PC Gamers help me out

[LostProxy]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I really appreciate it.

Go into as much detail as you're willing lol. I want my decision to be as informed as possible.

Oh, last part. I see a lot of people saying "Buy a desktop instead, more power, etc." A desktop is not portable. At all. A laptop can go anywhere and one of these could play games anywhere. I'd love to see someone play games on their desktop at a coffee shop, or on a train, or in the back seat of a car and endless other places. OP wants a laptop, suggest laptops.

That's what I'm looking for. Thanks a bunch. Is it worth upgrading to 16gigs of ram?

I wouldn't advocate for hp right now, but I do own and love my 3-4 year old hp dv7. It plays bf3 and gw2 just fine, as well as skyrim and whatever other game i throw at it. It cost me all of 1200 bucks, nothing like these 2000+ machines. It has 2x250GB hard drives, core 2 quad 3.9 GHz, ati hd 4650, 8GB ram. 2000 is a bit much to spend on a laptop imho.

16 GB ram is completely unnecessary, and will just be a waste of money as your computer won't ever utilize it. 8 GB is a good number.
You didn't list any really graphics intensive games, so don't bother with top of the line video, or even processors. Grab a good i5 processor and a gtx 560/70/80/90 mobile equivalent graphics card (or amd equivalent, whatever that is). If you don't plan on play crysis 3 or anything like that on ultra, then there is really no reason to purchase something that can. btw I got my laptop from Fry's electronics prebuilt, so if you're in the USA you may want to just check them out in case they have something interesting. Only buy from them on sale tho.

Also, don't buy from alienware. Please. They're absurdly overpriced.

Hah, I figured that out just looking at them. Does it get any better on cyber monday?

I thought I was pretty clear but I guess I need to reiterate this. I need a laptop because a desktop is not an option. I can't lug back and forth between my place and hers and there is no where to set up a desktop in her bedroom in way that's comfortable for both of us. For those of you who offered worth while advice and tips I thank you. But if all you're going to say is "don't get one" then don't post. If I was looking for a desktop I would ask but that just does not fit my situation.

I presently have three desktops, two laptops, a Wii, a PlayStation 2, two monitors, a 20" TV and all of the ancillaries in the footprint of an average bed - and that's without it being absurdly cramped. There's no way that you can't fit a single desktop somewhere without it being hideously uncomfortable.

Then you sir have never seen the average New York City apartment.

 

[broadbandaddict]

That's what I'm looking for. Thanks a bunch. Is it worth upgrading to 16gigs of ram?

Hah, I figured that out just looking at them. Does it get any better on cyber monday?

Well... that's kind of up to you. The one I ordered will only get 8GB of RAM (I ordered without, don't know if you can still do that) and that should be fine for my uses. I'll only use mine for games, school work, movies, that kind of stuff. The advantage to the MALIBAL Satori and other Clevo rebrands is that they actually have 4 RAM slots like a desktop. So if you order it now with 8GB of RAM you can always just get another set of 2 4GB sticks to match. You won't have to buy 2 8GB sticks and throw away the 8GB you already have. That being said RAM prices are overall very similar. So 2 8GB SO-DIMMs will cost ~$90 and 4 4GB SO-DIMMs will cost ~$90. Both for a total of 16GB.

If you want to start off with 16GB of RAM then I would buy a kit (not from the manufacturer) and install it myself. Then down the road you can upgrade to 32GB if you want and you should be able to run the 16GB kit with the stock 8GB for a total of 24GB. Overall though I'd assume that you would be fine with 8GB. Get more if you run virtual machines.

http://www.gamingonlaptops.com/buy/clevo/ has a full list of Clevo resellers. Others might be able to get you a better price. I only recommend MALIBAL because they are who I have dealt with.

Alienware/Dell are only worth the money if you stack a couple of coupons. I've bought a few computers from them for 60-80% off using 2 or 3 coupons strictly to resell and usually make a lot off of them.

 

[the doom cannon]

For the love of God, whatever you do, stay away from Acer laptops!

Even though they usually offer a decent price/benefit ratio, they all suffer from severe heat problems, especially the gaming laptops.

Yes to this.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that your general computer won't benefit from 16 GB ram over 8 GB. I thought it only made a difference in servers to stack ram higher than 8 GB.

***Actually read in detail: yes you're right about running virtual machines. But i don't think OP will be doing that XD

About cyber monday
tons of deals all over the place. In the US, I would STRONGLY suggest looking on Newegg.com and the Fry's Electronics Sunday ad in the newspaper(they have it buried online too): http://images.frys.com/art/fryselectronics/newspaperads.html
If you're nowhere near any of these locations, browse their online store too, because their prices are extraordinary when they do sales like cyber monday.
As for alienware, I'm sure they have cyber monday deals, but in all honesty they will most likely still be overpriced.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

I thought I was pretty clear but I guess I need to reiterate this. I need a laptop because a desktop is not an option. I can't lug back and forth between my place and hers and there is no where to set up a desktop in her bedroom in way that's comfortable for both of us. For those of you who offered worth while advice and tips I thank you. But if all you're going to say is "don't get one" then don't post. If I was looking for a desktop I would ask but that just does not fit my situation.

Honestly, for 2100 dollars you could throw together two desktops and leave one at your girlfriends and have a better gaming experience than a laptop could offer... but yeah that doesn't help.

Alienware is, unfortunately, the only company I'd consider for a gaming laptop though.

If she has a TV in her room (who doesnt?) you could always just get a small screen laptop (eg. M11x) and use the video out to the TV for a better experience. Back when I had a laptop it pretty much was never open... ever... it was kind of silly. Either way, going small screen would save some money, and they have better battery life.

Another option, since you did say it'd be plugged in all the time, would be something like the X51. Yes, it's a desktop, but it's really not much bigger than a Xbox 360, so it's very portable, as long as there's a display to hook it up to where ever you're going. This would give you a ton of power (not compared to full desktop rigs, but it'd hold up for awhile) for much less money.

I can tell this thread hasn't exactly been helpful because many simply say "don't get a laptop for gaming", but it's a sound piece of advice. Laptops are great for students that want to type their notes, people who travel for work, etc etc but have never been very practical for gaming, many of us found that out the hard way. Moreover so-called gaming laptops are insanely over priced.

That being said, if you're determined to go for it. Alienware is pretty much your only option. There are other companies that make gaming laptops for much cheaper than Alienware, but yeah... heat and all that that... with laptops you really do get what you pay for.

I don't really agree with some of this. I play on my GFs laptop all the time and it works just fine for just about everything I play. I guess I should point out I'm not a graphics enthusiast. I don't need the settings at high in everything. I just want something that will play smoothly and with decent appearance. I mainly play TF2, a bit of Champions Online, and soon Guild Wars 2. All 3 of these played beautifully on her Acer which was only about $700. So I am legitimately confused by all the laptop hate. They never let me down. So I don't think I need a luxury laptop either. I mean it would be cool but I want what I buy to be cost effective. She proved it can be to me with her own.

snip...

A lot of the 'hate' stems from the fact that laptops simply don't have the longevity that desktops do, which I believe you had mentioned was important to you in the original post. I understand you're not a graphic enthusiast, I'm not either, however if you have to run on medium or low settings when you first buy it, imagine a year or two down the line, especially with the new console gen and thus more power engines inbound.

The main point I was trying to convey in my original post, and maybe I didn't do the best job of it, is that it's not worth spending the $2100 on a laptop. Personally I'd set a cap at ~$1k but I wouldn't expect to get more than a year or two of gaming out of it.

 

[the doom cannon]

-snip-

I think I just posted that I could play current games decently with a laptop going on 4 years old that cost 1200 USD. Sure, I replaced the fan and heatsink because it started rattling a couple months ago, but that was a 40 USD fix and it runs like new now. I completely disagree that laptops will only be ok for 1-2 years.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

-snip-

I think I just posted that I could play current games decently with a laptop going on 4 years old that cost 1200 USD. Sure, I replaced the fan and heatsink because it started rattling a couple months ago, but that was a 40 USD fix and it runs like new now. I completely disagree that laptops will only be ok for 1-2 years.

It's almost like I explained that graphics engines are going to be improving significantly very soon because of the impending new console generation....

Your laptop held up 4 years because gaming engines have been pretty stagnant for a damn long time as the result of a long console gen.

That aside, if someone does keep a laptop,or any computer for that matter, for 4 years, I'd expect a fan or two to need replaced. That's awesome that your HFS was only $40, but they can be much more expensive as they aren't often universal. More over, that's great you have no problem opening up your laptop and swapping out the HFS, but many people these days wouldn't feel comfortable doing so -- DIYers simply don't exist like the used to.

 

[anANGRYkangaroo]

The only "gaming" laptop worth considering is the Alienware M11X. I can't think of anything else that is game worthy and truly portable. If you are considering a $2100 machine buy a desktop and a netbook.

Pretty sure the OP's intended purpose for the machine is to take to his girl's house, which sure, doesn't rule out a desktop entirely, but a laptop's much more portable.

Hmmm. Well the M11x still stands. I myself don't see the point of any laptop/notebook larger than 13".

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112348$170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157311$100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220557 $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116507$200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423$400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706$110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792$200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139032$100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986$100

By my somewhat shakey maths that makes $1420 before postage. Meaning there would be enough in your budget for a couple of monitors (one for your house, one for hers) mouse and keyboard and plenty for postage and assembly if you are scared of doing it yourself. And you still have your laptop for your laptop needs.

EDIT: This machine will CRUSH any game you throw at it, yes even Metro 2033.

Looking over your suggested parts, I dont see a disc drive. Given, I may be blind, but is there one there? Or room for one?

 

[Kordie]

The only "gaming" laptop worth considering is the Alienware M11X. I can't think of anything else that is game worthy and truly portable. If you are considering a $2100 machine buy a desktop and a netbook.

Pretty sure the OP's intended purpose for the machine is to take to his girl's house, which sure, doesn't rule out a desktop entirely, but a laptop's much more portable.

Hmmm. Well the M11x still stands. I myself don't see the point of any laptop/notebook larger than 13".

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112348$170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157311$100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220557 $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116507$200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423$400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706$110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792$200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139032$100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986$100

By my somewhat shakey maths that makes $1420 before postage. Meaning there would be enough in your budget for a couple of monitors (one for your house, one for hers) mouse and keyboard and plenty for postage and assembly if you are scared of doing it yourself. And you still have your laptop for your laptop needs.

EDIT: This machine will CRUSH any game you throw at it, yes even Metro 2033.

Looking over your suggested parts, I dont see a disc drive. Given, I may be blind, but is there one there? Or room for one?

The case does have room for 1 CD/DVD/Bluray player. For DVD you can get one around $20, Bluray would be around to $60

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

As others have suggested, the graphics card is really the primary consideration. All the laptops linked to are a great spec, but the 670M on the Asus for example, is 2nd best.

Don't get anything that doesn't have GeForce 680M graphics. Otherwise, the Asus one would have been perfect. RAM, CPU and HDDs are perfect for a high end machine.

As others have also suggested, you could also consider the Alienware M11x. It's very small, weighs about 2kgs but is very powerful. You can plug it into a USB keyboard/mouse and a monitor at your girlfriend's and have a full fledged gaming PC for quite a way under your budget.

 

[Weaver]

The only "gaming" laptop worth considering is the Alienware M11X. I can't think of anything else that is game worthy and truly portable. If you are considering a $2100 machine buy a desktop and a netbook.

The ASUS gaming line is, in my opinion, very good and what I would recommend.

Mainly, the G75VW with the 670 in it.

 

[octafish]

The only "gaming" laptop worth considering is the Alienware M11X. I can't think of anything else that is game worthy and truly portable. If you are considering a $2100 machine buy a desktop and a netbook.

The ASUS gaming line is, in my opinion, very good and what I would recommend.

Mainly, the G75VW with the 670 in it.

Is it 13" or smaller? Because laptops over 13" are not particularly mobile. That 11" gaming laptop/netbook from Alienware gets about 7 hours light use and a couple of hours gaming from the battery. There aren't many other gaming laptops that can match that, and those that do weigh a tonne. Unfortunately the m11x has been discontinued. A shame really as there was nothing else like it on the market.