Looking for a light gaming laptop

andrewjeon9

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May 25, 2014
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Hey guys. I'm looking for a light gaming laptop. Here are my requirements.

Weight: It has to be portable. It should be less than 8 pounds.

Games: I need it to run TF2, League of Legends, Maplestory (if you know what that is), and some other games without any lag. I don't need it to run the really big games like Crysis 3 or Watchdogs. Like I said, a light gaming laptop.

Battery: NEEDS to have decent battery life maybe 5+ hours while light browsing over wi fi with nvidia optimus technology

Price: I need it to be under $2500. I am willing to go up a just a little if it is necessary. I want my gaming laptop to be premium and have a good price.

Brands: NO ALIENWARE.

Screen: 15", or 17" Needs at least 1920 by 1080 display

I need it to be sexy and slim. Its okay if it is between thick and slim.

I appreciate all answers. Please respond. Thank you so much!!!!

 
Solution

pyro226

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Sep 22, 2011
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I didn't even realize that TomsGuide was related to this laptopmag.com Look specifically at their "Portable" options.
http://www.laptopmag.com/gaming-laptops.aspx

Feel Free to read below, but I think the above will help narrow down your choices. This is all what I typed out before finding the above article.
Well, you have a very high budget for something that does light gaming. I first checked the graphics card section of Tom's Hardware because I remembered they had a laptop chipset review a while ago.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-800m-graphics-performance,3800.html

I had a feeling that the 880M was going to go over budget, so I didn't really check the 880M and only checked the 870M. I came across the MSI GT60. It's starts at $1400 and will play most modern games well. Battery life is a bit on the short end (4 hours medium brightness when browsing). Just search GT60 on newegg.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-MSI-GT60-Dominator-Notebook.116067.0.html

The alternative if you want better battery life is to look at notebookcheck's Purchase Consultation. It will allow you to select several options and read through reviews of the laptops.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Purchase-Consultation.13212.0.html
 

pyro226

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Sep 22, 2011
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Solution

pyro226

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No, I don't own a gaming laptop. I do own a regular laptop though (from when I started college in 2009). Lenovo Thinkpad SL500 running a Core 2 Duo and Intel integrated graphics (not that great).

I prefer desktops since they're always set up, easy to add or replace parts, better bang for the buck and I don't need portability. Back about 3 years ago, I built a gaming desktop for ~650 using an I5-2400 & Radeon 6850. Built it to play Starcraft 2 :D Probably a little overkill for what I needed since I mainly play campaign, but it still works nice. I'm not a heavy gamer. Switching from XP to Windows 7 was a huge performance boost in games due to better graphics card performance (as expected).
 

andrewjeon9

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May 25, 2014
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I looked at reviews of the msi ghost and stealth and people all said that they had really bad touchpads, audio, and battery life. They say that the laptop lasts for like 3 hours and laptopmag says it lasts for 5 hours. I dont know who to trust. The Msi ghost looks like a wonderful laptop, but those flaws are a dealbreaker for me. Do you have any more laptop suggestions? Sorry that i'm asking you so much :(
 

pyro226

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LaptopMag say that they test the laptops at 100nits of brightness which is around 30-40% of full brightness setting while web surfing.

More often than not, gamers get a separate mouse or a rollerball mouse and a nice headset. But for general use, a good touchpad and speakers are definitely nice.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Update-Asus-Zenbook-UX302LG-C4014H-Ultrabook.112008.0.html
Speakers are described as a bit "tinny and lacking base", but "above average". The trackpad is described as nice though. Battery life is around 6.5 hours from what I read. Weaker are graphics than the laptops previously listed though.

Basically, search best gaming laptops on google or best ultrabooks and limit the results to the past few months (Search Tools > Anytime change to a custom date). Look for the top 10 lists and see what fits your needs. Then look at reviews. If you want to compare graphics, use notebookcheck.net, videocardbenchmark.net, and TomsHardware.
 

pyro226

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Yes, they did make an Asus UX301. From what I just looked up on it, it has a nice display, but it Intel Integrated 5200 Iris graphics. Battery life is good when idle or using wifi with lowered brightness, but terrible when running "full loads" (survives only 55 minutes).

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-Zenbook-Infinity-UX301LA-Ultrabook.103027.0.html
http://www.cnet.com/products/asus-zenbook-ux301la-dh71t/

Unless you get a good deal, I don't think it would be worth it.
 

andrewjeon9

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May 25, 2014
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Do you know more gaming laptops? The ASUS ux302 looked pretty good but it had a 13.3 inch screen. Those screens are too small for me and i need 15" or bigger. Thank oyu for your awesome answers. Also, do you recommend the razer blade pro 2014?
 

pyro226

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Reviews say the 2014 Pro version has a shorter battery life (around 4.5 hours). The rest of the specs are fine though.
http://www.cnet.com/products/razer-blade-14/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2107281/hands-on-updated-razer-blade-and-blade-pro-laptops-still-slim-more-supercharged.html

Looks like it is going to be difficult to find one with the right balance. My first thought is if that's the only downfall, an external batttery pack may work, but it's adding weight, something to keep track of, and cost. Most gaming laptops only have batteries that last 4 hours if even.

The blade 14" has 6 hours battery, but the screen is smaller than what you wanted. It still has the high res display though.
 

andrewjeon9

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May 25, 2014
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I was talking about the razer blade PRO 2014 edition laptop. You know, the 17 inch laptop? I don't think anyone said how much battery life it had.

Also, in your third paragraph, are you talking about the razer blade 2014 or the razer blade 2013? The blade 2013 has 6 hours of battery life but it has a 1600 by 900 display too. Thats not that high res. The blade 2014 has a high res display but only has about 4 hours of battery.
 

pyro226

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You're right. Sorry, I got them confused. :(
 

andrewjeon9

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Thats the dell xps 15 2013, but there is another one that is 2014 edition. Which one should i get?

And also, do you know any laptops that have a slightly cooler design than the dell xps 15? I just think it looks a little bit dull. I like a laptop that screams,"Hey! Look at me!!! I'm sexy!.
 

pyro226

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I checked through Lenovo and Asus websites since they are computer manufacturers and didn't find much. I checked dell and they only have the Alienware and the Inspiron 7000 Series. Gateway's website only lists 2 laptops :(

This model is last gen (December 2012) and for the price isn't the best hardware, but it does get a better battery life.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230672

I'm thinking your best bet is probably the Razor 17 with a spare external battery. Most other ultrabook type laptops that I see rely on the Intel Integrated graphics.