So right now I have my sights set on the Razer Blade 14 (hence the budget).
I'd like to know what other options I have at that price range, as well as what I would be sacrificing/gaining compared to the Razer Blade 14. If you guys can rate other laptops in the qualities below compared to the Razer Blade 14 (let's say the Blade is a "7" in all categories), that would be great! And it would simplify the conversation quite a bit.
Here are my priorities in descending order of importance:
Size
Both thinness and screen size. This is my #1 priority, which is why the Razer Blade is my #1 choice right now. My main use for this laptop will be for work, and I will be traveling a lot (~1-2 weeks a month). This reason alone rules out a laptop like the Alienware 14. Thinness is more important than weight, and I'm not looking for anything with a screen larger than 15". This is one quality I will pay extra for, so I might not even consider much cheaper laptops if they are also much thicker.
Battery Life
Combines with size for overall portability. The longer the better; anything that gets below 5 hours with non-gaming usage (e.g. WiFi, 70% brightness, 2.5 hours HD movie playback, light web browsing, no gaming) need not apply. A swappable/extendable battery is a plus.
Build Quality / Physical Resilience
Since I'll be traveling, this laptop needs to be able to survive heavier-than-normal wear and tear. It should also have a good quality keyboard and trackpad (the MacBook clickpad is the gold standard; I've tried the Razer's and apart from not being a clickpad, it's very close), since my most common use for this computer will be typing.
CPU Power
i7 minimum. At home, I'll be using this as a kind of transcoding station, converting and editing a ton of videos off my NAS, which means I'll need a really powerful CPU to burn through those tasks quickly.
Overall Gaming Performance
TBH, not a super-high priority, but high enough that I'm willing to spend money for it. If it plays Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite, StarCraft II, Dragon Age Origins, and the Witcher II on high to ultra quality at 30+ fps, I'll be happy.
SSD
I would like it to have some sort of SSD drive, 256GB SSD minimum or 512GB SSD preferred. I have a 10TB NAS RAID at home, so a second larger HDD is nice, but not necessary.
Display
I'm not picky. 1080p IPS would be great, but the Razer's 900p TN display is good enough.
I'd like to know what other options I have at that price range, as well as what I would be sacrificing/gaining compared to the Razer Blade 14. If you guys can rate other laptops in the qualities below compared to the Razer Blade 14 (let's say the Blade is a "7" in all categories), that would be great! And it would simplify the conversation quite a bit.
Here are my priorities in descending order of importance:
Size
Both thinness and screen size. This is my #1 priority, which is why the Razer Blade is my #1 choice right now. My main use for this laptop will be for work, and I will be traveling a lot (~1-2 weeks a month). This reason alone rules out a laptop like the Alienware 14. Thinness is more important than weight, and I'm not looking for anything with a screen larger than 15". This is one quality I will pay extra for, so I might not even consider much cheaper laptops if they are also much thicker.
Battery Life
Combines with size for overall portability. The longer the better; anything that gets below 5 hours with non-gaming usage (e.g. WiFi, 70% brightness, 2.5 hours HD movie playback, light web browsing, no gaming) need not apply. A swappable/extendable battery is a plus.
Build Quality / Physical Resilience
Since I'll be traveling, this laptop needs to be able to survive heavier-than-normal wear and tear. It should also have a good quality keyboard and trackpad (the MacBook clickpad is the gold standard; I've tried the Razer's and apart from not being a clickpad, it's very close), since my most common use for this computer will be typing.
CPU Power
i7 minimum. At home, I'll be using this as a kind of transcoding station, converting and editing a ton of videos off my NAS, which means I'll need a really powerful CPU to burn through those tasks quickly.
Overall Gaming Performance
TBH, not a super-high priority, but high enough that I'm willing to spend money for it. If it plays Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite, StarCraft II, Dragon Age Origins, and the Witcher II on high to ultra quality at 30+ fps, I'll be happy.
SSD
I would like it to have some sort of SSD drive, 256GB SSD minimum or 512GB SSD preferred. I have a 10TB NAS RAID at home, so a second larger HDD is nice, but not necessary.
Display
I'm not picky. 1080p IPS would be great, but the Razer's 900p TN display is good enough.
/www.msi.com/product/nb/GT60-2OC.html#specification
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