I have typically always been a console player (X1 is my current console of choice), but I have become more interested in finding out what PC gaming has to offer. I’m thinking about the possibility of a gaming laptop. I know it’s not the ideal way to go but I don’t want to add another desktop since my husband isn’t a gamer and his PC takes up enough space. I currently have a Dell that’s about six years old and not nearly gaming material. Without any flaming or PC vs console debate, I would really love some suggestions about what I should look for in a decent system without breaking the bank! Thanks in advance for any help with this 
First question is always: what’s your budget?
Second is about display size when speaking about a gaming laptop. 
@LordCrash Good question! I’m not opposed to paying for quality, especially if I can find a good deal, but definitely couldn’t justify to myself paying more than $2k at the most and that would take a lot of talking myself into it, lol. As for display I would think around 17" ( does that sound about right?)
Why don’t you just upgrade your husband’s PC. Maybe you don’t need that much new components then and it would be more efficient (you can keep HDD and DVD drive). On top of that you wouldn’t need extra space. Also, you would avoid a problem commonly occurring while using a laptop for gaming. (Gaming-)Laptops tend to get very hot because of the small space where all the components are cramped together. Yet still they won’t reach the processing power of a stationary gaming PC. Keep also in mind you won’t be able to play on the road because for power saving reasons the CPU’s clock is lowered and therefore you’re gaming experience would just end in a slide show and your battery will empty very fast. That being said, gaming-wise you are forced to get power via a socket. Then why use a laptop? So, I would recommend you to upgrade the PC. Just buy the necessary hardware yourself and also put it together yourself. It’s not that hard.
Doing it yourself you can save more money and use it for even better components. For 2k you will get the really good stuff. It’s seems you need a new motherboard, new CPU, new gfx card, new RAM. Maybe even a new power supply unit.
Most expensive parts would be CPU and gfx card. You have also to check if all these things fit into you case. If not, you also need a new one of those.
Ok, that’s the PC part.
If you still want to go for a laptop 2k would be really a waste of money.
Last Aug, after long and thorough search, I bought a nice laptop for around 850€ myself.
I looked especially for good gaming components (that mainly means a good processor and a good gfx card)
while keeping it at a reasonable price.
Of course, other features were also relevant.
Here you can compare laptop hardware (that’s what I did):
Look also for the following:
processor: Intel Core i7-4702MQ or better
gfx card: Nvidia GTX760M or better
RAM: at least 8GB
screen: 17,3" non-glare
resolution: HD (1920x1080)
(that’s basically the stuff my laptop has)
Overall I recommend to wait till the Alpha or Beta is about to get released and then order the new stuff.
assuming you have basics already available from your last/current pc such as case, monitor, dvd/cd drives, harddrive, expect to spend at most 400-500 for motherboard, cpu, ram, videocard. all good components running current games at 50-60fps high/max setting don’t cost too much.
if you want to future proof your system to play games released 3 years from now, expect to pay extra 400 for better cpu and videocard.
to be honest, cpu technology has slowed down a lot. games rely much more on multithreading, 64bit, ram, and gpu, not on raw cpu clock speed. i didn’t upgrade cpu(i7 930) for 3 years, it’s still enough for every game out there, but probably i will upgrade soon for kcd anyway. i want everything new for this game.
I don’t think just upgrading her husbands PC is the solution, when we can assume that he is going to be using it fairly often, which means she won’t be able to play games regardless of the components inside.
I do not know about laptops, but I just want to suggest that a mini ATX case PC would be the ideal solution, if you have a place to store it. The size would be smaller than a regular desktop, but a bit bigger than a console, while still allowing you to upgrade, and it would definitely be cheaper than a pre-built gaming laptop.
http://pcpartpicker.com/b/JBd here is a random example of such a machine, the last picture shows the machine sitting under the TV, to give you an idea of case size.
edit: the price of that particular example is 700 dollars, but it could go higher if you are willing to spend 2K
@Cerberus @213 @Shamrock Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. While I would love to have a great desktop system, updating my hubby’s is not in the cards. He is on his all the time and it’s basically in his “man cave” while all my consoles are in the bedroom. The kids have theirs in their rooms. I don’t want to add more desk space in the bedroom so I’m really pretty set on a laptop. I’m not in any hurry and was thinking along the same lines of waiting til the alpha comes out but don’t really know what’s “important” and “must have” versus stuff that sounds good but doesn’t make the gaming any better. I really just want something that I can experience some of the great PC titles I hear about and participate in the occasional alpha/beta that’s not available on X1. As for the laptop, I’m sure I’d have to get a good overheating pad (i have the same problem with the one I have and mine just went out) and the power supply isn’t an issue when traveling (with four kids we’ve learned to travel with all the extra plugs and adapters - don’t leave home without them, lol!) Thanks again! 
I don’t like the idea of gaming on a laptop. It’s a lot of money to invest on a system that doesn’t let you upgrade much down the road.
However, if I was going to do it, I’d probably go with Alienware. You can get an Alienware 17 with an Intel Core i7 processor, 8 Gig ram, and a Nvidia GTX 780M Graphics card for about $1500.
That’s my opinion, for what it’s worth
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I agree Alienware is probably a strong option since your heart is set on a laptop. Building a desktop will probably save you a bunch of money but if that doesn’t fit your situation then so be it. I would recommend waiting until closer to KCD’s launch date since laptops don’t offer much of a chance to upgrade and you’ll want your machine nice and powerful for this beast of a game!
@shonsu @J0nShannow Thanks guys! Both very valid points. While I haven’t made up my mind to actually do this (as there is still the possibility that alpha could be on console) I just want to know what I’d be getting into if I do. I’m definitely not set on spending that much but I also don’t want to spend a lot only to have it be obsolete in a year, which everyone seems in agreement with. Unfortunately, I know very little about hardware and what “stands the test of time,” thus my questioning those who do it would be great to spend $500 and have it game like a dream, but I can’t imagine that’s what I’d find. I appreciate any/all input and will keep it in mind when making a decision (although, you do know, as women it’s our prerogative to change our minds, lol.)
If you’re shopping just make sure to look at multiple sources and websites, compare everything you can and never use only one source. I know I repeated that, but it’s worth repeating.
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As our Kingdom Come is a long way from finished, it’s going to be hard to say what the system requirements a going to be. For $500 you are not going to find a gaming laptop that isn’t obsolete before you unbox it. $500 could go a long way to upgrading an older PC. For around $750 you can get a Lenovo Z710. With an intel i5, 8gig of ram, a GeForce GT 745M and a 17 inch display. It will do a good job of playing most games well. It’s just real hard to guess how well that it is going to play a game that is 18-20 months from being released.
I would recommend mysn // schenker books, you might get a hot shot on a good one without paying a lot.
I own one too and it is pretty good for the price. If you want something special Alienware will be the right choice i think, but it is not as money efficient as other laptops.
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Thanks Shonsu. Agree about the issue of buying now only to be obsolete soon. I’m probably looking at about six months. In addition to KCD, there are other titles that have interested me that are already out there. The info everyone is providing will be very helpful, as I said, I’m fairly hardware illiterate, lol! I know what I WANT to be able to do, just not what I NEED to be able to do it. I’d rather spend a little more now to make sure I don’t have to start all over a year from now. The specs will be very helpful and I appreciate everyone taking their time to help
All the responses here so far are valid. I would stick to the user reviews all around the internet, including but not limited to the e-shop pages - no-one will be able to tell, if the hardware is ready for games to come in 2 years, but at least you can get a pretty good idea if this or that will still be working in 2 years. For this reason I generally survey the brands via the purpose (e.g. gaming) viewpont and try to get the best-rated piece at the price I am willing to spend.
As for the “bedroom only” limitation, you are the only judge. For me a laptop is a working tool and although I have a wide 17" screen on it, I care more about the weight to carry around than its gaming performance. I ran through several brands in the past few years: HP had good perfomance but VERY annoying problems once the original battery/power supply gave out, Lenovo was reliable but not peak performance, Acer was a never working piece of crap. Now I have been set with Sony Vaio for 2 years, reliable but I haven’t really tried the latest games on it. I have no first hand experience with Alienware products.
If it was me sorting out bedroom gaming, I would put my standard ATX desktop in the drawer under my bed, fix my 23" screen to the wall (or a good home-cinema projector to the ceiling, but that I would have to buy), connect all appendices (mouse, keyboard, joystic, gamepad) wirelessly and be set. All it would take is changing the fans inside the ATX tower for quieter ones, as it is still supposed to be bedroom, after all. ;-). And to give all specs, I live in a 1B apartment, 400sqft in total, with my GF and we have 1 desktop and 2 laptops almost constantly around the living room.
Lol DuxDanny! You definitely have a bit more of a challenge in the space dept. My issue is more aesthetic. Everyone in the house has their own laptop and we all (except hubby who doesn’t game) have at least two gaming systems. As for the TVs, that’s hubby’s thing, he’s constantly upgrading and changing them. He just got a new 60" smart tv and hardly uses any of the features (that’s ok though, it will end up up in bedroom eventually, hehe.) As I mentioned, the desktop is more or less “his” and I have this stupid illusion that if I’m sitting at a desk (even gaming) I feel like I should be working! If I get a new laptop, it would mainly be for gaming but I’d also need to remote to work also sometimes. I’ve been looking at a few just for reference and people really seem to like Alienware. I’m definitely going to take my time about it. Right now, it’s a want, not a need, so we’ll see how it goes. Thanks for the reply
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Some other brands to look at are Asus, MSI. Alien has reputation for being a little bit on the expensive side. Also there is the Razer Blade(14") and the Blade Pro(17"). But they are expensive, over $2000 for the Pro version tho they are a premium laptop, eg. all aluminum and .66" thick and they don’t over heat!
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since the game has to run on X1, basically a computer for 500 dollars will be enough (AMD Quadcore, Radeon 8770, 8gigs ram), but I hope even 2000 dollar machines will find its place.