Looking to upgrade my Asus G53SX with something similar but better, need suggestions

SUMMARY: I currently have an Asus G53SX (see sig for details), prior to that I had an Asus G51J (one of the drives failed). Before that a Dell M1530 (operating system failed). Each replaced after two years approx. Hopefully this will give you an idea of the upgrade path I have followed and the type of notebook I have gravitated to. I figure it's about time I upgrade my G53X, even though it hasn't given me any problems. Looking for another upgrade now, happy to stay with Asus but also willing to look elsewhere. Only issues I have had with Asus were heating problems (and the drive failing, which kind of sucked).

I'm a bit out of touch with the latest Asus machines these days and looking for some suggestions from the experts. I posted the below in the What Notebook Should I buy forum but didnt get much response, so decided to go straight to the source. Apologies for the cross-posting.

Up to $2k USD, would prefer between $1.5kish if I can get one that fits my needs. Last 2 machine have cost about $1.5k each.

15"ish would be the largest I would want to go. I'm planning to hook it up to a 23" monitor and a 40" LCD TV.

USA

LIKE: Asus, Sony
DISLIKE: HP, because I've had horrible experience with both their computers and their printers

Other than that not too fussed.

Yes

Gaming (mainly MMOs, WoW will be the main game I play, but may also try other newer ones. Also RTS and TBS games like Starcraft II, Rome Total War II, etc. FPS I will play on my PS3)
Work (Microsoft Office, MS Access, Excel, Powerpoint)
Internet surfing and some basic HTML/XML programming

It will be on desk for 11 months of the year, but for 1 month I will be taking it when I visit my family in Australia. That's where the portability becomes important.

Gaming (mainly MMOs, WoW will be the main game I play, but may also try other newer ones. Also RTS and TBS games like Starcraft II, Rome Total War II, etc. FPS I will play on my PS3)

It will be plugged in the majority of the time, so not as crucial a factor. I would like more than the 3hrs I'm getting with my current Asus G53SX though, but not a dealbreaker if not.

Bought my last 3 notebooks online, so no problem.

Windows (sad me, I know)

Currently have 1920x1080 on a 15" screen. Happy with this and wouldn't want to go lower, because it's the same res as my monitor and LCD TV.

Doesn't matter to me

Yes but functionality is more so.

Within the next month hopefully.

At least 2 years, like my last 2 laptops (Asus G51J and Dell M1530. Unfortunately both failed soon after those 2 years were up

Currently have 1 500GB drive and my laptop is at about 85% capacity. Would like a bit more than that if possible. Would like SSD but not a deal breaker if it's too expensive (it was 2 years ago)

Currently have a Blue Ray Burner, would like to have again.

Thanks for any help!

 

Alienware 14 meets all your needs and looks awsome. It has the best warranty out there too. It has a 1080p IPS screen, something no competitor has.

 

You do not specify what version of Windows (I would go with 7) on the 8230 or 8250. In either case you will need to factor in the cost of the OS Gaming Laptops - GenTech PC - Gaming Notebooks - Custom Laptops - Custom Notebooks - Systems
with the 8250 there are 2 bays so you could get a smallish SSD for the OS and a 500 or 750 HDD for storage. (plus an mSATA port if you want to go that route)

 

Does it matter whether I go with Win 7 or 8? I know the 8 has a touch screen, but how big a deal is that really if I will be using an external monitor most of the time?

 

Opinions on Win 8 are all over the place. I tried it on my G73 & was far from impressed. I am used to booting to desktop & was able to tweak win 8 to boot directly to desktop. If you can get to a big box store that may be a good way to "test drive" win 8. good point with an external monitor the touch feature does not make a difference. (Plus I am anal about not getting smudges on my laptop screen)

 

That Alienware M14 looks interesting. I didn't realise they had gone down so much in price. But if I were to stick with Asus, what would be the logical upgrade path for me assuming I wanted to stick to the 14 - 15 inch screen size?

Also I kind of want to stay with a 1920 x 1080 screen rez, if possible.

 

This may be of interest to you:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/719029-official-msi-gt60-2od-owners-lounge.html

 

I do not recommend Alienware 14. Excessive heat and fan noise, better. Razer Blade, MSI and Asus are good choices.