Best gaming laptop for $1400-$1600?

[MX5J6]

Yeah if I could afford it i'd get one but I will be purchasing one in the future. How big of an SSD would I need? Because with all this still being under $1600 if I don't need some monster SSD then maybe I can just wait and save a little more and get one from the start.

[smokinokie]

Yeah if I could afford it i'd get one but I will be purchasing one in the future. How big of an SSD would I need? Because with all this still being under $1600 if I don't need some monster SSD then maybe I can just wait and save a little more and get one from the start.

You can get a Crucial M4 128gb for $100 or less if you hit the right sale currently. Only you can determine your storage needs. 256gb is more than enough for me with external storage options. 128gb is room enough for an OS, a few games and misc programs, music, etc.

[MX5J6]

How do you transfer your stuff from a HDD to an SSD, is it difficult? Or do you not transfer but redownload? When I was learning to build desktops sometime last year I never really got into SSD's so I still don't know much about them to be honest. However I think for my needs something like a 128 or 256 would be perfect as I plan to keep this thing for a long while and I would like something pretty big to keep my games on.

Btw how difficult is it to install into a laptop? Is it like a tower where you pretty much slide it in?

[smokinokie]

Well, I'm hoping it's all pretty simple because I'll be doing it for the first time in a couple of days when my 9150 arrives. I have the SSD already. Opinions vary but it seems a fresh install of your OS is the way to go. I'm probably low to moderate on the tech scale but from what I've read it doesn't appear to be too complicated. Couple of threads that I'll be studying are:

Legal Download from DigitalRiver: Windows 7 SP1, 13 languages

How to install SSD into laptop?

You can also read up on the SSD section of the forum.

Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Flash Storage

Sager's are built for easy access to the components and swapping out the HDD is supposed to be very simple.

[MX5J6]

Thanks for the links, I will study them for a while so I know exactly what I'm doing. otherwise I'm sure my local computer repair can do it for me, for a fee of course. XD The scallywags. SO I guess i will just buy myself a 256 since it is such a good deal and I don't need anything bigger more than likely.

[smokinokie]

Just checked LPC's site and they are now offering the Crucial M4 256gb upgrade for $195. I would have gone that route if it was offered when I ordered. I assume other resellers are offering similar deals now.

[MX5J6]

I would go for that but idk if 256 would be enough TOTAL memory for me. when you install an SSD into the 9170 do you replace the HDD or does it go in another part of the laptop? And will I still be able to keep my optical?

[smokinokie]

Yeah, on the 9170 you get 2 drives plus optical. On the 9150 you have to choose between a 2nd drive or optical. Both also have an MSATA drive option.

[MX5J6]

Oh ok that's why when configuring on XPC you can pick up to an 80gb I think and a primary drive along with a secondary if you don't want or need an optical.

[MX5J6]

Might even go with this configuration if I can get a little more to spend. This would be like my dream machine. With the added SSD, would I need more RAM? also would 1333MHz be enough? or should i stick with the 1600? Same question for the 12GB would 1333 be enough for this setup?

Sager NP9170

17.3" FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen (1920x1080)
Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM (2.3GHz - 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU ( + 35 )
AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11 ( + 200 )
8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS)
256gb Crucial M4 Series Solid State Drive (SSD2 Serial-ATA III) ( + 195 )
750gb 7200rpm (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) ( + 110 )
6x Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive ( + 80 )
Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3) ( + 60 )
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit ( + 80 )

Total after all discounts - $2042.29