You probably want your laptop to be portable, and those screens are just plain huge. Portability should come first in your laptop, if not, then just get a desktop. However, it is your choice.

He said he's going to just have a lappy, no desky, thus, he can't really have portable or long battery life if he wants a good gaming experience.

How would I do that exactly...?

7200RPM drives drain battery faster than 5400RPM drives, thus unless you replace with an SSD which I believe you said you were going to, it really isn't a con. 5400RPM drives are exactly what laptops need in terms of a mechanical HDD, since really SSDs or externals are the only alternatives.

Portability does not always mean battery life. Just saying that you aren't going to want to lug around a large clumsy and heavy machine when you can get something like a 14.1" laptop, or even a 15.6".

All right!
I have chosen the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114796
I have personal reasons for getting a computer now rather than wait for Q1.

Now, lastly, in your opinion, what is a good (for use and for its price) gaming mouse.

Holy crap that thing looks awesome (just too large)!

Gaming mouse? I've been using a 20$ USB laser mouse from Fred Meyers for years, and I love love love it.

Ex, can you fill me in on the difference between the i5 and i7 cores?

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jan 20 2010, 5:28 am by CecilSunkure.

Mobile i7: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarksfield_%28microprocessor%29

Mobile i5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrandale_%28microprocessor%29

All the GTS 360M specs we have at this time: http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gts_360m_us.html

mx518 is the apogee of mice. g5 made it into a laser, and g7 made it wireless. Any mouse you spend $50+ on will be outstanding. Go to staples/office depot and try out some of the mice there, see what fits. I prefer portability, so I got a 440 nano for my laptop. Desktop is mx518.

I guess we all have to make the same mistake when it comes to laptops. Enjoy your desktop with a UPS. You really aren't going to want to take that behemoth anywhere. Also, you didn't seem to mention that one is 1920x1080, the other is some weird 16:9 dimension.

If you want to be able to actually carry around that thing, it might be a good idea to get a backpack for it - one designed for carrying a laptop computer. I've tried carrying around my 15.4" laptop of approximately 6 pounds in a regular laptop case and it can be quite uncomfortable after just a few minutes. Sometime I decided I'd try getting a backpack for it and now I can comfortably carry it around for hours. I basically don't mind much anymore that I didn't get something smaller/lighter like a netbook. That computer is probably at least 50% heavier than mine, but a decent enough backpack might make it not too much of a burden to carry with you, especially if you are already used to carrying around a hefty pack.

If you get a backpack or other case, be sure to compare the dimensions of the laptop to the capacity dimensions of the laptop carrier, especially since most cases are designed for 16:10 laptops, not 16:9 laptops, the screen sizes stated probably won't match. Of course, if it says the exact number as the size of your laptop, it is more likely to match, as 16:9 laptops often have different diagonal sizes than 16:10 laptops. These laptop carriers appear to be less common, however.

Post has been edited 3 time(s), last time on Jan 20 2010, 8:59 am by ShadowFlare.