Aram

I think I'd have to go with a slim and powerful laptop with a thunderbolt so I could rig up myself and an eGPU for when i want serious gaming. Unfortunately that left me with only the 2013 13" Macbook Pro with the 4850HQ processor. I'd quickly get a new back made to remove the fruit based idiot mark get windows on it. Get a TB to PCIe setup, a power supply (I'd probably get a dedicated 12V supply and fit the 8 pin and 6 pin myself it would look tidier than an ATX PSU) and a custom milled housing for it and a 780Ti. I know there would be a big chunk of diminishing returns on such a big card running over TB but hey money's no object.

I agree that the P150SM is the best price/performance laptop and massively configurable. The GT60 as pointed out above runs a single fan cooling mechanism so tends to run hotter but from what I've heard quieter than the the Clevo's which are pretty noisy. Just be aware however that these laptops is still pretty big, probably about x2 the thickness and weight of your Y400. Not really that much between any of the top GPU laptops portability wise in my mind. That said I love being able to take my gaming rig with me everywhere I made the move from desktops about 5 years ago and love it. Just get a bit of weight training every time i walk out the door

Given one of your criteria was not too loud I'd watch the Sanger's they use barebones manufactured by a company called clevo and most seem to consider their fans noisy. They are great performers for the money and keep cool but might want to do some soul searching on the noise. couple of example models below though there others: W230ST review (sanger NP7730) P150SM review (sanger NP8250) this has a 765m in but there are other review on the notebookcheck site, genterally a great site to start if you are looking for a new laptop. You'll pay a premium for the ASUS G750 but its supposed to be pretty quiet. G750 review Most of these you can get with a couple of GPU options: >the 765 looks ~2x as fast as your 650 >the 770 being ~2.5 times as fast. There is also the MSI Barebone which is supposed to be a little quieter than the clevo's for a little more money. Not sure where you'd find those in the US though. MSI example review In this gen i think the 765 looks price/performance sweetspot more than that you are looking at diminishing returns. again this is from notebookcheck where they have a pretty full comparison list for GPUs However then I'm looking at a 780m in a Clevo shell so even i don't take my own advice!

Hi Rob I'm sharking for a new laptop myself and have finally decided to go for a single 780m and like you am worried about the power draw. I've seen talk of the MSI GT60/70 using the battery to make up any short fall in power which would probably work fine for most games. The GT itself is probably out of our reach but there are barebones very LIKE it however i don't know if this is functionality works for on barebones systems, can anyone confirm? Otherwise its modding a supply myself I'm going to be copying this: Recommed 180W / 220W power supply for P150EM? - Page 8 and hoping that long term use of high power doesn't toast the wire/connector. No-one seemed to be saying that this should happen and a couple saying that this probably the safest route, guess i better just practice my soldering!