Need Help Deciding

I am a bit lost right now. I am returning my Lenovo X220T and purchasing a new laptop, I'd like to game a bit, nothing heavy and I seem to be having trouble deciding/finding a laptop.

At first I was looking at the G53 , but decided that it's too ugly and bulky to carry around to class and back.

Next up was the N53, but I'm being told by different people at different sources that the GT540M will be a very weak card to play games on.

Other than that I'm kinda stumpted, I want something that won't be "holy hell" bulky, will play a little bit of gaming (Mostly Star Wars The Old Republic when it drops and Minecraft), and something that won't cost more than 1000-1200. Closer to 1000 I am the better. Any advice from the asus forums? (I posted in the "what should I buy" but I never have any luck there, everytime I've made a thread I get maybe one or two replies.

 

I'd suggest filling out the WNSIB FAQ and posting in the WNSIB forum. Asus isn't your only choice.

I'd look into Sager, though I'm not sure what form factor would be acceptable to you.

The MSI X460DX is a quaint 14" slim laptop that packs a GT540M. It all depends on what you want to play.

Also, there is always the option of eGPU. Unless you frequently travel and game, I would've opted to keep the X220 (a very nice ultraportable) and configure an eGPU through the expresscard slot.

Ask nando4 if you're interested in eGPU. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out.

 

While I might be a bit impatient, I have filled them out before and in the few times I've done it I've either gotten extremely unhelpful answers or no one ever responds. I'd narrowed it down to a few, the sager was one but...jesus that's an ugly laptop. The same thing for the Asus G series, I'd love the power house of it, but it looks like a laptop I had back in the late 90's.

I'll take a look at that MSI laptop, since I've posted this I've done a ton of looking around on various forums, asked some advice over on Reddit, asked a couple tech buddies of mine and so far I really like that N53 from Asus. It looks nice, it has decent specs, I can swap out the keyboard for a chicklet style (supposedly) so it's got alot of what I want in a notebook. I haven't really looked at the MSI's yet though so I'll stop there next.

Honestly there are a few laptops from large brand companies that I like but it seems like you pay "extra" for their stuff just because it's sony, dell, etc. I know upgrading from 2GB to 4GB does NOT cost $200, I can do it myself for a fraction of that. Just for an example.

Edit: As for form factor, I'd like to be able to carry it with me to class without breaking my back, but I don't carry any books so that's kind of a moot issue. I'd rather not have to lug a 17" 12lbs laptop out of my bag just to take notes in my biology classes. I've pretty much ruled out any "name brand" laptops (the big HP, Dell, Sony, Apple, etc) Cost is too high for what you get, unless I'm missing something.

 

How mobile do you want this machine to be?

Would it be a viable option to opt for an eGPU set up?

 

I edited the original reply before I saw your reply. This is not a replacement for a desktop at home, I have an AMAZING setup at home that blows any laptop I buy out of the water. This is to use for very very light amounts of gaming while I'm away (time wise not performance wise), school work, and some moderate website design.

I use my laptop A LOT at work for leisure time (I'm a paramedic, when I'm not making a 911 run I can watch movies/tv, play video games, sleep, whatever. I prefer to waste my time with minecraft )

I do like that MSI laptop, I just wish they made the 14" in i7, other than the ones mentioned though, unless there is some sort of name brand special deal, coupon code juggling thing I'm missing.

 

Here's the Owner's Thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/msi/612390-official-x460dx-owners-thread.html

 

For $550 you can get a recertified HP dv6z-6135DX with an AMD 6750 GPU and AMD A8 CPU. For a few hundred more you can get it or a dv6t either with a 1080p screen. You'll need coupon codes and such and have to buy direct from HP.