Need advice for gaming notebook

[cloudstrife]

I am currently looking for a cheap gaming laptop. It would be mainly used to play LOL and Starcraft II. I don't necessary need something super compact, as long as it's easier to transport than a full desktop tower + screen, because I often go to LAN parties. From what I have seen, new gaming laptop aren't cheap. I recently found a used one on Ebay, so I am wondering if it's worth it or if you have any other suggestions. Here is the link so you can check out the specs : Dell XPS M1730 17" Gaming Notebook + 128GB SSD | eBay. It seems all I would need to do is to replace the video card. There is a 8800 GTX SLI on Ebay for less than $200, so I am thinking that for less than $500 I could get a decent gaming notebook, do you think it's a good idea ? I have never installed a video card in a notebook before but I know how to install one in a desktop so I'm guessing it should not be that difficult. Any advices ? Thank you !

[angelicfolly]

I would say you would be getting more trouble then it's worth as it doesn't work and you get no warranty. A key note in the description is that the seller states "I don't know if it can be fixed or not". They have some decent used laptops on amazon for 700ish if that is your game. Republic of gamers (aside from some having issues) and msi laptops are generally great

[iamtuck3r]

I've had an Asus G75VW-BBK5 for close to a year now. Best laptop I've owned by far. It's only got a 660m in it but it plays every game I've thrown at it on high gfx settings and up. I just put another 8GB of RAM in it and put a 120 GB SSD in it as well so this thing flies I got mine for $900 from BestBuy but I'm sure there are people selling it for around $700, gonna have to look hard though.

[fax1991]

I've buyed an Acer v3-571g for 722 euro...i'm very happy with my notebook! It has an awesome i7 processor (3630qm), 6gb ram, nvidia gt640m, w8 and 750gb hd! It is so fast and powerful i suggest to buy it too my friend.

[drivn]

just to throw in my $.02 ... it may not be what you were wanting to spend, but you can get a new Lenovo y500 that has dual video cards (sli) for about $1000. I just ran 3dmark Vantage and got P13833 (Graphics: 12427, CPU: 20939). I'm quite happy with it so far.

[dutchgenius]

don't overlook the new Lenovo Y series Ideapads. They are more than enough to play those games and have better keyboards (for typing at least) than a lot of the Asus and Alienware stuff out there

[svl7]

don't overlook the new Lenovo Y series Ideapads. They are more than enough to play those games and have better keyboards (for typing at least) than a lot of the Asus and Alienware stuff out there

Did you ever use a current AW notebook? The keyboard is superb, I highly doubt that any of the Ideapads have a keyboard which comes close to the ones AW uses.

[Jimbo]

Don't know that I 100% agree with that, the keyboard on my X220 was superb, though it's hard to compare a 12 inch laptop to an M18X. My general feeling is that if the Lenovo keyboard scaled to the M18x size without losing quality, it'd be a touch better - but the difference would be pretty minor.

[svl7]

True, the X220 has one of the best keyboards I ever used, but it's not an Ideapad Thinkpad is a different league imo.

[Jimbo]

Ahhh, fair point, I missed that you specified ideapad. I've actually never seen a lenovo other than a thinkpad.

OT: I would never buy a laptop that didn't work on the assumption that I could fix it, that just introduces huge risks. You'll want to focus on GPU power, so IMO a system with an i5 and 660m will be much better than an i7 and a 640m. I don't know the market enough to suggest specific models, so I'll leave you with the thought that on a budget system you need to spend on essentials rather than luxuries - this means best possible GPU and CPU with no excess spending on extra RAM, SSDs etc.

[drahcir_16]

I agree with svl7, Alienware keyboard is awesome, maybe only rivaled by those gaming laptops with Steelseries keyboard (MSI Gaming Laptop).

Did I mention Alienware has very good speakers A little bit expensive compared to others but you can probably go for the 2nd hand laptop or get the basic configuration then just upgrade it yourself.

[Tljx]

I've had an Asus G75VW-BBK5 for close to a year now. Best laptop I've owned by far. It's only got a 660m in it but it plays every game I've thrown at it on high gfx settings and up. I just put another 8GB of RAM in it and put a 120 GB SSD in it as well so this thing flies I got mine for $900 from BestBuy but I'm sure there are people selling it for around $700, gonna have to look hard though.

I second the recommendation on the Asus G75VW-BBK5 (or any other version of the G75VW, for that matter). It's got a 3rd gen i7, a GPU that can handle most games on high, and, one of my favorite features, dual hard drive bays so there's room for a small capacity SSD for the OS in addition to a larger capacity traditional hard drive for storage. It's frequently on sale too. I got mine refurbished from Best Buy for around $750 after tax a few weeks ago. This deal was uncommonly low but I wouldn't be surprised if I see it pop up on one of the popular deal sites for under $900 again in the near future.

[Sn00pX]

just spend my money on an lenovo y500, which is available in so many different configurations that you probably find a fitting configuration at a good price

[Cynik]

I also just bought a y500. It's an awesome laptop, good look and feel. I love the keyboard on it too! They have it on sale all the time, you can get a good one for as little as $850.

[thejon1337]

I've had a Y580 ideapad for about 6 months now, it's the best computer I've ever owned. 8gb RAM, gtx 660m, windows 8, 1tb hdd, and more speed than I've ever had before

[kingpickle]

Over the years i've owned 4 m1730s (2 of which I bought broken and repaired myself). Stay clear of it now. Their days have long been over even with the top gpus available. Right now I have an MSI GE70-0ND and a G75. I'd recommend either of these but the MSI sports the HD 4000 along side the 660m to save power when not gaming (or lite gaming). Perfect for computing on the run. Excellent battery life for such a powerful laptop. It's also much lighter than the G75. U should be able to find either of them now for around 700-800 (paid 700 for my G75 last month).

[destructo]

I own an MSI GE70 0ND with gtx660 and its amazing.. I haven't came across a game yet that I cant MAX out.. yes.. in 1080 p .. all settings on full.. and this does include arma 3 crysis 3... , althought maxed out crysis 3 will chop every once in a while down to about 12-14 fps and 8-10 in huge firefights with lots of explosions..amazing machine

[weloxcris]

I own msi GE70 too but with Hd+ resolution and i5 (i7 would be better) but still u can max almost everything.

[xharnyx]

Am using Lenovo Y500. Spec: i73630QM, nVidia GT650M SLI (additional graphic card in ultrabay replacing dvd-rom) 16GB ram (upgraded) 1TB hard drive, comes with Win8.

I also installed additional mSata SSD (Crucial M4 128GB). Boot to windows under 15 secs =D

So far the experience with the laptop is good -- except for the WIFI card. The stock Qualcomm Atheros AE9485 is piece of shit. Currently using USB wifi adapter.

[Wickedkid]

I own an MSI GE70 0ND with gtx660 and its amazing.. I haven't came across a game yet that I cant MAX out.. yes.. in 1080 p .. all settings on full.. and this does include arma 3 crysis 3... , althought maxed out crysis 3 will chop every once in a while down to about 12-14 fps and 8-10 in huge firefights with lots of explosions..amazing machine

uhh 10 fps is by no means playable. The gtx 660m is good, but even with an absurd overclock you would not be able to play crysis 3 or even arma 3 on maxed out settings. Only pointing this out so it doesn't mislead the OP.

[ERAWNEILA]

Just a tip, if you need power you can take with you on the cheap, just build yourself a small form factor pc. You will have a lot more performance for the dollar, and the pc can be something similar in size as a average laptop, you could even find a small screen to go with it. Pm me if you like the idea, I have built one of these in the past and it was awesome.

[Robbo]

It's possible the OP has abandoned this thread now, but I'll let you know my best experience for value gaming notebooks. I snapped up a great deal here in the UK on a refurbished M17xR3 from the Dell Outlet. They come with warranties, and are as good as new apart from maybe a few cosmetic scratches or something, but they're a lot cheaper than the new laptops. Just keep an eye on the Dell outlet sites & snap up one of those great deals. Seems like they appear in batches. Sometimes there will be none, and then the next day there may be loads to choose from. The pricing of the laptops on there is not a good guide of the usefulness of the specs (they don't always seem to use logic), make sure you check the specs carefully before buying. Excellent cooling systems, and good build quality on those Alienware.

[Francis Aguilar]

I have an msi ge620dx gt555m.. Waiting for the next gen games.. Also guys, anyone knows how to use egpu on it???

[R1GG5]

FWIW Newegg has the G46VW refurb on sale for $750 shipped right now. IMHO a steal.

[bruxc]

I would recommend a Lenovo Y500. It is relatively cheap for what the specs consist of. I would recommend checking out this link to get the best price. Instructions are in the top comments. edit1754 comments on Quick Pick Guides

This is a great link as it breaks down everything a consumer wants to know. Hope this helps.

[michealr123]

The current Laptop that I have is a Lenovo Y400 and for the compact size of 14 inches you can fit it with two Nvidia 750 GT cards (2GB) !

Plus its great school with is rediculous boot up time and rather thin design.