Gaming Laptop <$2300

[monjanger]

Hey guys,

 

I've made a post like this before, but really came to no conclusion. With spring break around the corner for me, and a two week trip with that, I really need to grab myself a gaming laptop. If anyone is wondering, I have a desktop, and I do have a laptop for school. But, I can't take my desktop on this trip, and honestly there is not much I can do here, besides grind out some games. I have been saving for a bit as well, so my budget is about $2300. 

 

What I want:

 

Display: 13inches or greater, IPS preferably, a high refresh rate also preferable (120HZ or more), and 1080P or greater (1440P), however i'm not really looking for 4K.

 

Hardware: A strong machine. I beat up my laptop and my macbook pro has never had to come in for repair despite dozens of drops, spilling an entire drink on it, and just total abuse. No real preference on hardware, just want something that can power the display at hand (120FPS in games if 120HZ) (60fps in games if 60HZ) (I will not be connecting to external monitors ever, so I don't need to push it). I will pretty much be solely gaming on this laptop, so portability is not necessarily a concern. Of course I don't want a thick machine though. Also battery life needs to be pretty decent.

 

Also, I wanted to note some options i've been looking at. The Razer blade 14 seems like a pretty decent option, with the build quality, the hardware, keyboard, size, battery life. Honestly, the only thing i'm concerned about is the display. (If anyone has any opinions on this, please respond.) The MSI phantom series also seems very plausible. I just want to know some good laptops, there are so damn many. I've been researching, but can't seem to find the near perfect option which I know is out there. 

 

Thanks so much haha. 

 

[Droidbot]

Calling @Pendragon, the resident laptop guy. RB13 sucks total ass, it's a horrible device internally and built like crap. MSI phantom thermal throttles hard like the Blade iirc 

Alienware 15 is pretty good, especially if you can pick up a 1070/120Hz unit from Dell Outlet

 

[monjanger]

4 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

Calling @Pendragon, the resident laptop guy. RB13 sucks total ass, it's a horrible device internally and built like crap. MSI phantom thermal throttles hard like the Blade iirc 

Alienware 15 is pretty good, especially if you can pick up a 1070/120Hz unit from Dell Outlet

 

Heard the RB13 quality was pretty good... Dammit. Definitely like the Alienware, I saw one with the possibility of I believe 120HZ OLED display, beauty. 

[Pendragon]

8 hours ago, monjanger said:

Definitely like the Alienware, I saw one with the possibility of I believe 120HZ OLED display

AW is essentially the most hit and miss thing on the planet. And its not a 120hz OLED. There is a 15in 120hz TN option and there is a 13in OLED option. Different sized laptops. 

 

If you want around that size, you can look at the following:

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-16s-1060-gs63vr-custom-built-gaming-laptop-pc.html

https://lpc-digital.com/product/sager-np8157-clevo-p650hs-g/?ex=1

Alienware 15 R3 is only recommended if you can get WAY BELOW MSRP. You might also need to heavily mod it to get it fixed. There are several options to get it fixed by 3rd parties and it takes on a bit of a premium but it's really good option if you want to consider it. There are a team of guys on NBR who specialize in modding the AW series just because of the inconsistencies. I can tell where to find the guys in you end up going this option. AW15 R3 is also a bit heavy. (disclaimer, i own one of these and it is undoubtedly the worse laptop mod I've ever had to do because of how stupid the internal design is). 

 

Razer Blade sucks ass. Razer objectively tries to fuck you over. http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/razer-ceo-covering-up-cheap-poor-design-of-razer-notebooks.801443/

GS Phantom series can throttle, but I linked you a 3rd party system builder that can apply liquid metal on it so that it won't. 

 

Alternatively, if you're looking to spend WAY less and save a bunch of money, go for a Dell 7567 and DIY replace the screen. I got in contact with Dell and I confirmed with them that as long as you don't damage the screen and are not warrantying anything near the screen, they'll still repair the internal hardware as long as you send it back in the original condition. Grab the i5 + 1050ti combo and I can link you what screen model to replace if you're looking into this option. It's really easy to do (ALOT easier than fixing the AW15R3)

^ people might recommend the acer vx15 or legion y520 both which are good options, but I believe a Dell 7567 with a modded screen is still by far the best option for budget. 

[monjanger]

6 hours ago, Pendragon said:

AW is essentially the most hit and miss thing on the planet. And its not a 120hz OLED. There is a 15in 120hz TN option and there is a 13in OLED option. Different sized laptops. 

 

If you want around that size, you can look at the following:

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-16s-1060-gs63vr-custom-built-gaming-laptop-pc.html

https://lpc-digital.com/product/sager-np8157-clevo-p650hs-g/?ex=1

Alienware 15 R3 is only recommended if you can get WAY BELOW MSRP. You might also need to heavily mod it to get it fixed. There are several options to get it fixed by 3rd parties and it takes on a bit of a premium but it's really good option if you want to consider it. There are a team of guys on NBR who specialize in modding the AW series just because of the inconsistencies. I can tell where to find the guys in you end up going this option. AW15 R3 is also a bit heavy. (disclaimer, i own one of these and it is undoubtedly the worse laptop mod I've ever had to do because of how stupid the internal design is). 

 

Razer Blade sucks ass. Razer objectively tries to fuck you over. http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/razer-ceo-covering-up-cheap-poor-design-of-razer-notebooks.801443/

GS Phantom series can throttle, but I linked you a 3rd party system builder that can apply liquid metal on it so that it won't. 

 

Alternatively, if you're looking to spend WAY less and save a bunch of money, go for a Dell 7567 and DIY replace the screen. I got in contact with Dell and I confirmed with them that as long as you don't damage the screen and are not warrantying anything near the screen, they'll still repair the internal hardware as long as you send it back in the original condition. Grab the i5 + 1050ti combo and I can link you what screen model to replace if you're looking into this option. It's really easy to do (ALOT easier than fixing the AW15R3)

^ people might recommend the acer vx15 or legion y520 both which are good options, but I believe a Dell 7567 with a modded screen is still by far the best option for budget. 

Well, I guess the RB13 is for sure out of the picture, and the AW15. MSI is still plausible yes? Just have to find a way to deal with those temperatures (Didn't see a link). The Sager seems like a beauty, and do you know if the 120HZ display is any good? I am not a big fan of the clevo however.         

 

I've been taking a look at the 17inch Sager NP9173, and also nearly any of the 15inch models with at least a 1060 or greater, and 120HZ display. A majority of the MSI 15inches look pretty damn sweet. 

[Pendragon]

9 hours ago, monjanger said:

(Didn't see a link).

 

9 hours ago, monjanger said:

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-16s-1060-gs63vr-custom-built-gaming-laptop-pc.html

???

 

9 hours ago, monjanger said:

do you know if the 120HZ display is any good?

It's great.