Help finding a new laptop (gaming/programming)

[Oozekip]

I've been looking for a laptop for a while now and am stuck on what to get. I plan on getting one because I'm off to college in the fall and need something to replace my desktop (since I won't be able to bring it with me for various reasons).

 

It will need to run recent games at a decent framerate (recent meaning Witcher 3 and GTA V, as those are the most demanding games I currently have and play). My current rig is a phenom II 965 with a 2 gig 660, so not setting the bar particularly high to begin with there. It will also be used for programming quite extensively. 1080p is preferred, as I would likely have it hooked up to an external 1080p display quite often, and I don't feel like I need 4k on a laptop. Not against them, just seems superfluous to me at the moment unless I can justify it in some way.

 

The ones in particular I've looked at (and what I like and don't like about them) are:

• XPS 13- gorgeous laptop, but does not have the specs I need at all. Definitely would consider it if I was keeping my desktop around, but as it is, not currently considering.
• Lenovo Y series (no particular model as of this moment)- looks good, but no model I saw has a GPU over a 960m, and performance on that seems a bit low for my taste. When I can spend just a bit more and get a 970m laptop it seems a little lacking. Touch on some models is definitely nice, though.
• Asus g751- I would likely go for the 980m version of this If I decide  to go for this one, since that seems to be the only real way to justify dat bulk. The thing is huge, which is a major problem for me, as I will need to carry this around a lot (though I do have a laptop backpack that could fit it). I also just generally don't care much for the look of it, but it has been growing on me
• MSI GT72- again, would definitely spring for the 980m version here if I go for it.  Same issues as the Asus laptop; bulky and not an aesthetic I care for. Otherwise, good looking specs.
• Razer Blade- great looking laptop, bit too expensive for my taste. I love the look and quality I've seen from this laptop, but the price really doesn't justify the performance I would likely get in my opinion. No ethernet port either. Not deal breaking, but a bit annoying.
• MSI GS70- This is the front-runner at the moment. Thin and easy to carry around, with some pretty good looking performance all around. My main concern about this one (and other more powerful 970m/980m laptops in general) is the battery life. I wouldn't likely be playing too many games when I'm not plugged in anyway, but I've heard it's not all that great regardless. 

Those are the big ones I've looked at so far. I've also looked at the Aourus/Gigabyte gaming laptops, some Alienware, and various Clevo/Sager laptops, and they haven't really caught my eye all that much, but I am willing to consider them. Any comments or other suggestions?

[Bajantechnician]

Find a $700-800 i7 laptop. It should be fine for your needs.

[givingtnt]

im ordering my gs70 tomorrow. iv tried it and its amazing. if I were you, id go that way

[Vek1313]

I've been looking for a laptop for a while now and am stuck on what to get. I plan on getting one because I'm off to college in the fall and need something to replace my desktop (since I won't be able to bring it with me for various reasons).

 

It will need to run recent games at a decent framerate (recent meaning Witcher 3 and GTA V, as those are the most demanding games I currently have and play). My current rig is a phenom II 965 with a 2 gig 660, so not setting the bar particularly high to begin with there. It will also be used for programming quite extensively. 1080p is preferred, as I would likely have it hooked up to an external 1080p display quite often, and I don't feel like I need 4k on a laptop. Not against them, just seems superfluous to me at the moment unless I can justify it in some way.

 

The ones in particular I've looked at (and what I like and don't like about them) are:

• XPS 13- gorgeous laptop, but does not have the specs I need at all. Definitely would consider it if I was keeping my desktop around, but as it is, not currently considering.
• Lenovo Y series (no particular model as of this moment)- looks good, but no model I saw has a GPU over a 960m, and performance on that seems a bit low for my taste. When I can spend just a bit more and get a 970m laptop it seems a little lacking. Touch on some models is definitely nice, though.
• Asus g751- I would likely go for the 980m version of this If I decide  to go for this one, since that seems to be the only real way to justify dat bulk. The thing is huge, which is a major problem for me, as I will need to carry this around a lot (though I do have a laptop backpack that could fit it). I also just generally don't care much for the look of it, but it has been growing on me
• MSI GT72- again, would definitely spring for the 980m version here if I go for it.  Same issues as the Asus laptop; bulky and not an aesthetic I care for. Otherwise, good looking specs.
• Razer Blade- great looking laptop, bit too expensive for my taste. I love the look and quality I've seen from this laptop, but the price really doesn't justify the performance I would likely get in my opinion. No ethernet port either. Not deal breaking, but a bit annoying.
• MSI GS70- This is the front-runner at the moment. Thin and easy to carry around, with some pretty good looking performance all around. My main concern about this one (and other more powerful 970m/980m laptops in general) is the battery life. I wouldn't likely be playing too many games when I'm not plugged in anyway, but I've heard it's not all that great regardless. 

Those are the big ones I've looked at so far. I've also looked at the Aourus/Gigabyte gaming laptops, some Alienware, and various Clevo/Sager laptops, and they haven't really caught my eye all that much, but I am willing to consider them. Any comments or other suggestions?

My vote for Asus or MSIGT72, but if you would like to spend a little less then maybe the Lenovo series.

Also possibly this laptop that I have looked at getting for myself: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8278-clevo-p170sma-p-6984.html (price starting in between $1200-1300 but you can customize it to get different hardware with different prices.

[exercutor5]

I've been looking for a laptop for a while now and am stuck on what to get. I plan on getting one because I'm off to college in the fall and need something to replace my desktop (since I won't be able to bring it with me for various reasons).

It will need to run recent games at a decent framerate (recent meaning Witcher 3 and GTA V, as those are the most demanding games I currently have and play). My current rig is a phenom II 965 with a 2 gig 660, so not setting the bar particularly high to begin with there. It will also be used for programming quite extensively. 1080p is preferred, as I would likely have it hooked up to an external 1080p display quite often, and I don't feel like I need 4k on a laptop. Not against them, just seems superfluous to me at the moment unless I can justify it in some way.

The ones in particular I've looked at (and what I like and don't like about them) are:

• XPS 13- gorgeous laptop, but does not have the specs I need at all. Definitely would consider it if I was keeping my desktop around, but as it is, not currently considering.
• Lenovo Y series (no particular model as of this moment)- looks good, but no model I saw has a GPU over a 960m, and performance on that seems a bit low for my taste. When I can spend just a bit more and get a 970m laptop it seems a little lacking. Touch on some models is definitely nice, though.
• Asus g751- I would likely go for the 980m version of this If I decide to go for this one, since that seems to be the only real way to justify dat bulk. The thing is huge, which is a major problem for me, as I will need to carry this around a lot (though I do have a laptop backpack that could fit it). I also just generally don't care much for the look of it, but it has been growing on me
• MSI GT72- again, would definitely spring for the 980m version here if I go for it. Same issues as the Asus laptop; bulky and not an aesthetic I care for. Otherwise, good looking specs.
• Razer Blade- great looking laptop, bit too expensive for my taste. I love the look and quality I've seen from this laptop, but the price really doesn't justify the performance I would likely get in my opinion. No ethernet port either. Not deal breaking, but a bit annoying.
• MSI GS70- This is the front-runner at the moment. Thin and easy to carry around, with some pretty good looking performance all around. My main concern about this one (and other more powerful 970m/980m laptops in general) is the battery life. I wouldn't likely be playing too many games when I'm not plugged in anyway, but I've heard it's not all that great regardless.

Those are the big ones I've looked at so far. I've also looked at the Aourus/Gigabyte gaming laptops, some Alienware, and various Clevo/Sager laptops, and they haven't really caught my eye all that much, but I am willing to consider them. Any comments or other suggestions?

Try considering the Clevo P650SE or P650SG. If you can afford a Razer Blade, you can definitely afford this. Has 3 fans for efficient cooling with 2 for the GPU and 1 for the CPU. Display panels start with a full HD IPS display panel which is 15.6" diagonally. Thin at about 0.9 inches for the P650SE and 1.13 inches for the P650SG. Has either a 970M (SE variant) or a 980M (SG variant). 2 M.2 SSD slots which can be set up with RAID and 2 SATA slots, giving you tons of storage. The P670SE and P670SG are available if you want a 17.3" model.

 

EDIT: I'm carrying one of these machines to school everyday (specs in sig), not the thinnest and lightest out there, but thin and light enough for me to carry to school everyday.

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

^ THIS

 

 

or the MSI GS60/GS70

[PaulKolby]

I've been looking for a laptop for a while now and am stuck on what to get. I plan on getting one because I'm off to college in the fall and need something to replace my desktop (since I won't be able to bring it with me for various reasons).

 

It will need to run recent games at a decent framerate (recent meaning Witcher 3 and GTA V, as those are the most demanding games I currently have and play). My current rig is a phenom II 965 with a 2 gig 660, so not setting the bar particularly high to begin with there. It will also be used for programming quite extensively. 1080p is preferred, as I would likely have it hooked up to an external 1080p display quite often, and I don't feel like I need 4k on a laptop. Not against them, just seems superfluous to me at the moment unless I can justify it in some way.

 

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE62-APACHE-002-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B00RVUMRKS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1433607804&sr=1-1&keywords=965m

 

it is the perfect laptop for you