Looking to buy a new laptop but need advice...

[Jackal30]

Have about $2500 to spend if need be. Looking for something to use for classes and most definitely for gaming. I like the Dell line but having a hard time deciding which model. The 17" screen on the 9300 and XPS Gen 2 is nice but seems to defeat the purpose of being portable? A fully loaded 6000 goes for around $1800. What are thoughts on that model? Is the screen size the only difference from the 9300 and XPS? Any advice welcome. Thanks.

 

[holycpu]

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER get dell. You will regret.

For school + gaming, I recommand Acer travelmate 8100 (8xxx series don't remember exact number), this is P-M with X700 video card.

Another option is, Sager 3880, this is P-M with nvidia 6600 (~ like X700 for ATI) .
Sager 4880 is P-M with X700.

OR Asus z71v, also P-M with 6600

All video cards mention above are ALL PCI-E.

 

[saltedeggman]

get the lightest laptop possible... i regretted getting a Dell I8600 because of its weight 🙁

 

[Jackal30]

Dell has laptop just under 5lbs (600m) but the 14" screen sounds a bit small to me. What is considered "light"?

 

[saltedeggman]

anything <5lb is light for me 🙂 but then its my personal preference

you'd have to compromise between screen size and weight

 

[WobbleWobble]

If you want a gaming laptop, make sure it has a dedicated video card. Usually smaller, light laptops DO NOT have a dedicated video card.

If you're looking at Centrino systems, stay away from "Intel Extreme" for games.

 

[Jackal30]

What do you think of the XPS Gen 2? It has a 17" screen and a Geforce 6800 Go. Seems perfect for games but it's 8.5 lbs...