Battery + GPU for Grad School (with min reqs)

[EmoryM]

I'm about to attend grad school and in the market for a laptop for the first time ever... I've got the following minimum requirements:

• OS: Windows 7
• CPU: Dual-core 2.2GHz, 3MB L2 cache
• RAM: 4GB
• HDD: 320 GB, 7200 RPM
• GPU:
  • NVIDIA Quadro FX 770M
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M
  • ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 or
  • ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670
• Wireless: 802.11n
• 1394 "Fire Wire"
• 3+ year warranty

What I'm after is a laptop that meets these reqs, but also gives me the biggest gpu for gaming (when plugged in) and the best battery life for school (so switching is probably necessary). I was thinking the M11x or ASUS U35Jc after reading the buying guides.

If anyone else was recently in a similar situation, input is appreciated. Overwhelmed with choices.

 

[Dankk]

Overwhelmed with choices.

Although there are hundreds of options out there, those specs you listed narrow things down *a lot*. In fact, chances are you're not going to find much of anything with those exact specifications. You can find things that come very close though.

I suppose that Alienware laptop is definitely feature-filled, but personally, I would stay away from anything Alienware. Their products are pretty overpriced and the quality probably isn't worth it. Instead, try checking out Dell Studio XPS Laptops.

Also look at Lenovo's line of Thinkpads. They are solid workhorses, and although they cost a bit of money, they're some of the best laptops out there.

Here are some laptops from Newegg that might pique your interest. Large hard drives, dedicated graphics, and 4GB of memory.

 

[heymrdj]

Your need of big graphics plus battery life is the kicker. While Optimus seems prime, very few laptops support it in its purest form yet (hardware level switching live instead of after reboot). Good luck on your search, I'll post back if I see anything.

Here's an interesting read that might shine some light: http://digitimes.com/news/a20100212PD214.html

Judging the trend on google, your best bet might be to wait till more towards christmas is possible.