niquee__niquee

Estimable
Feb 3, 2015
12
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4,560
I'm about to start college and I use my computer a lot for gaming for the Sims 3 and 4, as a Christmas gift I received a HP off QVC . (Link Below)

http://www.qvc.com/HP-17-Touch-Laptop-AMD-A10-8GB-RAM-1TB-HDD-wMS-Office-365.product.E226984.html?sc=E226984-Zone&cm_scid=zone&cm_sp=MERCHZONE-_-Featured:+6+Easy+Pays+on+All+Computers+and+Tablets-_-1

After waiting for it to go from China, S. Korea, Japan, Alaska, and finally GA after two weeks it shows up with scratches and also received poor reviews after everyone finally started getting theirs.

I liked the fact that the screen was a 17 in, but I know I won't find one for my budget especially since it'll come from my pockets now. I'm looking for something simple and sleek for Sims gaming and typing papers.

My heart was set on the HP m6-n010dx but with every model leading up to the 15dx the track pad fails and I don't want to dish out that money for the track pad to go haywire and I have to buy a mouse

I don't know which is better or equivalent, but I know I'd like i5 or AMD 10 for a processor and I'm not trying to break $650

I perfer HP, but was looking into ASUS and Dell as well .

Any suggestions?
 
Solution
In terms of the CPU, the Core i5 is a good choice, and I prefer it over the A6, all things being equal.

The brands I can recommend include Lenovo, MSI, Asus, Toshiba and Acer. I would avoid Dell, and HP.

17" laptops are truly desktop replacement, and they are not easily portable due to their heft, weight as well as short battery life.

digitaldoc

Distinguished
Herald
In terms of the CPU, the Core i5 is a good choice, and I prefer it over the A6, all things being equal.

The brands I can recommend include Lenovo, MSI, Asus, Toshiba and Acer. I would avoid Dell, and HP.

17" laptops are truly desktop replacement, and they are not easily portable due to their heft, weight as well as short battery life.
 
Solution
For general gaming and usage, I'd go for Acer if you're on a budget. Lenovo is also an affordable alternative, but they might be outside your price range.

I would consider this (http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V3-572G-54S6-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B00MM2WA8O/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1423079053&sr=8-5&keywords=acer+i5)

It has a decent i5 processor with an 840M GPU, which will run Sims 3 or 4 at a high graphical quality. :) AND it fits your budget!

I've personally owned an Acer before and they're a great value for what you're given.
 

digitaldoc

Distinguished
Herald
I've had mixed results with Acer. I have one Acer laptop from 2008 that still works fine, but another one that I bought from 2011 was totally dead and went to the garbage 2 years later. I also had to RMA a tablet, and a monitor both shortly after purchase.
 

BlueFireZ

Estimable
I've also heard mixed reveiws on Acer and Toshiba laptops, so i'm not too sure about them, but i'm surprised that you don't have i5 laptops around $650. But like digitaldoc said, Lenovo, MSI, Asus are highly recommended brands, but in my opinion HP and Dell laptops are also good, except I think Dell is a little overpriced.

Hope this helps!
 

BlueFireZ

Estimable
If you live in US your in luck, try subscribing to PCMag's newsletters, after that sign in and check the box that says "Best Deals Today" and they will send you good deals on laptops and other electronics.

PCMag Newsletter - http://www.pcmag.com/newsletter_manage

I accidentally subscribed to their newletter and I say a really good deal on a laptop (from $1099 to $599), I was about to buy it but I found out these deals are for the US only and not Canada.