Decent Gaming Laptop- Under $800?

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cousi2344

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Jul 19, 2012
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Ok, so I know I already started a thread about this but I wanted to update some things and get it out to more people, and get some more ideas. I'm looking for a gaming laptop and would like advice as this is my first time buying a laptop, let alone one for gaming. As I said in the name of the thread, my ceiling would have to be $800. However I'd like to stay under $750 and probably won't buy anything over that that isn't a great deal. Anyways, the games I'd like to have the option of playing would be, in order of importance to me:

1. Fallout: New Vegas
2. Crysis (the original)
3. Arma 2 (really interested in the Day Z mod)
4.Total War: Rome II (releasing in 2013; if I won't be able to play this it doesn't matter so much, and I know its still pre-alpha so you can only speculate what I'll need to play it, but I was a huge fan of the original so I'd love to play it)
5.BF3 (not so important to me; already have it for my Xbox)

Other than gaming, I'd be using it for basic schoolwork and internet surfing. Size doesnt particularly matter, but I'd say large is better than tiny. I'll buy from anywhere with a good reputation, whether it's direct from the company, sold by someone reputable (refurbished or new), and maybe from Ebay if it's a well-rated seller. Anyone who has any ideas for me is welcome to share. Thanks for any help!




 
The 15.6" Acer Aspire V3-571G-9435 is probably your best bet for $780. It comes with a Core i7 quad core CPU, but the vast majority of games only use 2 cores. It also has a GT 640m which is a pretty good performing card for the price. It is a little faster (7% - 10% ?) than the GT 550m in my Lenovo Y470. I tested Crysis with the GT 550m @ 1366x768 resolution and high graphic settings in the 2nd chapter; Relic. I was able to get an average of about 32 FPS, it dipped as low as 24 FPS and peaked as high as 39 FPS. In the final battle (which is killer), I expect average FPS would drop to the mid or high teens. With medium graphic settings the average FPS would be in the mid 40's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215404


For $680 you can get the TOSHIBA Satellite L855-S5255 which has a dual core i5-2450m which is fine for games. As stated the vast majority of games only use 2 cores. However, the Radeon HD 7670m is a bit weaker than the GT 550m (5% - 10%) so that means it is also weaker than the GT 640m.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214870
 



Hi :)

Maybe that because I have been working with computers longer than you have been alive .....

Or maybe because Toms has rules which are designed to NOT waste peoples time, when trying to help....

I have a limited amount of time which I donate for free here, trying to help as many people as possible...so one time waster is another person not helped....

All the best Brett :)

 

sephmeister

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No, I highly doubt you have been working with computers for more than 35 years but nice try.

Your copy/pasted BS is almost as annoying as your frequent use of smileys.

If you're so concerned about helping people and not wasting time then why do I see you constantly blabbing about rules instead of actually helping people, leave the rules to the moderators.
 

eggbrook

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Much like your doing right now?
 



Hi :)

Wrong again.... I am 59...and have been working with computers since my early twenties....

As far as the Moderators are concerned, notice the report button...thats PRECISELY what its for, they cannot be expected to notice everything.... its for users like us to help THEM...

All the best Brett :)
 

cousi2344

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Jul 19, 2012
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Well ok then....
Well first, thanks moderator, for saving my butt and clearing all that up. Sorry Brett, I can see why you would think that, they are extremely similar threads... But please, you and sephmeister, if you plan on arguing more, please do it somewhere else.... It blows up my email. No offense.

Anyway, to anyone interested in helping, how does this look for the specifications I gave out earlier?

On the Lenovo site, there's an IdeaPad Y570 with an Nvidia GT 555M 1GB graphics card. It seems like a decent card (looked up an assessment on notebookcheck.com), and about to par with what I'm asking for, but I'd like to have some opinions from any experts out there, and I also know sometimes the GPU isn't the only thing that matters as far as game performance. Also, there are 2 versions of this in my price range, one with an i5-2450M at 2.50 GHz, and one with an i7-2670QM at 2.2 GHz. Which is better for me?

Thanks for any help I get in advance.
 

Komomu

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If those are your 2 choices, even though 95% of games use only 2 cores, I'd recommend the core i7 because

1.) Newer tech
2.) It's faster than the i5
3.) Newer games will utilize more cores (I think total war: rome II will)
 

ram1009

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gaming laptop=oxymoron
 

cousi2344

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Jul 19, 2012
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How does the Lenovo I'm looking at stack up against this hp I found? It's got an AMD 7730M GPU, and can either have an A8 or an A10 (the A10 costs $50 more) 2gb less memory, but a larger hard drive, and the same display. The A8 is $25 cheaper than the Lenovo, but the A10 is $25 more. Which of the 3 options is the best?
 
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