Custom Laptops

[acturisme]

Looking into getting a custom built laptop for the wife who games pretty hard.  I've looked into Falcon and Origin and others and Origin seems to be the way to go as far as price/performance.  I wanted to get the best gpu and cpu for the system and get minimum specs on the other upgradables and do them myself.  That puts a base 17" sysem at about $2800.  Then I can max out everything else on my own supposedly.  Thoughts and ideas from the community?  I'd like to hear what others have found as an acceptable solution in a mobile form factor.  I've read some good reviews on origin builds.  I can remember when they sold their business to Dell and then restarted as Origin.  They've been in business this long.  I figure they're doing something right.  Thanks in advance.

[Wulfgar]

Does it absolutely have to be a laptop? You'll get so, so much more bang for your buck going the desktop route.

[acturisme]

Does it absolutely have to be a laptop? You'll get so, so much more bang for your buck going the desktop route.

I've never heard of a portable desktop.  Yes it needs to be a laptop.  We have a desktop that I custom built(see my specs).  But this system is for her and her alone.  If for no other reason than our apt is about 450ft^2.  The old laptop just isn't cutting it and she wants to play some pretty serious stuff.  

[MJOLNITR VIPER]

I would recommend Digital Storm, my friend has one and it is really nice, simple design, plus they have a lot of different size options, and some with insane amounts of customization.

[WildTurtle]

DigitalStorm and OriginPC is what I would recommend, Digitalstorm is alittle more cheaper. Also, they are realeasing new laptops some time very soon.

[MegaDave91]

Have you heard of Xotic PC? Might want to check them out.

 

You also only have to have one space after periods. :0

[acturisme]

Digital Storm hmmm?  My interest is piqued.  Now I have to wait for the countdown.  Sigh....Thanks for the tips.  I'll look into them.

[acturisme]

Have you heard of Xotic PC? Might want to check them out.

 

You also only have to have one space after periods. :0

Was trained to type before the advent of cell phones with texting.  Double space after periods is a habit.  :)

[MegaDave91]

Single space was a thing before texting, but a habit is a habit.

[acturisme]

Our typing instructor in high-would have murdered for some of the things I see on the internet now-a-days.  She was a traditionalist.  And I don't know when single space before the next sentence started but I learned to type back in `94.

[MegaDave91]

Our typing instructor in high-would have murdered for some of the things I see on the internet now-a-days.  She was a traditionalist.  And I don't know when single space before the next sentence started but I learned to type back in `94.

I was learning to use computer when I was 5 back in grade 1. I recall keyboards (the one I used in school anyway) had a huge scroll ball integrated into the keyboard. Can't seem to find a picture of one, or maybe I'm recalling it incorrectly. 

 

I used to use space multiple times as well (way back when) when starting a new sentence, and it was actually my brother who pointed out that it's unnecessary to use so many spaces when starting a new sentence. One press of the space bar was sufficient enough to give each sentence breathing room without making them looked crammed.

 

Habits are hard to break though, so I understand ya when you say it's a habit.

[Silentsoul]

If I had to get something for mobility it would be the Razer Blade.

 

I don't think it can be customized other than SSD capacity and is probably smaller than you would like but if build quality and thickness is a concern for you check this out. It's pretty amazing looking. All aluminum, and thinner than a dime on end.
 

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mac0a_4C8eE

 

"The 14-inch Razer Blade gaming laptop is a revolutionary game changer. Performance powered by the future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor, NVIDIA® GeForce GTX® 765M gaming grade graphics, in an impossibly thin profile, you get the world’s thinnest gaming laptop."

[KneesWeak]

i mean this is whatd i get in terms of a budget oriented gaming laptop

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312438

but it wont max out everything by a longshot

[Wulfgar]

Check this site, it's pretty decent for this sort of research:

 

http://www.notebookreview.com/

[rashdanml]

Y410p/510p from Lenovo are good options too.

[TheRetiredSlave]

I probably wouldn't get the Razer Blade if you want top-notch performance. Since it has a single GTX 765M, it will be noticeably slower than my last-gen Radeon 7970M.. 

 

A current-gen Alienware 17 with i7-4700MQ and GTX 780M (16 GB @1600 Mhz, and a 750 GB HDD) is ~$2200, and you can upgrade the CPU, GPU, RAM (4 slots), and HDDs (two 2.5" and one mSATA) later if you want...

 

The comparable Sager NP9390 is a bit cheaper with the same specs, at ~$2000-2100. The NP9390 does allow for upgrading to dual GPUs, which is a feature that the Alienware 17 does not have. (I believe that it also has two mSATA slots, but I'm not sure).. Also, the NP8290 is a good option, though it only allows for one GPU, like the EON-17 and AW17.

 

When you're customizing it, you should get the best GPU they offer (or two), but you don't need an extreme-edition CPU. The base i7 won't bottleneck the GPU if you're planning to use it just for gaming (also, 16 GB of RAM is unnecessary).

 

For reviews of the various models, I find that the articles at http://www.notebookcheck.net/ usually have a ton of useful information.

[acturisme]

I probably wouldn't get the Razer Blade if you want top-notch performance. Since it has a single GTX 765M, it will be noticeably slower than my last-gen Radeon 7970M.. 

 

A current-gen Alienware 17 with i7-4700MQ and GTX 780M (16 GB @1600 Mhz, and a 750 GB HDD) is ~$2200, and you can upgrade the CPU, GPU, RAM (4 slots), and HDDs (two 2.5" and one mSATA) later if you want...

 

The comparable Sager NP9390 is a bit cheaper with the same specs, at ~$2000-2100. The NP9390 does allow for upgrading to dual GPUs, which is a feature that the Alienware 17 does not have. (I believe that it also has two mSATA slots, but I'm not sure).. Also, the NP8290 is a good option, though it only allows for one GPU, like the EON-17 and AW17.

 

When you're customizing it, you should get the best GPU they offer (or two), but you don't need an extreme-edition CPU. The base i7 won't bottleneck the GPU if you're planning to use it just for gaming (also, 16 GB of RAM is unnecessary).

 

For reviews of the various models, I find that the articles at http://www.notebookcheck.net/ usually have a ton of useful information.

Wow. Looks like you've really done some research there.  Thanks a million to all who answered.  I'd have been searching for days and days to get all of this on my own.  A round of internet beers to all.