• Gaming

  • best gaming laptop (less than 1300$)

I've got the lenovo y500 (not from microcity cause I was looing for full HD, got it from overseas) and it is pretty great, the idea of an extra fan that you can swap for the dvd rom is marvelous (also can put and SLI 650 there or amn extra hdd) but on the down side portability clearly took a hit it is about 2.5kg which is a lot to my taste ... if you don't plan on moving the laptop a lot it is a great idea especially looking at those really bad made net-books (quality wise and hardware wise), anyway I would certainly advice but keep an eye cause I found out that the midle east version does not take SLI for example (and also none of the y500 has dual vga, although the kepler architecture coops well under power saver, it can hold off for 4 hours none gaming on battery life, tested and prooven)
@alk dual vga? as in dual vga ports? dual vga resolution screens?
Can anyone justify all the fuss about Alienware? I spent some time looking at the specs of those laptops, and I haven't found much difference in pure POWER between a Toshiba Satellite and an Alienware M17X. Also, Asus seems like a good option, my budget being around 1600$. And yes, I definitely need a laptop!
Dual VGA as in it chooses the GPU it needs to use for a specific application, like intel 4000 for normal windows, and GT650 for gaming (purely an example), it means optimus technology (don't know what AMD has) and I do not mean by it SLI (which it can take)

@seth; alienware is about customizing the laptop, if you go to asus or any other company the customization is very limited, alienware gives you whatever you want, the hardware you want even the backlit keyboard color you want, they laser itch your name ....
alk wroteDual VGA as in it chooses the GPU it needs to use for a specific application, like intel 4000 for normal windows, and GT650 for gaming (purely an example), it means optimus technology (don't know what AMD has) and I do not mean by it SLI (which it can take)

@seth; alienware is about customizing the laptop, if you go to asus or any other company the customization is very limited, alienware gives you whatever you want, the hardware you want even the backlit keyboard color you want, they laser itch your name ....
Yeah I saw that, but even the specific parts and "upgrades" seem like a rip-off and not very cost-effective.
@alk VGA means either a port(tradition analogue video port) or VGA resolution(640×480), the word you're looking for is GPU or Graphics Card

@seth Alienware isn't purely about power, they're very high quality laptops, they're very well built and are made from high quality material.

My friend recently bought an M14x and I bought an Asus N56vz, the specs are identical but my Asus has a bigger ram(12GB vs 8GB) and has a bigger resolution(FHD vs HD+ on the m14x). You might think at a first glance that it is a rip off getting less specs in the alienware for $600 extra, but in fact, although the Asus is very well built, the m14x feels much more luxurious, has a MUCH better cooling system(dual exhaust) and is a very good looking laptop. Basically I'd recommend an Alienware to anyone who can afford it, otherwise there is many other alternatives for much less money that, in some cases, can even out perform the Alienware despite the lower price.

I don't recommend Lenovos, when I was looking for a laptop I found that many many people complained about saveral quality issues with both the Y580 and the Y500, so even if you're fortunate to get a well built unit, you might encounter problems in the future.

Toshiba offers a lot of variations of laptops, but IMHO they're overpriced for their specs and still don't offer your money's worth.

I recommend Asus laptops, preferably the N series, which offers a perfect balance between price, power, and quality. I have had 2 Asus laptops so far and I never regretted buying either of them.

For your $1600 budget you can get a monster of a laptop, but of course not from Lebanon. If you are capable of buying a laptop from outside of lebanon, I HIGHLY recommend you do.

EDIT: As I mentioned above, I spotted a Dell Inspiron 15R special edition(FHD display, 3rd gen i7, 8gb ram, AMD 7730M graphics card, 1TBHDD) in virgin ABC ashrafieh for $1300 a month ago, call them and check if there are any units left.
I think the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 has thr best price for a gaming laptop,
AvoK95 wrote
It has to have a service center.
OMG, I haven't laughed so hard in years.
It must not be HP. HP gives you the best bang for your buck, but the overheating issues are a constant pain to live with.
HP's were like that. But newer models are good. Besides, no matter how much money you put, it will never last you more than 5 years anyway. It has reached to a point where brands don't matter anymore.
It can be paid for in monthly installments (with interest) or in one big payment (no interest); either way, the laptop must be physically present for me to check out.
First part has no meaning. How else are you going to pay it ?.
Second part, you can choose any laptop, and then check them out at places like Khoury Home. The reason why good laptops aren't available to check out, is because they come factory sealed. If you open the box, it looses its value.
In decreasing order of priority: Graphics Card > RAMs > Processing Power (more particularly, heat emission. A little less power for a lot less heat would be perfect) >Screen Size.
Microcityweb has the Lenovo IdeaPad Y500. An AMAZING gaming laptop with an I7 3630 8GB of RAM 1TB HDD and a GeForce GT 650M 15.6" 1080P screen ( or not ) With Windows 8 for $921+VAT (I think)

Here's how you can contact them

Here's a picture of it:

http://www.lenovo.com/images/products/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y500-hero-ribbon.jpg

Note how the keyboard has red LED's glowing under it (If that's not awesome I don't know what is!) Also, GT650M>7670M. But not by much. As you can see here and here
Thank you.
You're welcome!
mmk92 wrote@alk VGA means either a port(tradition analogue video port) or VGA resolution(640×480), the word you're looking for is GPU or Graphics Card

@seth Alienware isn't purely about power, they're very high quality laptops, they're very well built and are made from high quality material.

My friend recently bought an M14x and I bought an Asus N56vz, the specs are identical but my Asus has a bigger ram(12GB vs 8GB) and has a bigger resolution(FHD vs HD+ on the m14x). You might think at a first glance that it is a rip off getting less specs in the alienware for $600 extra, but in fact, although the Asus is very well built, the m14x feels much more luxurious, has a MUCH better cooling system(dual exhaust) and is a very good looking laptop. Basically I'd recommend an Alienware to anyone who can afford it, otherwise there is many other alternatives for much less money that, in some cases, can even out perform the Alienware despite the lower price.

I don't recommend Lenovos, when I was looking for a laptop I found that many many people complained about saveral quality issues with both the Y580 and the Y500, so even if you're fortunate to get a well built unit, you might encounter problems in the future.

Toshiba offers a lot of variations of laptops, but IMHO they're overpriced for their specs and still don't offer your money's worth.

I recommend Asus laptops, preferably the N series, which offers a perfect balance between price, power, and quality. I have had 2 Asus laptops so far and I never regretted buying either of them.

For your $1600 budget you can get a monster of a laptop, but of course not from Lebanon. If you are capable of buying a laptop from outside of lebanon, I HIGHLY recommend you do.

EDIT: As I mentioned above, I spotted a Dell Inspiron 15R special edition(FHD display, 3rd gen i7, 8gb ram, AMD 7730M graphics card, 1TBHDD) in virgin ABC ashrafieh for $1300 a month ago, call them and check if there are any units left.
Well the thing is I'm willing to buy a laptop from outside IF it has customer support in Lebanon so that I can safely resolve issues, replace parts and make use of the warranty. But what kind of laptop are you thinking about?
Up until now I was thinking about Alienware and if not then Toshiba, although the latter sort of disappoints me in terms of resolution (checked the satellite series). I'm considering buying an Asus laptop more and more.
Most brands offer international warranties, make sure Lebanon is included with the warranty. I bought my first Asus from saudi arabia, it came with an international warranty which included Lebanon, but I never used the warranty so I can't give feedback about their service. Toshiba's are very disappointing in terms of specs/price, also the new laptops are almost purely plastic unlike the old unbreakable tanks they used to make 6+years ago. For Asus lookup the N56VZ, and the G55(ROG gaming laptop). Alienware has the m11x and m14x, I have tried the m14x and I was very impressed with its build quality, if you are capable of buying a laptop from the US Alienwares are cheap there if you buy them straight from Dell.
2 months later
Concerning the Y500 in Lebanon, they are not FHD be aware...