Looking for Gaming Laptop Recommendations

skyryder

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Aug 13, 2012
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Hello, so I'm looking to replace my current laptop around this fall/winter, so I'm looking for suggestions.

Here's my current specs:
Dell Studio 1558
Intel-i7 Q720 1.6Ghz
4 GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD5470
500 GB HD 5400rpm

Basically I'm looking for an upgrade in specs to run current/at least the next 2 years of games on this new laptop. The one MAJOR thing I want to improve is heat control, because after the first 6 months, this Dell really started to generate a ton of heat, which I think started to generate hardware issues with video, processing, and sound.

Budget - $1000-1500

Size - around the 15.4-15.6' range

Portable/Desktop replacement - something in between...I want it mobile for work, but also powerful for home gaming

Gaming
SW: TOR on High
Guild Wars 2 on High
Max Payne 3 on Med/High

Other tasks - Photoshop, and some light video editing. But this will also be my work comp, so basic Office processing (powerpoint, word, excel)

HD space - I currently have 500GB, so that's the minimum

Laptop longevity - ideally it should last me the next 3-5 years

Optical drive - CD/DVD burner at minimum, but a blu-ray combo drive might also be nice, but optional

Country - USA

Other specifics - Again, I'm looking for a laptop that has great heat control, which is my biggest searching point outside of upgrading my specs.

I dont' have any preferred brands, and I'm not tied to Dell/alienware by any means.

Thanks in advance!


 
Solution


Check this out: http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf

Really, the only brands you'll find that are better than Asus are custom laptop manufacturers that use Clevo as the chassis. Such as Sager Notebooks. They tend to be fairly expensive, but if there is one within price range, it is worth a look at.

The GPU is better. (1.5 GB GDDR5...

skyryder

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Aug 13, 2012
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Thanks for the warm welcome hpfreak!

That definitely looks like a workhorse laptop, but any idea how bulky/heavy this thing is? I really do like the two fan cooling system though...and reviews say it runs cool, which is a nice bonus

Also, this would be at the maximum of my price range though not completely out of it...so I'm curious if there's a slightly cheaper option?
 

Thugnificants

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May 31, 2012
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I recently purchased and use the G75 as my gaming laptop..
It's spec-for-spec identical to the G55 just larger.

It is indeed a work horse! I run mine all day connected to my 42" TV as a monitor.
I've played multiple games on it and it can handle highest graphics on 1920x1080 resolution without breaking a sweat.

The cooling system is incredible, as mentioned with it having two dedicated fans. It does of course get warm but for the amount of power packed into this thing it is far cooler than I had expected!

Finally; hpfreak is correct. It is a pretty large, bulky laptop, heavier than most.
But you definitely get what you pay for! I highly recommend the G55 for your gaming laptop!
 

skyryder

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Aug 13, 2012
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Thanks for the info again hpfreak and Thugnificants!

I've never had an ASUS before, so any opinions about the brand would be great (reviews have been pretty cold about their use of Seagate HDs, which I've had tons of problems with in the past).

Any other recommendations? I'm all ears! I've still got a couple months before I start narrowing down my options :D
 

Thugnificants

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May 31, 2012
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Not a problem Skyryder!

I've never had a problem with ASUS as a brand, when building desktops I generally go with just about anything they make as it's usually reliable with solid customer service. Hard-drives from personal experience, are just hit and miss. Not just the Seagates. Could get the one that lasts 5 years or one that lasts a month. Same as any technology now a days unfortunately.

The thing about the G55s which is really nice, unlike the majority of laptops, you can just pop the back plate off and there are expansion bays for additional storage space and or memory.

If you want another laptop to look into however;
When I was searching, I was tossed up between my ASUS G75 and MSI GT70.

Look into MSI's GT60 lineup for something comparable to the G55 :)
 

hpfreak

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Nov 29, 2010
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Check this out: http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf

Really, the only brands you'll find that are better than Asus are custom laptop manufacturers that use Clevo as the chassis. Such as Sager Notebooks. They tend to be fairly expensive, but if there is one within price range, it is worth a look at.

The GPU is better. (1.5 GB GDDR5 Nvidia 670m) and it is around the same price as the one I recommended to you earlier, it is a really good deal:

www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9150-clevo-p150em-p-4341.html
 
Solution

skyryder

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Aug 13, 2012
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Good to know. Any idea why Clevo chassis might be better? I think I like the design of Clevo a little better than the ASUS G55 in terms of aesthetics, but I'm curious if one or the other has a performance difference in terms of heat control.

Also, anyone ever work with an ibuypower laptop?

http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_P151EM1_Gaming_Laptop

Seems like this is in the same range as Sager NP9150, but I'm curious if there's any major difference in terms of performance/cooling.
 

hpfreak

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I believe iBuypower also uses Clevo cases.
Some people say that the cooling on the Clevo chassis, but either way- they are a great system, and cool well.
 

skyryder

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Aug 13, 2012
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@hpfreak - That's good to know...ibuypower is little cheaper than the Sager, and also comes with an OS as default...so I was just curious. Also, I'm assuming your last statement is meant to say that Clevo chassi run a bit cooler?

@dawknezz - that's kind of what I have now with the Dell 1558. It's not a workhorse laptop perse, but can be decent. However, the reason I'm avoiding these is that they all seem to run the issue of heat control. Just looking at the reviews for the N56VZ, it looks like it can run a bit high when gaming, which is the problem I currently have with my Dell

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-N56VZ-S4044V-Notebook.78305.0.html
 

hpfreak

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I think it is fairly split. I like both, if I had the extra money, I might shell out for Sager. But cooling wise, both are very good.
 

cbrunnem

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Dec 19, 2010
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this is an overstatement. it will not play most games at the highest graphics at 1080p



all my laptops had the back plate feature as well
 

dalethepcman

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Jul 1, 2010
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I have owned multiple Clevo laptops, and while they are powerful they have not had adequate cooling in the past. With that being said, they are powerhouses and most are capable of running desktop cpu's not M cpu's. This would be the primary different between a Clevo system and an ASUS system. That and the 45 minute battery life :)

Personally I think ASUS's build quality cannot be matched. Everything I have ever purchased from them, whether it was a motherboard, laptop or my nexus 7, has been of exceptional quality.
 

dawknezz

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Aug 13, 2012
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I've owned the n56vz for a couple of weeks now and it seems to perform good. I haven't encounter any issues with heat so far(Includes 4+ hour SC2 sessions and bf3 on medium for couple hours), so I wouldn't let that one review deter you. I opted for the Asus since I wanted a smaller package but the capability to still play games on decent settings. I didn't need the extra performance of higher end mobile graphics (Trying to match the performance of my desktop with a laptop would be impossible, haha).

I would support you going for a clevo/sager laptop if you want that extra performance in the graphics department. In the end, I think either is a good choice. It comes down to whether you want a sleeker design or more of a powerhouse. I doubt you would regret buying either. Good luck! Hope you find the right laptop for your needs.

 

skyryder

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Aug 13, 2012
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@dawknezz - Let me know if it starts heating up in like 6 months :p

I've still got a little time to consider my options, but I figured I'd ask here for advice first about laptops known for their heat control, and it looks like Asus and Clevo are the two that everyone agrees on have the best in that regards. It at least points me in the right direction, so now it's going to be about what specs I want that won't run the laptop into the ground within the first year
 

hpfreak

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I wouldn't worry about become obsolete so quickly... I'm using the original G73jh from 2010, still going strong. :D