Entertainment Laptop [Budget:$400]

[tangomango]

I'm looking to buy a laptop that is mainly used to watch movies (non 720p or higher), casual web browsing and some non-demanding games (League of legends).

http/www.amazon.com/ASUS-A53U-AS22-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Mocha/dp/B007MW146S/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1355685114&sr=1-1

http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MPBEH2/sr=1-1/qid=1355685060/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1355685060&seller=&sr=1-1

http/www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-2000/B5Y09AV?HP-2000z-2b00-Notebook-PC

I had those picked out, but I'm not entirely sure on the processors and how strong they are. cpubenchmarks show that they are quite weak (800ish score) so I wanted some feedback.

I would also prefer Windows 7 over Win8

Thanks!

edit: price changed to $400

 

[Potential]

I'm looking for a laptop myself for online classes / some gaming / youtube and movies. The first link you posted the asus looks pretty sick not going to lie. I might buy that one. Experts please post what you think of these links and give us some suggestions!

 

[jaguarskx]

Yeah, the CPU is pretty weak. Then again, many times you get what you pay for.

I recall someone complaining that AMD E series was too weak to play the Sims 3 after installing one of the expansion packs.

 

[Potential]

Yeah, the CPU is pretty weak. Then again, many times you get what you pay for.

I recall someone complaining that AMD E series was too weak to play the Sims 3 after installing one of the expansion packs.

Hey buddy what do you think about this laptop. http/www.amazon.com/ASUS-A55A-AH31-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B009OV5150/ref=pd_cp_pc_3 - I'll be using this for school, youtube, movies, League of legends/BF3 etc. I'm spending $1500 on a desktop so don't exactly need a top of the line laptop. Thanks

 

[jdwii]

Yeah, the CPU is pretty weak. Then again, many times you get what you pay for.

I recall someone complaining that AMD E series was too weak to play the Sims 3 after installing one of the expansion packs.

I'm now using a A8 but i had a E-350 laptop and it was ok for sims 3 on low-medium settings but when you start adding lots into the game it slowed down quite a bit. Either way the E-450 should be ok for those tasks.

 

[quilciri]

The Llano based E series is a weak CPU (E-300, 350, 450). They're good for HTPC's, but that's about it. If you want to game on a laptop for ~$350, you'll want either a trinity based E series (e.g. E-1200), or a Llano based A series.

good luck!

 

[quilciri]

Even better, Trinity based A6

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312242

 

[tangomango]

Even better, Trinity based A6

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312242

Thanks for the link! I've also found this one, http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101306


Also, I had bumped the price to $400. So I found these two, pushing the max just a little bit =P: http/www.tigerdirect.comapplications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4977874&CatId=4935 and http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3859752&CatId=4936

Were there any other laptops you could provide for me?

 

[quilciri]

A-3xxx are Llano based chips (older hardware), A-4xxx are Trinity. Long story short, the trinity chips are better.

The Gateway and the Lenovo are the better choices.

The Gateway Machine has a more powerful processor and a bit better graphics hardware for cheaper; but it is a refurbished machine.

Lenovo generally has better build quality than gateway, though I can't speak for these specific models.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a refurbished machine unless I was sure of the repair technician. If the gateway machine works, it's a good deal however. Newegg has a solid return policy if it does go bad, though you'll need to pay return shipping.

good luck!

 

[quilciri]

here's one more to consider. Acer doesn't have as good a reputation for build quality as Lenovo does, but it's considerably stronger hardware for the same price.

http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4977874&CatId=4935

 

[tangomango]

Best answer selected by tangomango.

 

[tangomango]

thanks for all the help quilciri =D

 

[tangomango]

one more question:

the last one you linked, what is the difference between that and, http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7490563&CatId=4935

is it just the operating system?

 

[quilciri]

one more question:

the last one you linked, what is the difference between that and, http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7490563&CatId=4935

is it just the operating system?

Asus has a better rep for build quality and customer service than Acer. Unless you really want windows 8, I would get the Asus.

* they have a slightly different setup. The Acer has 2 USB 2.0 ports and 1 3.0; The Asus has 2 USB 3.0. The Acer has a more current version of bluetooth. Asus machines have less pre-loaded crapware than other manufacturers.

 

[tangomango]

ah gotcha!

thanks again!

 

[Murray B]

Any of those machines will perform non-gaming tasks well and the E-450 and E2-1800 will run modern games at 15-30 fps at low settings. Benchmarks are not reliable indicators of real world performance and never were. They are indirect measures that may or may not indicate real world performance. A video of a system in use is worth a thousand benchmarks.