Help me decide on a laptop please

[excrulon]

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

Trying to stay between $1500-$2000 max.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like:

asus/dell seem promising from what i've looked at so far.

b. Dislike:

ordered a sager and sent it back. screen was terrible and keyboard felt cheap/flimsy and wasn't backlit. didn't realize how important backlit keyboards are to me.

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

No.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Programming (visual studio 2010) 3D graphics, gaming, HD video are probably the most intensive things.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Yep, moving around with it to work on things a fair amount.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

SC2, Diablo 3, League of Legends

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

doesn't really matter, i almost always keep my laptops plugged in anyway, but at least 2-3 hours could be nice.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Buying online without seeing is okay, given I can see several good quality pics.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows 7


12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. If you are unsure of what to purchase, we would highly recommend you check some notebook screens before you buy to see what you like. You may also wish to take a look at the notebook screen guide for more information.

1080p screen, at least 1920x1080.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

MATTE. it has to be matte. i can't tolerate glossy. i've been having the hardest time trying to find one. i can customize the ASUS G73SW to have a matte screen at xotic pc but that's +$195 and backordered, and the FHD screen for the dell xps 17 non3D is rumored to be matte but i'm afraid to order that without it being confirmed.


14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

Not really. Keyboard has to make sense with no abnormal key layouts.

15) When are you buying this laptop?

Now.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

3+ years.


17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

At least 500gb. Ideally i'd like to have a SSD for my boot/OS drive and another 7200 rpm drive for data storage, but SSDs are so pricey. $600 for a 250 gb SSD is so much, but it might be possible to fit that in the budget, or go with a 120gb or so.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?

if it's there, fine. they seem kinda pointless these days since i could always get an external. indifferent about bluray since i never buy blurays and i have a ps3 if i wanted to watch them.


Very experienced with computers. Just wanted some further input as all I've found looking myself are the ASUS G73SW and dell xps 17 non 3D. I'd almost be tempted to order one of the stock G73SW from newegg/amazon/tiger direct but they all have glossy screens by default, and i hate those. Swapping the screen out myself seems like a pain.

And none have a SSD, so I'd need to buy it somewhere that lets me customize it, or i could install it myself after I bought it if I felt like I needed one later.

If other people can't suggest anything else and end up thinking one of these two are the best fit as well, which would be best to go with? And can anyone confirm that the dell xps 17" FHD screen will be matte if I order that one?

[Leoben]

Sager NP 8130 but you don't like Sager and it doesn't have a backlit keyboard. (Everything else seems perfect but I'm guessing that doesn't matter...)

[p4izanagi]

Go For Sager Np 8130/NP 8150

if you like it ASUS G73SW just you say on the post . or you can take Alienware M17x or M18x .

[excrulon]

Just noticed those sagers are 15" screens. Sorry I forgot to specify, I'd prefer a 17".

[Leoben]

Go with the ASUS G73

Get an "Anti-Glare Matte Screen Protector"
ViewGuard Anti-Glare Matte Screen Protector Review

[excrulon]

G73SW is what i've been leaning towards for the past couple days, so that does sound very tempting. i could either customize it at xotic and get the matte screen or go with one of the cheaper versions i've seen at amazon/newegg/tiger direct but end up with a glossy screen and no SSD. guess i could buy the ssd separately. hmm!

that matte screen protector does seem pretty cool, gonna look into that.

before i pull the trigger on the G73, can anyone give their input on the dell xps 17 compared to it? it seems like a pretty good laptop, but no one here seemed to jump on seconding the idea of getting that instead of the G73.

[Karamazovmm]

I would get the m17x, since you dont like sagers it packs a great 6970m, which is going to blow the gtx 460m to dust. Basically it competes with 2 gtx 460m in sli