Gaming Laptop for around $400?

B

bthizle1

Member
Hello, I´m considering purchasing a gaming laptop in the U.S. in around 3 months or so. I´m looking around now, and would like to spend really around $300, but could spend another $100 if needed, especially if it would get me quite a bit more. I´d build my own PC, but the thing is I am travelling far too much and currently do not have a home (in the process of finding a country that I want to actually call ¨home.¨) I suppose that if it was REALLY worth it I could spend $500 but I´d really prefer not to spend more than say $400 usd.

I mainly like Strategy games (Total War series, paradox games etc...), however the ocassional RPG and FPS or 3rd person shooter I do enjoy. The laptop would also be for using the internet, viewing photos and videos from time to time and writing I suppose.

Anyways, any recomendations or points in the right direction(s)?

Thanks in advance by the way, I really appreciate the help.
 
You will not find a gaming laptop under say $1200 USD. The only thing you will get for 300-400 is an entry level machine.
 
johnb35 said:
You will not find a gaming laptop under say $1200 USD. The only thing you will get for 300-400 is an entry level machine.
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Really?

For example this (plus maybe another 4GB of RAM added) doesn´t seem to shabby...

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V...dnight/dp/B009A8L0IE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

From user reviews I´ve been reading they´ve even played games like Skyrim on high settings no problem....I´m honestly more worried about older games (mainly the Total War series and paradox historical games) not being compatible with windows 8....but I can always change the OP.
 
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Thats not considered a gaming laptop. For fps games, you will need something above $1000
 
johnb35 said:
Thats not considered a gaming laptop. For fps games, you will need something above $1000
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Right, but considering it can play a game like Skyrim on High settings I´m pretty sure it´d more or less suffice. Jajaja...maybe it´s because your looked at the title ¨Gaming Laptop¨ and you have a standard for a gaming rig...what if we re-word it and call it a ¨Laptop for a fair amount of gaming amongst other things?¨

Edit:

Do you not think something like that laptop would be able to run any semi-new\new games at decent settings?
 
Not even say something like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...yMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

Also, most of the games I´d be wanting to play are from 2010 and back....mainly Rome Total War, Medieval Total War II, Napoleon Total War and the paradox games...which are not very graphic intense games to begin with. You still think that something like that first computer would not be able to handle those well, even though it more than meets the recommended specs settings for all of the above?

By the way, I appreciate your input.
 
You said you were interested in fps games, the Acer you just posted will be better then the other one. Wouldn't you hate to buy something cheap and it not be able to play the games you want to play and not be able to return it? Just trying to educate you here.
 
johnb35 said:
You said you were interested in fps games, the Acer you just posted will be better then the other one. Wouldn't you hate to buy something cheap and it not be able to play the games you want to play and not be able to return it? Just trying to educate you here.
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I completely see what you are saying, and trust me I´ve thought about that quite a bit. The thing is I´d prefer to build a PC, but as mentioned I am travelling far too much to spend around $1,000 usd on a PC that I will not be able to use due to not having a stable place. So here´s my logic. I´d rather spend under $500 usd for now, say for a year to two years and be able to travel with the laptop and still play some of the older\semi older games I´ve been wanting to play. Mainly strategy games, I´m really not that interested in FPS, hence why I mentioned that in the first post. I prefer strategies, and RPG´s...with perhaps the ocasional FPS here and there.

So, that being said....is it really not worth it to spend less than $500 on a laptop that should be able to run most strategy games from 2005-2012 lets say, perhaps not all on high settings, but at least medium. For around 2 years, probably less until I actually have a place in a country I am comfortable in, then I can build the PC I really want.

Ah, not to mention the possibility of the laptop getting damaged while traveling and-or stollen....so if I had spent $1,000 plus that´d hurt a bit more than if I´d spent less than $500 on it.

All that being said, do you still think that say the above laptop (the Acer V3 or something similar) is not at all worth it?
 
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All I can tell you to do is check the system requirements for the exact games you want to play and see if the first laptop will be able to play them.
 
I don't really care for the new Inspirons, hard drive is under the keyboard and its a pain in the butt to replace. Acer process is faster.
 
Xbox
... but seriously,

John is really quite correct here.

For 400 you may be able to get a basic gaming computer, but it wont extend to the miniaturisation version being laptops.

Only one or two of these will play the games you want and they're both over 500 bucks now.

http://gaminglaptopsunder500.info/
 
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Okedokey said:
Xbox
... but seriously,

John is really quite correct here.

For 400 you may be able to get a basic gaming computer, but it wont extend to the miniaturisation version being laptops.

Only one or two of these will play the games you want and they're both over 500 bucks now.

http://gaminglaptopsunder500.info/
Click to expand...

+1
consoles are always the best bet for someone on that tight of a budget and want to do serious gaming.
 
Okedokey said:
Xbox
... but seriously,

John is really quite correct here.

For 400 you may be able to get a basic gaming computer, but it wont extend to the miniaturisation version being laptops.

Only one or two of these will play the games you want and they're both over 500 bucks now.

http://gaminglaptopsunder500.info/
Click to expand...

DMGrier said:
+1
consoles are always the best bet for someone on that tight of a budget and want to do serious gaming.
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Well the thing is I would be using it for quite a few other things as well other than gaming, ie. to connect to the internet, watch the ocasional video, photos, writing, some music etc...which with a game console I cannot do, especially without a television.

Plus, take for example a ps3....the CPU and GPU on the PS3 is still outdated-worse than the CPUs and GPUs on those $400-$500 laptops, or correct me if I am wrong in saying that....
 
bthizle1 said:
Plus, take for example a ps3....the CPU and GPU on the PS3 is still outdated-worse than the CPUs and GPUs on those $400-$500 laptops, or correct me if I am wrong in saying that....
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You're both right and wrong ;)

Nominally, the CPUs and GPUs in the laptops you're considering for gaming are more advanced, however a consoles' OS only have to consider one configuration of hardware. Windows needs to do many.

That's what Directx is for. Its an API allowing all the system components (hardware and software) to talk to each other. A translator.

The console has the advantage of homogeneity and therefore doesn't need the API and can code directly to metal as it is called.

Therefore, although less sophisticated, many times faster in games.
 
Okedokey said:
You're both right and wrong ;)

Nominally, the CPUs and GPUs in the laptops you're considering for gaming are more advanced, however a consoles' OS only have to consider one configuration of hardware. Windows needs to do many.

That's what Directx is for. Its an API allowing all the system components (hardware and software) to talk to each other. A translator.

The console has the advantage of homogeneity and therefore doesn't need the API and can code directly to metal as it is called.

Therefore, although less sophisticated, many times faster in games.
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So perhaps it would be more or less even than....?

I´d like to run linux honestly, but I´m not so sure about game compatibility with it.
 
bthizle1 said:
So perhaps it would be more or less even than....?

I´d like to run linux honestly, but I´m not so sure about game compatibility with it.
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Ubuntu has steam support but it is only so many games being ported to it, the catalogue is growing each month and is becoming more impressive but still not compared to Windows. On another downside the driver built for Nvidia and Radeon are not as efficient so the performance wont be as nice and the intel HD open source drivers are horrible.

Though you did mention writing music, if your talking about recording Linux does have some nice tools for that area.
 
DMGrier said:
Ubuntu has steam support but it is only so many games being ported to it, the catalogue is growing each month and is becoming more impressive but still not compared to Windows. On another downside the driver built for Nvidia and Radeon are not as efficient so the performance wont be as nice and the intel HD open source drivers are horrible.

Though you did mention writing music, if your talking about recording Linux does have some nice tools for that area.
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Yeah...I mean I much prefer linux, but it´s that whole compatibility that pretty much makes it X. Anways, DMGrier, you didn´t see any of those laptops I posted before....you think any of those, and-or any laptops for around $400-500 could handle some gaming, mainly strategy games that have been released over the past 5 years per say.

Or for a bit more I was looking at something like this (price might even go down in 3 months or so...?):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...sp=&AID=10446076&PID=6149513&SID=2crhennp06ow
 
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That Acer is decent, what is your definition of strategy? Do you mean RTS? The 730 GT should be able to handle RTS. The only thing I can tell you about that 730 GT is it would be like years ago when I bought a Hp desktop with a Nvidia 8500 GT graphics card. Could I play games, yes, RTS and dungeon crawlers on pretty high settings but anything like mmorpg or FPS I would have to run on low setting and some where still painful. I hope that answer your question.
 
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