Asus, Sager, or Alienware?

[Bolas]

What's the best gaming laptop in the $2k to $3k price range?

 

[Skott]

I wouldn't touch Alienware. Quality isnt all that high IMO and they are overpriced on top of that. So it comes down to either Sager or ASUS. Again, my opinion. Both are good from a quality standpoint. ASUS units are generally a little cheaper but run warmer than Sager models. Sager has the superior cooling system though so cost a little more. So the thing to do is go to somewhere like XoticPC, PCtorque, or GentechPC and look at what options you can get and at what price and then decide for yourself based on what your budget is. Read their forums too and see what the users are saying about each model you are interested in.

The reason why I mention those online boutique stores is because they are known to provide a better customer service than the main manufacturer and have a high rating of customer satisfaction whether it be sales or if your unit has a problem. Their prices are very competitive too.

 

[jacktesterson]

I love my MSI notebook although it wasn't that price range.

I bought a Asus Gaming Notebook that was DOA from newegg, returned it for the MSI below. No regrets.

 

[Bolas]

I wouldn't touch Alienware. Quality isnt all that high IMO and they are overpriced on top of that. So it comes down to either Sager or ASUS. Again, my opinion. Both are good from a quality standpoint. ASUS units are generally a little cheaper but run warmer than Sager models. Sager has the superior cooling system though so cost a little more. So the thing to do is go to somewhere like XoticPC, PCtorque, or GentechPC and look at what options you can get and at what price and then decide for yourself based on what your budget is. Read their forums too and see what the users are saying about each model you are interested in.

The reason why I mention those online boutique stores is because they are known to provide a better customer service than the main manufacturer and have a high rating of customer satisfaction whether it be sales or if your unit has a problem. Their prices are very competitive too.

I live in the same town with Xoticpc.com and bought my wife's pc there, so I'm leaning towards that. Dual gpu from Alienware is tempting too, though.... neither Asus nor Sager have a dual gpu Sandy Bridge notebook yet. I do like the pretty lights from Alienware, but they are a tad overpriced and have rumors of quality and customer service issues, so that makes me a bit leery of them.

 

[Absolution75]

I had to get an alienware for school (they bought the laptops and put the price in our tuition).


I hate it - its extremely heavy (looks like its about 1.5mm of aluminum on the outside), the keyboard feels cheap, the laptop complains the power adapter isn't genuine, the screen is shit, and it was extremely over priced

alienware m17x - my reference is compared to my old lenovo x200t which was better in just about every way

 

[RobertPters77]

What school buys alienware?

 

[Absolution75]

What school buys alienware?

http://guildhall.smu.edu/

 

[Bolas]

http://guildhall.smu.edu/

OMG sweet major. If they had that major 20 years ago when I was an undergrad, I totally would have done that instead of electrical engineering.

 

[Axon]

Sager. Best bang for the buck, and the best size to performance ratio. The NP 8150 is beast mode, and if you want until early June, you'll have access to the GTX 560m as well.

Alienware does not compare in terms of value. In terms of a 14" screen that weighs less than 7 pounds, You'll be buying a system with the GT 555m for the price of a Sager or ASUS with a GTX 560m. I agree that the styling is appealing, but that's part of what you pay for. For my needs, which includes some business travel, the Alienware was too ricey.

If you go up to the m18x r3, you can go up to the dual GPU options, which is gonna cause some significant heat in your system. Personally, I do not like that possibility. The laptop will also be huge and heavy. Another negative for me that may not matter to you.

None of these options will have good battery life, so there's that.

 

[Phobic9]

I looked at all the mentioned brands and went with the newest Alienware M18X. I havent received mine yet but many of the people that have on another forum I read have stated the build quality is exceptional and would even say it's better than the Sager laptops they've owned prior to the M18X. I don't think the $2400 I paid was all that much for what I'm getting (i7 2720, Dual AMD 6970, 8GB RAM, 500 GB Hybrid HDD, Blu Ray, Wireless HD), though I did get a sizeable discount (AAFES/US Military).

Yes this will be the biggest and heaviest laptop I've ever owned but it's a desktop replacement. I don't think there are many notebooks in this class that would qualify as light and thin. Now if Dell would ship the damn thing.

 

[Axon]

Right, it's all about your needs. Personally, I've no need for a dual 6970 or wireless HD. I need good power in a portable package. Alienware's option delivered less value for my dollar in that sense. Hell, if I wanted to get crazy and buy an engineering sample CPU, I could have saved even more cash by purchasing a Clevo barebones chassis from rjtech.com and throwing in some old parts.

Sager is notorious for having crappy keyboards, but I think everyone hates laptop keyboards save for apple's and lenovo's.

 

[Skott]

OMG sweet major. If they had that major 20 years ago when I was an undergrad, I totally would have done that instead of electrical engineering.

Yeah, if I was a young man again this would seriously call to me.

 

[Bolas]

Well in my case, I need the following...

I want to be able to watch Blu-Ray movies and television shows at full resolution. So anything smaller than 1920 x 1080 resolution is out.

I want to have an SSD for the boot drive and a large HDD for the data drive, so anything that can not hold two disk drives is out -- meaning most notebooks 15" and smaller are not an option for me, although some 15" Asus computers can handle dual HDD's. But that's OK, I'm fine with 17" and 18.4" notebooks. The data drive will hold a huge library of Steam games -- currently 350GB and growing -- not something that I want to try to fit on a single SSD along with my non-steam games, because good 480GB+ SSD's are a bit too much money ($1k+) currently.

I want blazing fast and snappy response times for the computer, I can't handle waiting five minutes for it to boot up (like my current refurbished HP dv9260nr laptop from four years ago), so a good SSD is a must for the boot drive. The boot drive will need to hold a bit over 100GB. My desktop has 45GB free out of 149GB on the boot drive, so my SSD needs to be at least 120GB, preferably larger (always better for SSD's to be bigger). A 240GB OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS edition would be ideal, but I would consider other options as well. I plan to get a SATA 6GB/s SSD for the boot drive, so any laptop I get should have a chip set to support SATA 6GB/s.

I don't particularly need a battery at all, I generally leave my laptops plugged in, either at home or into an adapter in the car or occasionally at a friend's house. What is this mobility thing of which you speak? Sometimes, I'll go to Panera or something and even then, I can usually find a wall outlet to plug in my laptop.

I want to be able to play League of Legends, Civilization V, and Starcraft II with ultra details at great frame rates. There are other games that I play, but not often enough to justify changes to my system specifications.

I think it would be a lot of fun to have a 3D system, but I'm not sure it's worth the $300 to $500 premium to get such a system. I plan to get a Sprint EVO 3D phone and that will enable me to take pictures and video in 3D, having a 3D laptop would give me somewhere to view those pics other than just the phone. Plus games in 3D might be a lot of fun, although I'm not sure how well my favorite games (Starcraft II, League of Legends, and Civ V) would translate to 3D. Anyone familiar with any of these games in 3D?

I'm concerned that a GTX 560m won't be powerful enough to run Starcraft II at ultra settings in 3D at decent frame rates, so if I do go with a 3D option, I need to check that out a bit more first.

I would like something with a good keyboard. Back lit, good layout, not flimsy. Yes, Lenovo has the best keyboards, my dad's Lenovo is awesome for business travel but not really suitable for gaming. I would like to spend some time doing some blogging and writing, so it would help to have a great keyboard.

I'm not doing any professional photography work on the laptop, so color gamut isn't a critical feature, although better gamut is always nice. Sony laptops have nice displays from what I have seen, but they aren't quite cutting it in the other features.

 

[Bolas]

I do want a Sandy Bridge quad core cpu, so a desktop cpu or a dual core is out.

I want wireless "N", I do use wireless a reasonable amount.

I would like a DislayPort output, but this is not mandatory.

I would like USB 3.0 if possible, but that's not a deal breaker.

I would like a high res (3 MegaPixel or better) webcam. I plan to use Skype or MSN Messenger to video chat with grandma from time to time.

I need an HDMI port so that I can connect to the big screen television occasionally. Wireless HDMI would be nice but is not a deal breaker.

Ideally, I would like a system that supports 16GB Kingston Hyper-X DDR3 1600MHz memory. I can do this upgrade myself for about $200 from Newegg, but a BIOS or cpu that didn't support that memory might cause me problems with doing that upgrade. I would settle for 8GB of DDR3 1333 MHz if needed, but faster is better. So I'm leaning towards a core i7 2720QM cpu, since the 2630QM doesn't seem to support that memory speed, from what I've read. That, and it's a good upgrade for the price on most systems.

 

[Brainonska511]

It sounds like you should just build an mITX gaming system (small package) and then pick up a netbook or small laptop for portable needs.

 

[Tom]

I have the opposite opinion from Skott. I wouldn't buy a laptop from anyone but a major company, Dell, Lenovo, HP. So that makes Alienware the best choice.

 

[Bolas]

It sounds like you should just build an mITX gaming system (small package) and then pick up a netbook or small laptop for portable needs.

I've got a nice desktop already, don't really want a second one. What I do want is something that I can put over the treadmill when I work out and use it to either play games (Civ V or whatever) or watch Blu-Rays. Here's the link to the buildlog for my desktop.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=248797

Oddly enough, even though my desktop computer has a Blu-Ray burner and Blu-Ray software, with what was at the time top of the line graphics cards and monitors, I can't watch Blu-Ray movies on it. Why is that? Because the antiquated DRM on Blu-Rays won't let me play movies over a DVI-D connection because it is not a "secure" digital connection, and that's the only input on the 30" NEC monitors is a DVI-D in. So I can't watch Blu-Ray movies in the basement at all. Very lame. With a laptop, however, that solves the problem. No issue with playing Blu-Rays on a laptop with a Blu-Ray drive (as far as I know).

I also want something I can use in the car on long trips. Mini-iTX doesn't cut it for that, not enough power in my car to run that and no real way to plug in a monitor.

Wish I could build a custom laptop myself and put in just the stuff I want, but it's not really feasible to build your own laptop because motherboards and cases have to match together and that only really happens with pre-built laptop designs from the major players. There's no motherboard and case standard for laptops like the ATX form factor for desktops, really.

Netbook won't play much in the way of games, neither will a weak laptop. And neither one will do full resolution Blu-Rays or 3D. I've already got a weak laptop, the four year old HP Pavillion dv9260nr (refurbished) that I want to upgrade -- mainly because although it is a 17" display, it has low res (1440 x 900), only 2 cores at 2GHz (core 2 duo), only 2GB of memory (not expandable), only wireless G (not N), and no Blu-Ray (it's got HD DVD, LOL). So if I wanted a cruddy cheap notebook, I'd stick with what I have already. I'd really rather just upgrade to a new high end laptop and be done with laptops for a while.

My desktop won't do 3D because the monitors are only 60Hz. 120Hz monitors aren't available in 4 mega-pixel resolutions, and the pixel count was more important to me than the 3D for the desktop, so I went with the 30" monitors. I figure I'll use the desktop for the 12 mega-pixel Eyefinity and the laptop for the 3D and PhysX, and then I can choose which one I want to use and which one for a guest gamer when friends come over to play.

I did strongly consider the Alienware m11x for the portability. But three things made me think it wasn't what I wanted. 1. No internal Blu-Ray player (or even a DVD drive), and I want to watch movies on car trips, 2. Low resolution screen instead of full HD 1080 -- and I like high pixel count displays, and 3. Not enough storage space to hold all my games and still have an SSD for the boot drive due to only one drive bay. It does have awesome portability and look though. If the screen resolution were 2560 x 1600 with the new Samsung 10.1" display, I would buy it for sure and just get an external Blu-Ray drive.

http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-10...nel-could-be-ipad-3s-retina-display-13151756/

Maybe next year this technology will be available, but it isn't at the moment.

-Bolas

 

[Axon]

Wish I could build a custom laptop myself and put in just the stuff I want, but it's not really feasible to build your own laptop because motherboards and cases have to match together and that only really happens with pre-built laptop designs from the major players. There's no motherboard and case standard for laptops like the ATX form factor for desktops, really.

-Bolas

You can, but only to a limited extent. For example, you can buy a barebones chassis from http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php

For example, if I bought the http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30028

Clevo P170HM w/ GTX 480m $1,400
i7 2720qm engineering sample $225 http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Intel-Core-...05?pt=CPUs&hash=item3a65ad94cd#ht_5532wt_1139
8 GB RAM $80 or so
SSD $400-500

Etc etc. No spending on worthless crap. Of course, you're always bound by the limitations of the chassis. Clevo, for example, does not have a backlit keyboard.

Other places will customize a laptop for you. http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-intel-generation-mobile-ct-95_51_301.html

I think something like a customized ASUS laptop might suit you. I've been considering changing out the screen in the NP8130 I'm about to order (anandtech called it the best screen he's ever used). I don't think it's 3d enabled, however.

Alienware, as you know, is also a strong option for you, because it offers the over the top options you're looking for in terms of GPU. The current GTX 485m is more than enough to run SC2 and LoL on max. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Nvidia-Geforce-GTX-485M-graphics-card.43872.0.html

Finally, Nvidia is launching new mobile cards next week at computex. It's worth waiting to see what they will officially launch, but my info suggests at least the GTX 560m.

 

[Bolas]

Other places will customize a laptop for you. http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-intel-generation-mobile-ct-95_51_301.html

I think something like a customized ASUS laptop might suit you. I've been considering changing out the screen in the NP8130 I'm about to order (anandtech called it the best screen he's ever used). I don't think it's 3d enabled, however.

Alienware, as you know, is also a strong option for you, because it offers the over the top options you're looking for in terms of GPU. The current GTX 485m is more than enough to run SC2 and LoL on max. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Nvidia-Geforce-GTX-485M-graphics-card.43872.0.html

Finally, Nvidia is launching new mobile cards next week at computex. It's worth waiting to see what they will officially launch, but my info suggests at least the GTX 560m.

I'm a big fan of Xoticpc.com, that's where we bought my wife's laptop last year. They're a local company (I live in the same city as xoticpc.com) so they are very convenient. So if I get a custom Asus or Sager, I would buy from them.

The GTX485m will run SC2 in 1080p at ultra settings in 2D just fine... but what about 3D? Takes double the frames for 3D, doesn't it? One for each eye. That would cut the 56 fps down to 28 fps, still playable for average frame rate, but I would potentially see some stutter for min frame rates.

I didn't know about the new card launch at Computex next week, that will be interesting to watch. Wonder if they'll just be re-badged current cards again...

 

[Bolas]

Ok, here's what I'm leaning towards....

configured at www.xoticpc.com

Sager NP8170 / Clevo P170HM
- Display: 17.3" FHD 16:9 120Hz 3D "MatteType" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Screen (1920x1080) - With 1 Pair NVIDIA 3D Glasses (Can only be used NVIDIA 485M)
- nVIDIA Wireless 3D Vision Glasses: Included nVIDIA Wireless 3D Glasses (Bundled with 3D Screen)
- Dead Pixel Warranty: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Processor: -2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
- Thermal Compound: - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- Graphics Video Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 485M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (User Upgradeable)
- External Display Video Adapters: No Video Adapter
- Ram: ~ 8,192MB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
- Exterior Finish: Standard Finish
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 250GB Intel 510 Series Solid State Drive (SSD2 Serial-ATA III)
- Second Hard Drive: ~ Remove 2nd Hard Drive
- Raid: HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- Optical Drive Bay: ~ 6X Blue-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- Optical Drive Bay Hard Drive Caddy: No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- External Hard Drive (Back Up): No Back Up Hard Drive
- External USB Optical Drive: NO External USB Optical Drive
- Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Back Up Software: No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth: None Standard--
- Wireless Network: Intel® Ultimate-N 6300 - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
- Wireless Network Accessories: No Network Accessory
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- TV Tuner: No TV Tuner
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Case: Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Battery: Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- Car Adapter: No Car Adapter
- Spare AC Adapter: None Standard*
- : $2,949.00

Sub-Total: $2,949.00
U.S. Shipping Options (15 lbs) (UPS Ground (may not be available to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Guam)): $28.00
Total: $2,977.00
Discount Coupons:cashrebate: -$89.31

 

[Axon]

Looks beast mode to me. See: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-sager-np8170-clevo-p170hm-owners-lounge.html

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGCvR0yGEYs

I always like opinions from end users who work with a PC on a day to day basis.

 

[fire400]

sager or asus will work.