I need a $1000 to $1500 laptop. Help!

[618AWESOME]

Hi, I'm new around the website, but I've watched the LTT videos for a few months now. I was wondering if any of you have recommendations for a $1000 to $1500 "gaming" laptop. I am on the go a lot and I need something portable but has a lot of power. I am thinking of a 15.6 inch or so machine, (I am done with 17.3 inch laptops as they are just too big in my opinion). I'd like 12-16 gigabytes of RAM (preferably, though I could settle for 8 if it was otherwise a great machine). I would also need at least a 256 gigabyte SSD (although I wouldn't mind a 7200rpm 1 terabyte HDD). A back-lit keyboard would also be nice. At this point I really don't care too much about battery life as long as I can get 3-4 hours of YouTube watching or an hour of serious gaming out of it. I have looked at Razer, but they are out of my price range. The laptop I am considering now is the GL551JW-DS74 from ASUS, which is about $1200 on amazon right now. I have also looked at the Lenovo Y50, but I really don't care for 4k, as I don't think scaling and such is right in that resolution. I am not interested in apple products, as I prefer Windows.

 

If anyone knows of/has a laptop with those specifications, I would really appreciate a link or a model name. Thank you very much.

 

Needed specs (stating again for easy reference):

 

12-16 gigabytes of RAM

256+ gigabyte SSD, or 1 terabyte 7200rpm hard drive

15.6 inch screen, preferably IPS, and 1080p

Back-lit keyboard

 

Again, thanks!

 

[brokencross]

I wouldn't go for an asus laptop. They're quite shitty quality-wise.

[618AWESOME]

I wouldn't go for an asus laptop. They're quite shitty quality-wise.

Hmm. I have heard a lot of good things about the Republic of Gamers line they have, but perhaps they aren't that great after all. Your comment has been noted and written down. Thanks for the info!

[ultrakiller21]

Dunno what people think of Acer but this ticks all the boxes; (EDIT: Doesn't have a backlit keyboard :v)

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P02TH7300

 

And a Gigabyte one

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233088

 

EDIT2-

 

Looked up the ASUS you mentioned;

It seems pretty good - I haven't used an ASUS "gaming" series laptop before so don't take my word for fact.

[618AWESOME]

Dunno what people think of Acer but this ticks all the boxes; (EDIT: Doesn't have a backlit keyboard :v)

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P02TH7300

 

And a Gigabyte one

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233088

 

EDIT2-

 

Looked up the ASUS you mentioned;

It seems pretty good - I haven't used an ASUS "gaming" series laptop before so don't take my word for fact.

Thanks! I'll check it out!

[ultrakiller21]

No problem. Also, here is another ASUS laptop. It's essentially the same thing as you mentioned in the OP but lacks an SSD.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P02TH7300

[618AWESOME]

No problem. Also, here is another ASUS laptop. It's essentially the same thing as you mentioned in the OP but lacks an SSD.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P02TH7300

Ah yes, the DS71! I cannot decide between the two, as the DS74 is more expensive, but comes with an SSD and an IPS display, whereas the DS71 has a TN display and no SSD, but again, it is cheaper, and other than that, they are identical. I checked out that Gigabyte one, and it has great specs in my opinion. Bookmarked for future reference.

[ultrakiller21]

I mean its really up to you - you could probably add in an SSD later but I really doubt you can like switch out laptop displays (would be pretty cool though). 

[618AWESOME]

I mean its really up to you - you could probably add in an SSD later but I really doubt you can like switch out laptop displays (would be pretty cool though). 

Both true statements! If all else fails, I'll just get the DS71, buy an SSD for it, and deal with the display. I'd rather not though.

 

Everything I have found suggests ASUS, Lenovo, or MSI for laptops in my price range that are known for gaming capabilities, but there may be something I am missing. if only more gaming laptops could be customized, sort of like what Sager does but cheaper. lol.

[ultrakiller21]

Companies like cyberpower do custom laptops (although again not sure what the LTT communities thinks of said companies lol)

[618AWESOME]

Companies like cyberpower do custom laptops (although again not sure what the LTT communities thinks of said companies lol)

I'll look into it!

[exercutor5]

You can consider the Cyberpower XPLORER X6-9500. Based on the Clevo P650SE, it has 3 fans for maximum cooling, a 970M, a max of 32GB of user upgradable RAM, 2 M.2 SSD slots, 2 regular SATA slots.

 

The following specs for $1489.

 

Notebook: Clevo P650SE Gaming Laptop 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 Display w/ Built-in HD Webcam, HDMI Port, Li-Ion Battery, & Universal AC Adapter

Notebook Color: Xplorer X6 Gaming Laptop Cover - Original Color

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4720HQ Mobile Quad-Core 2.60GHz Processor (Included)

Freebies: FREE! INTEL Q2 2015 GAME BUNDLE (FREE games: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A Realm Reborn, GRID Autosport, World of Tanks, & LEGO® Minifigures Online.)

Motherboard: Mobile Intel HM87 Express Chipset Mainboard

RAM / System Memory: 8GB (8GBx1) DDR3-1600 SODIMM Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M 3GB PCIe (NB-401-102)

Freebies: FREE! The Witcher®3: Wild Hunt Game Coupon

M.2 SATA SSD: 120GB (1x120GB) SAMSUNG 850 EVO M.2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD - 540MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write (Single Drive)

Hard Drive: 1 TB 7200RPM SATA300 Hard Drive

External Storage: None

USB Flash Drive: None

External Optical Drive: None

Internal Wireless Network Card: Killer™ Dual Band Wireless-ac N1525 802.11 M.2 ac + Bluetooth 4.0 (NC-109-304)

Sound: HD Audio w/ SOUND BLASTER® X-FI® MB3

WiDi Router: None

LCD Monitor: None

Cables: None

Speakers: Premium Stereo Speaker System Internal

Network Card: Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Card

Keyboard: Built-in Keyboard

Mouse: BUILT-IN TOUCHPAD

Mouse Pad: None

Headset: None

Headset Hanger: None

Notebook Cooling: None

Gaming Gear: None

External Wireless Network Card: None

Wireless Routers/Hubs: None

Docking Station: None

Bluetooth: Built-in Bluetooth

Flash Media Reader/Writer: Built-In 6in1 Media Reader

Battery: Embedded 4 cells Polymer battery pack, 60WH

Carrying Bag: None

AC Adapter: Full Range AC adapter, AC in 100~240V, 50~60Hz, DC output 19.5V, 7.7A , 150W

Video Camera: Built-in HD Webcam

Gaming Tablet: None

HDMI Output Port: Built-in HDMI Port

Power & Surge Protection: None

USB Port: Built-in 1x USB2.0 Ports + 2x USB3.0 Ports

Operating System: Windows 8.1

Office Suite: None

Games: None

Service: STANDARD 1-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY AND LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Additional Warranty: None

Rush Service: Standard Process Time: Ship within 8 Business Day

[D2ultima]

A Clevo P650SE should suit your needs.

 

I'd recommend it from either XoticPC under the name "Sager NP 8651" or from Mythlogic (more expensive) under the name Dia 1614 (choose the 970M for the P650SE model).

 

I would not suggest it from OriginPC or CyberpowerPC or iBuyPower as they are MUCH more expensive for no reason, and their QA and support services aren't any better to compensate for price.

[EpicAdom]

Dunno what people think of Acer but this ticks all the boxes; (EDIT: Doesn't have a backlit keyboard :v)

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P02TH7300

 

And a Gigabyte one

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233088

 

EDIT2-

 

Looked up the ASUS you mentioned;

It seems pretty good - I haven't used an ASUS "gaming" series laptop before so don't take my word for fact.

Acer blows. I had a laptop replaced multiple times and all of them were defective.

[618AWESOME]

Thank you all for your responses! Is this the Clevo y'all have been mentioning?

http://www.amazon.com/NP8651-P650SE-Gaming-Notebook-i7-4720HQ/dp/B00PBAVGZM

(For some reason it did not link to the option I wanted, but it's the $1600 one)

[D2ultima]

Thank you all for your responses! Is this the Clevo y'all have been mentioning?

http://www.amazon.com/NP8651-P650SE-Gaming-Notebook-i7-4720HQ/dp/B00PBAVGZM

(For some reason it did not link to the option I wanted, but it's the $1600 one)

It is, but you can just get it from http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8651s-clevo-p650se-p-8223.html?wconfigure=yes

Just take the intel wifi card, and/or add a larger SSD if you want. The price is quite good right now they're having a sale + witcher 3 will be for you

[618AWESOME]

It is, but you can just get it from http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8651s-clevo-p650se-p-8223.html?wconfigure=yes

Just take the intel wifi card, and/or add a larger SSD if you want. The price is quite good right now they're having a sale + witcher 3 will be for you

Bookmarked, thanks very much!