Gaming Laptops

[RKS]

My trusty MSI-1651 is finally starting to show it's age after over 7 years of rough use. I would have liked to upgrade it but it seems resistant so I am now in the market for a new workhorse. I don't "need" a gaming laptop but it would be nice to have when I have some downtime at work. I have budgeted $2500 to $3000 with the hope that it lasts me 7 to 10 years. Here is what I'm looking for:

i7 seventh gen? maybe 6th? with at least 16GB of ram
1070 or 1080 if there isn't an absurd price/performance difference
17" or bigger screen if they are available in UHD (eyes are getting weaker as I age)
at least a 500GB SSD (still haven't filled up my 300GB on the MSI)

I have looked at the MSI, ASUS ROG, CUK, and even Alienware offerings but want to narrow it down. Please let me know if there are any other manufacturers that I am missing and what you would consider.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Kaby Lake i7 quad core + 1070 or 1080 + 16 GB RAM + 512 SSD sounds like a great combo.

Even a 1080 will struggle and often fail at 4K resolution, with 2016 games let alone 2020+. So there's no reason not to consider a good 1080p display instead of UHD.

 

[Ryandb2]

I would look at the ASUS ROG line specifically the overclocked G752 with a 1070. Their cooling is fantastic, I have one of the cheaper models with a 1060, and it never gets hot and I can barely hear the fans. Heavy yes, but if you want it to last a long time weight + better cooling is better than lightweight and hot. 6th or 7th gen doesn't matter really, quad core is a must at that price range. No reason to get UHD as the games are only going to be pushing 1080p. It doesn't hit your SSD size sweet spot but it has an open slot for another, just note they are pcie drives, which are hard to find and more expensive.

 

[Shmee]

Consider a custom Sager or Clevo.

 

[Gikaseixas]

I would look at the ASUS ROG line specifically the overclocked G752 with a 1070. Their cooling is fantastic, I have one of the cheaper models with a 1060, and it never gets hot and I can barely hear the fans. Heavy yes, but if you want it to last a long time weight + better cooling is better than lightweight and hot. 6th or 7th gen doesn't matter really, quad core is a must at that price range. No reason to get UHD as the games are only going to be pushing 1080p. It doesn't hit your SSD size sweet spot but it has an open slot for another, just note they are pcie drives, which are hard to find and more expensive.

I'm typing from my G752VS (see sig) and i just love it. Came with a bundle that included 3 games (Game of Wars 4, Forza Horizon and Watchdogs 2), Wireless gaming controller and ROG backpack, all for $2399
Right now amazon has a similar deal for $2245 that includes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KLURJOS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
PROMOTION ($300 value): Exclusive Gaming Bundle included w/ your purchase. Official ASUS Gaming Partner 2017, We Ship Worldwide.
ITEM 1: Watch Dogs 2 Game Code ($60 Value)
ITEM 2: Maize, Redout, or Raw Data Game Code (Choose Your Indie Game) ($60 value)
ITEM 3: FREE ASUS ROG Gladius Gaming Mouse ($100 value)
ITEM 4: FREE ASUS ROG GM50 Gaming Mouse Pad ($30 value)
ITEM 5: FREE ASUS Wireless Gaming Controller ($40 value)
ITEM 6: FREE ASUS ROG BlizzCon Mouse Pad ($10 value)

Product Specifications:
Display: 17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) 178° View-Angle Matte Display w/ NVIDIA® G-Sync
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5
Processor: Intel® Skylake Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core (2.6GHz-3.5GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W)
Memory: 32GB (2x 16GB) Overclocked DDR4 DRAM (2400MHz) (Upgraded by EXcaliberPC)
Hard Drive: 512GB Samsung 950 PRO NVMe SSD (Seq. Read 2500MB/s, Seq. Write 1500MB/s) + 1TB 7200RPM HDD (Upgraded by EXcaliberPC)
Optical Drive: Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW Dual Layer
Networking: 10/100/1000 Mbps (LAN), Dual-band 802.11ac (Wireless LAN) + Bluetooth 4.1
Ports: 4x USB 3.0, Super Port (USB 3.1/Thunderbolt 3 via USB type C), HDMI 2.0, mini Display Port 1.2, RJ45, Card Reader (SDXC/MMC), Microphone-in jack, Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF)
Keyboard: Backlit Anti-Ghosting Keyboard

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Another line you could consider is Clevo, usually rebranded as Sager, CyberpowerPC, etc.
Been very happy with the w230ss in my sig (brother has one in the same config as well).
Still going strong after being CPU + GPU being pushed hard regularly.