Help a student find a used/refurbished laptop for around 1k!

[asillyname]

1. What is your budget? $900-$1100 USD

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? Anywhere from 14in-17in

3. What screen resolution do you want? At least 1600x900

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Desktop replacement, no issues with portability

5. How much battery life do you need? 3 hours usage, can plug in during the day

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)? Anything from Battlefield 3/4, Dirt 3, Minecraft, the usual

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Possibly some light programming, maybe audio editing.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? At least 500 gigs

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

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 2-6 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? None.

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. Doesnt matter

13. What country do you live in? USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. I want something capable of everyday usage from school work to gaming, something that will be able to handle newer games on higher settings with low to no frame lag, Ive looked at the Lenovo y510p with dual GT755's but have also seen some used Asus G series with a GTX670 and similar cards. I just need some info on what my best option would be. Like I said, willing to buy used, and I can deal with a little bit of cosmetic blemish or even a fat and ugly laptop as long as the internals are there.

Thanks!

 

[i7Baby]

A previously used and now refurbished laptop probably won't last 6 years. Older batteries don't last as long. Is there some reason you can't look on eBay, Amazon, Newegg yourself? For playing games you get more bang for your buck with a PC. Why a laptop? Most OK laptops are now 1080p.
For $1100 you can get a new entry gaming laptop or a solid gaming PC.

 

[asillyname]

Thanks, Im only a sophmore in high school at the moment, and expect to upgrade before collage, so 2 years would be fine. I was planning on buying a second battery anyway. As for looking myself, I have been checking Amazon and Ebay daily, but would like some help from people who know alot more about laptops than I do. I need a laptop to take to school (Don't even bother saying it will get stolen). I also have split parents and need to take it back and forth alot.

 

[i7Baby]

OK then I think you need to have a spec for what you want at the next level down. From my point of view, you should go with:
Either 15.6 or 17.3 inch 1080p screen
Intel i7 quad core cpu eg 4600 or 4700 series
GTX graphics (not GT)
500+GB HDD
8GB RAM

Good Brand - Asus, MSI, Lenovo

Can anyone else add more detail?

 

[dasulman]

well the asus g70s don't really touch the 755M SLI in terms of performance, but the asus build quality is superb. However you won't find a decent asus for $1100, if you stretch to $1350 - there's a right beast on the market right now.
but the lenovo y510p that you want is here: http/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-Inch-Laptop-59406636/dp/B00HIY8VLQ/ref=sr_1_29?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1397212372&sr=1-29&keywords=lenovo+y510p

 

[i7Baby]

Remember - the OP is looking for something secondhand. He's just wondering what to look for. I think any laptop that can run SLI (2 x Graphics Cards) is over his budget - even 2nd hand.