GE60 2OE (765M) vs GT60 2OC (770M)

Hello. I'm going to lead this post with the "What should I buy" form and then post up my personal pros and cons between the GE60 and GT60, and hopefully you guys can help point me in the right direction. I'm posting this in the MSI section and not the general "What should I buy" subforum because I've spent a month or so trying to make a decision and keep jumping back and forth between the 2 models.

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
$1200-$1500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: MSI

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Not applicable for these brand new models

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
50% internet browsing, 25% gaming, 25% Electrical Engineering schoolwork (MATLAB, Multisim, MS Word)

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Yes, some of my most played games: L4D2, Civ 5, DIRT 3, Assassin's Creed series

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
N/A for gaming, 2-3 hours for browsing/typing at low/medium brightness

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Powernotebooks is the closest reseller at 1 hour away but don't appear to have a storefront, so my only choice is to buy online.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.
1080p

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Yes

15) When are you buying this laptop?
Within the next month

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
3 years

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
128GB SSD for OS/apps and a large spinning HDD for media/games

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
DVD burner

That should give an indication of my needs, and I've decided that the GE60 w/765M or GT60 w/770M is the way to go for my budget and needs.

GT60
Pros:
770M
Mulitcolor keyboard (It seems like I'd play with it once or twice and never touch it again after picking a color)
Dynaudio speakers
Killer wifi card
Quiet, good cooling

Cons:
Heavier
Thicker
$200 more expensive
Weighs the same as the 780M version but doesn't perform the same

GE60
Pros:
Lighter
Thinner
$200 cheaper

Cons:
765M
Speakers (It's reasonable to assume that they'll be inferior to the Dynaudio)
Single color blue backlit keyboard (would prefer white, but is still better than nothing at all)

Hopefully this post makes sense and gives you guys the necessary information to help me make a decision.

EDIT: Alienware lets you haggle quite a bit on pricing, do MSI resellers typically allow haggling? I don't expect to get a bunch of upgrades for free, but if a mild discount is typical practice like it is when purchasing an Alienware, I'd feel foolish for missing out.

 

If gaming isn't the main reason you need/want a laptop go with the GE60.

 

Looks like you've been on Tom's Hardware

25% gaming might allude to not very demanding titles, so I would say the 765M would suit you just fine. There isn't a vast performance gap between the two, anyway (noticeable, but not immense).

Don't expect 3 hours of battery life, though, regardless of which model you go with. Since the GE60 is a little lighter and a thinner profile, it might suit you better for travel as well.

You can get get resellers to price match and/or offer a promotional code for a better price. I don't know if I would call it "haggling", but it's very possible to maximize the value if you shop around and inquire.

 

I avoid Tom's Hardware like the plague. I typically hang around on OCN and enjoy overclocking as much as gaming. Here's my 3DMark11 score for my desktop:
AMD Radeon HD 7970 video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-2500K Processor,ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 score: P10671 3DMarks

I don't game as often as I'd like, but I do sometimes enjoy playing the Crysis series modded, Metro 2033, and other highly demanding games than even make my 7970 struggle at times (anything less than 60FPS average is unacceptable IMO).

I'm a desktop gamer and was looking at a laptop that can game while I'm out of state (almost a month a year) and offer most of the performance of my desktop. I've decided that instead of spending a bunch on a gaming laptop, I'll probably go with an ultrabook for my daily needs and stick to my desktop for gaming. I like the near silence of my desktop and with the amount I save, I may purchase a Korean 1440p IPS monitor to enhance my gaming more than any laptop could.

 

Ah, prospective buyers use the same layout on the TH forums.

In that case, enjoy your ultrabook! Netbooks can be nice for travel too if you don't need much horsepower from the system, although they're often neglected a bit in terms of construction quality.

 

Unless you got hold of an msi 3k edition with 2880x1620 screen of course

 

bah nevermind I see you already chose not to get gaming laptop now. edit.