Buying a new laptop for gaming. Wondering about specs.

[tnevau]

I'm looking at buying a reasonably priced gaming laptop that can play Crysis 2 and BF3 on at least 25-30FPS.
Can I have some feedback on the following notebooks

1. ASUS N53SM-SX164V
Processor: Intel® Core i7 2670QM 2.2Ghz (Turbo 3.1G)/6M
Chipset: Intel® HM65
Screen: 15.6" LED HD (1366 x 768) ZBD Guarantee
Video Chip: 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GT630M
Memory: 4GB DDR3 + BONUS 4GB MEMORY (TOTAL 8GB)
Storage: 1TB 5400rpm
Operating System: Win7 Home Premium 64Bit
Connectivity: Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Lan 10/100/1000, Bluetooth
1x USB 3.0
3x USB 2.0
1x Line-in Jack
1x Microphone-in jack
1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1x VGA Port (D-Sub)
1x HDMI
1x WLAN/Bluetooth On/Off switch,
Built-in speaker, Built-in microphone, Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®;SonicFocus, Battery 6 Cell / 5200mAh, Webcam 2.0 MPixel, Weight 2.90KG, Dimensions 39.1(W) x 26.6(D) x 3.05 ~ 4.05 (H) cm, Card Reader SD、MMC、MS、MS Pro, Wave Keyboard (Numeric Keypad)
Optical Drive: DVD-S Writer

2. ASUS N53SV-SX788V
Processor: Intel® Core i7 2670QM 2.2Ghz (Turbo 3.1G)/6M
Memory: 8GB DDR3-1066 + BONUS 8GB MEMORY (TOTAL 16GB)
Storage: 750GB 5400rpm
Chipset: Intel® HM65
Audio: Built-in speaker;Built-in microphone ;Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®;SonicFocus
Webcam: 2.0MPixel
Weight: 2.90 KG
Dimensions: 39.1(W) x 26.6(D) x 3.05 ~ 4.05 (H) cm
Card Reader: SD、MMC、MS、MS Pro
Optical Drive: Bluray Combo
Screen: 15.6 Inch LED HD (1366 x 768)
Video: 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GT540M
Connectivity: Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Lan 10/100/1000, Bluetooth
I/O:
1x USB 3.0
3x USB 2.0
1x Line-in Jack
1x Microphone-in jack
1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1x VGA Port (D-Sub)
1x HDMI
1x WLAN/Bluetooth On/Off switch
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium

3. TOSHIBA Satellite 750 (PSAY3A-02T001)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 processor 2410M (2.30/2.90GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64bit)
Chipset: Intel® HM65 Express Chipset
Screen Size: 15.6" Widescreen HD LED Backlit Display (1366 x 768)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 (1333Mhz)+ BONUS 4GB MEMORY (TOTAL 8GB)
Storage: 750GB (5400rpm) SATA
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce GT 540M w/Optimus 1GB ( 2769MB Total: 1024MB dedicated memory + 1745MB shared memory)
Optical Disc Drive: DVD SuperMulti Double/Dual Layer
Audio: External Microphone-in port, Stereo Headphone, Sleep and Music input
Webcam: Yes
Standard Warranty: 1 Year
TV-Out Port: HDMI
USB Ports: 4 USB Ports (3 x Hi-Speed USB 2.0 + 1 x USB 3.0) + Sleep and Charge
Bridge Media Adaptor: SD Slot
Tuner: TV Tuner Ana/Dig DVB-T
SVGA Video Port: RGB
LAN: 1Gbps LAN
Wireless Communication: 802.11(b/g/n)
Integrated Bluetooth: Toshiba Bluetooth™ 3.0 + HS
DLNA: DLNA Certified
3D: 3D Output to 3D TV
Weight (from): 2.60kg
Battery: Upto 5.5 hours
Dimensions (W x D x H(front/back)): 380.5mm x 254mm x 28/35.6 mm

4.ASUS N53SV-SX792V
Processor: Intel® Core i5 2430M 2.4Ghz (Turbo 3.0G)/3M
Screen: 15.6 Inch LED HD (1366 x 768)
Memory: 8GB DDR3 RAM
Storage: 750GB 5400rpm
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit
Video Chip: 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GT540M
Connectivity: Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, LAN 10/100/1000
Built-In Devices: Intel® HM65, Built-in speaker;Built-in microphone ;Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®;SonicFocus, Battery 6 Cell / 5200mAh, 2.0 Mpixel Webcam, Weight 2.90 KG, Dimensions 39.1(W) x 26.6(D) x 3.05 ~ 4.05 (H) cm, Card Reader SD、MMC、MS、MS Pro, 1x USB 3.0 3x USB 2.0, 1x Line-in Jack;1x Microphone-in jack;1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert;1x VGA Port (D-Sub);1x HDMI;1x WLAN/Bluetooth On/Off switch, Wave Keyboard (Numeric Keypad)
Optical Drive: DVD Burner

5. Samsung RC530-S0AAU (Cheaper option: >$1000)
rocessor: Intel Core i5 2410M 2.3GHz (Turbo 2.9GHz)
Screen: 15.6 Inch HD LCD
Memory: 4GB DDR3 Ram
Storage: 750GB HDD
Operating System: Windows® 7 Home Premium (64Bit)
Video Chip: 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT540M
Connectivity: Gbit Lan, Wireless LAN bgn, BT 3.0HS
Built-In Devices: Card Reader,Battery 6 cell (4400mAh), Web Cam, HDMI, Island type Keyboard, 4 USBs (USB2.0), Weight 2.65KG
Optical Drive: Blu-ray Combo

6. ASUS N53SV-SX787V (Cheaper option: >$1000)
Processor: Intel® Core i7 2670QM 2.2Ghz (Turbo 3.1G)/6M
Screen: 15.6 Inch LED HD (1366 x 768)
Memory: 4GB DDR3-1066 (Upgrade to 16GB)
Storage: 500GB 5400rpm
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit
Video Chip: 1GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GT540M
Connectivity: Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, LAN 10/100/1000, Bluetooth
Built-In Devices: Intel® HM65, Built-in speaker;Built-in microphone ;Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®;SonicFocus,Battery 6 Cell / 5200mAh, Webcam 2.0 Mpixel, Weight 2.90 KG, Dimensions 39.1(W) x 26.6(D) x 3.05 ~ 4.05 (H) cm, Card Reader SD、MMC、MS、MS Pro, 1x USB 3.0 3x USB 2.0,1x Line-in Jack;1x Microphone-in jack;1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert;1x VGA Port (D-Sub);1x HDMI;1x WLAN/Bluetooth On/Off switch, Wave Keyboard (Numeric Keypad)
Optical Drive: DVD Burner

7. ASUS K53SV-V2G-SX208V
Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM 2GHz CPU
Screen: 15.6 inch 16:9 HD (1366x768) LED Backlit
Memory: 8GB
Storage: 750GB HDD
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
Video Chip: NVIDIA GT540M with 2GB dedicated graphics
Connectivity: Integrated 802.11 b/g/n, 10/100/1000 Base T
Built-In Devices: 1 x Microphone-in jack 1 x Headphone-out jack 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor 3 x USB 2.0 port(s) 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert 1 x HDMI Audio Built-in Speakers And Microphone Altec Lansing® Speakers Battery 6Cells : 5200 mAh 56 Whrs
Optical Drive: Blu-ray Reader / DVD Burner Drive

8. Samsung RC530-S08AU (LOW GHZ)
Processor: Intel Core i7 2630QM QC 2.0Ghz
Screen: 15.6 Inch HD LED LCD
Memory: 8GB DDR3 RAM
Storage: 750GB HDD
Operating System: Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Video Chip: 1GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GT540M
Connectivity: Gbit Lan, Wireless LAN bgn, BT 3.0HS,
Built-In Devices: Battery 6 cell (5200mAh), Web Cam, HDMI, Island type Keyboard, 4 USBs (USB2.0), Weight 2.65KG,
Optical Drive: DVD Burner

Also, is i5 better than i7? Would a 2.3/2.4GHz i5 be better than a 2.2GHz i7?

I am not bothered by: Battery life, actual size, bluetooth, card slots.
Bluray would be nice, but its about the games.

Price has no preference. I just added cheap labels to cheap ones for extra info.

What would I gain from buying additional RAM?

Can someone solve: 2gb dedicated graphics on i5 vs 1gb dedicated graphics on i7. Most (or all) of these above laptops with i7 have the recommended 4-cores for BF3 and Crysis 2.

Can you try not to recommend NEW laptops because they will most likely be unavailable for me to try/purchase in Australia.

Thanks heaps.

[tnevau]

And what is a Wave Keyboard? It’s not the one where the keys make a wavy shape.

[Wajahatx2]

Hi,

You gave too many info about each laptop and also added too many laptops.My mind was blowing while reading all of those Anyway, I give you my quick review.

Wave Keyboard
It's exactly what you said.I give you a example of wave keyboard.
http://www.productwiki.com/upload/image ... t_view.jpg

i7 vs i5
i7 is no doubt better than i5.The i5 in those laptop is dual-core and i7 is quad-core.New games take full advantage of quad-core processors.So, a i7 would be a better choice for you if you don't care for money.However, a i5 is also enough for every game out there.A 2Ghz i7 is better than 2.4/5 i5.

Extra Ram
An ideal and recommended amount of ram for games is 4Gb.However, more than 4Gb is better.So you should go for 8Gb.But more than 8Gb is quite useless.

1Gb vram Vs 2Gb vram
GT 630M is just a renamed GT 540M.These cards are good enough.However, the best amout of vram for these cards is 1Gb.More than 1Gb vram or 2Gb vram for these cards can give you nothing.2Gb vram versions are just for marketing.So 1Gb and 2Gb versions are EXACTLY same.

Recommendation
Since you don't care for price.So I would recommend you Laptop#2.It has everything and your Blu-Ray as well.
You only mentioned two laptops as "cheap".From which, I would recommend you #6 because of better CPU.

[tnevau]

Wow. Thanks for clearing that up so well. 

How does #2 exceed #6 apart from RAM? Because they seem very similar and I can save a bit of cash getting number 2, even if I do buy more RAM for it.

Also, what is a chipset? How does it affect the computer for gaming? And how does the Intel HM65 stack up in terms of performance?

How do these notebooks go in online multiplayer?

Thanks again.

[SauceBoss]

if bf3 and crysis 2 is youre target then the 540m will handle but it will not run smoothly. try getting an i5 with a 555m or a 560m.
there are much more pricey and they will cause you to get an heavier and thicker pc but you could really see the performance increase.

[Pip]

I would honestly not buy any of them.
They are tweaked versions of my current laptop (i-7 2630QM + GeForce GT 540M).
1- Some have extra RAM: can be good but you can always change this later so this is the least important one.
2 - Others have a 540M or a 630M with 2GB: a gimmick. Those cards can barely use 1GB, let alone 2GB. Also, no one knows the 540M better than me and trust me - it's not even average anymore. It's getting tough running some games.
3 - The CPU I have is perfectly fine and will be for the next 4/5 years so I wouldn't buy a laptop with a better CPU. Unnecessary cost.

Overall, it depends on what you want to do with the laptop. If you are a hardcore gamer, all those are bad choices. If you are a moderate gamer, even so those choices might displease you.

Try aiming for a GeForce GTX 460M/560M or maybe you can find a new 640M or 650M. Those are actually decent.