Need Suggestion on Gaming Laptop

[rfw2003]

What is your budget?
$3000

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)
Desktop Replacement (17-inch + screen)

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
No

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Computer Programming, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Graphic Intense 3D Gaming

What games will you be playing?
Mostly FPS games and some RTS games

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places and Will stay on desk

Will you be buying online or in store?
online

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
Max Resolution (1920 x 1080)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Glossy is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
No

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 05/10/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
3 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
500 GB

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Yes

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
Blu-Ray

[cskollmann]

Hi, I had a similar budget and decided to go with a Clevo p170EM from Mythlogic based on the answers and reviews I read here. For $2526 shipped, they are putting the below together for me. I obviously haven't had hands on with it yet because they are waiting for the 7970M GPUs to be available to build, but I'm anticipating it being a beast. If you wanted to spend up to your $3k level, you could bump up the SSD and HDD sizes.


Mobile Chassis: MYTHLOGIC Nyx 1712 Chassis (Clevo P170EM) with backlit keyboard
Mobile Display: 17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Matte 72% NTSC Color Gamut LED Backlit LCD
Dead Pixel Guarantee: MYTH Pixel Perfect Guarantee
Monitor Calibration: Free MYTH Professional Monitor Color Calibration
CPU: Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz, 6M L3 Cache, 22nm, DDR3-1600MHz, Quad-Core Mobile Processor
Thermal Compound: Free IC Diamond Thermal Compound
System Memory: 8GB (2 x 4GB) , PC3-12800, 1600MHz SODIMM (Samsung)
Video Adapter: Intel HD3000/HD4000 Graphics AND AMD 7970M 2048MB GDDR5 DX11 Video Card ETA May
Optical: Notebook Black 6X BD-ROM/5X DVD-RAM Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Hard Drive: Intel 120GB 520 Series SATA III 6Gb/s Solid State Drive Sandforce Powered
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200 16MB Cache SATA Notebook Hard Drive
Network Card: Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem
Wireless Card: KILLER WirelessN 1103 - The ultimate wireless gaming HD video experience
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Only With Intel 2230/6235 Wireless
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium
Anti-Virus Software: Microsoft Security Essentials
MYTHLOGIC Assurance: MYTH Lifetime Assurance with Lifetime Labor + 1 Year Parts Warranty, 45 Day 2-Way Shipping Cont US
Phoenix Upgrade Plan: Lifetime Phoenix Upgrade Plan

[rfw2003]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definitely look into the Nyx 1712

R.F.

[rfw2003]

Mobile Chassis MYTHLOGIC Nyx 1712 Chassis (Clevo P170EM) with backlit keyboard
Exterior Finish None
Mobile Display 17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Glossy 90% NTSC Color Gamut LED Backlit LCD
Dead Pixel Guarantee None
Monitor Calibration Free MYTH Professional Monitor Color Calibration
CPU Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz, 6M L3 Cache, 22nm, DDR3-1600MHz, Quad-Core Mobile Processor
Thermal Compound Free IC Diamond Thermal Compound
System Memory 8GB (2 x 4GB) , PC3-12800, 1600MHz SODIMM (Samsung)
Video Adapter Intel HD3000/HD4000 Graphics AND NVIDIA 675M 2048MB GDDR5 DX11 Compliant with Optimus Tech
Optical Notebook Black 6X BD-ROM/5X DVD-RAM Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Bay Accessories None
External Optical Drive None
RAID [Requires Identical Hard Drive Selections] None
mSATA Solid State Drive None
Hard Drive 1 Crucial 256GB M4 Series SATA III 6GB/sec Solid State Drive
Hard Drive 2 None
Hard Drive 3 None
Keyboard None
Mouse None
Network Card Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem
Wireless Card KILLER WirelessN 1102 - Designed for the best wireless gaming, HD video and audio experience
Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Only With Intel 2230/6235 Wireless
Wireless Router None
Operating System Windows 7 Ultimate
Anti-Virus Software Microsoft Security Essentials
Productivity None
Extra Battery None
Extra AC Adapter None
Laptop Sleeve | MYTHLOGIC Recommends SLAPPA Gear None
Laptop Case | MYTHLOGIC Recommends SLAPPA Gear None
Wireless Display None
Notebook Cooler Cooler Master NotePal U3 Notebook Cooling Stand for 15"-19" Notebooks
Laptop Soundbar None
MYTHLOGIC Assurance MYTH Lifetime Assurance with Lifetime Labor + 1 Year Parts Warranty, 1 Yr 2-Way Shipping Cont US
Phoenix Upgrade Plan Lifetime Phoenix Upgrade Plan
Accidental coverage and Insurance None

How's this setup sound for what I described I wanted?? it falls well within my price range at $2540.69

[cskollmann]

Others here are more expert than I, hopefully they will comment. One question is why the 675M over the 7970M? The info I've seen indicates the AMD card blows the 675M away.

[rfw2003]

well the biggest reason I chose the Nvidia card over the AMD one is, availability. The Nvidia card is available right now whereas the AMD isn't

[s2odin]

The 7970M is the equivalent of two 675M's in SLI, just remember that.

[w3ak3stl1nk]

wireless card killer vs intel... windows ultimate vs home premium... U3 cooler vs others... it apears you have some preferences... hope you did research on those differences as picking the highest price item isn't always the best use of your customization options, but if you know what you want then go for it.

[rfw2003]

well while the 7970M is clearly the best performer, a laptop with the 675m in hand is much better then still waiting on a laptop because of choosing a card that isn't available yet. As far as the other options I chose the windows version and wifi nic yes I'm aware of what I'm buying here, and do realize that price doesn't necessarily reflect performance. The U3 cooler is just an omission that I didn't mean to include in the build list.

One thing I really don't know much about is the differences between the brands of the SSD's as I'm new to the SSD market segment, so guidance here is definitely needed.

[rfw2003]

This is what I ended up ordering. Hopefully it ends up serving me well.

Mobile Chassis: MYTHLOGIC Nyx 1712 Chassis (Clevo P170EM) with backlit keyboard
Mobile Display: 17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Glossy 90% NTSC Color Gamut LED Backlit LCD
Monitor Calibration: Free MYTH Professional Monitor Color Calibration
CPU: Intel Core i7-3720QM 2.6GHz, 6M L3 Cache, 22nm, DDR3-1600MHz, Quad-Core Mobile Processor
Thermal Compound: Free IC Diamond Thermal Compound
System Memory: 8GB (2 x 4GB) , PC3-12800, 1600MHz SODIMM (Samsung)
Video Adapter: Intel HD3000/HD4000 Graphics AND NVIDIA 675M 2048MB GDDR5 DX11 Compliant with Optimus Tech
Optical: Notebook Black 6X BD-ROM/5X DVD-RAM Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Hard Drive: Samsung 256GB 830 Series SATA III 6Gb/s Solid State Drive
Network Card: Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem
Wireless Card: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 3*3 802.11 a/g/n 450MB Total Bandwidth
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Only With Intel 2230/6235 Wireless
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate
Anti-Virus Software: Microsoft Security Essentials
MYTHLOGIC Assurance: MYTH Lifetime Assurance with Lifetime Labor + 1 Year Parts Warranty, 1 Yr 2-Way Shipping Cont US
Phoenix Upgrade Plan: Lifetime Phoenix Upgrade Plan