Help a noob gamer? Gaming laptop under $500?

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KnifeTownReviews

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Nov 19, 2015
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Hello everyone I need to buy a new laptop that can run Diablo 3 and company of heroes 2 on at least low settings without lag or crashing for under $500. I found this HP laptop that I really like and was wondering if it will work for these games. Here is the link,

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/Laptops/hp-pavilion-15t-laptop-m7h64av-1?jumpid=ba_r329_hhoaffiliate&aid=38293&pbid=TnL5HPStwNw&aoid=35252&siteid=TnL5HPStwNw-kExgg9_tpYhE544AG2QEPw

I would really appreciate your opinions on this laptop. Thanks so much.
 
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CraigN
The processor doesn't change, you just get a dedicated graphics chip, which is significantly faster than the integrated one.

Here's the integrated 520 chip benchmarks for comparison. It struggles even at 1366x768 to deliver decent framerates on Low settings.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-520.149940.0.html

The base model of the laptop has a 1366x768 display, not 1080p, and upgrading it is $20 (or $40 if you want an IPS panel). If you plan to do any gaming, the dedicated GPU upgrade is almost a must, I would even recommend bumping up at least to the 1080p screen. I want to say 6GB would be passably enough for casual gaming, but I've had 8 for so long I have no idea to be honest.

I wouldn't say you should "go with a...
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CraigN

CraigN

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It's hard to find a gaming-capable machine in that price range, to be completely honest. Which version of that laptop are you getting? If it's the integrated 520 graphics version, it's not very strong. If you pay the extra $70 (listed on their site) to get the version that comes with a GTX 940M, it will run Diablo 3 quite well, but may struggle with Company of Heroes 2. Both are listed in the benchmarks here!

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-940M.138027.0.html

Hope this advice helps!
 
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KnifeTownReviews

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Nov 19, 2015
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So is it worth it to pay the extra $70 For that processor ? Or should I go with a different laptop entirely?
Would you recommend this laptop for casual gaming? Thanks so much for the help, I really appreciate it!
 
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CraigN

CraigN

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Aug 15, 2013
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The processor doesn't change, you just get a dedicated graphics chip, which is significantly faster than the integrated one.

Here's the integrated 520 chip benchmarks for comparison. It struggles even at 1366x768 to deliver decent framerates on Low settings.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-520.149940.0.html

The base model of the laptop has a 1366x768 display, not 1080p, and upgrading it is $20 (or $40 if you want an IPS panel). If you plan to do any gaming, the dedicated GPU upgrade is almost a must, I would even recommend bumping up at least to the 1080p screen. I want to say 6GB would be passably enough for casual gaming, but I've had 8 for so long I have no idea to be honest.

I wouldn't say you should "go with a different laptop entirely" because to be honest, finding a gaming laptop at $500 is challenging enough already that your options elsewhere would not be drastically different. I think you just need to decide what compromises you're willing to make is all.

That being said, yes, the 940M GPU is suited very well to casual gaming.
 
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