Hello Everybody,

I am looking for some advice for a good gaming laptop. I am currently studying abroad in China and i am curious to see what you guys would recommend to buy as a good gaming laptop. I had a good Asus gaming laptop but it died. So the insurance company gave me a good replacement. I did not like it and I traded my brother for his alienware m11x r3. Its a small 11.3 inch gaming laptop. It runs FF14 with no problem. But I think I want something bigger and i would like to buy a good laptop when i go to the US in October for a week. If I cant buy one in the US, maybe I will buy one here in China. I am staying in Shanghai and I know there is a shopping mall dedicated to computer shoppers. Every brand you can think of, is sold at that mall, the only problem I see, is no warranty, or the problem would be if the computer broke when i was back in the states. I am only staying in Shanghai for a year and a half. Wow, so long story short, I want a new gaming machine so i don't kill my current laptop. What would you guys recommend for a laptop? Or should I build my own desktop and bring it to China? If so can you guys give me a good idea of what I would need to build a good desktop. I am looking to spend around 1200 dollars. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I usually keep an eye on deals over at dealzon.com They usually have good sales on laptops. Keep in mind I don't know a thing about building a pc.

Jens

Okay I did some snooping for you, I hope this helps.

Here are the recommended specs for ARR:

For the best performance you should aim to run the game on a system with at least these specifications.
Operating System: Windows® 7 64 bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5
Graphics: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX 660 or higher, AMD Radeon™ HD 7950 or higher
Memory: 4GB of RAM.
Disk Space: 20GB.


Given that, and a quick search I found the following:
Alienware Mx14. Def. a Gaming laptop and under your budget:
http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-m14x/pd?oc=DKCWFY1&ef_id=UdRHDgAAAbtlTSYI:20130703154518:s&dgc=ST&cid=262076&lid=4742362&acd=1230980731501410

This one has slightly better stats at close to your budget:
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1761381120232330267?q=gaming+laptops&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48705608,d.dmg&biw=2035&bih=1123&tch=1&ech=1&psi=CUfUUe-GN7DE4AOAsIHABA.1372866313564.3&sa=X&ei=sUfUUb3UDfK54APrjIDoDg&ved=0CKMBEPMCMAA

There are lots more at this google shopping link here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=gaming+laptops&oq=gaming+laptops&aqs=chrome.0.57j5j0l2j62l2.1618j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=gaming+laptops&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=CUfUUe-GN7DE4AOAsIHABA&ved=0CAsQ_AUoAw&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48705608,d.dmg&fp=762a4c360f04ee93&biw=2035&bih=1123


The two I linked above had 4/5 stars and there were several others. So I think you have a good shot at finding something you'll like

I thought M11x R3 was already pretty bulky, and you want something bigger? o.O
I prefer desktops over laptops myself, but traveling with something that hefty can't be nice.

The two best laptops you can get for that price are the ASUS ROG DH71 and MSI GE60 (As Tannlore listed as well). Both are 15.6 laptops.

GE60 has Fourth Generation Intel processors, so if you can get that one, you very much should.

Thanks for your replies. I think the M11x R3 is very bulky, buts its small and easy to lug around. I just want something with a bigger screen and more playing power. The alienware that you suggested is nice, but I would rather end up going for the i7 and maybe some more upgrades which of course will push the price up. What do you guys think of the HP envy series, something like this:

http://www.dealzon.com/deals/hp-dv7t-laptop#hp-envy-dv7-7212nr

Thanks again for your feedback.

That's actually pretty amazing for that price. 17-inch display, 32GB SSD, 3rd Gen i7. My only gripe with it is the 650M graphics card, but for that price I wouldn't pass it up. The entire thing as a package is too good.

Personally, I wouldn't ever recommend an Alienware to anyone. They are incredibly overpriced for what you get and are simply for style points.

I hear a lot of people dont like the 635 or was it 630. Why do you not like the 650M? Sorry I am new to the whole graphics card on pc idea. I used to play ff11 on ps2. Now that I play on pc, I see the light!

Just a small preference. The 660M is already below decent when it comes to HD Gaming, and most laptops in the $1100 range atleast have that. 650M is a bit of a step down. Technically, it's not that much worse, just that I expect a 660M in most mid-end laptops.

But I can't make any kind of argument for that price, so don't pay any attention to that. I'd recommend that laptop.