Need Help Picking the right Laptop

[PapaXpress]

Phillips just left the consumer market.
Polaroid is just a name now, sold the highest bidder.

[ArcticCatZRT]

Toshiba is crap.

You must like that word

I've owned/worked with 3 Toshibas now, and haven't had an issue with any of them. The only thing that I have run into is when running my games my own Toshiba gets a bit hot, but that is to be expected when gaming with a laptop.

[Toripony]

We had a lot of Toshiba laptops where I worked. I liked them and requisitioned them because they held up to some abuse. On the downside, they gave us s/w compatibility problems sometimes and were not the most feature-rich products available. I had one about 5 years ago and was still the same experience. A friend of mine is still using that one to watch movies and surf. I still recommend them, but there are many newer brands I know nothing about so my contribution to the conversation dimishes with every passing year. Some of those names that are popular today, though, were the "Panasonics" of my prime-time.

[SithMurcielago]

Thanks all for your input, but for me a desktop is not an option as I travel alot. So a laptop is a more wiser choice to choose from. The way i plan on doing it is building a laptop from a base one at this site

http://www.xoticpc.com/index.html

Which has alot of great choices. I like MSI laptops I heard some nice things about them and they are pretty affordable. I also realized from my last laptop that integrated graphics cards are no good at all for gaming. So i won't make that same mistake twice. i will get a laptop with Dedicated graphic cards so if i need an upgrade I have options which is always great to have

COME ON TAX REFUND I DON"T HAVE ALL DAY

[SithMurcielago]

So far this is my current configuration:

MSI CX61 0NF-258US MSI CX61 0NF-258US
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- 15.6” HD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1366x768) Super Clear Glare Type Screen (SKU - X1R312)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – X2X317)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds) (XPC Service)
- nVidia GeForce GT 645M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 (SKU – X3X532)
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 6GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU-21412P] (Dual Channel Memory (1x2GB + 1x4GB SODIMMS))(Up to 16GB)
- Standard Laptop Finish
- 750GB 5400RPM 8MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default (SKU - X5R308)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO/ xD-P)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card + Bluetooth 4.0 (SKU – X8R012)
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- WINDOWS 8 - 64-Bit (Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk)
- Keep factory installed operating system
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 1 Year MSI US Parts & Labor 1 Year Global Warranty w/ Lifetime Tech Support (SKU - M9R303)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- Standard Production Time
- No Xotic PC Gear

This is the laptop Specs:

MSI CX61 (258US) Overview

Display:
15.6" HD (1366x768) Glossy
Video Card:
2048MB DDR3 nVIDIA GT 645M
Processor:
3rd Generation Intel® i7-3630QM
Memory:
6GB DDR3 1600MHz (Up to 16GB)
Hard Drive:
750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Battery Life:
3+ Hours
Weight:
5.29 lbs

What do you guys think? Some parts are still upgradable like the video card and the memory and hard drive. i figured go with this for now and upgrade for cheaper later.

[arizonachris]

Looks nice, dude! But don't expect 3 hours when you are running RW. The 645M is a decent card, and the i7 is a nice CPU. 6Gb RAM, sweet!

[SithMurcielago]

Looks nice, dude! But don't expect 3 hours when you are running RW. The 645M is a decent card, and the i7 is a nice CPU. 6Gb RAM, sweet!

Yeah I figured that much. I would have to keep the power cord plugged in. For the most part all the major components are upgradable. How rare is it to find a laptop like this that has all of this features plus being almost fully upgraded. A steal to me