I should tell you right now that a PC itself is a much better idea. The only thing a gaming laptop has over a PC is portability. Here's a little further explanation:
1. A gaming laptop's battery will usually last about 2 hours when put under heavy load (i.e. playing games.)
While of course a PC has a constant power supply.
2. Gaming laptop's are WELL expensive when compared to a PC.
Take a look at This gaming laptop [http://www.amazon.com/G73SW-A1-Republic-Gamers-17-3-Inch-Gaming/dp/B004I1J864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313597361&sr=8-1]
The Asus G73 is probably the best you can get for a gaming laptop (Oh, by the way, Alienware is overpriced shit with a cooling system that will burn your house down.)
-i7 2.4-2.8GHz processor (Quad-Core)
-8gb DDR3 RAM
-GTX 460m gpu
-1TB hard drive space
$1500
Now, look at This list of parts from Newegg [http://i.imgur.com/g19gr.jpg]
-3.1-3.4 i5 processor (Quad Core)
-8gb DDR3 RAM
-GTX 560 gpu
-1TB hard drive
-High End motherboard with room for upgrades.
$750
If I had dropped to a slower CPU and GPU to exactly match the laptop, the PC probably could have been around $620.
3. Upgradeability
You can upgrade every single component of a computer. The only thign you can really upgrade for a laptop is RAM.
This also makes broken/defective parts easier to replace. Trust me, it's much easier to order your own replacement then send it back to the company and wait for a new laptop with a sky high bill.
4. You're going to college. The last thing you need is a gaming machine.
I know this only applies to some of you but I've seen topic where kids going off to college want a good gaming laptop. You ought to be more focused on school than video games. Leave it to when you come home for breaks.
In conclusion, I suggest everyone build a good tower for gaming and if you need a laptop, keep a decent $400-500 laptop for any traveling work.
__
While I'm at it I'm going to say one more thing:
Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, DotA 2, etc HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Stop asking for machines that will run games which no one has played yet. We're computer experts, not magicians.
1. A gaming laptop's battery will usually last about 2 hours when put under heavy load (i.e. playing games.)
While of course a PC has a constant power supply.
2. Gaming laptop's are WELL expensive when compared to a PC.
Take a look at This gaming laptop [http://www.amazon.com/G73SW-A1-Republic-Gamers-17-3-Inch-Gaming/dp/B004I1J864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313597361&sr=8-1]
The Asus G73 is probably the best you can get for a gaming laptop (Oh, by the way, Alienware is overpriced shit with a cooling system that will burn your house down.)
-i7 2.4-2.8GHz processor (Quad-Core)
-8gb DDR3 RAM
-GTX 460m gpu
-1TB hard drive space
$1500
Now, look at This list of parts from Newegg [http://i.imgur.com/g19gr.jpg]
-3.1-3.4 i5 processor (Quad Core)
-8gb DDR3 RAM
-GTX 560 gpu
-1TB hard drive
-High End motherboard with room for upgrades.
$750
If I had dropped to a slower CPU and GPU to exactly match the laptop, the PC probably could have been around $620.
3. Upgradeability
You can upgrade every single component of a computer. The only thign you can really upgrade for a laptop is RAM.
This also makes broken/defective parts easier to replace. Trust me, it's much easier to order your own replacement then send it back to the company and wait for a new laptop with a sky high bill.
4. You're going to college. The last thing you need is a gaming machine.
I know this only applies to some of you but I've seen topic where kids going off to college want a good gaming laptop. You ought to be more focused on school than video games. Leave it to when you come home for breaks.
In conclusion, I suggest everyone build a good tower for gaming and if you need a laptop, keep a decent $400-500 laptop for any traveling work.
__
While I'm at it I'm going to say one more thing:
Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Diablo 3, DotA 2, etc HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Stop asking for machines that will run games which no one has played yet. We're computer experts, not magicians.