What are my Current Options for 13.3" Gaming-Capable Laptop

Hi all. I was hoping that you could help me with my research on a few options for 13.3" gaming-capable laptops. I primarily use this laptop for work. However, I am also a road warrior; and want to be able to use this laptop to play PC games when I am in hotel rooms for the evening.

Could you guys provide a few recommendations on which laptops / laptop models currently have the best gaming-capable performance in a 13.3" chassis?

• Must be 13.3" for size & weight reasons. No 14" or 11.6" laptops.
• Prefer not to use Taiwanese OEM brands (Asus, MSI, Acer).
• Must have a great LCD screen. I have sworn off TN panels.
• Must have at least 1280 x 800 resolution.
• Price is not a concern. I can spend up to $2000.
• I can supply my own RAM and SSD.

I am currently using a 1-year old Sony Vaio S3 13.3". It has a Core i5 CPU in it, an AMD Radeon 6630M GPU (switchable graphics), 8GB of RAM, a 240GB SSD. It's a decently capable machine, but I'm trying to see if there has been a large jump in mobile GPU performance for a chassis of this size since I last checked.

Thank you guys!

 

You don't make it easy to suggest anything do you?

I was going to suggest any A10 powered (HP?) system - but that would be a downgrade from what you currently have. Even if you spend the full $2K on a new Sony setup - I don't think it will be worth it with anything currently available (unless you can sell your current setup for ~$1900, ).

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...-11-14-notebooks-gaming-worth-compendium.html

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Even if I don't get a new laptop, it's reassuring to know that sticking with what I have is the most reasonable choice.

It seems like a gaming-capable laptop below 14" is a niche that hasn't been getting much love in the past year or so. Most manufacturers seem to be focusing new laptop models on 15"+ gaming beasts, or ultrabooks that run on Intel HD4000 graphics.

I would have loved to see something like a Dell XPS 13 with a decent discrete GPU, or for Alienware to design a gaming-capable laptop based on a 13" chassis.

 

i know you said you don't like TN displays, but if you're really looking into 13" laptops, you should give the 2012 SONY VAIO S13A a try. the stock GPU (640m LE) is about 10% faster than my overclocked 6630m (btw, i'm using the VAIO SA as well), and when overclocked, it becomes another 30% faster (according to 3DMark06 scores). the cooling system has also been improved compared to the 2011 SA, and given that it runs Ivy Bridge and Kepler, it also runs much cooler. it can play Battlefield 3 perfectly fine on native resolution.

 

a 14 inch machine would allow for a gt 650m, though... Lenovo, and alienware have the gt 650, and acer has a gt 640 (not LE and therefore a bit more powerful) all in 14 inch. also, as a side note, clevo sells a 11.6" with a gt 650m. 13" is nowadays pretty much only for ultrabooks. And also, tips to the dark sorcerer who found the sony vaio. But, it won't be able to do heavy gaming.

 

There are no 13.3" laptops with a GT650M? I'm surprised as even the 11.6" Clevo sports a GT650M which is a pretty competent gaming GPU. Kent what level of gaming are you trying to do? That makes quite a difference.

 

The Gigabyte U2442V is getting a GT 650m soon. It's a thin and light 14" notebook with ULV i7 at 1600x900. It currently sports a 640m however.

 

Why must it really be 13.3" though. A 14" isn't going to be much heavier and if you have the proper bag you won't even notice the difference in space as far as size goes. Going with a 14" and your budget will open up a much bigger world and you have plenty of coin for top of the line.