Looking for High end Gaming solution

[Hazeman]

Hi all 1st time poster here.

Like the title suggests I am in the market for a high end laptop. WIth the little research I have done it looks like the ALienware's and the dells have the market some what cornered on this for price and performance.

I am looking for something with at least 2 gigs of ram and that boasts the latest in graphics card solutions.

I at the moment am leaning towards the Dell xps m170 with the nvidia go 7800 card and a pentium m 780 processor.

I am to be working over seas and will not be at home alot so a high end laptop is my only option and being an avid gamer I want high end performance. Price isnt that important as I am after performance and longevity.

So if you fine people could give me some suggestions and/or point me in the right direction on current systems and possible future tech it would greatly be appretiated.

Thanks in advance,

Hazeman

[Jaggannath]

From Dell, you're looking in the right direction. The two I'd recommend are the XPS you've mentioned and the Inspiron 9300 fully kitted out.... wait for the one third off type deals that Dell periodically offer. In fact, search the forums for Dell and Inspiron 9300, there's a lot of threads with advice on this topic

Afraid I don't really know too much about Alienware, except that they're usually overpriced, so someone else will have to help you out there

[thefultonhow]

You might want to also consider the Sager NP5720. It has similar specs to the Dell, but adds a WSXGA+ screen option, Azalia hi-def audio, a 4-in-1 card reader instead of the SD-only one in the XPS, a webcam, and my personal favorite -- a modular bay that can accept a second battery or second ard drive in additon to the combo drive or DVD burner.

EDIT: If you go with Alienware, be prepared for abysmal support.

[Hazeman]

thanks for the help guys. Does dell offer good support and what not? I have heard about the alienware support being half ass from other people as well so I will most likely stay away from them.

[thefultonhow]

Originally Posted by Hazeman thanks for the help guys. Does dell offer good support and what not? I have heard about the alienware support being half ass from other people as well so I will most likely stay away from them.

You really have to game Dell's support system. I have had decent experiences with them (the graphics card in my first XPS2 was defective and would white-screen the laptop, so they replaced my laptop), but some other people that I've talked to have not gotten the best service. Generally, you just need to make a fuss for them to fix your problem.

I linked to the Sager above at PCTorque; from what I've heard PCTorque is fairly responsive. They also run a site dedicated to notebooks (http://www.notebookforums.com/) so if you're having problems and am not getting results from them, post on their forums and you are almost guaranteed to get help.

[Hi Ho]

I second Fulton's recommendation of Sager. They are the "unkown" in the laptop world. PowerNotebooks.com is an excellent place to buy from.