Help Finding a Budget Gaming Laptop <$1000 USD

Drewmac6191

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Jun 5, 2012
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Hey guys & gals,
I was just wondering if I could get some input on buying a new laptop. I'm not a heavy gamer but I would like to play WoW on decent settings and get the most for my money. I feel like getting the best gaming rig is the right direction for me to go, even if I won't be fully utilizing it right away.

Just a few thoughts,
-My budget is <1000$
-I'm just starting fall semester so i need something relatively soon (I don't really have time to wait for newegg to get new merch).
-I can get the newest version of Windows for free through my school, and would prefer to save some money by buying a laptop without an OS if possible.
-I might be able to get a ~20% discount on a Dell, but I don't know how I feel about them, and I couldn't find a way to customize a laptop on their website like you used to be able to.

Anyway, I appreciate any input you have for me!
Thanks,
-Drew
 

Drewmac6191

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Jun 5, 2012
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So I found a Sager 17 inch with
Nvidia 860M 2GB
16 GB of ram
1TB harddrive
Intel I-4710MQ
For 1100$
Would you guys still pick a lenovo over that?
Id rather have an SSD but that's something I could add later
 

Joeteoh99

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Jul 20, 2014
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To be honest I believe there will be a similar MSI at the same price. But Clevo is still a great gaming laptop especially the Metabox. :)
 
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I certainly wouldn't. It's 100$ over your budget though

edit: is that with an OS? you could save like 80$ if you buy from xoticpc and select no OS
 

Drewmac6191

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Jun 5, 2012
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I get Windows for free through my school, so I'd prefer to save money by not having an OS. The Sager I showed did not include an OS.
I should have allowed a ~100$ tolerance, but I didn't know it would make such a significant difference with what graphics card I end up with.

I looked up MSI on powernotebooks.com and xoticpc but I couldn't find one for a similar price with the same graphics card and setup.
I tried to look for a whitebook Sager but couldn't find one on the net. I was thinking about switching to a barebones MSI but didn't get too far with looking for any whitebook with a 860M built-in GPU.
 

Joeteoh99

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What's the GPU?

So if you want a similar specs and a white notebooks then go for it. ;) As I don't know much white colour notebooks around.
 
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yeah, I realised late. All configurations with an 860m and no OS were already around 1100$. That's a good configuration and probably the best you can get for 1100$
 

Drewmac6191

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Jun 5, 2012
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Would you recommend me moving down to 8GB of ram and instead going with an SSD? If so, Do you have any recommendations for the type of SSD for <100$?

 
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check how many slot it's got for HDD/SSD and System Memory. I believe you can buy a cheaper SSD if you order an HDD and install it yourself. RAM 1600mhz ddr3 should be about 10$/GB which is about what they charge

 

Drewmac6191

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I was literally just looking up SSDs on Amazon to compare prices. it's about 40% cheaper to buy it through Amazon so I think I'll do that. They offer a second HDD so I assume there is another spot for one, the only problem is I don't know if I need a bay converter or what...
 
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do you have the exact laptop model? I am pretty sure it must have another slot but it is better to be safe than sorry

 

Drewmac6191

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The laptop is called a Sager NP7378. I couldn't find what Clevo it's built out of though... I think it has an extra slot. Here's a direct link to what I'm getting:
http://powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=1715
 
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It has two SSD slots and 1 for HDD