So I'm starting grad classes (MS in Information Systems) soon and need a solid laptop. I've had my current laptop since 2006, it's on it's last chip. It will mainly be used for basic things like web surfing and papers, but I also want to use it for video/audio editing, gaming, and streaming. I need to be mobile and I need it soon. I'd rather not have to buy a cheap laptop and then building a gaming PC but I fear that may be the best option in the long run.

Here's where you Bombers come in, are there any recommendations on a good laptop that covers what I'm looking to do without breaking my bank. I looked at Digital Storm but their laptop prices are higher than I expected. Once I went to Dell's website that when I stopped myself and came here for suggestions. Trying to keep it under $1300 if possible.

Below is Digital Storm's least expensive laptop with specs

$1422

NVIDIA GTX 965M 2GB

- Intel Core i7 4710HQ CPU

- 8GB 1600MHz Memory

- 750GB 7200RPM Storage HDD

- Microsoft Windows 8.1

- 15 inch (15.6") Display

- 1920 x 1080 Display

P.S. I'll be buying a PS4 at some point.

I suggest building a gaming PC and buying a cheap laptop.

The MSI GT72 is around 80 dollars more and much more bang for buck, especially when it comes to gaming. I got an MSI gaming laptop and they are fine, especially for the price.

You are in a bit of a hard spot, its hard to get decent gaming laptops for under 1500.

This. As some one who tried to do PC gaming on a laptop I would not recommend it to anyone. The price/power economics just isn't where it needs to be. Consider how most laptop motherboards are smaller then the graphics card you would put in a desktop pc. Also, I could be wrong about this but it is my understanding that Video Editing (at high resolutions) is much more demanding on a video card then video games. I promise you will be very happy if you get a nice simple laptop with integrated graphics combined with a real desktop gaming pc. There are also quite a few disadvantages to a gaming laptop such as weight, battery length, etc.

I tried to do the all in one laptop thing but it kind of gets ruined. If it can play games well its battery will quickly mettle down and eventually it won't be leaving your room. Gaming laptops are a marketing myth, they exist but they are not laptops in the way the word is usually associated with mobility and battery life. Its better to separate it out, you can get decent enough laptops for basic usages(like 400-500 budget) and the rest should go towards building a nice desktop.

Thank you all for your swift feedback. I really do appreciate it. I feared I would be unable to find an all in one dream machine laptop without an ungodly price tag. I'm going to checkout a Lenovo and, cringes teeth, Dell laptop over the next few days. I'll save up the remainder of my money and put it towards a solid gaming rig later this year.

@phileskyline: I mostly use Wirecutter as a jump off point for most of these types of purchases. I'd recommend you check em out. http://thewirecutter.com/leaderboard/laptops/ It's always useful to get some opinions from someone who's checked out a whole bunch of laptops with the intent of reviewing them against each other than just individual reviews.

Nothing wrong with modern Dell laptops. Their new XPS 13 is considered one of the best Windows laptops you can buy right now. I'm talking laptops for doing work though, not gaming laptops. I don't care about gaming laptops as they seem like a waste of money outside of very specific situations.

But really, get a desktop and a cheap laptop. It'll serve you far better than one of those clunky gaming laptops.

Edit: Also, keep in mind that Wirecutter link above is a tad out of date. They're still talking about Lenovo Yoga 2s in parts of it when a third Yoga came out a couple months back. It looks like they may be redoing it right now as they have a bunch of addendums in the various articles.

@phileskyline: If it's only basic stuff you need to do on the go, you might want to give Chromebooks a look. That would leave you with more to spend on a decent desktop.

You could also always use something like splashtop to stream to your notebook from the dedicated peecee.

All gaming laptops will do in my experience is always make you want something that is a bit stronger. That plus being stuck with something that will only age with no chance of upgrading it is why I hate gaming laptops.

If you have a bunch of disposable income that you can have both a gaming PC and a gaming laptop for portability then power to you but even then I would rather have a good, light laptop like a Macbook Air and a gaming PC which are what I have

Having a good gaming pc and an alienware 17, I can say that I wish I never switched from my MBP which I gave to my wife. I travel a lot and thought that I would want to game on the go but honestly I dont that much and this thing is a pain in the ass to carry. I would get the new 13" MBP and build an affordable / up-gradable pc if I were you. :D

I second this. If you don't need much app support Chromebooks are super cheap and way faster than a cheap laptop. I picked up a refurb acer chromebook for $175 that's more reliable and faster than the $1k+ Macbook and $700+ Viao I used in the past. You are pretty much limited to chrome extensions and apps so if you have specific software needs check out the chrome store.

The Asus ROG G551JM has almost identical specs & goes for a few hundred cheaper, plus the build quality on Asus laptops is usually better than most of the other brands.

Unless travelling is an issue (i.e. your not going to have to move it the PC in question multiple times a year and have no real easy method of doing this) then I suggest the laptop / PC combo.

Remember to get a license first. And always aim for the motherboard, clean kills and all that shit.

If you were just doing word processing and then gaming a cheaper gaming laptop could suffice, but wanting to do video editing throws another wrinkle in your plan: You need a decent IPS display for screen quality. Wanting to do literally everything means you're going to have to spend some money. A cheap laptop with an IPS screen is possible if you look around although you'll still have to spend $600+. Spend $1000 on a gaming desktop and you'll be better off than spending $2000+ on a gaming laptop with an IPS display to fulfill all your use cases.

Edit: Looking over your post again and seeing that you're going into IS, I wonder if this is a case where you be say "Yeah, I'd like my machine to do this, this, and the other thing" but you aren't very serious about all those use cases and really only care about one or two of them?