Gaming Laptop Help! (Picking one)

Slightly Quarky

Solid State Member
Messages
16
Location
UAE
Hello folks!

Just like to ask for some opinions about gaming laptops I've found, but I'm also open to any suggestions people may have.

To start off with, lemme just describe what I want out of the laptop, as sort of a baseline. I'll put in bold and underline the key bits for those that don't want to have to read everything.

This laptop is going to get me through the first few years of university, so it can't be insanely heavy but at the same time I don't want something ultra-thin and ultra-portable because I don't mind lugging something around sometimes, it's mostly going to be plugged in on a desk or my lap. A top bracket of about 3.5kg would be the limit I'd say.

Also, I'd prefer a 15.6" screen. It's almost a perfect size for me, 14 is too small for both general use and gaming for me, and whilst 17+ is okay, I feel that at that point it'd get too heavy to be a bit portable. I'm open to 17" screens, but unless there's something insanely amazing about a 17" laptop, I'd prefer to stick to 15.6".

First and foremost, the laptop is going to be used for gaming. I'll also be watching a lot of high-def shows, and of course researching/writing essays etc. But mostly I want the laptop to be able to play new games at high settings well, not a normal media laptop which can play the odd game at lowest settings.

I also realize that a lot of gaming laptops can have issues with cooling, and though I probably won't be gaming with the laptop on my lap, I would prefer something that wasn't as hot as the surface of the sun, or at least that heat was only localized to the fan exhausts.

I don't really care much for the speakers or microphone of the laptop itself, I'm most likely going to use a decent headset with it, but if it does have decent audio I wouldn't mind.

I would like at least 8gb of ram, something upwards of 12gb would be nice, but not necessary.

In terms of display, like I said, a 15.6" screen is ideal, in 1080p. I don't care much for 3K or 4K displays right now, mainly because I probably won't be able to run games in that resolution with a decent framerate (unless someone can prove me wrong). I will be watching full HD shows and such with it, so a decent monitor would be nice, but I don't really have the need for wide viewing angles or anything.

I'm pretty flexible on storage. I'd like a lot of space, like a 1TB + HDD, but again, it doesn't matter as much. An SSD isn't required, because I know they bump up prices, but I'm open to having one. Probably a hybrid system with HDD and SSD would probably be best, but again, I'm flexible to storage options.

A few other misc things: A backlit keyboard would be really nice, and the keyboard itself should be nice to type on, since I'll be doing a lot of writing, so some good tactile feedback and a nice feel would be nice but not essential. Basically, I want a decent keyboard. I also don't really care about the size of the laptop in terms of thickness or much in aesthetics, as long as the internals are sound I couldn't care less about the look of the thing. I don't care much for the touchpad either. Some basic functionality would be nice on the go for non-gaming things, but I'd mostly be using a mouse when gaming. Also I don't need an optical drive of any sort really.

My price range is around $1500. I could go up to around 1800, it's kind of flexible, but I don't want to be paying for a brand (like alienware), and I definitely don't want to break the 2000 barrier.

So now we come to the laptops I've 'shortlisted'. I'll give a link to the model as a title and then just sort of summarize my views on it below.

MSI GT60 Dominator Model-423

Probably tied first with the Lenovo Y50 that I'll be linking next, the specs of it look pretty dang decent, and the steelseries keyboard has me especially hooked. I've had trouble finding the Pro variant of the GT60 that doesn't have a 3K display that ships within the US. Also, this is the 423 model, the 424 model is identical, just with 4gb less RAM and a 100 dollar difference. Obviously it isn't the most aesthetically pleasing, but I don't mind much if the internals can live up to gaming. Some people have said that there are heating/fan noise issues with this, as well as the other MSI models I'll be listing.

Lenovo Y50 Model-59421855

I had probably the highest hopes for this when I first started off, it seemed too good to be true, with the specs that that model had for the relatively low price advertised. The only falling point I can find for it is the apparent 'bad' screen, which a fair few people have commented on. So some opinion on it would be nice.

MSI GE60 Apache Pro Model-003
Sort of the most budget laptop on my list, but the specs still look pretty decent. Same as the GT-60 really, just a few steps down apparently. Fan/heating issues crop up with a few user reviews.

MSI GS60 Ghost Pro

This or the normal Ghost, as they both are relatively similar but the Pro has a step up in terms of GPU, the 870M whilst the regular has a 860M, but oddly enough the normal has 16gb of RAM, the Pro version only has 12. Not a deal breaker or anything, just weird in my eyes.
This one is probably the lightest of all I've seen, and predictably it has the most people saying there are big heating/fan noise issues. Potentially a deal breaker, idk. Seems to be competing for the 'thinnest, lightest, most powerful' title. Like I said, I don't care as much for those first two.

Gigabyte P35W V2
An interesting find. It's got pretty dang good specs, but I haven't actually found much good information about it (and any potential flaws). PCAdvisor heralded it (or the similar but slightly less powerful P35G V2 as their best gaming laptop, but I'd like a few opinions on this one.

So that's pretty much it for now. I'll update the list with potential suggestions and my own opinion in addition to replying to that person's post. Note, that I'm not looking to buy it ASAP, probably in about a month's time in mid-late august, or early sept, so if there are any new releases by that time that people are anticipating or something, please tell me so I can keep my eye out.

Thanks for reading this far! I know it's a wall of text, I apologize for that, but I want to make the most informed decision I can.
 
I'd personally go with the MSI GT60 Dominator Model-423.

I have an MSI GT780DX, and I love it. If I get another gaming laptop, I'll be getting another MSI because I like how they're designed (not necessarily the looks, but the functionality of the design). It keeps fairly cool during games (even more so when you turn on their cooler-booster feature, which cranks the fans up to 100% steady). This is the most important feature IMO, because so many gaming laptops have awesome specs...but crappy cooling, forcing you to get an extra cooling pad or something. The MSI's are also very easy to service yourself from what I've experienced (e.g. replace the thermal paste for the GPU/CPU).
 
I'd personally go with the MSI GT60 Dominator Model-423.

I have an MSI GT780DX, and I love it. If I get another gaming laptop, I'll be getting another MSI because I like how they're designed (not necessarily the looks, but the functionality of the design). It keeps fairly cool during games (even more so when you turn on their cooler-booster feature, which cranks the fans up to 100% steady). This is the most important feature IMO, because so many gaming laptops have awesome specs...but crappy cooling, forcing you to get an extra cooling pad or something. The MSI's are also very easy to service yourself from what I've experienced (e.g. replace the thermal paste for the GPU/CPU).
Hm, I was leaning a bit towards the GT60. It's a real pity I can't find the Dominator Pro in a non-3K display, because I would've preferred the extra power, but oh well.

How's the fan noise without the cooler-booster? Both when under low and high load? I only ask because a high pitched loud whine when i'm not gaming would be rather annoying for me. I'm used to my desktop's fans being quite loud because I'm obsessive over things not overheating, but I have my headphones perpetually on for that.
 
Hm, I was leaning a bit towards the GT60. It's a real pity I can't find the Dominator Pro in a non-3K display, because I would've preferred the extra power, but oh well.

How's the fan noise without the cooler-booster? Both when under low and high load? I only ask because a high pitched loud whine when i'm not gaming would be rather annoying for me. I'm used to my desktop's fans being quite loud because I'm obsessive over things not overheating, but I have my headphones perpetually on for that.

I don't find it that bad; not too high pitched IMO. Usually the speakers drown it out anyway. I will only notice it if I'm not gaming and I forget to turn it off. Otherwise during games, I won't hear it very often (or I end up just tuning it out).
 
Not many on here have gaming laptops :p. Only a few people (including me) have one :lol:.
 
Yeah, I would figure. I used to ignore them completely because I had a high end rig I built, but now I have to leave it behind/sell it and move out to university, so it'd be a bit more practical to have a laptop that can game rather than a desktop.
Thanks for the help, though. I'll still be waiting around for a month to buy, and I'll see what comes up if anything during that time.
 
Yeah, I would figure. I used to ignore them completely because I had a high end rig I built, but now I have to leave it behind/sell it and move out to university, so it'd be a bit more practical to have a laptop that can game rather than a desktop.
Thanks for the help, though. I'll still be waiting around for a month to buy, and I'll see what comes up if anything during that time.

That's the reason I ended up picking up a gaming laptop. Made college life easier for me because I had a powerful system I could do all my projects on, as well as game on (and take over to friends' places and game).

Also, if you're not against it, look around on Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon's used stuff. You can find some pretty good deals every now and then. I got my previous Asus G73 refurbished from Newegg (~$800), and my current MSI GT780DX used (~$800). Both at the time were worth above what I paid for them as well.
 
Hmm, I'm a bit hesitant about buying/using a computer that's been modified by someone other than myself. I might have a peek around but I think I would prefer to stick with a factory built-laptop and then potentially expand myself. I do know that there should be at least one free ram slot and a slot for a 2.5" drive, not sure if I can upgrade without voiding the warranty though. Oh well.
 
As long as you buy from a reputable person and ask a lot of questions beforehand.. a used one will be just ad good (if not possibly better due to upgrades)

Sent from my Nexus 7
 
Back
Top Bottom