Need advise for laptop

[ZLRK]

Hello.

Actually I didn't expect asking for help after doing a search in the forums, but given what it's been said about "multimedia laptops" and their hybrid Optimus graphics, I couldn't help it.

My likely budget is around $1,000, and I'm looking for a general "gaming" laptop for not just Dolphin but also other emulators and modern PC games. Until now I have taken a look at these ones:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-15-6-ideapad-notebook-8-gb-memory-black/1311258821.p?id=mp1311258821&skuId=1311258821
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-silver/6443007.p?id=1219217424749&skuId=6443007  (Starts to get a bit expensive, but luckily could be...)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black-aluminum/9826169.p?id=1219438698403&skuId=9826169
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15-6-asuspro-advanced-notebook-8-gb-memory-and-128-gb-solid-state-drive-black/1311406116.p?id=mp1311406116&skuId=1311406116  (A bit expensive indeed, but it already includes SSD)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-dark-gray/9463207.p?id=1219418154162&skuId=9463207  (Cheap, but RAM a bit low. Though I'm not sure if it'd still be good for Dolphin and general modern games...)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-ge60-apache-033-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-aluminum-black/5142152.p?id=1219111592108&skuId=5142152
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-ge60-apache-pro-003-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-aluminum-black/1310683525.p?id=mp1310683525&skuId=1310683525  (Starts to get a bit expensive, but luckily could be...)

I'd prefer avoiding HP or Samsung. I'm no Mac user. I mentioned MSI, but I really don't know how good/bad brand it could be (I was told Lenovo and Asus used to be not bad...).

Are all of the above listed actually non-recommended heat-issued multimedia laptops, or could some of them be fairly good ones without having to replace the OEM cooling system?
How convenient would be having a SSD hard disk?

Thanks beforehand.

[KHg8m3r]

Really the only ones I could recommend are MSI, and at the very least the first ASUS you listed. The others are all multi-media laptops and won't perform well.

However, if you're serious about gaming on a gaming laptop, I wouldn't recommend anything below this: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clevo-p150sma-p-6986.html

The best course of action however would be to build a gaming desktop for like $700 and then get a cheap netbook for on the go computing.
This desktop will dominate any laptop you could get for only $710: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Nrmgator/saved/njx2FT
Then use the remaining $300 or so of your budget to get a nice screen, maybe a better GPU if you want, and a cheap netbook.

[shreduhsoreus]

Just gonna leave this here

http://www.powernotebooks.com/Sager-Custom-Built-Gaming-Laptops-Notebooks-cat-26.html

(01-19-2015, 08:20 AM)KHg8m3r Wrote: However, if you're serious about gaming on a gaming laptop, I wouldn't recommend anything below this: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clevo-p150sma-p-6986.html

Didn't notice you posted that. Excellent choice!

[ZLRK]

The thing is, I'm aiming to shoot 2 birds in one shot: homeworks and gaming. Or if this sounds a bit more straight, I really don't know why I feel a bit better with laptop than desktop for now (perhaps a bad experience with the last one I had.........).

So you mean the MSI and ASUS in general are the good ones, while the Lenovo ones are multimedia laptops that would complain with heat?

Also, I would look for good gaming experience indeed, but I'm not that exigent neither. I don't mind very much playing at native res, for example (actually I'm used to it). Some few occasional slowdowns would even be bearable as long as it didn't get notably slow.

However when I get the chance to play, I do play for quite a while (though not all daytime neither). Also with modern PC games I meant recent ones, and we know recent PC games normally ask for good CPU and GPU.

[shreduhsoreus]

Best Buy isn't the place to go for computers, I avoid them at all costs. Lenovo are more centered around business use which is why the high end ones have workstation graphics cards.

Look at the Sager notebooks I posted(the same brand that KH recommended). The one he posted is a beast, 3GB GTX 870M and an i7-4710MQ. Well worth $1200.

[ZLRK]

(01-19-2015, 11:29 AM)shreduhsoreus Wrote: Best Buy isn't the place to go for computers

Why not? Now I got curious...

[shreduhsoreus]

(01-19-2015, 11:34 AM)ZLRK Wrote:

(01-19-2015, 11:29 AM)shreduhsoreus Wrote: Best Buy isn't the place to go for computers

Why not? Now I got curious...

Limited selection, limited product specifications, limited amount of reviews from more knowledgeable users, poor customer service, limited customization. If you find a deal for something specific it's not a bad place, but it's not the first place you should look.


And don't get me started on their "Geek Squad" haha

[KHg8m3r]

(01-19-2015, 10:15 AM)shreduhsoreus Wrote: Just gonna leave this here

http://www.powernotebooks.com/Sager-Custom-Built-Gaming-Laptops-Notebooks-cat-26.html

(01-19-2015, 08:20 AM)KHg8m3r Wrote: However, if you're serious about gaming on a gaming laptop, I wouldn't recommend anything below this: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8268-clevo-p150sma-p-6986.html

Didn't notice you posted that. Excellent choice!

I have a Sager NP8230, and it is the best computer I've ever owned. I also got the thermal paste and copper cooling upgrade, which I also recommend.

[ZLRK]

Yes, that one looks entirely like a gaming dedicated laptop indeed. A bit expensive though, but not that much.
But, if we assumed I can only stick to more... "conventional" brands, are the MSI and ASUS in general the good ones, while the Lenovo ones are multimedia laptops that would complain with heat?
Or what other suggestable brands could there be? (Beforehand, I have had bad experiences with HP and Samsung ,so I'm avoiding them).

[KHg8m3r]

It would be the best option.

The MSI would be the best choice of the more "conventional" brands, but they don't come with a separate heatsink for the CPU and GPU, which prevents thermal throttling.

Check out http://www.xoticpc.com/ to look at gaming laptops.