Budget Gaming Laptop Dilemma

[Wilmox]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, i've searched plenty threads in this community regarding to laptops and desktop PC and I've found them pretty helpful.

This time I need some advice with my big dilemma between "The best budget gaming laptop" under my budget (plus some upgrades and peripherals).

*Note: I need a laptop over a Desktop PC its more efficient performance due to portability both in my house and outside in some Master's Degree classes*

Budget: US$1,000.00

Desired Items:

-Gaming Laptop (GTX 960m minimum [I know it would be near to impossible to buy any higher with the current budget])
-12/16 GB RAM
-MousePad
-Gaming mouse
-SSD (For games and windows load time)
-Laptop Case Bag (not exremely big, but with room for charger, mouse, mousepad and maybe headset)
(Opional if theres leftovers enough for it) -Headset (comfortable)


I have two main plans to satisfy these needs according to the information I've been able to get from various sources and both include the famous "Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series", but with Blackfriday/Cybermonday deals approaching these may not be the real deal for the time being as prices are dropping or increasing like crazy.

Build 1 (amazon):

[Basically sacrificing more SSD space and speed for some dollars together with the i7 (which is supposedly the same in gaming but little better in heavy multitasking that I don't intend to) and getting 1tb for mass data storage]

*Dell Inspiron i5 6300HQ, 256Gb SSD (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PYYDMQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Seagate 1 TB 7200rpm 2.5" HDD (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C4W29XC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Logitech G402 Gaming Mouse (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LZVNWIA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Crucial 8Gb RAM (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006YG8X9Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Steelseries QcK MousePad (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UEZ36W/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

Build 2 (amazon):

[My wish build but expensive one]

*Dell Inspiron i7 6700HQ, 1tb 5400rpm+8Gb SSD cache (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PYZ0J6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Samsung 850 Evo 500gb (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TGIW1XG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Logitech G402 Gaming Mouse (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LZVNWIA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Crucial 8Gb RAM (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006YG8X9Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

*Steelseries QcK MousePad (https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UEZ36W/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER )

Which build do you guys would recommend me of these two (even though Build 2 is around $50.00 above the budget. That'd be only assumed if the build worths it so much that It'll improve my laptop usage experience for more than what Im paying), or maybe a different one for this budget (an offer active now that you know, or perhaps advice me to wait until the real Cybermonday and hope for a better deal. I'm open to any new suggestions that can be fulfilled in the US so its easier dor me to bring it to my country) with these goals :

Goals
-Games to be played (Obiously not at 60fps on ultra as i cant afford easily a 970m. Im looking around 45-50 fps on demanding games on med-high(maybe)):
*League of Legends
*Starcraft 2
*CounterStrike: Go
*Guild Wars 2
*GTA V
*Assassin's Creed (Saga)
*The Divison (on low-med settings maybe at 720p for framerates)
*Battlefield 1
*The Witcher 3 (similar as the division )
*Overwatch

-Streaming FHD Videos/Movies

-Some light/medium Microsoft Office work

Thanks in advance.

 

[amtseung]

Budget gaming and laptop are two things that don't go together. Especially when you expect Battlefield 1, GTA5, and The Witcher 3 to play well on anything other than potato settings. A 960m will probably give you a powerpoint slideshow out of TW3 without full on potato settings, let alone the caliber of CPU and display quality you'd be getting at that price point. BF1 murders desktops more than twice as powerful as the laptops you can afford, at a similar resolution and on medium settings. Not even high. Forget shadows, foliage, particle effects, and draw distance. I'd even be questioning whether it can even run a 64P multiplayer map at all.

I remember LTT did a review of the Dell XPS13 a while back. Maybe they're cheaper now since they're a generation behind?

 

[Wilmox]

Thanks for your reply amtseung. Ive edited my "Goals" to 40-50 fps on med-high rather than 60 fps on ultra so it can be achieved within my budget. Ive seen Youtube videos of people getting 40~50 fps on Ultra (720p) Battlefield 1 on multiplayer with these laptops I stated, for me is good enough. And I looked for the xps 13 but it is over US$1,000.00 still.

 

[The Real Ket]

Why don't you just build a PC?

 

[Wilmox]

Why don't you just build a PC?

Oh right. forgot to add reasons for that too. I need more portability than a whole Desktop in my house and for few times next year on my master's degree (of which I dont have any peripherals or UPS. Things that will decrease a Desktop PC hardware quality adding to the budget a monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc)

 

[The Real Ket]

Why don't you just build a PC?

Oh right. forgot to add reasons for that too. I need more portability than a whole Desktop in my house and for few times next year on my master's degree (of which I dont have any peripherals or UPS. Things that will decrease a Desktop PC hardware quality adding to the budget a monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc)

Oh okay.

 

[GreyCatz]

Hello, Wilmox:

This is only meant for reference:

https/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Y50-Laptop-Computer-Generation/dp/B00KD5DUR2
This is very close my own Y50, and on a 4th gen quad-core i7 with a 4GB 860M I can play GTA V, Rise of Tomb Raider, and Metal Gear Solid V on high settings. I'm not sure about The Witcher but my gut feeling is that it's probably too demanding for this Y50. By now, the Y50 is a rather old machine and the 860M is clearly struggling at times, but moving into GTX 900-series territory is bound to tip you over the $1,000 mark.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[jaguarskx]

You do not want a Dell XPS 13 to play games anyway since it does not have a dedicated graphics chip. Below is a link to Notebookcheck.net's benchmarks for the GTX 960m, GTX 970m, GTX 980m and GTX 1060 to give you an idea of what to expect given your budget. Scroll all the way to the right if you want to see Witcher 3 results.


http/tinyurl.com/jo3gpw4


Given a budget of $1,000 a laptop with a GTX 960m is probably the only option. The least expensive laptop with a GTX 970m that I can find with a quick search is the following Acer Predator 15 G9 Extreme for $970. It's within your budget, but not if you are looking to include the accessories you listed within your $1,000 budget.


https/www.amazon.com/Predator-15-i7-6700HQ-15-6-inch-Computer/dp/B01DTA3WLQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479308049&sr=1-4&keywords=acer+gtx+970m