Dell - XPS Laptop X15-1031AAL for college/gaming?

Hello everyone

I will be heading to college in the fall , and i am looking to get a laptop to take with me. I have limited range of laptops i can get since i'm trying to get the free xbox deal with the purchase of a laptop , and only certain laptops qualify.

I am looking for a laptop for college work but medium - intensity gaming. Such as running BF Bad company 2 in medium to high graphics settings , nothing too special.

heres the one im looking at:

Dell - XPS Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 15.6" Display / 6GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Silver Anodized Aluminum - X15-1031AAL


- would this laptop suit my needs? is it overpriced?
- I am wondering about the cooling , because its only a 15 inch laptop and it has the i7 process + the nvdidia , im worried that it might overheat or have problems with heat. I am not an expert on laptops so that is just a hunch



If this laptop isnt what i need , here is some alternatives to it , any comments on any of these would be greatly appreciated!!!


Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display / 6GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Slate - A665-3DV10x


ASUS - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Black - G53SW-BST6


Samsung - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 15.6" Display / 6GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Black/Graphite - RC512-S02


Thanks alot everyone!

 

I think that XPS 15 is overpriced.

Just an FYI the XPS 15 that Best Buy has is actually the L501X with the older Clarksfield i7 + Geforce 400 series.

It is still a nice computer but you can get the L502X on Dell with the quicker Sandy Bridge processor plus Optimus, and the Geforce 500 series for almost the same price. Plus, I believe you can still get the Xbox even if you by online through Dell or HP.

Now, if we're comparing the 4 laptops in your post the one thing you need to keep in mind is that the resolution for all the laptops will be 1366x768. If we're using Bad Company 2 as a benchmark the Dell XPS 15 and Samsung should be able to do medium-high settings while the Toshiba should be able to do mostly high. The Asus however will blow all those other ones away since the GTX 460m is a beastly card. You'd be able to do high for sure.

CPU-wise not a lot of games do utilize quad-cores but slowly that has been changing. BC2 loves Quad-Cores. However, I play BC2 with my older i5 just fine with no hiccups. It really depends what other games you're playing with the laptop and what else you're gonna be doing with it.

Also, for the i7 you don't necessarily need a cooling pad but it doesn't hurt to have one. If you don't go with one and you're worried about heat just make sure your laptop vents aren't being blocked or anything.

Sorry for the long post! Hopefully it helps!

 

Link to my post in your other thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...p-x15-1031aal-college-gaming.html#post7522103

Spoiler

Tip: I wouldn't buy a laptop from Best Buy. Especially the XPS 15.

Their XPS 15 model has the 1366x768 (720p) screen, and the 1366x768 display panel they use in the XPS 15 is not one of the best screens around to say the least . It's actually a particularly bad screen. Otherwise the XPS 15 is a great laptop, and if you order it from Dell's website and spec it with the B+RGLED 1920x1080 screen it's a really good multimedia / moderate-gaming laptop. The B+RGLED screen is actually one of the best and most vibrant screens currently available. Plus the higher resolution on it lets you fit much more onscreen at once because things are a bit smaller (e.g. side-by-side windows) which is great for college work and general productivity.

Plus, most people around this forum generally don't recommend buying laptops from Best Buy or any retail store. They're priced higher and don't offer as good of specifications as you can get by buying online.

You can get the XPS 15 for $999 with the i7 quad-core processor and the 1080p screen if you buy from Dell directly.

Here's a link to Dell's website:
XPS 15 - Intel Core i7 Laptop for High-Octane Entertainment | Dell
- Pick the $1099 model (this model includes the 1080p screen and other upgrades, and is cheaper than selecting the other models and adding the upgrades)
- If you go for a cheaper base model, keep in mind the 1080p screen won't be included and is a $150 upgrade.
- Don't be fooled by the fact that the touchscreen is +$0, because the touchscreen is the 720p screen, not the 1080p screen.
- For the best gaming performance, the GT 540M upgrade, but the 525M is overclockable to 540M speeds if you're willing to mess around with that.
- After it's in your cart, add the coupon code 0QZNX8B2J326BZ to take off $100 (though I don't know if it's stackable with the Xbox deal)

Toshiba Satellites A665-3DV10x - If you want a GT 540M, there are much better alternatives at cheaper price points with much better screens and other specs.
ASUS G53SW - Asus laptops are some of the worst computers to buy at Best Buy. Asus laptops themselves are usually goood, but Asus has to make special cheaped-out watered-down models specifically to sell at Best-Buy just to conform to their requirements. This laptop also suffers with battery life because the graphics card does not switch off when not in use (Optimus technology)
Samsung RC512-S02 - Same graphics card as the XPS 15's cheapest card, I'd take the XPS 15 instead.

Another option to consider is the HP DV6t Quad Edition, which will offer some of the best gaming performance for a laptop in its price range, and also has a 1080p screen available.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s.../psg/notebooks/High_performance/dv6tqe_series
- Click either model, because the Recommended configuration only has some of the upgrades already selected which can be downgraded anyway, if you don't want them.
- Get the 1080p screen. Although the 1366x768 screen isn't known to be as bad as the one on the XPS 15, it's still nothing special and will give you a cramped workspace. The 1920x1080 screen is supposed to be just as good as the one on the XPS, but in a matte (anti-glare) flavor. It's $150 extra, but with the coupon it really only counts as around +$100. Don't miss out on it! It's really the most important upgrade in my opinion.
- Get the 6770M graphics card. 1GB is good enough though.
- Coupon code: NB6171 to take off 30% (again, might not be stackable with the Xbox 360)

Both of these laptops are eligible for the Xbox 360 I believe.

Also it's against the forum rules to cross post, just FYI