First time building a gaming laptop, need some major help.

[BoxinShrimp]

Alright. So this is my first time looking into building a gaming desktop, and I'm going in mostly blind. I know of PC part picker but I've never really used the website before. Now when I say a "Gaming desktop" I don't mean something super high end and expensive that can run every game in 150 FPS and I can see every skincell of a character, of course. To me, I can only tell a slight difference between running something in 30 FPS and 60 FPS and even then I'm not really bothered by it. So I'm not really picky on the quality of the graphics card, so long as I can run my games in my computers native resolution and play them with little frame rate troubles.

But first things first, I'll give the specs of my current laptop (Which I bought from a family member for around $1k. Yeah it most likely wasn't worth it but he was kind of desperate.) that I use, my budget for a new one, and the games that I currently play and want to play for better understanding of what I'm looking for. Though keep in mind that this is new ground for me, and I probably won't list everything properly. If you need more information, just ask and I'll look it up and get it. (I'm posting most of this from system summary.)

So the specs of my laptop are:

Screen Resolution: 1600x900

System Model: HP Pavilion dv7 notebook

Windows 7 home premium

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU M460 @ 2.53GHz, 2534 Mhz, 2 Cores, 4 Logical Processors

Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6300M Series

Motherboard: Couldn't find this.

Audio device: Couldn't find this either.

One thing to note is that I think the fan on this notebook sucks hard. Not sure what model it is, but it heats up to extreme temperatures when I play most games for longer then a half hour. And when I say extreme, I mean part of the laptop has actually opened up because the heat was intense enough to melt the thing open.

That's about all I can really find that sounds important, so if I missed anything (Which I'm sure I missed a lot.) please let me know.

And the games I play are as follow and unless I list otherwise, are not played in my native resolution of 1600x900:

Dota 2 (I mostly get 30 FPS in this. Only a few things drop my frame rate like the ancients, Faceless Void's Chronosphere and other big flashy particles. I play this in 1600x900.)
Guild Wars 2 (I get around 25 FPS or less when playing this. Frame rate goes down the shitter during group bosses or elaborate events.)
WildStar (I actually can't really play this as my frame rate is awful. This might be because the game is in early beta and isn't optimized properly yet.)
RuneScape (I get a solid 20+ frames on this usually, it does make my computer overheat like crazy though.)
Team Fortress 2 (I get mostly full 30 FPS on this. I can play this in 1600x900 without ruining my FPS.)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (Started playing this again recently. My frame rate is a solid 20+ while playing this. I play this in 1600x900)
Nosgoth (Recently got into the beta for this. The frame rate on this is probably around 15 or less.)

And that pretty much ends there. Now my budget isn't really anything set in stone. I would say around $1,000 would be good. Anything above or below is alright, but I don't really want to go past let's say $1,300. Again I'm fresh out of the gate running blind with all this, so I probably missed a lot of details. If you need more, just lemmie know.

[JC2Gamer1456]

If you're willing to spend $1000 - $1,300, I wouldn't build a laptop. Laptops get a bit pointless at those prices.

[BoxinShrimp]

Alright then, it doesn't really matter to me either way so long as I can enjoy my free time.

[Lordgeorge16]

It's highly impractical and likely very expensive to build your own laptop, especially one meant for gaming. If you want to put together a desktop PC that can run most of the latest games at 1080p without a hitch, this is a nice, solid build that should suit your needs:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EJee]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EJee/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EJee/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k]Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($219.99 @ Amazon)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr1]Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz87xd3h]Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] ($139.69 @ Amazon)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/a-data-memory-ax3u1600w4g9db]A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex]Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5]Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card[/url] ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caso22001]NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($49.99 @ Mwave)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr]EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply[/url] ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-gh24nsb0]LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer[/url] ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690]Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Total:[/b] $1041.57
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 08:16 EDT-0400)[/i]

But if you're still hell-bent on getting a laptop, then you really ought to buy one instead of building one. [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100025325%204023%204022&IsNodeId=1&name=%24750%20-%20%241000&Order=RATING&Pagesize=100]Here's a list of decent gaming laptops in your price range on Newegg, listed in order of customer rating[/url]. You're much better off sticking with ASUS, MSI, or Lenovo brands, but Acer is a viable option too. CyberPowerPC isn't terribly reliable, Dell makes those horribly overpriced Alienware laptops, and I never knew Gigabyte made laptops until today so I don't know what the verdict is on that one. If you decide to buy one of these laptops, I [b]highly[/b] recommend you invest in a cooling pad as well, otherwise you'll probably run into the same heating issues you have with your current laptop. Either one of these two will do you just fine:

[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834992913]This one will keep the general underside of your laptop cooler, but depending on the placement of fans and vents on the bottom, it may not focus the cool air into the appropriate places.[/url]

[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834982206]This one lets you place the cooler's fans wherever you please, so while it won't spread air evenly across your laptop's underside, you can focus it directly on the areas that need cool air the most.[/url]

[Levelog]

I can vouch for that last cooler. Had it for my laptop with an i7, 460m, and 2 7200rpm drives.

[BoxinShrimp]

[QUOTE=Lordgeorge16;44806162]It's highly impractical and likely very expensive to build your own laptop, especially one meant for gaming. If you want to put together a desktop PC that can run most of the latest games at 1080p without a hitch, this is a nice, solid build that should suit your needs:

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EJee]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EJee/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EJee/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k]Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($219.99 @ Amazon)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr1]Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz87xd3h]Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] ($139.69 @ Amazon)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/a-data-memory-ax3u1600w4g9db]A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex]Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5]Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card[/url] ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caso22001]NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($49.99 @ Mwave)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr]EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply[/url] ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-gh24nsb0]LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer[/url] ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690]Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Total:[/b] $1041.57
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 08:16 EDT-0400)[/i]
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for this, I've decided to just go with my original plan and get a desktop. Would I be able to swap out Windows 8 for a version of Windows 7 though? I kind of hate windows 8.

[Npc_Hydra3]

[QUOTE=BoxinShrimp;44808362]Thanks for this, I've decided to just go with my original plan and get a desktop. Would I be able to swap out Windows 8 for a version of Windows 7 though? I kind of hate windows 8.[/QUOTE]

Yeah you can but Windows 8.1 will give you about a ~10 FPS increase over Windows 7.

[Lordgeorge16]

[QUOTE=BoxinShrimp;44808362]Thanks for this, I've decided to just go with my original plan and get a desktop. Would I be able to swap out Windows 8 for a version of Windows 7 though? I kind of hate windows 8.[/QUOTE]

What Hydra said, yeah. At this point, Windows 8.1 really is a better choice than Windows 7. Slightly more updated version of DirectX 11, the start button is back (and it's supposedly going to get a huge improvement in the next update to make it more closely resemble the Win7 start menu), and honestly, there are a handful of metro apps out there that are pretty useful in a pinch, like the weather app and Netflix. Just don't get the Windows 8 Skype app if you use Skype regularly, it's a lot worse than the desktop version (which is still downloadable from their website).

[BoxinShrimp]

Alrighty then. I suppose it'll take some adjusting but as long as it improves my performance, it's worth it.

Thanks for the help guys, this should be everything I need. I'll make sure to ask any more questions I have if they arise.

[Lilyo]

You should get a z97 board though.

Something like this

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3JZkk]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3JZkk/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3JZkk/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k]Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($219.99 @ Amazon)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr1]Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro4]ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls8g3d1609ds1s00]Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5]Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card[/url] ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r]Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m]Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-gh24nsb0]LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer[/url] ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615]Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Total:[/b] $1039.31
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 15:09 EDT-0400)[/i]

I also recommend this case instead since it has modular drive bays, and the psu since it's also modular. I'm still looking over the z97 boards but this one looks nice. You can look through them on newegg. If you wait a bit you could buy the new Devil's Canyon unlocked i5 instead of the 4670k though, for around the same price.

[editline]14th May 2014[/editline]

Since you said you want to spend up to 1300 you could buy some nicer parts as well as an SSD (you'll have like a 5 second boot up). You could call Noctua customer support and ask them if the NHD14 comes in the new gray/ black color [url]http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=news_list&news_id=93[/url]

[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3K5F7]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3K5F7/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3K5F7/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k]Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($219.99 @ Amazon)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14]Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler[/url] ($71.75 @ Amazon)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97xsli]Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] ($137.55 @ Newegg)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbsr]G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw]Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk[/url] ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn770oc2gd]Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card[/url] ($329.99 @ Newegg)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4bl]Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($79.99 @ Newegg)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m]Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
[b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-gh24nsb0]LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer[/url] ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615]Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)[/url] ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
[b]Total:[/b] $1194.62
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 18:05 EDT-0400)[/i]