Decent laptop

[GothAmKing]

Okay, when it comes to notebooks i'm complete noob. So it would be very nice if the experts in this forum advise me so that I get best bang-for-buck. My outlines are -
1. No brand preference, but hate HP.
2. Decent gaming configurations - GT 630 or 640 is all I need.
3. Ivy Bridge i5, Sandy Bridge i5 or Sandy bridge i7 needed.
4. Side exhausts, dont need any hassle with lapdesks.
5. Atleast 15.6" HD+ or if possible FHD LED Backlit screen.
6. Any kind of sound will do, dont need Hi-Fi speakers.
7. No 3D required.
8. Budget - USD 900.
9. If possible a port for mSSD.
10. Battery backup for 3.5 hrs.
11. No need for superfluous LEDs and Ultra Graphic textures.
12. 4-8 GB of RAM,6 GB is most preferrable.
13. No need for OS disk and other software bundles. I have my own Win7 Ultimate disk lying in the desk.

Choices in my head -
1. ASUS A53SV-NH51 Notebook Intel Core i5 2430M(2.40GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 640GB HDD 5400rpm DL DVD±RW/CD-RW NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M

2. ASUS A53SD-NS71 Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 500GB HDD 7200rpm DVD±R/RW NVIDIA GeForce GT 610M

3. Acer Aspire V3-771G-9697 Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 1TB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M

4. SAMSUNG McLaren NP550P5C-T01US Notebook Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz) 15.6" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M - This is current choice.

I know all aint Ivy or Kepler but it will do the job.I will take Ivy if and only if I get to land my hands on a Kepler or vice-versa.

And,THANX A ZILLION TIMES.

 

[Talaii]

A Sager NP6165/Clevo W150ER seems to meet almost all your expectations. The only problem might be venting - it has some vents near the front edge underneath. If it's actually on your lap while gaming it might get a bit warm. It's also quite thick, but it's got a 650M (real kepler chip) and an ivy bridge i5 (dual-core) or i7 (quad-core). It also doesn't have an mSATA slot, but DOES have two 2.5" drive bays, so you could just use a cheaper 2.5" SSD. Works out at ~$840 with an i5, or $910 with a quad-core i7.

They also have a cheaper option with a 630M, but it has a lot more venting along the bottom, and only has one hard disk slot (and no mSATA), and so no way of doing SSD + Hard disk without losing the DVD drive.


Looking at your notebooks, all of the ones I could find images of the underside for also had venting along the bottom. It's standard on higher-performance laptops - unless they try and make a wind tunnel right through the laptop, the only venting options are side -> rear or bottom -> side/rear.


Also, if you want a screen with higher than 1366x768, only the Acer from your four options manages to do that (it's 1600x900 on a 17.3", all the rest are 1366x768 on a 15.6"). The NP6110 is 1920x1080 by default, with an upgrade option to a quite nice 95% gamut screen.

 

[GothAmKing]

A Sager NP6165/Clevo W150ER seems to meet almost all your expectations. The only problem might be venting - it has some vents near the front edge underneath. If it's actually on your lap while gaming it might get a bit warm. It's also quite thick, but it's got a 650M (real kepler chip) and an ivy bridge i5 (dual-core) or i7 (quad-core). It also doesn't have an mSATA slot, but DOES have two 2.5" drive bays, so you could just use a cheaper 2.5" SSD. Works out at ~$840 with an i5, or $910 with a quad-core i7.

They also have a cheaper option with a 630M, but it has a lot more venting along the bottom, and only has one hard disk slot (and no mSATA), and so no way of doing SSD + Hard disk without losing the DVD drive.

Honestly speaking I never heard of the brand you mentioned. I have heard good things about Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Sony and Samsung. But bad impression are in my mind about HP and Toshiba. Both brands' products have been in use for my friends,but they give a lot of problems. HP should stick to printer market only !

Sony is outta question cuz its damn xpensive. Asus is too, but little less powerful models can do the trick for me. What do you think of Dell XPS 17 and the Samsung McLaren(in my choices) ? I know its an old model but then its got sufficient power to satisfy my greeds for the moment.

Thanx for your detailed reply.

 

[crab0]

Honestly speaking I never heard of the brand you mentioned. I have heard good things about Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Sony and Samsung. But bad impression are in my mind about HP and Toshiba. Both brands' products have been in use for my friends,but they give a lot of problems. HP should stick to printer market only !

Personally I would trust a boutique vendor more than a massive corporation that does 100 other things (though Levovo is solid).

 

[GothAmKing]

No I'm trying to go for prominent brands so as to get good service. Also they have a standard which they maintain at all the times. Any other suggestions guyz about other models and brands almost fitting my needs???

Thanx for replying.

 

[Sunburn74]

You could take a look at the HP envy 15 (or 14 which is really a 14.5 screen). You can find these at discount for 800-900 bucks.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-ENVY-15-...57225703?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item1c299ccae7
http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/hp-envy-15-core-i7-laptop/14729.aspx

Anyway you'll get a full 1080P screen, radeon 7690 graphics with integrated graphics as well, and a sandy bridge processor. Very nice laptop with some good gaming teeth as well. So, this is just a quick search, but they are frequently on discount and can be had for like 800-900 bucks if you find the right coupon.

You can also try looking at the older models. They won't have 7000 series cards, but can still be nice. You can easily find an HP envy 15 with a 6000 series card for <700 bucks.

 

[pelov]

If you're willing to spend an extra $100-150 you can get a current-gen envy 15t with an IPS 1080p screen and a 7750m, well above that 630m/640m.

err, just noticed you hate HP. NM then

 

[Sunburn74]

Yeah just saw that too. Just because your friends had issues with cheaper machines, doesn't mean you'll have issues with their flagship laptop. This particular laptop is built to rival or surpass the macbook. Quality is not the issue.

Also I own an HP envy 14 from 2 years ago. Brilliant machine imo and definitely the best machine I've ever owned (have owned a custom gaming laptop I bought from cyberpower built by clevo, as well as an asus laptop). The build quality again is superb and has caused me no issues since purchase.

 

[GothAmKing]

Okay I will add that Envy to my choices, but it would be nice if you guyz tell me how good are my choices(in the first post).
Thanx for replying.

 

[Sunburn74]

Honestly, as gaming machines, I don't think any of the laptops you picked are very good. They all have such low res, cheap glossy TN screens. The specs are ok, but if this is your desktop replacement, I think they will likely suck at everything else that a desktop/laptop must do. Most of them have 6 cell batteries for example (the HP envy has an 8 cell battery). How good are the keyboards and the mice? I dunno. I just would stay away is all.

If you're really wanting to stay away from the HP, how about looking at the asus n56VM which anandtech reviewed?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...FYNM4Aodj1sAjw

The price is right, the specs impeccable, and at least comes with full HD on a 15.6 inch screen?

 

[GothAmKing]

Honestly, as gaming machines, I don't think any of the laptops you picked are very good. They all have such low res, cheap glossy TN screens. The specs are ok, but if this is your desktop replacement, I think they will likely suck at everything else that a desktop/laptop must do. Most of them have 6 cell batteries for example (the HP envy has an 8 cell battery). How good are the keyboards and the mice? I dunno. I just would stay away is all.

If you're really wanting to stay away from the HP, how about looking at the asus n56VM which anandtech reviewed?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...FYNM4Aodj1sAjw

The price is right, the specs impeccable, and at least comes with full HD on a 15.6 inch screen?

Nice thing in budget.

Well tell me how is this-
ASUS A75VM-TB71 Laptop Computer - 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz, 8GB DDR3, 750GB HDD, DVDRW, 17.3" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Brown, 1-Yr Warranty / 1-Yr Accidental Damage

 

[Sunburn74]

Not really a fan. Just not my style. I once bought a 17inch gaming laptop. Worst purchase I ever made. Battery life was abysmal, it was embarassing to use in public, crazy heavy to carry around, and totally served zero purpose for me at home where I had a dedicated desktop.

As someone going through what you're going through, I'd tell you to just get the HP envy (or a macbook, or vaio, or dell xpsz something alongst those lines) especially if you have a home gaming machine. The envy is a better looking machine, is actually useable for other stuff (like light surfing when sitting on the couch), has a much better screen, and has better gaming chops.

 

[HaX]

Get a lenovo y580 has good performance ratio and a msata port