Hello all. I would like to hear some opinions in what you think is the ideal solution for me. Here's the deal.. I'm 29 and fortunate enough to have all 4 of my grandparents alive. Until recently, they've all been doing good and well and have always had a good relationship. All this changed this year with multiple heart attacks, heart failure, strokes, etc. They are now helpless. So I'll be taking turns every other night with other members of my family to care for them. It looks as if it will take awhile, so already put my life on hold. It's no big deal since they did so much for me.
Sorry for the rant, but just wanted to get that out there in hope that you would understand. In the meantime, I'm a pretty heavy gamer. FPS, RTS, Adventure, fighters (looking forward to SFIV), and just basically everything under the sun. Another thing I should point out is that my budget is around $2500. Simply put, this isn't gonna break me. I have a solid rig that I'm typing on now at home with a Sony FW900 monitor, so obviously I can't expect the same. But as in anything in life, nothing's perfect. I wish to shoot for the best here and not worry about upgrading later. I want the best I can get now so I'll have something to put my mind at ease during the summer.
So it's simple really, I want to possibly max out the latest games. I understand Crysis is a resource hog, which happens to be one of my fav games. But I'de like to play that the best I can. Also, I have many X264 720/1080p movies. So I'm thinking a glossy screen is a must. I'de like to watch my movies and have good color and sharpness. Lighting won't be a factor for me since I'll be inside, so I'm not worried about the reflections on a glossy screen. I love crystal clear screens (but no Mac please). I should add that I'll be using a Genesis and SNES emulators, as well as Dosbox. I have to have my oldschool collection wherever I go. So, it would be nice if lower resolution games would look good. Is it possible? Can you have the best of both worlds? If not, it's fine. But let me know how this goes.
I've been tinkering with the Sager website. They have some impressive stuff. But I figured I would at least ask about it here before I jump the gun. Remember, you don't have to recommend a budget box. I have plans to tax this machine, and am financially okay.
The design is something to consider as well. Although it's not a deal breaker, I'm a sucker for cool designs (tacky, if you will). Like the Asus with the yellow striping at best buy, the Qosmio with the red flames, etc. This is probably overkill for most, but I fall in the lesser I assume. I like it. But, this isn't a priority by any means. Just a bonus.
I almost bought the Gateway FX Series at best buy yesterday. I just got off a 24 hour shift out there, dead tired. So I figured I'd check best buy to see what they had. I immediately saw the Asus and the Gateway. I fell in love with the Asus design, but 15" isn't gonna cut it. I need at least 17". I'm not a small man (200lb) so even the 17" is light to me. Then when I saw the Gateway, I came within inches from buying it. Had the cash on hand too. Call me an impulsive buyer, but really at this point if I see what I like I'm buying as I've waited long enough. The FX Series had what seemed the best video card and overall specs for the price. Couldn't believe it was only $1150. I've configured laptops online (dell, alienware, cyberpower, etc) near those specs at nearly twice the price. The only thing that kept me from buying it was the 1440x900 resolution (i think it was). I rather opt for 1600x1050 or 1920x1200. I dunno, maybe 1440x900 would be enough. For the price it's mighty tempting. The only other note I can give is that the screen looked better to me on the Asus. It just popped. Then again, after a 24 hour shift I could't really trust me eyes.
If you made it this far, I thank you for reading. Thank you even more for providing help. There's nothing perfect, but would like the best I can get for under 2 grand. Before anyone carries on about why not get a desktop to save $, well I already have one with Q6600/8800gtx. I NEED a high performance notebook now as I'll be traveling from house to house and trust me when it's their naptime, it'm my GAME TIME.
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