Help in choosing a laptop for gaming and photoshop

[bigbadwolf_pig]

I'm in a hunt for a new laptop for gaming(WoW, Dark Souls) and for work as well(Photoshop, Autocad etc.)

I'm kinda in a budget right now and I found several that's for sale here at our local shop
Here are my choices for brand new ones:

http/www.toshiba.com/us/computers/laptops/satellite/C50/C55D-A5107

Toshiba Satellite C55D-A5107 - $575

AMD Quad-Core A6-5200M Accelerated Processor
Windows 8.1
AMD Radeon™ HD 8400

4GB DDR3 1333MHz memory
750GB (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer)

15.6" widescreen
HD TruBrite® LED Backlit display
1366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
Built-in microphone, DTS Sound™, Headphone jack (stereo), Built-in stereo speakers

HD Webcam and Microphone
Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)
10/100 Ethernet LAN

65W (19V 3.42A) 100-240V/50-60Hz AC Adapter
Li-Ion (48Wh, 6-Cell)
Battery Life Up to 4.98 hours

Memory Card Reader
1-USB (3.0) port, 2-USB (2.0) ports
HDMI® output port
RGB port

5.3 lbs.
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http/www.toshiba.com/us/computers/laptops/satellite/C50/C55DT-A5306

Toshiba Satellite C55Dt-A5306 - $610

AMD Quad-Core A6-5200M Accelerated Processor
Windows 8.1
AMD Radeon™ HD 8400

4GB DDR3 1333MHz memory
750GB (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer)

15.6" widescreen
HD TruBrite® LED Backlit Touchscreen display
1366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
Built-in microphone, DTS Sound™, Headphone jack (stereo), Built-in stereo speakers

HD Webcam and Microphone
Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)
10/100 Ethernet LAN

65W (19V 3.42A) 100-240V/50-60Hz AC Adapter
Li-Ion (48Wh, 6-Cell)
Battery Life Up to 4.98 hours

Memory Card Reader
1-USB (3.0) port, 2-USB (2.0) ports
HDMI® output port
RGB port

5.3 lbs.
------------------------------------------------------

http/www.toshiba.com/us/computers/laptops/satellite/C70/C75D-A7102

Toshiba Satellite C75D-A7102 - $568

AMD Quad-Core A6-5200M Accelerated Processor
Windows 8.1
AMD Radeon™ HD 8400

4GB DDR3 1333MHz memory
500GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial ATA)
DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer)

17.3 inch widescreen
HD+ TruBrite® LED Backlit display
1600x900, 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content

DTS Sound™, Headphone jack (stereo), Microphone jack (mono), Built-in stereo speakers

HD Webcam and Microphone
Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth® V4.0
10/100 Ethernet LAN

65W (19V 3.42A) 100-240V/50-60Hz AC Adapter
Li-Ion (48Wh, 6-Cell)
Up to 5.5 hours

Memory Card Reader
1-USB (3.0) port, 2-USB (2.0) ports
HDMI® output port
RGB port

5.9 lbs.
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http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230960

Asus K55N-DS81 - $609

AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M 1.9GHz processor
4GB of DDR3 memory (maximum supported 8gb)
HD LED-backlit Widescreen 15.6-inch Display 1366 x 768 resolution
500GB HDD (5400 RPM)
DVD Super Multi Burner
AMD Radeon HD 7640G card
Integrated Bluetooth
6-Cell Lithium-ion
Battery Life Up to 5.5 hours
Black
0.3 MP Camera
Numeric Keypad,Chiclet Keyboard
Bluetooth 4.0
MultiMediaCard (MMC) 2 in 1
802.11b/g/n Wireless Networking
USB Ports (Total) 2 - USB 3.0
1 - USB 2.0
Windows 8 64 bit
Weight: 5.3 lbs
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And lastly the used ones:

http/jadopado.com/product/jp00003017/toshiba-satellite-c850-b635-15-6-inch-500gb-2-4ghz-core-i7-win-8-black

Toshiba Satellite C850-B635 - $602

• Intel 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM Quadcore Processor 2.40 GHz (6M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz Turbo)
• 15.6 High-Definition LED Backlight Widescreen Display WXGA (1366x768 Resolution)
• 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz
• 750 GB HDD
• AMD Radeon 7610M (1GB dedicated) (Best for Gaming)
• Dolby Home Theater 4 (Nice Audio Quality)
• DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) drive
• Multi-gesture touchpad pointing device support
• Bluetooth 4.0+ HS , Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• HD webcam
• HDMI supporting 1080p signal format , 2 USB 2.0 , 2 USB 3.0, Multi-Card Reader
• 6-cell Li-ion standard battery pack: Estimated battery life: Up to 3-4 hours
• Windows 8 64 bit
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http/www.dell.com/ph/business/p/latitude-e5540-laptop/pd

Dell Latitude E5540 - $568

• 4th Generation Haswell Intel Core i5-4300u processor 1.90 - 2.50GHz (Newest Core i5)
• 15.6 inch IPS Full HD (1920x1080) Anti Glare LED Matte backlit Display (High Resolution)
• 4 GB DDR3 1600Mhz
• 320 GB HDD 7200RPM / 32GB SSD Solid State Drive
• Intel® HD Graphics 4400 (Gaming and CAD)
• Stereo Speakers
• HD Webcam
• Intel Dual Band Wireless-N 7260AN 802.11a/b/g/n (2x2) WiFi (Faster Wifi Connection)
• Spill-resistant keyboard and drain
• HDMI supporting 1080p signal format , 2 USB 2.0 , 2 USB 3.0, Multi-Card Reader
• 6-cell Li-ion standard battery pack: Estimated battery life: Up to 5-6 hours
• Original Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit (Recovery Intact)


The Toshiba Satellite C55D-A5107 and Toshiba Satellite C55Dt-A5306 are identical...it's just the other one is touchscreen.

The Toshiba Satellite C75D-A7102 on the other hand has a bigger screen(much better) and cheaper.

The used ones are both 15" but I'm wondering why they're priced higher or near the price of the brand new ones. Is their specs better than the brand new Toshiba's?

Please help...Thanks!

 

[i7Baby]

I'll get back to you in a few hours after I've finished reading the above.

I gather you've got a $600 budget?

 

[vortical]

None of the laptops above will perform particularly well in gaming (alteast not the AAA titles). The bottom several laptops GPUs fall into the 260-270 position range here: http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
While the top few fall into the low 300's position wise and perform even worse. (the ones with the AMD Radeon™ HD 8400)

As you can see there are a few games playable on low/med settings but most high end games will be completely unplayable.

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

I'll get back to you in a few hours after I've finished reading the above.

I gather you've got a $600 budget?

yes...$600 budget, can't really go beyond that(cash strapped)

will wait for your reply, thanks!

 

[i7Baby]

OK $600 won't get you much - in terms we'd expect.

Brands - I prefer Asus, MSI then Lenovo. And I'd advise against getting Dell or HP - too many problms reported on these forums.

Have you read reviews on your list? If not, do so.

You might be able to get an i5 cpu and maybe a bottom end gtx graphics card. You need at least 8gb ram these days. You won't get a ssd for that price. But hopefully at least a 500GB hard drive.

So you've got Asus and Toshiba left.

Where do you want to buy from - newegg, amazon, best buy, ncix? What country?

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

None of the laptops above will perform particularly well in gaming (alteast not the AAA titles). The bottom several laptops GPUs fall into the 260-270 position range here: http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html
While the top few fall into the low 300's position wise and perform even worse. (the ones with the AMD Radeon™ HD 8400)

As you can see there are a few games playable on low/med settings but most high end games will be completely unplayable.

Wow!...I got to check how that site works. Thanks for the tip!
I'm not really into hardcore gaming...the last game I've played was GTA Vice City on my desktop with a Palit GeForce 7300GT and I was happy with the graphics.
My sister will be borrowing my laptop from time to time and she plays WoW and she said that she wants to play Dark Souls as well.

 

[vortical]

This is the highest graphically performing laptops i can find near your price and their position on the previously linked site

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314535 ~$630 (pos. 104)


followed by http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314383 for ~600 (pos. 136)

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

OK $600 won't get you much - in terms we'd expect.

Brands - I prefer Asus, MSI then Lenovo. And I'd advise against getting Dell or HP - too many problms reported on these forums.

Have you read reviews on your list? If not, do so.

You might be able to get an i5 cpu and maybe a bottom end gtx graphics card. You need at least 8gb ram these days. You won't get a ssd for that price. But hopefully at least a 500GB hard drive.

So you've got Asus and Toshiba left.

Where do you want to buy from - newegg, amazon, best buy, ncix? What country?

I've checked a couple of reviews for the Toshibas, the Asus one I'm currently googling for some reviews.
I might increase the ram after I chosen a laptop to buy. I'm okei with a 500gb hdd.

I'm from the Philippines, and they really jack up the prices of laptops here.

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

This is the highest graphically performing laptops i can find near your price and their position on the previously linked site

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314535 ~$630 (pos. 104)


followed by http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314383 for ~600 (pos. 136)

Thanks!
will check if they're available here

 

[i7Baby]

Try - www.villman.com, www.pcgilmore.com.ph/, www.pccorner.com.ph/

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

Try - www.villman.com, www.pcgilmore.com.ph/, www.pccorner.com.ph/

thanks!...actually Villman's prices are way too high...since most of their stores are in malls.
There's actually a place here in Manila that is computer stuff heaven it's at Gilmore Avenue, Pc Gilmore also has a shop there, but there are other shops there that are cheaper.

I just need to know what laptop to find. I'm not really familiar with laptops( I'm more of a desktop guy)
But the last time I've built a desktop was way back 2006 so I'm really out of touch with what's nice or bad with technology

 

[i7Baby]

There's so many laptops these days, that its hard to find any specific ones in any store.

You should have a better idea of what you're looking for now. Post links to anything else you find that interests you and is within your budget.

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

There's so many laptops these days, that its hard to find any specific ones in any store.

You should have a better idea of what you're looking for now. Post links to anything else you find that interests you and is within your budget.

yeah...that's what I hate with laptops,you're basically stuck with what's in it, you can't customize it unlike building a desktop rig.
Will go ahead and browse for more and I'll post it here.

Thanks!

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

what about this one?

http/www.ebay.ph/itm/Asus-S-Series-Ultrabook-Mid-gaming-laptop-Inte-i5-4gig-500gb-hdd-2gig-Nvidia-/380925106690?

Asus S Series Ultrabook

Intel Core i5 3rd Gen Ivy bridge 1.70ghz turbo boost up to 2.10ghz
4gig DDR3 Ram
500gig Hardisk
15.6 Touch screen HD LED
Nvidia GeForce 2gig Dedicated Graphics
DVD SuperMulti Double Layer Drive
Built in WIFI
Built in HD Webcam
HDMI port
USB port (1 x USB 3.0)
Bluetooth
Multi card reader
LAN/Ethernet port
VGA port

I think the gpu is NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M and I've check in here as vortical suggested and it's rated 166 http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

is this any good? it's priced at $534 and it's already used

 

[vortical]

what about this one?

http/www.ebay.ph/itm/Asus-S-Series-Ultrabook-Mid-gaming-laptop-Inte-i5-4gig-500gb-hdd-2gig-Nvidia-/380925106690?

Asus S Series Ultrabook

Intel Core i5 3rd Gen Ivy bridge 1.70ghz turbo boost up to 2.10ghz
4gig DDR3 Ram
500gig Hardisk
15.6 Touch screen HD LED
Nvidia GeForce 2gig Dedicated Graphics
DVD SuperMulti Double Layer Drive
Built in WIFI
Built in HD Webcam
HDMI port
USB port (1 x USB 3.0)
Bluetooth
Multi card reader
LAN/Ethernet port
VGA port

I think the gpu is NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M and I've check in here as vortical suggested and it's rated 166 http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

is this any good? it's priced at $534 and it's already used

From the searching i have done it does in fact seem to be S56CM model with the GT 635m. Its hard for me to judge the relative cost differences between here and the Philippines ( since electronics seem to cost more there). If the condition of the laptop is what it appears to be in the pictures and there are no other reported issues it may be worth purchasing, as the seller seems fairly reputable, so long as you can buy it for a reasonable bid. It certainly should perform better than the previous choices you listed.

 

[bigbadwolf_pig]

what about this one?

http/www.ebay.ph/itm/Asus-S-Series-Ultrabook-Mid-gaming-laptop-Inte-i5-4gig-500gb-hdd-2gig-Nvidia-/380925106690?

Asus S Series Ultrabook

Intel Core i5 3rd Gen Ivy bridge 1.70ghz turbo boost up to 2.10ghz
4gig DDR3 Ram
500gig Hardisk
15.6 Touch screen HD LED
Nvidia GeForce 2gig Dedicated Graphics
DVD SuperMulti Double Layer Drive
Built in WIFI
Built in HD Webcam
HDMI port
USB port (1 x USB 3.0)
Bluetooth
Multi card reader
LAN/Ethernet port
VGA port

I think the gpu is NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M and I've check in here as vortical suggested and it's rated 166 http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

is this any good? it's priced at $534 and it's already used

From the searching i have done it does in fact seem to be S56CM model with the GT 635m. Its hard for me to judge the relative cost differences between here and the Philippines ( since electronics seem to cost more there). If the condition of the laptop is what it appears to be in the pictures and there are no other reported issues it may be worth purchasing, as the seller seems fairly reputable, so long as you can buy it for a reasonable bid. It certainly should perform better than the previous choices you listed.

nice!...I can try to bargain with him since he also posted this one in one of the local forums here.
I'll try to get that one for $450.

Thanks man!