Needing help deciding on a laptop.

[rockerboy63]

Hello everyone! I'm on the hunt for a gaming laptop. I've been saving some money and just need something better than I have now. I've had a Lenovo edge 15 for about 4 years now and it will run black ops 3, battlegrounds, etc. on lower settings but I want something with at least a GeForce 1060 graphics card.

My budget: $1,500 or lower
screen size: 17"
I also need it to be VR capable.

I was looking at the Alienware 17 series but a lot of people have been saying it runs hot and loud so I'm not sure if that's really a good buy. I don't mind if it isn't touch screen or doesn't have a camera or CD/DVD player because I download all my games and movies like everyone else does now anyways. I was just really sold by the LED customization on the Alienware.

Any help is much appreciated and I'm not getting it until the end of January anyway so if anyone knows of something new coming out around that time would be amazing. Thanks a lot!

 

[GreyCatz]

I assume that this is the Alienware you're currently considering (or a version very similar):
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/alienware-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-1tb-hard-drive-epic-silver/5796709.p?skuId=5796709

No major issues, except weight (9.74lbs - ouch!) and no SSD - that's a bit cheap. The biggest problem is I can't find any other laptop that meets all your requirements - a few MSIs at around $1,600 to $1,650 but only a 3GB 1060 card, and a GigaByte Aero on newegg.com with the larger GPU but it's Open Box.

As for heat and noise: All gaming laptops generate excessive amounts of heat because you can't cram a powerful 10-series card into a laptop chassis and expect the fan(s) to run as effectively and silently as a dual-core ultrabook. Overheating will always be an issue, but it also comes down to your particular gaming style - if you game for 5-6 hours every single day (some people do), the heat will destroy components much sooner than if you allow the computer to rest once in a while.

And let's be realistic: It's not like you'll be gaming on this machine in your lap while commuting on the train or in the backseat of a car. Most likely it will serve as a desktop replacement, in which case you can basically put it on the floor thereby reducing noise.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[rockerboy63]

I assume that this is the Alienware you're currently considering (or a version very similar):
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/alienware-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-1tb-hard-drive-epic-silver/5796709.p?skuId=5796709

No major issues, except weight (9.74lbs - ouch!) and no SSD - that's a bit cheap. The biggest problem is I can't find any other laptop that meets all your requirements - a few MSIs at around $1,600 to $1,650 but only a 3GB 1060 card, and a GigaByte Aero on newegg.com with the larger GPU but it's Open Box.

As for heat and noise: All gaming laptops generate excessive amounts of heat because you can't cram a powerful 10-series card into a laptop chassis and expect the fan(s) to run as effectively and silently as a dual-core ultrabook. Overheating will always be an issue, but it also comes down to your particular gaming style - if you game for 5-6 hours every single day (some people do), the heat will destroy components much sooner than if you allow the computer to rest once in a while.

And let's be realistic: It's not like you'll be gaming on this machine in your lap while commuting on the train or in the backseat of a car. Most likely it will serve as a desktop replacement, in which case you can basically put it on the floor thereby reducing noise.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

Greatly appreciate the reply. No I really only use it for gaming for a couple hours at my girlfriend's house or when I'm out and about for a weekend. I will look into the other 2 you suggested as well just to see but this helps reassure me about the alienware. Thank you very much!