Deffinatly buying a laptop.

[HatterMadness]

In the next few weeks i am going to be buying a new laptop (or more accuratly, i'm going to be getting one as a gift) I'll more then likely order it online, so location wont be a problem.

I've done a fair amount of research in the last 2 days, but i would like to get some suggestions of where i should buy it from, or even a suggestion of a system you know is a good buy.

So hit me, what should i buy, where should i buy it?

 

[us3rnotfound]

There is no such thing as a gaming laptop.

 

[espress0]

Dell XPS 1710 is pretty sweet.

 

[slackwarelinux]

Consider ASUS's G1P, it is a new laptop, with a great video card for gaming. It has a fast processor, tons of memory, a large hard drive, and a good video card.

Uh.. anyways, just say no to Alienware.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

spend 1000 on a thinkpad and the other 2000 on a real gaming machine. you'll be far happier. there is no such thing as a gaming laptop. or 1000 on a thinkpad, 1000 on a nice lcd tv and 1000 on a ps3.

 

[HatterMadness]

i know, i know, laptops and gaming aren't a great mix. I only say gaming laptop to make it clear that i would like to be able to game on it.

And as much as i would like to be able to get a laptop and a desktop at the same time, it isn't the amount of money that limits me, but the fact that it's a gift of a laptop and not a gift of the money to spend on whatever i want.

 

[Brainonska511]

If you're really serious about gaming, like best graphics possible, high FPS, go with the Dell XPS M1710. The downside is it is kind of a hassle to take it around since it is a 17" notebook and with the AC adapter, it ends up at about 9lbs.

If you want to be able to play the latest games at the moment, but don't need the power/size of the XPS M1710, look for something with a MR X1600/X1700 or 7600/7700Go. Asus just released a line of "gaming" notebooks with 7700Go chips. Someone above posted a link to the G1P (and newegg also might have them too).

Some other options from Asus:
V1J (15.4" WSXGA, Core 2 Duo, MR X1700, 1GB DDR2, 120GB HDD, ~5.9lbs, $2000): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834220115
V1J Proportable link: http://proportable.com/detail.aspx?ID=202
G1P (15.4" WSXGA, Core 2 Duo, 7700Go, 2GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, ~6.8lbs, $1800): http://proportable.com/detail.aspx?ID=196

According to proportable, both notebooks come with 2 year warranties.

 

[alimoalem]

i would agree with the previous two posters on teh Asus G1P.

the V1J looks good too

 

[jadbox1]

i got this a couple weeks ago and it is great. i replaced the hd with a 7200 rpm one not sure how much it helps. games great on max settings with fear, elder, and far cry. good price too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834114293

u can get it a bit cheaper at circuit city with a few freebies too but i have a newegg account.

 

[Megamixman]

The two Asus notebooks that Brain posted are probably better because, jadbox1's notebook is more of a DTR. Have you thought of the macbook pro? It also has a x1600.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Megamixman
The two Asus notebooks that Brain posted are probably better because, jadbox1's notebook is more of a DTR. Have you thought of the macbook pro? It also has a x1600.

The one problem with the MBP is that you'll have the added expense of buying Windows to run your games. Only get the MBP if you want to use OSX as your OS most of the time. Also, if you don't have a student discount, the MBP (according to Apple's website) starts at $1999 (which only gives you the 128MB X1600 instead of the upgraded 256MB X1600), so you get a better bang for your buck with a Windows based notebook instead, especially if you are considering gaming as a focus of your purchase.

Edit:
I thought about it for a second, but price isn't too much of a problem since the OP's budget is anywhere between 0 and 3k.

 

[alimoalem]

this Asus A8JP looks pretty good, especially at $1298. 14" screen, 2.0GHz C2D T7200 cpu, MR X1700 256mb, 1gb ram, 120gb hdd, etc.

the only possible upgrades i see are going to 2gb and maybe a 7200rpm hdd instead of a 5400rpm drive...still well under budget.

 

[imported_ToySoldier]

Originally posted by: HatterMadness
In the next few weeks i am going to be buying a new laptop
So hit me, what should i buy, where should i buy it?

Is it possible for you to wait 2-4 months until the mobile DirectX 10 Video chipsets come out?

Games like Supreme Commander and Crysis will be taking full advantage of DirectX 10.

I'm looking to purchase or possibly build a "Gaming" Laptop myself but I'm waiting for this feature before I burn $2000-$3000.
But if you need something now http://KillerNotebooks.com makes a fine quality gaming laptop.

Mobility Guru tends to review them once in a while. Basically he uses the same chasis (Clevo) that Alienware uses and customizes.

This system here is a good start...
http://killernotebooks.com/executioner/executioner_custom_configuration.aspx