Hey guy I currently play Skyrim on the 360 but am looking to take the game mobile. I don't have a laptop or desktop for the matter and am looking into getting a one. I only have 800 USD to spend and I was thinking that this computer looked good: Asus - Laptop / Intel? Core? i7 Processor / 14" Display / 8GB Memory / 750GB Hard Drive - Aluminum Platinum. But I am unsure if it is capable of running games. This computer will be predominately used for school, but I still want a laptop that is decent for gaming. I do need a small/portable laptop. The other option is the MX11 from Alienware, but I have heard a lot of bad things about it.

Link the to the Asus: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+14%26%2334%3B+Display+/+8GB+Memory+/+750GB+Hard+Drive+-+Aluminum+Platinum/3411094.p?id=1218399174251&skuId=3411094

Thanks for reading, if you have any recommendations please tell me.

CPU is more than capable but there doesn't seem to be any mention of the graphics chip.

Everything was looking promising until I got to the part of graphics. Wtf is, "UMA graphics"? I'm a pure pc player but first time I hear that. Go to the pc forums. Perhaps, someone has a similar pc. I've an Asus too and it has many of the features that this one has but mine has a GTX560m 2gb. graphic card and I run Skyrim butter smooth.

UMA is unified memory access, it means that there is no dedicated graphics card. The whole system will be running off the the 8gb (powering the game and running the functions).

for your situation this laptop is ideal but for playing next-gen games or even games in general you'll have a lot of trouble, since that pc wasn't meant for gaming. Have you read the comments for that laptop? Look if anyone talks about any gaming experiences.

Check http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1286423-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-55-w-hardware-guide/. From a gamer's point of view, graphics card is much more important than processor - you should definitely look for something with a dedicated card. I'm assuming this Asus has Intel HD Graphics 3000 (IIRC that's what they put together with Intel 2nd gen processors), which is perfect for normal work, but wasn't meant to handle advanced games. I don't know if it could run Skyrim, but even if it did, it would be on the lowest possible settings.

Thanks a lot

Don't recommend that, the intergrated graphics card is a real let down for it. I'm not overly familar with prices in US dollars (From england).
However, HP provides a decent services here and hopefully in the US too.

You can get alot of Gaming power for 800 Dollars, if you opt out of going down the road with Intel and instead hop over to AMD.
AMD has finally brought out a Laptop process that competes and it's pricing is very competitve.

HP Pavilion dv6z Quad Edition series
It's base price is around ~500 Dollars, but it needs a few upgrades.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Processor&v1=AMD&series_name=dv6zqe_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/AMD/dv6zqe_series

Upgrades:

AMD Quad-Core A6-3410MX Accelerated Processor (2.3GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)
1GB GDDR5 Radeon™ HD 6750M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

This is about ~250 dollars worth of upgrades apparently after the rebates.
So it's within budget. It should be noted that particular processor (A6-3410mx) overclocks and undervolts really easily.
Good luck with your choice in gaming laptop.

But as others has pointed out this should be in the other board.

Alright, thanks a ton guys. I will be sure to look around.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1286423-unofficial-will-my-pc-run-skyrim-thread-55-w-hardware-guide/