Laptops for college

[Coburn]

So I saw an Alienware M17x at MicroCenter and thought it was the most beautiful piece of machinery I ever saw . Lifted it up and that thing was around 12 pounds. Do you think it's crazy to get a 17" 12 pound laptop for college?

I don't call myself a hardcore gamer, but I do like to play games like Skyrim and BF3 once in a while (on max settings would be pretty nice since I play these games with the lowest settings on my crappy desktop and still get pretty choppy gameplay).

If it is crazy to get such a monster laptop (probably wouldn't even fit on the tiny desks in lecture rooms, lol), what are some gaming laptops of similar capability besides other Alienware laptops?

[HardcoreEricXXX]

That's not a laptop for college. That's a laptop for gamers. Your better off finding a decent deal on an ultrabook and getting a PS3. Shoot, get the Sony T-series and get a free PS3 and a $100 visa giftcard to use on booze and ramen noodles.

[Fireball926]

It really depends on what your going into. Anything with graphic design or video I'm almost positive will require you to have a mac. Some other majors may require a mac too. And like said before a alienware laptop is not for college.

[B34$T]

Look up the Series 7 laptops from Samsung. I have one of those and the only game I haven't been able to run at max settings is Arkham City. Mine cost about $1300 but I needed the specs to run some programs for engineering classes.

[walsh06]

The real question is do you want to game or do you want a laptop for college. Answer that and it's much easier.

[crunc]

Carrying that Alienware around is going to get old fast. For college you want something light. I'm partial to the 11" MacBook Air. At work I have the 13", but I'd rather have the 11" at work too. Such an awesome little machine. Super light and compact, fast, etc. One thing is for sure- get a laptop with an SSD. SSDs kick ass. The thing boots incredibly fast, applications start fast, etc. Plus an SSD is super reliable. Definitely the way to go.