New Laptop

Budget:
$1,500 to $2,500 but very flexible. Would like to purchase a keyboard, mouse and additional display. Laptop.

Expectations:
Fast boot-up. Would like to use multiple displays when working.

Usage:
Primarily gaming. Starcraft II and Skyrim (heavily graphic modded) are favorites. It will be a secondary work PC, for which I will need multiple monitors.

Special Needs:
Would like the temperature to be comfortable.

Saved Ticket #: [Please Type Here]

Specifications:
I am having trouble deciding between 17.3" and 15.6" monitor. Also, I want to laptop to handle graphics well, but considering the "older games" I play, even the outdated graphics card can probably handle them. I would like to balance dollars spent with future benefits. Thanks.

I would agree with bprat. There is one question I have to ask though... why would you need to purchase a keyboard with a laptop?   

Hey Jap, just wanted to bring something up that maybe you hadn't considered. I work in accounting as well so I know where you are coming from with the keypad for data entry. Have you looked into these at all?

Very interesting. Are you referring to the numbers hidden behind the letter keys, i.e. J, K, L, N, M, ',' etc? My laptop requires you hold the 'Fn' key (down near left-alt) in order to work those, so I can use my USB keypad as well as type without any hindrance. That's a bummer, I wonder if there's a work-around for that.

Originally posted by bprat22 Here's a link to check out....http://www.anandtech.com/show/8585/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980m-970m-mobile-maxwell-gm204/3The level 3 also has more ram and a larger SSD.  8GB ram is very good for gaming and the larger SSD depends how many games you want on the SSD .  It is all about the budget.

Thanks for the info. Here is a build I put together. After reading the link, I think the 870 is really all I need from a graphics card perspective. I do think I would like the small SSD for boot up speed. Any thoughts on adding a second SSD for RAID 0; or maybe just ditch the small SSD and the HDD for a single, larger SSD.

Chassis
Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lance 15.6 Inch Laptop (Model: S:8258)
Display: 15.6 Inch (16:9) (Resolution: 1920 x 1080) (Anti-glare) LED-Backlit Display
Core Components
Processor: !SPECIAL PRICE: Intel Core i7 4810MQ (Up to 3.80Ghz) (Quad Core) (6MB Cache) (LIMITED TIME ONLY)
Thermal Compound: Premium CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise)
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
Storage / Connectivity
mSATA SSD: - No Thanks
Storage Drive 1: 120GB Solid State - Samsung 840 EVO
Storage Drive 2: 750GB 7200RPM (SATA 3Gb/s)
Optical Drive: DVD/CD 8x Multi-Drive (Writes and Reads DVDs, CDs)
Wireless Card: Killer Wireless-N 1202 Wireless LAN + Bluetooth 4.0 Module
Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M 6GB with NVIDIA Battery Boost + NVIDIA Optimus
Software
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office Suite: - No Thanks
Accessories / Goodies
Cooling Pad: - No Thanks
Extra Charger: - No Thanks
Extra Battery: - No Thanks
Carry Bag: - No Thanks
Audio: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Customer Care
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Jap2112,

You shouldn't need the external numeric keypad.  The Krypton definitely has it.  I don't buy laptops without them either, so I know your pain when it's missing.

You said you were going to use external monitors, so if you plan to have a monitor with resolution higher than 1920x1080 resolution, you should spring for the 880M and not the 870M.  I run heavily modded Skyrim on my 2560x1080 Ultrawide and there was definitely a drop in frame rate even on my 880M.

Plus, you should consider what you'll be playing 3-5 years from now, and a more powerful GPU will keep your new laptop going for a good while, even if you don't play bleeding edge games.