Advice on buying a gaming laptop

[Erttheking]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

 

[Elfgore]

Check out ibuypower.com. It's where I bought my laptop. Think it cost me about 1.3k, but I splurged on the processor when I didn't really need to. Amazon I've heard isn't half bad either.

 

[Erttheking]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

 

[Erttheking]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

Cause I'm just saying, I went through this as well and initially I was looking at gaming laptops but the about of power per dollar you'll get, even buying a pre-built machine like me, you get way more with a desktop.

 

[Erttheking]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

Cause I'm just saying, I went through this as well and initially I was looking at gaming laptops but the about of power per dollar you'll get, even buying a pre-built machine like me, you get way more with a desktop.

I'm well aware of that, but I've made up my mind and a laptop is just more me. Like I said, so long as the games run smoothly, that's all I need.

Speaking of which, does this look like it would handle most modern games to you?

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B015PYYDMQ&linkCode=as2&linkId=L5GV4XIIQFXVTMNG&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

Or would you recommend the extra cash for this one?

https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15-Inch-Discrete-GeForce-Metallic/dp/B01578ZKPO?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01578ZKPO&linkCode=as2&linkId=3WYI5T2FDICRAC5E&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

 

[Elijin]

I'm going to earmark this, because I also want these answers.

And to answer/preempt the one question which will be asked endlessly: A desktop is not viable in my living situation/space.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

Cause I'm just saying, I went through this as well and initially I was looking at gaming laptops but the about of power per dollar you'll get, even buying a pre-built machine like me, you get way more with a desktop.

I'm well aware of that, but I've made up my mind and a laptop is just more me. Like I said, so long as the games run smoothly, that's all I need.

Speaking of which, does this look like it would handle most modern games to you?

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B015PYYDMQ&linkCode=as2&linkId=L5GV4XIIQFXVTMNG&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

Or would you recommend the extra cash for this one?

https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15-Inch-Discrete-GeForce-Metallic/dp/B01578ZKPO?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01578ZKPO&linkCode=as2&linkId=3WYI5T2FDICRAC5E&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

I mean there are far better computer guys than me, but given the choice I'd pick the 2nd one.

They both have identical graphics cards. They have the 960, I have the 970 myself and I haven't found a game yet that I couldn't play on max settings so I'm willing to bet nearly everything would be playable at very least with the 960... When talking computers you really don't have to spend that much if you just want something to run and look as good as say an Xbox One, and let me tell ya I wasn't a big graphics guy.

But having invested in what I have, I can't even bring myself to look at the xbox one anymore. And I loved that damn box.

Anyway, yeah the 2nd one also seems to have more Ram, 16 GB vs 8, and you can never have enough of that really.

Hard drive is larger... the other one is a SSD drive, but smaller... The only good thing about the SSD in a pratical sense is that it's faster. If you're booting your Operating System off of one it'll take like 3 seconds for the computer to boot up.

again, I'm still a noob at this PC Master Race stuff so let others weigh in, but the 2nd one is my pick.

 

[barlow]

ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH71
15.6-Inch IPS 1920 x 1080
Intel i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz
1TB 7200 RPM
16GB DDR4
GeForce GTX 960M 2GB DDR

 

[barlow]

ASUS has always done me right http://pcgamerhome.com/gaming-laptops-under-1000/

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

Cause I'm just saying, I went through this as well and initially I was looking at gaming laptops but the about of power per dollar you'll get, even buying a pre-built machine like me, you get way more with a desktop.

I'm well aware of that, but I've made up my mind and a laptop is just more me. Like I said, so long as the games run smoothly, that's all I need.

Speaking of which, does this look like it would handle most modern games to you?

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B015PYYDMQ&linkCode=as2&linkId=L5GV4XIIQFXVTMNG&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

Or would you recommend the extra cash for this one?

https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15-Inch-Discrete-GeForce-Metallic/dp/B01578ZKPO?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01578ZKPO&linkCode=as2&linkId=3WYI5T2FDICRAC5E&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

I would go for Asus over Dell pretty much any day of the week. Also the Asus has a mechanical hard drive and the Dell has a SSD so chances are you're overpaying for that over one you would install yourself. You can actually see the effects of this because the Dell has an i5 and the Asus has an i7 processor, which while it might not matter a huge amount for most games is helpful with games that are more CPU bound(say Planetside 2, RTS's like Ashes of the Singularity, and games with really intensive shadows).

BTW last minute edit: Its super easy to upgrade the hard drive to an SSD later, but upgrading the processor isn't practical on laptops(on some of them it can be done, but there is no guarantee you'll find a replacement)

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

Cause I'm just saying, I went through this as well and initially I was looking at gaming laptops but the about of power per dollar you'll get, even buying a pre-built machine like me, you get way more with a desktop.

I'm well aware of that, but I've made up my mind and a laptop is just more me. Like I said, so long as the games run smoothly, that's all I need.

Speaking of which, does this look like it would handle most modern games to you?

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B015PYYDMQ&linkCode=as2&linkId=L5GV4XIIQFXVTMNG&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

Or would you recommend the extra cash for this one?

https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15-Inch-Discrete-GeForce-Metallic/dp/B01578ZKPO?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01578ZKPO&linkCode=as2&linkId=3WYI5T2FDICRAC5E&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

I would go for Asus over Dell pretty much any day of the week. Also the Asus has a mechanical hard drive and the Dell has a SSD so chances are you're overpaying for that over one you would install yourself. You can actually see the effects of this because the Dell has an i5 and the Asus has an i7 processor, which while it might not matter a huge amount for most games is helpful with games that are more CPU bound(say Planetside 2, RTS's like Ashes of the Singularity, and games with really intensive shadows).

Just for a contrary opinion, if price is a major concern I would say the Dell might be a better buy. As you said yourself, an i7 is overkill for gaming. Sure it's nice to have, but OP is going to see much more tangible benefit with every day use from the SSD. Boot times, app loading, and general usability is night and day between an HDD and an SSD.

Really though, if you have the cash I'd go with the Asus as well. double the Ram + an i7 is worth it.

 

[Zombie Proof]

I'm an illustrator/storyboard artist so I'm no stranger to being constantly on the move and wanting my gaming hobby on-hand at all times. I have this baby right here:
http://www.amazon.com/GL551-15-inch-Gaming-Laptiop-Model/dp/B00T7XRH2A
It runs every game out right now pretty well and when I find myself stationary, I plug it into an external monitor with a gaming keyboard and keep it moving. All I need is my wacom tablet, my logitech gaming mouse, and an x360 controller lol. Hell, I was at my girls house about a week ago and my buds wanted to get their l4d on but I forgot my gaming headset so I decided to try out the mic while using my walkman earbuds and it works surprising well. In my honest opinion, you couldn't get more bang for your buck.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

Do you live in the US? If so, I'm selling a laptop on Amazon

MSI GT70 Dominator. I bought it brand new, used it one on a vacation, and then realized I have no other use for it since I don't go out anywhere. Literally sat in it's box. I opened up to show it off a few times by playing GTA 5 on max settings and that was it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMTQ6I6/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_myi?m=A37ADNEV21HIRH

Pictures are available on the page.

 

[Zombie Proof]

Do you live in the US? If so, I'm selling a laptop on Amazon

MSI GT70 Dominator. I bought it brand new, used it one on a vacation, and then realized I have no other use for it since I don't go out anywhere. Literally sat in it's box. I opened up to show it off a few times by playing GTA 5 on max settings and that was it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMTQ6I6/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_myi?m=A37ADNEV21HIRH

Pictures are available on the page.

Wow, that's sexy :O

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

Wow, that's sexy :O

It really is. That customization on the keyboard lighting is to die for. Plus, brushed aluminum finish is always gorgeous to me.

Too bad I don't need it. It pained me to have to sell it. Could have been a great replacement desktop if I would have needed it in such a case.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Well it's finally time for me to leave this mac behind. I've recently come into a bit of money and I'm looking to buy a new laptop. Any chance I can get some pointers?

I want something that can handle most games, it doesn't need to run them at the highest resolution, but being able to run them smoothly is a must.

$800 is the soft limit in terms of my budget, but if the computer is really high quality, I can push it up to a thousand. Maybe a little beyond if it's REALLY good. Any pointers?

And how does it look on the software front? Do things still come with windows 8? Is Windows 10 a problem when you're trying to game? Which windows should I go with?

Is there any reason why you can't get a desktop instead?

Convenience, and the fact that there's already a desktop in my house and a second one would just be overkill.

I mean is the Desktop you have capable of running games?

Cause I would think you'd be better off doing what I'm doing/did. Get a powerful as fuck Desktop and a Nvidia Shield tablet that'll let you stream your games on to it.

It can't, but it's not really mine and the owner isn't willing to part ways with it.

Cause I'm just saying, I went through this as well and initially I was looking at gaming laptops but the about of power per dollar you'll get, even buying a pre-built machine like me, you get way more with a desktop.

I'm well aware of that, but I've made up my mind and a laptop is just more me. Like I said, so long as the games run smoothly, that's all I need.

Speaking of which, does this look like it would handle most modern games to you?

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B015PYYDMQ&linkCode=as2&linkId=L5GV4XIIQFXVTMNG&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

Or would you recommend the extra cash for this one?

https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15-Inch-Discrete-GeForce-Metallic/dp/B01578ZKPO?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01578ZKPO&linkCode=as2&linkId=3WYI5T2FDICRAC5E&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wiknix-20

Those are both good choices, but I would personally go with the ASUS for a few reasons:

-Both laptops feature top-of-the line mobile CPUs. However, a laptop i7 processor is really only equivalent to a desktop i5, which is the sweet spot right now for good-value gaming. A laptop i5 processor likely performs as well as a desktop i3 processor, which may cause some issues when playing more demanding games. The i7 6700HQ laptop will be far more "future-proof", which leads me to my next point...

-The ASUS has a USB-C/Thunderbolt-3 port, which will become far more important in a year or so. The 960M is not a terribly strong video card (it is significantly weaker than a desktop GTX 960) but will serve you well for a while. With a USB-C port, you will be able to connect an external desktop graphics card and extend the life of your laptop as a very capable gaming machine. Here are the sort of enclosures that will house an external GPU:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/power-color-devil-box-enclosure,31923.html

-One thing to note is that the 960M in the Dell has 4GB of VRAM while the 960M in the ASUS only has 2GB. This won't be an issue however, as the 960M isn't really fast enough to use 4GB of VRAM (ie. you won't notice any difference - there are plenty of benchmark videos on youtube which prove this).

-8GB vs 16GB doesn't matter much right now, but it almost certainly will in the future.

-The main advantage of the Dell is that SSD, but having only 256GB of storage may be a problem if you don't have any other mass storage devices. Keep in mind that some AAA games can be as large as 70 GB these days. I am not sure how SSDs perform in laptops but I suspect they may eat through your battery faster than a HDD.

If you are interested in having a capable gaming laptop for a few years and have some extra storage devices the Dell may be the better choice.
If you are interested in extending the gaming capability of your laptop beyond 2-3 years with an eGPU, the ASUS may be a better investment.

 

[Elijin]

Do you live in the US? If so, I'm selling a laptop on Amazon

MSI GT70 Dominator. I bought it brand new, used it one on a vacation, and then realized I have no other use for it since I don't go out anywhere. Literally sat in it's box. I opened up to show it off a few times by playing GTA 5 on max settings and that was it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMTQ6I6/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_myi?m=A37ADNEV21HIRH

Pictures are available on the page.

What if...one of us didn't live in the US >.>