Gaming laptop under 450 (minecraft, gta)

[meganreeves]

1. What is your budget? Up to 450, but models that are more that might be cheaper or in the price range with coupon codes/black friday deals are good too.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? Not a netbook size, 11.6 or more.

3. What screen resolution do you want? doesn't matter

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? either of them would work

5. How much battery life do you need? Not that much, maybe 3 hours, but it isn't a real priority so as long as it has a working battery it is fine.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? Medium for grand theft auto, minecraft was harder to tell, but I know it lags and he doesn't have it on the highest settings for everything.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Skype (but a built in webcam isn't necessary) /logmein for minecraft server(maybe?)

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? doesn't matter

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 3-3.5 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? doesn't matter, fine as long as it works

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I am open to most brands
13. What country do you live in?
usa- mn

This is what we were going to buy before:http/www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C655-S5225-Intel-Laptop/dp/B005GYAU1Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1321327062&sr=1-1

A friend of mine has it and they don't play as much as my brother but they play the same games and it looked really nice from when I saw it at their house. Best buy had it at 349.99 but they sold out and amazon has it for 459.00 so we are considering other options, but we are still open to that one. I am the only tech knowledgeable person in the house, my brother knows games and some of the surrounding tech but it is his present, and I am not a gamer. Desktops are a no because of portability.

This is what he uses now (a desktop): http/h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01756860&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=135&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=3942817&prodTypeId=12454

Oh, and we are totally open to refurbished laptops, floor models, etc as long as they are not full of dents/nicks and come in/with all packaging. And I have amazon prime so if we are buying from amazon, it would be nice to be buying something that is eligible (sold by amazon).

Thanks!

EDIT: I decided to change it to a discussion because I guess I'm not looking for "one thing" specifically. You all have great answers, anyway. Thanks.

 

[PrvtChurch]

That Laptop would EXPLODE trying to run GTA4 even on the lowest settings hell doing ANY gaming would make it explode. for under 450 you can barely buy a desktop that will do what you want let alone a laptop.

 

[kburke84]

Hello Megan, it is definitely possible to get a gaming laptop for around 450 dollars, but you have to be a serious shopper. For example last june i had got a laptop for 499 that wasnt meant for gaming, but found the integrated video card to be much better than i thought. Played starcraft 2 with good fps on medium. Back in the early days, integrated never could game well but i was impressed this time around. It was a satellite l655 with i3. However my father had needed a laptop and saw one 3 weeks ago at office depot a lenovo with an i3 core for 430.00. He purchased it and i checked it out did spec checks, it scored almost exactly the same as my laptop cept scored little less in memory score. Everything else was the same!

It took a month or two to find that deal, but black friday if you want a cheap gaming pc, your first thing to look at is the processor. If it has an i3 core the motherboard has to support it, which means things like memory has to be of decent quality as well. When you find the laptop you want, google it of course or newegg it to check out the reviews see if other gamers were able to run things to get an idea what it can handle.

BTW playing skyrim on my laptop with med graphics on integrated

1. What is your budget? Up to 450, but models that are more that might be cheaper or in the price range with coupon codes/black friday deals are good too.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? Not a netbook size, 11.6 or more.

3. What screen resolution do you want? doesn't matter

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? either of them would work

5. How much battery life do you need? Not that much, maybe 3 hours, but it isn't a real priority so as long as it has a working battery it is fine.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? Medium for grand theft auto, minecraft was harder to tell, but I know it lags and he doesn't have it on the highest settings for everything.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Skype (but a built in webcam isn't necessary) /logmein for minecraft server(maybe?)

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? doesn't matter

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 3-3.5 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? doesn't matter, fine as long as it works

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I am open to most brands
13. What country do you live in?
usa- mn

This is what we were going to buy before:http/www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C655-S5225-Intel-Laptop/dp/B005GYAU1Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1321327062&sr=1-1

A friend of mine has it and they don't play as much as my brother but they play the same games and it looked really nice from when I saw it at their house. Best buy had it at 349.99 but they sold out and amazon has it for 459.00 so we are considering other options, but we are still open to that one. I am the only tech knowledgeable person in the house, my brother knows games and some of the surrounding tech but it is his present, and I am not a gamer. Desktops are a no because of portability.

This is what he uses now (a desktop): http/h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01756860&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=135&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=3942817&prodTypeId=12454

Oh, and we are totally open to refurbished laptops, floor models, etc as long as they are not full of dents/nicks and come in/with all packaging. And I have amazon prime so if we are buying from amazon, it would be nice to be buying something that is eligible (sold by amazon).

Thanks!

 

[meganreeves]

That Laptop would EXPLODE trying to run GTA4 even on the lowest settings hell doing ANY gaming would make it explode. for under 450 you can barely buy a desktop that will do what you want let alone a laptop.[/quote]

Really, any gaming? Because the person who uses it right now uses it mostly for gaming. Or do you just mean the modern warfare/call of duty, because I don't think he wants to play that on pc. Like I said, minecraft, some gta 4 but as long as it is decent and not laggy he will be fine with it.

 

[meganreeves]

Hello Megan, it is definitely possible to get a gaming laptop for around 450 dollars, but you have to be a serious shopper. For example last june i had got a laptop for 499 that wasnt meant for gaming, but found the integrated video card to be much better than i thought. Played starcraft 2 with good fps on medium. Back in the early days, integrated never could game well but i was impressed this time around. It was a satellite l655 with i3. However my father had needed a laptop and saw one 3 weeks ago at office depot a lenovo with an i3 core for 430.00. He purchased it and i checked it out did spec checks, it scored almost exactly the same as my laptop cept scored little less in memory score. Everything else was the same!

It took a month or two to find that deal, but black friday if you want a cheap gaming pc, your first thing to look at is the processor. If it has an i3 core the motherboard has to support it, which means things like memory has to be of decent quality as well. When you find the laptop you want, google it of course or newegg it to check out the reviews see if other gamers were able to run things to get an idea what it can handle.

BTW playing skyrim on my laptop with med graphics on integrated

Thank you so much! Yeah, we are willing to be serious shoppers, we are normally coupon freaks so that is normal. And yes, it doesn't need to be a "gaming" laptop, I almost didn't want to say that because even though that is what this is used for, there are no "gaming" laptops in my price range.

So you are saying if it has an i3 then the motherboard and memory would have to be of higher quality? That makes sense.

 

[kburke84]

i forgot to add, 4 gigs ddr 3 memory, 15.6 lcd, advanced dolby surround(stereo). Fathers same, 4 gigs ddr3, 15.6 lcd srs premium sound (stereo). Both have great quality sound and are pretty identical with virtually everything else

 

[kburke84]

Yes i3 is the price range you want. But make sure to get the best out of it make sure its the brand new i3 second generation processors that are new on the market. They are a big improvement over the first generation i3 cores since they have 4 threads and 2 cores. They are very powerful

Thank you so much! Yeah, we are willing to be serious shoppers, we are normally coupon freaks so that is normal. And yes, it doesn't need to be a "gaming" laptop, I almost didn't want to say that because even though that is what this is used for, there are no "gaming" laptops in my price range.

So you are saying if it has an i3 then the motherboard and memory would have to be of higher quality? That makes sense.

 

[bestlink101]

this is a little bit more than 450 (499), quad core decent gpu (good for price) http/www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1229197&CatId=4938
this is 519 and is really god spec wise quad core excellent gpu
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158073
this 2nd laptop would be amazing if you overclock cpu
in one to two years he should update the cpu to AMD A-Series A8-3530MX

 

[kburke84]

Sorry didnt read this carefully enough. Yes the processor, motherboard, and memory are wrapped into one basically. They will be on similar par of quality. The motherboard has to be made to be able to handle the processor as well as the memory. They all need each other to function the basics. They all go hand in hand.

If you see I3 second gen, 4 gigs ram, stereo sound i would go for that. Most will be integrated video cards (meaning graphic memory is shared with the processor), but if you arent planning on playing the most high demand games, you should be good. If you decide you want extra juice, expect to pay at least 150.00 for external video card(graphic memory is separate on vcards)Most of those will start at 599.99. That is for entry level vcards.If you are more curious about external video cards, use
http/www.notebookcheck.net/

copy and paste the videocard model into the search and it will show all the latest games FPS for each model

Thank you so much! Yeah, we are willing to be serious shoppers, we are normally coupon freaks so that is normal. And yes, it doesn't need to be a "gaming" laptop, I almost didn't want to say that because even though that is what this is used for, there are no "gaming" laptops in my price range.

So you are saying if it has an i3 then the motherboard and memory would have to be of higher quality? That makes sense.

 

[brian1bialey]

Dont listen to the guy with the i3 he knows nothing. If you want a good laptop for under 450 you should probably get one of Amds APU's a4-3300m, a6-3400m, and a5-3500m But in you pricerange the a4-330m is all you will find probably. I highly reccomend you get a APU series laptop as it has very nice integrated graphics that probably will give you 10-15 more fps ingame than the counterpart i3 with integrated graphics. Trust me my dad just recently got the apu series and i play a game called Alliance of Valiant arms all maxed out @ 1366x768 and it plays just around 50 fps. The a4-3300m has 6480g integrated graphics which performs a little better than the desktop Radeon Hd 5550 so use these bench marks of the 5550 to show you how it will perform

GTA IV gameplay w/ ati radeon 5550(6480g performs a little better than it)
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwgMuCQyvng

Honestly this laptop will play games even like battlefield 3 on low settings around 30-40 fps

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KydAheH88sE
(skip into a minute or so)


Here are some laptops with the Apu:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215208
AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M 1.4GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk500GB
Optical Drive8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
Graphics CardAMD Radeon HD 6520G Graphics
(i recommend this one.)

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131151
AMD A-Series A4-3310MX 2.1GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk320GB
Optical DriveDVD Super Multi
Graphics CardIntegrated AMD Radeon HD 6480G
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157872
AMD A-Series A4-3300M 1.9GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk500GB
Optical DriveDVD Super Multi
Graphics CardIntegrated AMD Radeon HD 6480G

All in all you could probably pick one up at best buy for around the same price but the a6-3400m is a quad core and also has 6520g graphics which are a little better.
I hope you make the good decision in getting this laptop, but i doubt the price will go lower as this is pretty dirt cheap for a gaming laptop that will play on low settings. Remember to get a APU none from the E-Series but the A-series bye!

 

[meganreeves]

Dont listen to the guy with the i3 he knows nothing. If you want a good laptop for under 450 you should probably get one of Amds APU's a4-3300m, a6-3400m, and a5-3500m But in you pricerange the a4-330m is all you will find probably. I highly reccomend you get a APU series laptop as it has very nice integrated graphics that probably will give you 10-15 more fps ingame than the counterpart i3 with integrated graphics. Trust me my dad just recently got the apu series and i play a game called Alliance of Valiant arms all maxed out @ 1366x768 and it plays just around 50 fps. The a4-3300m has 6480g integrated graphics which performs a little better than the desktop Radeon Hd 5550 so use these bench marks of the 5550 to show you how it will perform

GTA IV gameplay w/ ati radeon 5550(6480g performs a little better than it)
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwgMuCQyvng

Honestly this laptop will play games even like battlefield 3 on low settings around 30-40 fps

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KydAheH88sE
(skip into a minute or so)


Here are some laptops with the Apu:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215208
AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M 1.4GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk500GB
Optical Drive8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
Graphics CardAMD Radeon HD 6520G Graphics
(i recommend this one.)

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131151
AMD A-Series A4-3310MX 2.1GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk320GB
Optical DriveDVD Super Multi
Graphics CardIntegrated AMD Radeon HD 6480G
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157872
AMD A-Series A4-3300M 1.9GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk500GB
Optical DriveDVD Super Multi
Graphics CardIntegrated AMD Radeon HD 6480G

All in all you could probably pick one up at best buy for around the same price but the a6-3400m is a quad core and also has 6520g graphics which are a little better.
I hope you make the good decision in getting this laptop, but i doubt the price will go lower as this is pretty dirt cheap for a gaming laptop that will play on low settings. Remember to get a APU none from the E-Series but the A-series bye!

Thanks! So I found these at best buy, and they have the APU. If I had to pick one, which one would be better?
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Factory-Refurbished+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+A-Series+Processor+/+14%26%2334%3B+Display+-+Pewter/3720363.p?skuId=3720363&id=1218428657436

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+A-Series+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Pewter/3441428.p?skuId=3441428&id=1218402865010

 

[brian1bialey]

Id get the cheaper 330 comp as i dont see any dif in the specs but also there both solid.comp. i also would like you to.message.me. how it performs.as i am wanting.to buy a laptop for under 500 and these apu comps.are the best deal for gaming but yes go with it i guarantee you will be.impressed!

 

[meganreeves]

I went for the 330 one, so I will definitely update after he gets it.

 

[Papa-Poto]

Sorry, I'm looking for the exact same thing as the poster of the topic. Did you go with the refurbished ones, or the new egg ones? I also saw in the new egg reviews of the hp that you can actually replace the apu to an A8 3530mx. Is this true, and can it be done on the other laptops you guys posted?

 

[meganreeves]

Sorry, I'm looking for the exact same thing as the poster of the topic. Did you go with the refurbished ones, or the new egg ones? I also saw in the new egg reviews of the hp that you can actually replace the apu to an A8 3530mx. Is this true, and can it be done on the other laptops you guys posted?

This is the one I ended up getting:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Factory-Refurbished+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+A-Series+Processor+/+14%26%2334%3B+Display+-+Pewter/3720363.p?skuId=3720363&id=1218428657436&ci_src=11138&AID=10474050&PID=4176827&SID=vt01go6xzir9&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2FHP%2B-%2BFactory-Refurbished%2BPavilion%2BLaptop%2B%2F%2BAMD%2BA-Series%2BProcessor%2B%2F%2B14%2526%252334%253B%2BDisplay%2B-%2BPewter%2F3720363.p%3FskuId%3D3720363%26id%3D1218428657436%26ci_src%3D11138&ref=39&CJPID=4176827&loc=01

 

[meganreeves]

Best answer selected by meganreeves.

 

[kburke84]

Seriously, amd a4 is not even in the same league as a second generation i3. There is reason why there is very few AMD laptops compared to intel. A amd a6 is equivelent. a base level i3 2310 second gen would clobber a a4 any day

Dont listen to the guy with the i3 he knows nothing. If you want a good laptop for under 450 you should probably get one of Amds APU's a4-3300m, a6-3400m, and a5-3500m But in you pricerange the a4-330m is all you will find probably. I highly reccomend you get a APU series laptop as it has very nice integrated graphics that probably will give you 10-15 more fps ingame than the counterpart i3 with integrated graphics. Trust me my dad just recently got the apu series and i play a game called Alliance of Valiant arms all maxed out @ 1366x768 and it plays just around 50 fps. The a4-3300m has 6480g integrated graphics which performs a little better than the desktop Radeon Hd 5550 so use these bench marks of the 5550 to show you how it will perform

GTA IV gameplay w/ ati radeon 5550(6480g performs a little better than it)
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwgMuCQyvng

Honestly this laptop will play games even like battlefield 3 on low settings around 30-40 fps

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KydAheH88sE
(skip into a minute or so)


Here are some laptops with the Apu:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215208
AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M 1.4GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk500GB
Optical Drive8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
Graphics CardAMD Radeon HD 6520G Graphics
(i recommend this one.)

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131151
AMD A-Series A4-3310MX 2.1GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk320GB
Optical DriveDVD Super Multi
Graphics CardIntegrated AMD Radeon HD 6480G
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157872
AMD A-Series A4-3300M 1.9GHz
Screen15.6"
Memory Size4GB DDR3
Hard Disk500GB
Optical DriveDVD Super Multi
Graphics CardIntegrated AMD Radeon HD 6480G

All in all you could probably pick one up at best buy for around the same price but the a6-3400m is a quad core and also has 6520g graphics which are a little better.
I hope you make the good decision in getting this laptop, but i doubt the price will go lower as this is pretty dirt cheap for a gaming laptop that will play on low settings. Remember to get a APU none from the E-Series but the A-series bye!

 

[brian1bialey]

Yes but for things such as gaming the integrated graphics own intels HD series line anyday but you are right on how the i3 is better in proccessing power. The main thing is that he wanted a laptop to play games and almost any laptop (amd or intel) can do multitasking things but in gaming its all about the gpu. I lean towards Intel for desktops and higher end laptops but in this pricerange you cant beat the apus. i3 + dedicated starts around 500 and there max cap was 450 but if it was 500 i would probably reccomend a computer with core i3 + ded graphics

 

[Guest]

Asus 1215B (with e-450 and HD 6320) runs games, even runs battlefield 3.

It costs $350.


Try the S205, the NB550D

The last acer 522 with C-60 processor for $200, it runs a lot of recent games.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar