Looking for a High End Gaming Laptop, Budget 1.5-4k

[GCU God Told Me To Do It]

I have a gaming habit. I also have an unfortunate habit of coding/messing with high-end simulations of various sorts. I've always fulfilled the demands of these habits by buying or building cost-effective high-end desktops. That time, however, must now come to an end. I am about to commence a stage of my job and life that will be lived on the road. I'll be away for about a month at a time, about every other month (flying between various places probably every 1-3 days). I'll be doing this for 3-4 years. Obviously, even a light-weight semi-portable desktop is probably not the best idea. (One of the biggest problems with such a desktop is the fact that I would not be able to use it without a power outlet).

**LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE**

Country of purchase: U.S.

Budget range: 1.5k-4k$ I know that this is an incredibly broad range and that this fact makes my question more difficult to answer. I'd really rather not spend 3k-4k on it, because of diminishing returns. However, if the quality is that much higher, and the returns aren't diminishing drastically, then I'd gladly spend 4k on a laptop. (e.g. if a 4k laptop could go almost twice as fast as a 1k laptop and have significantly better durability, battery life, a higher quality build that will last me more years, a bigger screen, etc...). However, if the returns are diminishing very steeply with increasing price, my budget is more like 1.5k-2.5k.

Purpose (netbook, ultraportable, mainstream, gaming, desktop replacement, etc.): Gaming/desktop replacement used for games and complex simualtions. I want power. Lots and lots of it.

Screen size preference: Enormous. (is 17 inches the biggest reasonable size?)

OS preference (Windows/ Mac/ Linux): Windows

Gaming requirements (example games and desired fps/settings): Again, I want power. Whether I'm playing Crysis 4 a few years down the road, trying to run Sins of a Solar Empire or Supreme Commander with an absurdly large max unit number, or trying to run an extremely complex real-time physics simulation, I want the best of processing power, RAM, and video card (and anything else that might bottleneck the system, like maybe the motherboard?)

Performance requirements (video, CAD, etc.): See above. I also want to be able to use very large tv's (65-70 inches) as output devs when I'm home. I will probably use a wireless mouse and keyboard for range when I am using this setup.

Method of computer support (office supplier, college bookstore, self support): Self support I guess? I'm not entirely sure what this is asking. I will not be getting support from work or school if that's what the question is asking.

Brand preferences and reasons (already owned accessories, familiarity, business compatibility): No idea, looking for advice

Any particular style that you like (examples are great): No idea, looking for advice. Function first, form is a VERY distant second.

Which of the following qualities would you prefer? (Choose one, the other, or balanced)

Long battery life -vs- Low weight: Battery life. It's not a big consideration, since I plan on carrying external batteries for long airplane rides and such, but it's more important than weight, since I am prepared to accept lugging a heavy beast around anyway

Build quality -vs- Low price: Quality

Low noise/heat -vs- High performance: High Performance. I don't mind high heat, BUT it must be able to not damage itself while operating at max blast for extended periods of time (and yes, you can assume I will leave it on a hard flat surface in these scenarios).

**Would you pay a premium for something that has:**

High resolution screen: Yes

A great keyboard: Yes (although I plan on using a wireless keyboard when at home so I can plug it into my big tv and use that as a monitor).

A great touchpad/mouse buttons: Yes (although I plan on using a wireless mouse when at home so I can plug it into my big tv and use that as a monitor).

Great audio: Meh...not that important. Definitely don't want anything too crappy though.

List any features that are critical: (e.g. Optical drive, USB 3.0, SD card slot, ethernet port, HDMI port, bluetooth, VGA port, removable battery, glossy screen, matte screen, etc.) Obviously a lot of USB ports (or maybe I should just get one of the branching USB cable thingies?). DVD read/write drive. HDMI out. DVI and/or VGA out (both would also be nice but probably isn't that important...right? I want to be able to hook it up into almost any TV I run into during my travels.) Also, it must be durable. I am not planning on taking it mountain climbing or dropping it in a bathtub, but I have no doubt it will sustain a decent amount of minor bumps and bruises on the road over the years. It doesn't need to be ultra-rugged, but it shouldn't break if dropped from an inch or 2 inches either...it definitely should be more on the durable side of the scale. Also, I want it to last. I may have made myself sound super rich above, but 4k (or even 2.5k) is a pretty big investment for me. I dont want the screen or video card to fail after only 2-3 years.

As for weight and size: they are really not that much of an issue. I'll still have to lug the weight around, but that's worth it. As for size/bulk, the kind of flying I'm doing won't generally include being crammed into the back of passenger aircraft, so I'm not too worried. I should always have plenty of room.

I apologize if any of the questions or requirements above are dumb, unreasonable, or if what I'm asking for is too vague. I tried to acknowledge the vague areas (e.g. price) and explain why I wasn't sure, and what I was looking for in these areas as well as I could. I'm simply not up to date with the tech right now, (the last computer I bought was a high-end desktop I built myself 4 years ago, it still works wonderfully but that I won't be able to take on the road) and the choices and variety are a bit overwhelming.

[hatchet5891]

Have you checked out http://www.xoticpc.com/ They have a lot of options for types of laptops and what you can put in them. I personally have an Alienware M17X. It's not the most portable though because it is thick. It has a decent amount of power, but if you go through xoticpc you can get it more powerful than you can from dell and have more options and since power is what your are looking for, I would recommend checking out that site. Some laptops can have dual GPUs also giving more power. The laptop I have cannot do that but the m18x can and that one has an 18 inch screen.

[Joker]

If you want the best then Sager has a nice configurator.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_customed&model_name=NP9390

Display 17.3" Full HD LED-Backlit Display featuring 90% NTSC Color Gamut in Super Glossy Surface (1920 x 1080) [$100.00]
Video & Graphics Card Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M GPU with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory in SLI Mode [$850.00]
CPU Processor 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4930MX Processor Extreme Edition ( 8MB L3 Cache, 3.0GHz ) [$880.00]
Thermal Compound Stock Standard Thermal Compound
Operating System Genuine MS Windows® 8 64-Bit Edition
Memory 32GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 4 X 8GB [$270.00]
mSATA SSD RAID Storage Options Info Non-RAID Storage
mSATA SSD Drive Slot 1 None
Hard Drive & SSD Drive RAID Storage Options Info Non-RAID Storage
Hard Disk Drive 1 1TB 5400rpm SATA2 Hard Drive
Optical Drive Bay — Optical Drive or Hard Disk Drive in Optical Drive Bay with Caddy case 6X BD-R Blu-ray Burner/8X DVD±R/2.4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software [$90.00]
Wireless Network Card Killer™ Wireless-N 1202 802.11 A/B/G/N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth 4.0 Combo Module [$50.00]
Primary Battery Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
Integrated Security Device Fingerprint Reader
Microsoft Office Microsoft Office 2013 Trial - Included in Price
Warranty Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty
Carrying Bag TXL617, Targus 17" XL Notebook Backpack [$85.00]

Sub Total: $4,074.00
Promotion Discount: -$50.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $0.00
Total: $4,024.00

This would do what you want and for a good few years. Select two 1 TB HDDs if you think you'd install tons of music, programs & games over 3/4 years. I included a carrying bag. You can select to add an extra battery, USB cables & power adapters. If this is just too much money then select cheaper/weaker parts.

You should get a good cooling pad for longer gaming sessions etc.

http://laptop-coolers-review.toptenreviews.com/

[GCU God Told Me To Do It]

Thanks for the help, both your responses really helped give me a starting point for my research!

Now I'm down to the Sager NP9570 vs Alienware 18.

Specs/prices I'm looking at:

Alienware 18: $3900 before warranty/other services/accessories

(Alienware 18 Gaming Laptop | Dell)

CPU: Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-4900MQ processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.0GHz w/ Intel® Turbo Boost)

RAM: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz

GPU: Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA SLI® Enabled

hard drive: 512GB mSATA Boot + 750GB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200 RPM)

Sager NP9570: $3,800 before warranty/other services/accessories

(custom gaming laptops - Welcome to Sager Notebooks)

matte screen

Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M GPU with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory + Additional AC Adapter & Power Converter Box

2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Processor ( 10MB L3 Cache, 3.60GHz / 3.80GHz in Turbo Mode, 4 Cores ) IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU

16GB Quad Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 4 X 4GB **

RAID-0 Storage

hard drives 1 and 2: 240GB intel 430 series

hard drive 3: 1TB 5400rpm SATA2 3rd Hard Disk Drive

Thoughts:

1) Alienware wins on screen size: if all other things were equal I would be getting an extra inch for only $100 more.

2) The Sager setup wins on the hard drives: more space for my big non-solid state drive, and the ssd's will go faster because of RAID-0.

3) Alienware looks cooler (this is VERY low on my list of priorities, although it could be a tie-breaker)

4) Alienware seems to offer a pretty nice damage protection plan for (this is different than a warranty) for a few hundred bucks. Like the looks of the case, this is not as important to me as specs/part quality, but could be a tie-breaker.

Questions:

1) The processors are confusing. This is perhaps the most important question, I will probably decide based on the processor. Here's the Sager: (ARK | Intel® Core) Here's the Alienware: (ARK | Intel® Core)

The Alienware is overclocked, so that might help it win. The max turbo's (I guess without overclocking?) are both 3.8Ghz. The basic clock speeds, however, are very different: 3.6 for the Sager and 2.8 for the Alienware. Should I be looking at the max turbo speeds (in which case they are equal, although the Alienware might win because of overclocking) or the clock speeds (in which Sager wins by a long-shot)?

Also, the Sager one has a much higher max memory bandwidth, is that important?

2) For the Sager's 16GB RAM I can get Quad Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 4 X 4GB or Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 2 X 8GB for the same price. Which is better?

3) Did I select a good hard-drive setup for the Sager? (See thought #2) If not, how can I do better (WITHOUT adding $500 to the price)?

4) Windows 7 or 8? (Let the flames begin!)

Thank you very much for your time and help!

[hatchet5891]

As far as the CPU goes, they are basically equal. Sager is just giving you the amount after it is using turbo boost where dell is giving you the lowest without turbo boost and what it goes up to with it.

As far as the RAM, I will be honest I don't really know because I have never used Quad channel, maybe somebody who has used both types is better informed on this.

I hard drives I was a little confused on in comment #2. So are you using SSD or just HDD? I would recommend a SSD for the OS to be installed on and then HDD for storage, unless you are set on setting up a RAID 0. SSD can get expensive with the higher amount of GB so if you want a lot of space, us HDD for storage instead.

As far as OS goes, either one in my opinion are good. Windows 8 funtions the same as 7 but it adds the tile startup screen which you will hardly use unless you have a touch monitor (not happening on these laptops I imagine). I personally think windows 8 boots up faster than 7 and manages the CPU and RAM better, but not to the extent where it is going to mind blowing or make a huge impact in things that you do. I have yet to have any compatibility issues with windows 8, in most cases you can just use windows 7 drivers if there aren't any for windows 8 and it will work fine. There have been reports of issues with compatibility though even though I haven't experienced any, so take that into note since you will be using this with business also.

[Kak]

If you are that open about spending a large sum on a gaming laptop... just buy the best alienware you get get. Their desktops are for complete suckers only, but in your case id say go for it. I've never been one for gamin on a laptop, unless i started traveling nonstop

[Rove]

These guys make mobile workstations. http://www.eurocom.com/

You can even get the pricier ones with dual Xeon desktop (yes desktop not mobile) CPUs inside a mobile notebook. Not sure how they managed the cooling but it works apparently.

Edit, added the missing link