Help choosing between these laptops

[stylez777]

Looking for a Gaming laptop but not hardcore gaming. I won't be playing @ 1900x1080 settings either. I'll mostly be playing games like City of heroes, Star Trek Online, Star Wars Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 (maybe few other games like Diablo 3 and the such) I can't got over $1,000 (closer to 900 would be better.)
I found these 3 refurbished.

HP Envy 17.3" 2070NR $989
i7 2630qm (2.0ghz)
6gb DDR3 Ram, 1TB (2x500gb 7200rpm)
Radeon 6850 1gb GDDR5 version
slot load Bluray drive, 1x usb 3.0
1920 x 1080 resolution

Toshiba Qosimo 17.3" X775-Q7270B $949
i5 2410m (2.30ghz)
6gb DDR3, 640gb 7200rpm hdd
GTX 560M 1.5gb
DVD burner 1x usb 3.0
1600x900 resolution

Asus 17.3" G73SW-BST6 $885
i7 2630qm (2.0ghz)
8gb DDR3 Ram, 750gb 7200rpm hdd
GTX 460m
DVD burner no usb 3.0
1600x900 resolution

All are under $1,000, and I'm trying to pit the graphic cards vs each other. I know the 560M is slightly better than the 460M but the 6850M with the GDDR5 is scarce to find accurate benchmarks because most of them are from the DDR3 version. Hard to choose that why I need help. I'd love it if I could spend less on the laptop and drop in a SSD but only way to do that is drop down in GPU class and I don't know if that smart to do or not. Any help here is appreciated!

 

[Gibsons]

Dell has just put some heavy discounts on some Inspiron 17's.


Market Value2 $1393.99
Total Savings $544.00
Dell Price $849.99


* 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor (2.20 GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz)
* Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
* 17.3" High Definition (900p) LED Display with Truelife™
* 8GB3 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
* 1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
* 8X DVD+/-RW Tray Load Drive, no-software
* NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M (128-bit) 1GB
* 1 Year Basic Support
* 7.14 lbs

 

[jrocks84]

Dell has just put some heavy discounts on some Inspiron 17's.


Market Value2 $1393.99
Total Savings $544.00
Dell Price $849.99


* 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor (2.20 GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz)
* Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
* 17.3" High Definition (900p) LED Display with Truelife™
* 8GB3 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
* 1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
* 8X DVD+/-RW Tray Load Drive, no-software
* NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M (128-bit) 1GB
* 1 Year Basic Support
* 7.14 lbs

This isn't a gaming laptop.

 

[nardz84]

I think you're looking at some of the same models I've been. Personally I like the Asus of those 3, but I'd take those savings and get an extended warranty. The 460 shouldn't be much slower than the 1.5gb 560, dunno about that 6850.

 

[God Mode]

I would pick the Asus but I think that model is the best buy version. Cheap 1600x900 screen, weaker version of the 460m, different hinges and webcam.. I'm not certain. The Qosmio and Envy are loud and run very hot.

 

[thespyder]

This isn't a gaming laptop.

Wow. What an insightful and informative post.

 

[Bateluer]

Looking for a Gaming laptop but not hardcore gaming. I won't be playing @ 1900x1080 settings either. I'll mostly be playing games like City of heroes, Star Trek Online, Star Wars Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 (maybe few other games like Diablo 3 and the such) I can't got over $1,000 (closer to 900 would be better.)
I found these 3 refurbished.

HP Envy 17.3" 2070NR $989
i7 2630qm (2.0ghz)
6gb DDR3 Ram, 1TB (2x500gb 7200rpm)
Radeon 6850 1gb GDDR5 version
slot load Bluray drive, 1x usb 3.0
1920 x 1080 resolution

Toshiba Qosimo 17.3" X775-Q7270B $949
i5 2410m (2.30ghz)
6gb DDR3, 640gb 7200rpm hdd
GTX 560M 1.5gb
DVD burner 1x usb 3.0
1600x900 resolution

Asus 17.3" G73SW-BST6 $885
i7 2630qm (2.0ghz)
8gb DDR3 Ram, 750gb 7200rpm hdd
GTX 460m
DVD burner no usb 3.0
1600x900 resolution

All are under $1,000, and I'm trying to pit the graphic cards vs each other. I know the 560M is slightly better than the 460M but the 6850M with the GDDR5 is scarce to find accurate benchmarks because most of them are from the DDR3 version. Hard to choose that why I need help. I'd love it if I could spend less on the laptop and drop in a SSD but only way to do that is drop down in GPU class and I don't know if that smart to do or not. Any help here is appreciated!

Of these, I'd go with the HP. It boasts a 1080p screen vs the lower resolution screens of the Toshiba and Asus. Plus a BD drive and a strong GPU. I think these give it an edge over the other competitors you've chosen.

 

[ther00kie16]

Go with the Envy. Blu ray is about to become ubiquitous and 1080p on 17" is so necessary. The dual hd is also nice. You could maybe sell one and add a SSD for the OS.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

It's most likely a stripped down 560m like many other laptops use so the difference between the 6850 and that 560m is probably next to nothing.

 

[hans007]

if this is your only computer, i'd get the HP. i'd probably get the HP regardless.

the 1080 resolution is useful in non gaming apps and the usb 3.0 will also be useful for external storage if its your main box.

 

[kbp]

The Asus will support dual hard drives too.