I was wondering what would be the best way to go for a good gaming/school laptop i was looking at dell xps, alienwares, and ibuypowers (cuz theyre cheaper). I wanna try to keep it below 3000 mainly cuz i get that much in a year for tuition reimburshment through my job. any good suggestions?

You can't use "good", "gaming" and "laptop" in a sentence. Choose two

i've heard great things about toshebia...and acer...

well i understand there isnt really a "great" gaming laptop but i just mean one that can play some okay games and still be good for school **** too, and somewhat affordable. like i said i got about 3000 to spend but i need something i can make payments on.

For 3000 you could get a nice Alienware M9700 which I would call a pretty good gaming machine. They start out at $1700 too.

EDIT: They look pretty sweet too if you dont mind the weight

Personally I recomend Acer they are cheaper than an alienware or a Dell XPS and their quality is exelent. With your budget you could get the acer with the carbonfiber shell and Ferrari logo/paint job.
Here are some links to acer systems that are good for gameing (as laptops go anyway)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115258
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115221
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115226
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115247

If you would prefer a custom built system I would recomend ABS or Cyber power. Your budget also permits for Voodoo or a Falcon Northwest but they are near the top of your budget (their highend models are way out of your budget some excedeing $5000)
here are their websites
ABS http://www.abs.com/
Cyber Power http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/
Voodoo http://www.voodoopc.com/default.aspx
Falcon Northwest http://www.falcon-nw.com/

Battery life is about 2hours, not that good for school. If you did want an Alienware you could get the Sentia, it has 7hour battery life (3Hours DVD playback) and is their 'thin and light' model. And the m9700 isn't too heavy.

Like Nodsu said, those three words dont exist in the same sentance.

well i also hate to bring up this topic but what would be a better alienware processors the amd or intel, in terms of battery life and capabilities with games ect. and also i read online that alienwares die out fast would i just be better off spending the extra cash on an xps?

well i have searched and i have limited my choices down to 2 i either am going to buy the ABS Mayhem G3 Exclipse XT or the Dell Inspiron E1705. I've heard good things about the dell (although i'd have to format it to get rid of the extra crap) but i was wondering if anyone could provide me with a review of the ABS.

Theres a hp one (v20something) with pretty good specs (Core2duo, Nvidia graphics, 1gb ram etc) and its just above $2000AU here.. sorry,m i got blanked out for a minute but i'll get the specs from work and post them up when i get home..

Edit: Dont know if its an only aussie model or if its also available in the US but this is the link from HP (aus) website
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en...-12435888.html

I'd say go for the Dell, at least its a well known brand that'll stick..

For 3k anyone you named would be worth it...

But everyone here has a point... dont pay for the name... But get a GOOD WARRANTY!!

If you had the money to spent i would say alienwares because they are the best type for gaming not that sure about school work