Computer Nerds, I Beseech You.

godmode

It's that time of year again: I need a new computer. Along with this, I need some advice. I've never seriously computer shopped before, instead choosing to walk into the local Best Buy and pick up whatever machine caught my eye. I want to change that this time through, though. I want to put some real thought into this.
Here's what I need:
- I travel a lot, so it MUST be a laptop
- I enjoy playing games, but I have always had to turn my WoW graphics to minimum and I don't want to anymore (I'd like a good video card)
- I'm open-minded about brand name. I'm only looking for quality
- I can't afford to spend more than $1,000
- I need some guidance on processor types, and what would be the best all-around
- Screen size isn't that important to me

With this criteria in mind, please make some suggestions. Thank you in advance!

MeepZero

Good sir, you are close to your goal, but you may have better luck with posting your request in the Moe's Technology Tavern subforum.

godmode

Oops!


Any mods around that can move this for me?

TheUnsane1

So you know Sub $1000, laptop, and gaming in one machine isn't likely something you will be finding.

godmode

Well, I was browsing Newegg earlier and there's several laptops avg $800 with 4 gigs or RAM, nVidia graphics, and AMD processors. Sounds like it would play a few games well.

TheUnsane1

well I supposed if you are playing games from the last few years and aren't going to be looking for high frame rates on newer stuff you can get a midlevel setup. Acer prob makes something in your range that could fit the bill if WoW is about the highest level gaming you're looking to run.
Maybe something like this guy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115539

CarbonFire

I would suggest one of Asus's laptops. They have a pretty good selection of gaming laptops, and their quality is top-of-the-line (they make laptops for Apple, Sony, HP and others).

This would be an example of a pretty powerful laptop for under $1000

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220390

Unfortunately since Asus doesn't have a recognizable brand name in the US, online is pretty much your only option. But as long as you buy it from a reputable company like amazon or newegg, you should be golden. :^:

As a side note, the Asus laptop I bought 4.5 years ago still works great (even with heavy use during college). Though you can't see the letters on the WASD keys any more ;-)

godmode

This may seem like a stupid question, but what exactly is the chipset?

lowlylowlycook

I can play LotR Online not to mention WoW on my Dell XPS laptop. It has a mobile version of the 8600. I payed about $1000 for it a while back.

2 things to keep in mind. Often you can find good discounts/coupons for laptops so don't just buy one in a store or order one online. Also buy with the minimum amount of memory possible, then upgrade it yourself. This will normally save you a bundle.