Looking into a new PC

[TomGalletti]

First off sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum, I didn't think any of the others quite fit.

So recently, my 2010 15" MacBook Pro started to have logic board issues, so I am now in the market for a new PC. I need something pretty beefy, as I will be gaming and doing 3D design on it, I need something that won't become obsolete in the next 5 years as I will be a student who can't afford a replacement. And I need a laptop, as I can't afford both a laptop and a tower.

My question is, get a new MBP, a refurb MBP, or get a PC...

The new MBPs have one massive problem, being the unibody, which is just a stupid design decision that I personally hate. Considering their hefty old price tag, I just don't think they're worth what you pay.

A refurb MBP also worries me, as I will be buying 4 year old hardware, and by the time I leave university, that could be 9 year old hardware, which might not be quite as impressive as a PC of the same price.

So finally a PC...only the PC market is totally unfamiliar to me, I've never bought a PC, and I'm not comfortable with Windows as I last used XP...

I would be interested in getting a good PC and making a "Hackintosh", as that is the best of both worlds for me. I would also be interested in building my own laptop, provided it's not difficult and could save me a few quid. I have modest understanding of hardware so should be fine installing the components myself?

My total budget is capped at about £1200 ($1800), although I would really rather be spending less, closer to £800 ($1200). And so far I am looking at MSI GS60 Ghost, Origin laptops, Gigabyte P35W v2, and the MBP.

Any help or advice you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

Edit: For that price I want 16GB of RAM, lots of ports, a UHD screen (willing to compromise), and all the other decent features one would expect from a premium laptop. I don't know a lot about processors or graphics cards but I assume all the machines I'm looking at will be able to run things like DayZ or BF4 to a decent level.

[MadOliveGaming]

Do you know why noone replies? You ask us to make a 2000 dollar machine on a 1200 dollar budge, specially since thats inlc. Periphirals, and uhd screens aint just a couple buck.

But if you insist, this is one of the best 16gb ram laptops available imo. http://www.amazon.co.uk/17-3-inch-Notebook-i7-4710HQ-Blu-ray-Graphics/dp/B00K7YD9XE/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1422216515&sr=1-3

I wouldnt get a desktop cuz i adsume you are gonna want to take it with you to class. If you don, tell me and ill look into a small formfactor desktop. Great if you only move it evry now and than. I have one and move it twice a week (i dont have to take my monitor with me though)

[TomGalletti]

First of the budget is capped at 1200 English pounds, which is equivalent to 1800 dollars. Ideally I would spend a bit less but I'm happy to go that high.

I take it from your post that you don't encourage I go for the Mac.

The Asus is a great contender I had totally overlooked so thanks. My only issue would be that it has some features I really don't need, like the DVD drive, 2 HDDs AND an SSD... If at all possible I would rather spend that money on a nicer screen or CPU rather than storage.

The other thing is would you and others recommend I get a 17" screen for gaming, up to this point I had only been looking at 15" laptops.

It is going to have to be a laptop, and I already have the peripherals to start me off.

[wpan2002]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jqjVHx

 

 

Try my build over 2k also WTF are you telling use to make a 2k machine with a 1k 200 budget ...

[TomGalletti]

the budget is 1200 ENGLISH POUNDS, which is the same as 1800 dollars. For that price, after doing my own research I found some laptops that pretty much did what I wanted. I was wondering which of this league (~1800 USD) is the best value.

Sorry, you have given me parts for a desktop. I will need to take this to classes so it has to be a laptop.

[MadOliveGaming]

Have a look at origin pcs. Theyre us based but they let you customise laptops. Im not sure how pricy they are but you would have to just see for yourself.

originpc.com

[brob]

There really isn't much on offer for a DIY laptop. You have your specs, it should be fairly easy to develop a list of models that meet those specs. The notebook/laptop market is so competitive that prices for the same performance level and feature set will be within a few pounds. I happen to like Toshiba and Asus brands. HP isn't too bad and Dell is very popular. Just look at the models around your price point and pick one.

[chalklin]

If I were you I'd buy a msi gs60 with a  970m and call it a day

[MadOliveGaming]

I hope the link coppies well, but at origin pc i assembled a laptop at 2300$ = approximately 1520 pounds.

120gb ssd plus 500gb hdd. Gtx970m i7 4790k @ 4ghz baseclock. 16gb ram.

http://www.originpc.com/configurator/l/l2.aspx?SYSTEMID=48

[hello13579]

How about a PC for home use, and a cheap chromebook in class, unless you need the performance for schoolwork, which then you should just get a msi gs60

[TomGalletti]

People recommend the MSI GS60. Any thoughts on that vs the GS70 Stealth, or the Asus G750JS.

In short, is there a 17" version of the GS60 with better cooling?