Gaming "Capable" Laptop

[TechnicTyro]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a laptop for college, and I'd like it to have a little bit of horsepower for mid range gaming (i.e. skyrim, borderlands, Left 4 Dead 2, and who could forget minecraft ). So a gpu about the strength of the gt 750m would be the minimum. I would really like something portable. As boss as the Asus ROG tyrannosaurs are, I'd prefer something 15.6 inch and relatively thin.

 

SSD... very important. Once you try it you can never go back right? Ideally I'd like an ssd+hdd combo, but if the laptop has a secondary hdd slot I could install my own in that would be just as good. I'd rather not have to deal with msata as I already have a regular 2.5" ssd for installing, but hey this system will be with me for a while so I'll do whatever it takes. 

 

One last note, I'd prefer something without too much "bling" as this is a computer I will be doing business with.

 

My budget is stretchable, but I'd ideally like to keep it under $1500 ($1000 if possible)

 

A couple I've considered most highly are the GIGABYTE P35K-CF2, and the MSI GS60 series 15.6 inch. 

 

 

Thanks so much for you help

[GriggsCK]

Msi GP 60 leopard is a good laptop, 899$ 768p variant and 999$, higher end model with full hd screen, they have GT840m instead of 750m though. Which is slightly weaker. 

[Sheldon_King]

You can try Sager, they are highly regarded in the industry (gaming laptops that is). All of them can be customized to your budget and liking.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP6658 ($999 GT850m)

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP7358 ($1080 GTX860m)

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=category_browse&selected_cat=special&mid=NP8268 ($1250 GTX860m/870m/880m)

 

Eurocom also builds off the same chassis, take a look at them too. http://eurocom.com/

[ShadowCaptain]

Well other than the 2 mentions (great choices) you have the lenovo y510 for example

 

Or Try get a Clevo/Sager custom build, plenty of places offer them and you can spec up really well

 

EDIT: beaten to it

[GriggsCK]

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE60-Apache--033-15-6-Inch/dp/B00IMTQ44W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1402668421&sr=1-1&keywords=MSI+GE60+Apache
GE60 apache, GTX850m/860m, 1200$ average.

[Scionyde]

If we're talking thin laptops, the ones that come to mind for me are the MSI GS60/GS70, Gigabyte P35 (15 inch), Razer Blade, Asus G550JK, Lenovo Y50, and maybe the Aorus X7/X3. Out of those, I would probably recommend one of the Gigabyte laptops. It has a pretty good price, it apparently has room for two hard drives, and it's got that thin form factor you're looking for.

 

The MSI GS series wouldn't be a bad choice either, although they are a little bit on the pricier side. The Asus G550JK is a pretty nice choice, but it only has space for one hard drive, unless you want to remove the optical drive and put a hard drive in its place. The Gigabyte P34 laptops(14 inch) have that same issue. The Razer Blade/Aorus are probably a bit beyond your budget, so I'd say they're out. The Lenovo Y50 is probably out too, because as far as I can tell, it only has space for one hard drive, and it doesn't come with an optical drive that you could potentially swap out for another drive.

[TechnicTyro]

Thank you guys so much for the responses. I think if I can't find one of the gigabyte's I'm gonna go with a Sager.

[Scionyde]

Thank you guys so much for the responses. I think if I can't find one of the gigabyte's I'm gonna go with a Sager.

 

Sounds like a good plan to me. I'm also looking at a Sager for my next laptop because of the great value, but I don't believe they come in <1 inch sizes, if that's really important to you. (Depends what you meant when you said you wanted something "relatively thin")

[TechnicTyro]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I'm also looking at a Sager for my next laptop because of the great value, but I don't believe they come in <1 inch sizes, if that's really important to you. (Depends what you meant when you said you wanted something "relatively thin")

I'm okay with it being a bit thicker, it's more the 15.6" part I was worried about. So long as it fits in my backpack I'll be happy with it. And who knows maybe I'll get a surprise pay-raise before summer ends and can afford a razer blade... 

 

Edit: I asked my boss and he said no

[Scionyde]

I'm okay with it being a bit thicker, it's more the 15.6" part I was worried about. So long as it fits in my backpack I'll be happy with it. And who knows maybe I'll get a surprise pay-raise before summer ends and can afford a razer blade... 

 

Edit: I asked my boss and he said no

 

Haha, well it was worth a try, I suppose.

 

I think 15.6" should be fine for the most part, it's usually around the 17.3" size where you might need to be more careful about buying a messenger bag/backpack.