has better other specs, mainly if you use it for other things than gaming. Unfortunately, you can't upgrade the screen here. But many have the idea thet Lenovo is incredibly better than Dell/Alienware, so it can be an option.

http://www.tigerdire...3565&CatId=4938

 

The Asus N56VM ajnl posted is quite nice, but has a Nvidia 630M. The one I think he meant is the Asusm N56VZ, which has a way better 650M, (roughly twice as fast), but costs unfortunately a bit more.

 

If size doesn't matter, you can get a 17" with 640M for about 820$ from http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834215541 Unfortunately, since this is an Acer, I wouldn't recommend it. There even exists one with a 650M for sub1000$, but it still remains an Acer.

 

If you feel that build-quality matters, and you don't want such 'present' Alienware, you might consider the Sony SVS serie. For example the 15" http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834127681 for 950$ or 13" http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834127679 for 1050$, both with Nvidia 640M LE. (lower edition or something, not better).

 

 

Since I've talked a lot about the Nvidia 650M and 640M, both close to the range you're looking at, here is a "short" comparison review: http://www.notebookc...List.844.0.html There is a list of AMD cards as well, but I don't know anything about AMD cards and secondly, Nvidia offers Optimus, an technology that switches automatically to the Intel GPU for power saving (if not gaming...) which gives a way better battery life.

 

 

Personally, since screen resolution matters for me more than gaming, I would buy the Sony (good build quality, Full HD screen) or a tie between Alienware (good screen, good GPU) vs Lenovo (best build quality). If you prioritize gaming more than I would, the Alienware would be the best choice. I don't really like the laptops of Asus, the quality varies a lot, and Acer has absolutely no build quality.

 

Also a very personal note: laptops are not meant for gaming. In most laptops the build quality is quite worse and a huge GPU will put a lot of additional presure on it. I would always buy a business-notebook because of the perfect build quality, but unfortunately that does not give you the option to include a cheap Geforce 650M or so, only quadro's which multiplies the price by two. Really really think whether you need a laptop for gaming before buying one. And more importantly, within 2 years your laptop is (likely to be) outdated. It is that I required a very good laptop know, but I know that in less than two years I'll be carying 3+ kg laptop around which has an equal performance to 2- kg laptops.

[rolf]

Update: Hmz, I just found another one, slightly more than 1000$, but the Dell Precision M4600. Only a few disadvantages, the basic set is quite empty. But (and I promise you this), upgrading the memory is easy (costs only 50$ for 8GB if you do it yourself), hard disk can be replaced easily once you want to, and I suggest to upgrade the screen initially (+50$). The gaming performance is between a 640M and a 640M LE with the Ati card (The Quadro 2000M is slightly slower in gaming).

 

In terms of build quality, with the Dell Precision you could slack all other laptops in half while killing the owners of the laptops in ET. Also, 3 year guarantee.

[TulsaGeoff]

You need to have a dedicated graphics cards... Those Ultrabooks do not... I've owned a 17" laptop before and they are huge. If you are wanting to move this thing around like to class, I'd recommend a 15". A 17" is still pretty small for gaming so I'd recommend a external monitor. 22" seems to be the normal gaming size.

 

A desktop will always last longer, be upgradable, and be faster at a given price point than a laptop.

Edited September 10, 2012 by TulsaGeoff

[LA_Kings_Fan]

You can also check out ASUS laptops. A friend of mine just bought a similar one to this one.

 

I second this suggestion ... especially check out Asus's ROG (Republic of Gamers) line ... you can't go wrong with ASUS ROG stuff !

 

I don't really like the laptops of Asus, the quality varies a lot ...

 

I also have to caution what rolf does here ... stick with the Asus's ROG (Republic of Gamers) line ! their basic line of products is JUNK compared to the ROG line,

which is BUILT FOR GAMERS BY GAMERS ! PRO-Gamers use ASUS ROG stuff

 

http://youtu.be/wONaeMn66uY

http://rog.asus.com/

 

http://rog.asus.com/.../17-inch/g75vw/

One BAD ASS Laptop { CPU: Intel Core-i7 3610QM, GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX670M 3GB, RAM: 16GB of DDR3 RAM, HDD: 256GB SSD and a Hybrid 1TB HDD, Optical Drive: Blue Ray/ DVD Read and Write Combo Drive, Screen: 17.3” 1920 x 1080 Full HD, LED backlit LCD }

For Sale @ http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834230409 = $2,100.00 SOLD OUT

For Sale @ http://www.amazon.co.../ref=pd_cp_pc_0 = $1,970.00 Expensive but will rival many Desktops

For Sale @ http://www.amazon.co...k/dp/B007MW73C2 = $1,350.00 Slightly Cheaper model, downgraded GPU, CPU, HDD's, but makes it in your Price Range ?

 

Cheaper options =

17" = http://rog.asus.com/.../17-inch/g74sx/ , http://rog.asus.com/.../17-inch/g73jw/ , http://rog.asus.com/.../17-inch/g73jh/

15" = http://rog.asus.com/.../15-inch/g55vw/ , http://rog.asus.com/.../15-inch/g53jw/ , http://rog.asus.com/.../15-inch/g53sx/

 

Asus Laptops for sale @ Amazon.com = http://www.amazon.co...&pf_rd_i=565108

Edited September 10, 2012 by LA_Kings_Fan