Lenovo Y550P Gaming Laptop i7-720QM 1.60GHZ 500GB 6GB NVIDIA GT240 BT    US $451.00

DELL XPS M1730 GAMING LAPTOP    US $950.00

Frisby Computer Laptop Desktop Notebook PC Gaming Headphone Headset w/Microphone    US $14.95

Qosmio X775-Q7384 gaming laptop    US $1,025.00

Laptops today have many different features that they specialize in.  If you are looking for good gaming laptops, you are not going to look for the same qualities that you would in a laptop that was to be used primarily for schoolwork.  Some of the main features that you will need are a fast processor and a lot of memory to allow you to rip through the game.

Alienware has long been known to produce laptops for gaming.  Somehow they manage to put machines together that have exactly the right components for gaming while not really sacrificing quality anywhere else.  One such machine that is in a price range that anyone can afford is the Alienware Area-51 M15x.

This gaming laptop notebook is typically available for under $1,200.  While it is not exactly cheap, it is in line with just about every other laptop that is worth taking home, regardless of its specialty.  What sets this machine apart is the 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 and the 4GB RAM that comes stock on the machine.  This means fast and furious action will not be a problem.

When you compare that to the 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 that you find on the Sony VAIO NW180J/S, you can understand why most gamers will be more than willing to put out the extra $200 or so.  The gaming speed is not even close when you put these two machines side by side, but the Sony is still nothing to sneeze at.

It offers the same 4GB of RAM that the Alienware machine offers and is slightly lighter than the Alien.  If you like to take your games on the go, this is something that you may want to seriously look at.  Lugging that extra pound around all day can take its toll on you.  The Sony also offers excellent viewing and Blu-ray playback that you cannot find on many machines in this price range.

While the Sony is definitely inferior to the Alienware machine, it is head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.  If you hunt around enough, you can probably find this machine for under $1,000 and that is a price range that the Alienware will rarely if ever be found at.  That price difference can be enough to sway even the most dedicated gamer.

Once you go away from these two laptops for gaming, the quality declines significantly.  Most decent machines will still be featured in this price range, but very few of them can offer the same quality that you will find in both of these.  You may see a quicker processor, but the rest of the pieces are not in place to deliver the same overall experience.

Good gaming laptops are hard to come by, but both Alienware and Sony have set themselves apart in this market.  You will be hard pressed to find better machines under $1,200 than you will experience with either of these.  You can save a few bucks with the Sony or put out the money and get as close to perfection as possible with the Alienware. Either way, you will get a gaming experience that is sure to satisfy.

Lenovo Y550P Gaming Laptop i7-720QM 1.60GHZ 500GB 6GB NVIDIA GT240 BT    US $451.00

DELL XPS M1730 GAMING LAPTOP    US $950.00

Frisby Computer Laptop Desktop Notebook PC Gaming Headphone Headset w/Microphone    US $14.95

Qosmio X775-Q7384 gaming laptop    US $1,025.00