Portable gaming laptop that will last 4-5 years

[Alex810]

I've been reading this forums for a few weeks now and customizing a wide variety of laptop specs.

I've narrowed my choice down to 3. MSI GE60 with GTX 660 (keyboard problems).
Alienware M14x GT650M (chunky) and finally the more stylish but less powerful Sony S13P with GT640M or GT640 LE (not sure which).

I know both the alienware and MSI would be able to run top games for a while but am really keen on the sony portability.

Any advice on what system to get that will last will be greatly appreciated.

[HTWingNut]

If you want a laptop that will be able to game with the latest games for 4-5 years, GT 650m or GTX 660m are not good choices. They will struggle with newer releases coming out next year even. Even my GTX 680m will struggle in a few years to play the latest games especially at 1080p. Gaming and longevity do not go hand in hand unfortunately. You should expect to replace a mid-grade GPU like the 650m and 660m after 2 years. A high end one after 3 years or so.

[poketape]

Alienware is overpriced and MSI, like you said, has the keyboard problem. If you buy the Sony you can expect to play some games on medium settings for maybe a year or two before you'll have to play with the lowest settings possible. You need to look at the Clevo resellers. A Clevo doesn't weigh as much as an Alienware or a MSI and it will give you a lot more power than the Sony. Also, just to point out, you were comparing a 13 inch to a 14 inch to a 15 inch, so the portability factor was stacked in Sony's favor.

[KernalPanic]

If we are comparing 15" clevo to 15" MSI, the weight in their mid-grade "portable" ones actually favor MSI (5.3lbs MSI GE60 vs 6.2lbs Sager 6165).
The only Clevo which beats the GE60 he listed is the 11" one.

I don't see a "keyboard" issue in the GE60, indeed reviews for the GE60 list it with either a "suitable" or "excellent" keyboard. Perhaps you are confusing the GT60 which people have found a few faulty keyboards that miss keystrokes?

This is not to discourage the exploration of the Clevo/Sager laptops, as they are most excellent options.

I fully agree with HT that you must temper your expectations for gaming. Not that the laptop won't last 4-5 years, and not that it won't game... but my ASUS is now 4 years old, and I can tell you that gaming on a 9800mGS is doable... but not optimal anymore. :-)

[poketape]

You're right, I was thinking of MSI GT60, although I'm pretty sure there's been complaints of keyboard problems with the GE60 as well. You'll never find these things in reviews (the reviews loved the GT60 keyboard), you'll find them in the forums.

[Alex810]

Well, I'm fine with playing current demanding games on medium/high settings. I mainly play league of legends and diablo 3, ideally something that could handle those on ultra settings whilst streaming would be fantastic.

I know these laptops are all of different size but they're the best laptops in terms of performance and portability for each size.

Ideally I'm looking for something to perform whilst being under 2.5 kg and not too thick like the GE60 but too many problems seem to have been identified with it whereas Sony and Alienware are much more reputable brands that I have more faith in.

[poketape]

I bought from Alienware and got hit by both Nvidia's choice to stop supporting the Alienware version of the 8800 and Alienware's choice to discontinue the m15x.

[DaCM]

The GE60 keyboard is basically the same as the GT60 except for the lack of backlighting. The most common 'issue' with it is that keys are too stiff and hard to press for some.
If we only take the longevity of these laptops into account the M14x would win as it only has a 1600x900 screen, so the GT 650m would run games on it better than the GTX 660m in 1080p. Also there's already a modded overvolted BIOS out for the AW which allows quite high GPU overclocking.
In terms of portability the M14x sucks though, so in my opinion the best choice would be the GE60 as it's quite light and powerful as well.

[rubbateckie]

If you are still considering the Sony: Sony Vaio S Bios Mod For Gt640m Le
The 640M LE can be safely overclocked to 650M levels. Though do remember that it has GDDR3 instead of GDDR5 VRAM. Which isn't too noticible but if you want it to game well for a while it might be worth it.
I am going with the Sony because I want something actually portable ~1inch thick, 4.5 lbs.
Basically gaming, portability, longevity - it doesn't really exist. Laptops just aren't powerful enough. Hell my old desktop's mid range 8600GT with 256MB of VRAM can manage TF2 on high but a friends 630M in his new laptop can't (we play on similar resolution so its not that).

[vaillant]

I have the GE60 and I don't find the keyboard is that bad. There is an adjustment period but after that it doesn't pose any major problems. It's also pretty light and thin.