Miscellaneous laptop discussions forum: Which New Gaming Laptop to Consider

Hi everyone. I have a fairly specific question about purchasing a new gaming laptop sometime in the near future. I currently have an older gaming laptop that has recently begun to show some of its age and lost its grip on higher end settings.

Here are its specs:
• Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9400 @ 2.53 GHz 2.53 GHz

• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 (GDDR3)
(Crossfire Enabled)

• 4GB RAM

I have been looking at two laptops as a replacement specifically. I have gone through the customization process already and have two machines that appear to be what I want, with the second option being a little pricey.

The first is an HP Envy 17 which has a very attractive price thanks to some great specials. I was hoping someone could take a look and give me a prognosis on how well this machine will perform and an estimate about its lasting power (how long til it really starts to under-preform)

HP Envy 17 Customized System (Total Cost Approx. $1300 after savings [$1750 before])
• Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

• 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz

-Next Option Down: 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2450M Processor (2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz) [-100$]
-Next Option Up: 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2760QM Processor (2.4 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz) [+150$]

• Video Card: 1GB AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7690M GDDR5 Discrete Graphics(TM) [HDMI, DP]

• RAM: 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) RAM

-Next Option Down: 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) [-25$]
-Next Option Up: 12GB 1333MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) [+175$]

• Hard Drive: 1TB 7200 rpm Dual Hard Drive (500GB 7200 rpm x 2)
-Next Option Down: 750G 7200 Hybrid Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection [-40$]
-Next Option Up: 1.5TB 7200 rpm Dual Hard Drive (750GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection [+70$]
-First SSD Option: mSSD 80G + 1TB 7200 rpm [+260$]

I have included the next option up/down for some of the features that I don't know enough about to make a final decision. Any input on whether either of the up/downgrades would be cost effective and what type of performance change I would see would be great!


The alternative, but more expensive option is an Alienware M17x:

Alternative: Alienware M17x (Total Cost Approx $1950)

• OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit

• Intel® Core™ i7 2670QM (2.2GHz,3.1GHz,w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)

• VIDEO CARD: 1.5GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M

• RAM: 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)

• HARD DRIVE: 750GB 7,200RPM HDD


It is more pricey and has similar, but has some different options. Is this laptop going to be significantly different in terms of being significantly different in price?


Thank you for all of your input and feel free to make any suggestions that I haven't specifically asked about here such as other options that may provide more bang for my buck. Please let me know which of the two new laptops you would recommend and why, or possibly whether I should stick with my current laptop until a larger performance jump can be made for a similar cost.