Gaming Laptop Suggestions?

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Mick24

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Here are my answers to most of the questions from this FAQ thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/50797-35-laptop-buyers
1. Budget: $1300 or less
2. I don’t care about the size if it’s a good laptop
3. Not sure about resolution; maybe 1920 x 1080 (something decent)
4. Preferably Portable; Desktop Replacement if necessary
5. Battery Life: I will be playing games and school work, so it might be plugged in constantly
6. I’d like a gaming laptop that can play “extensive” games like Minecraft, Starcraft, etc.
7. A Music Editing feature would be nice so I can use my laptop with my electric piano
8. Storage: Whatever is needed for lots of video games
10. I’d like to keep my laptop for a few years at least (for college)
11. A typical optical drive is fine (Preferably DVD ROM or Blu-ray)
13. I live in the USA

Prefer to be able to order the laptop on Amazon. Thanks!
 

iceblitzed

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GE70 Apache Pro-061 1200$
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=460
Its 17.3in so its on the big side , 1920x1080, not that great of battery life considering it is a gaming laptop but it should be enough. Has a great graphic card for the price Geforce 860M is one of the best in mobile computers. I am not sure if it can plug in a electric piano since I am not familiar with that kind of stuff. It has a 1TB Hdd which should be more than enough. If I were you I would upgrade the laptop with a 256GB ssd such as the crucial mx100 for 110$ ( http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX100-adapter-Internal-CT256MX100SSD1/dp/B00KFAGCWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402679275&sr=8-1&keywords=crucial+mx100 ). Hopefully 256GB is enough since I don't know how much space your games will take
 
Asus ROG (G750 models) are a good suggestion, albeit heavy. If you prefer something more portable, their G550s come in a 15.6" screen and are also pretty powerful.

Clevo produces good value laptops that are easy to work with at the cost of sometimes loud fans when stressing the system.
 

Mick24

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Thanks for your suggestions. Would you recommend a fan for the MSI laptop? Apparently it can get very hot.
Also, do you have any suggestions for a USB mouse to replace the touchpad?
 

Gizmotist

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Mouse: Razer's Deathadder, i love that mouse.

It doesn't hurt to have a cooling stand for the laptop, they typically help reduce temps from 5-10 degrees. I suggest this one. As long as you arent moving around as its running, it should do its job pretty well.
 
Cooling pads help but aren't a necessity. If you keep the laptop slightly elevated and on a flat, hard surface, it should be able to draw air adequately enough on its own. We've seen users place a couple of bottle caps just under the two rear feet (near the battery) to elevate the system, and that tends to help.
 

dasulman

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Mick24

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While I cannot afford buying the MSI GT60 Dominator-424, I am interested in the GIGABYTE P27Gv2-CF1 (http://www.xoticpc.com/gigabyte-p27gv2cf1-preorder-p-7126.html). However, I usually use this website http://www.whatisrightforme.com/laptop-finder/ to compare laptops and their specs, and I cannot find the GIGABYTE laptop. I would like to compare the MSI Apache Pro-12 laptop (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA57X1MX6646&cm_re=msi_ge70-_-34-152-558-_-Product) and the GIGABYTE laptop (http://www.xoticpc.com/gigabyte-p27gv2cf1-preorder-p-7126.html) that you suggested.

Could you possibly identify the differences between the two laptops and explain why the GIGABYTE laptop is better?
And do I have to customize the GIGABYTE laptop?
 

dasulman

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you can afford the MSIgt 60, by downgrading the processor to the 4710. That takes $55 off the price tag. Bringing it down to $1303.
The apache pro has 1.5 hour shorter battery life during idle. Gets a fair bit hotter and has worse worksmanship.
the gigabyte is slightly thicker whilst surpassing the apache in the above categories.
he gt60 is thicker still but graphically is much more powerful.
 

Mick24

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I guess I should have made this clear with my first post: I would prefer purchasing the laptop on Amazon, so customizing the laptop won't be possible. Now that I have made that clear, are there any suggestions of laptops that I can buy on Amazon?
 

Mick24

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What is "2.8 GHz Apple A4"? Is it better/worse/the same as Intel i7?
Also, does the laptop use a decent graphics card? The information is not provided for some reason.
 


I think the A4 is an error. Those CPUs are used in much smaller form factors, such as iPads. That laptop should have an i7 4810 in it. The GPU is an 860M, which is a pretty good chip. :)
 
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