Need advice on gaming laptop

[mikeyPotg]

So im looking at getting a laptop pc for gaming again... I've been running boot camp on my 09 mbp but I think I want more power and I still have my old Mac pro for my desktop Mac needs.

Last time I bought a pc gaming laptop was about 9 years ago and due to the heat generated from gaming, it basically became a 10 lb paper weight after not even 2 years. Spent over $3k for that piece of crap voodoo pc...

So my question is, has technology changed much for gaming laptops to counter the intense heat? I know that can fry the motherboard fast if u game or edit video all day long. I want this inf to last at least 3-4 solid years of quality use, not to slow down after a while or just start to shut down due to heat.

If not, does anyone know of any company that has a legit warranty that covers that type of damage for multiple years, or at least offers some sort of discounted program to replace worn down parts (including motherboards)? Voodoo offered a "lifetime" upgrade program, but the fine print basically meant I'd have to buy a new pc from them for only about $100 less if I traded in my $3k brick.

Thanks all.

 

[DustinT]

Apple's hardware warranty will cover anything that you might encounter. If you extend it to 3 years you'll be well covered for the practical life of the machine. I wouldn't be afraid to purchase a MBP with upgraded graphics for use as a gaming and productivity machine. Yes, the same money will get you more power if you buy a PC, but there's lots of tradeoff's to that approach. One of which is you'd have to have two laptops if you wanted Mac OS X to go.

If you aren't interested in that, I suggest you take a look at Anandtech's laptop reviews. They have considered quite a few lately that are pretty good from the likes of Dell, Alienware, HP, Asus and a couple of others. There's a small mountain of options depending on the size, price and features you are looking for. That site will be some good reading to get you started and maybe help you narrow down your choices a little.

If I was looking for a gaming laptop, I'd grab an upgraded 17" MBP and toss in an SSD and have the best of both worlds. Yes, it's far from the cheapest way to handle the problem, but you get a wonderful MBP and a decent gaming laptop all in one. When the time comes to sell it, you'll have great resale value so you could end up spending less than if you bought a PC gaming laptop which will have much smaller resale value when the time comes.

 

[Huntn]

If I get my way, for travel I purchase a MBP for about $2000 and sell it at the end of it's extended 3 year warranty on ebay in the $500-600 range. The last time I sold a Mac laptop was April 11. They have been good buys and can handle my PC gaming requirements. I don't believe you can do this so easily with old Alienwares and such.