Solved! Laptop < $800

[monkeymonk]

My friend is looking for a laptop for less than 800 dollars. I am knowledgeable about desktops but I've never owned a laptop and don't know what to recommend to her. She plays oblivion and counterstrike on steam.
Here is a laptop that she is looking at now.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214241&cm_re=laptop_nvidia-_-34-214-241-_-Product

It looks alright to me but the resolution and screen size seems pretty low. Maybe it's normal for a laptop?

ANY advice about what components or laptops I should be looking out for is much appreciated.

 

[WR2]

Hello monkeymonk;

That Geforce 310M graphics card is just a bit too light even for Steam games.
Lets take a look around and see what else is available.

Nvidia GeForce 310M review

 

[WR2]

This is a deal I like in your price range:
HP Pavilion dv6 Select Edition Core i5 "Sandy Bridge" Laptop $750
Core i5-2410M 2.3 GHz Sandy Bridge CPU, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ Radeon HD 6490 switchable graphics.
for $25 you get can get the HD 6770M graphics card. For another $20 you can get a 7200rpm HDD.

AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics review
AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics review

 

[WR2]

Dell XPS 15" "Sandy Bridge" Laptop Core i5 $644
Core i5-2410M 2.3 GHz Sandy Bridge CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200rpm HDD 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ Geforce GT 525M graphics.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M graphics review

This is looking pretty good. Should be right on target for most older Steam games and will handle even some of the newer versions on medium graphics.