Laptop around $400 Need Help!

kiirokami

Distinguished
Jan 12, 2012
11
0
18,560
Budget (school work/game/video-editing) Laptop $300-$430

*Can play (low-mid resolution at 30-40 fps): Dragon Nest, Minecraft, Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour, Left 4 Dead

*Normal school stuff: Research, Essays, Print pictures for projects

*Video-editing: Cool videos (using powerdirector 10) for my youtube account>>>gameplay commentaries (fraps/hypercam), music videos, sport matches, homemade movies
 

kiirokami

Distinguished
Jan 12, 2012
11
0
18,560
I found a decent one, but im still looking for one that might happen to be on sale that could beat this laptop. Im trying to look for one with an amd a6, a8 processor with amd radeon hd 6520g or better. If you find one that might be able to beat the performance of this laptop, pls reply. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+Aspire+AS5560-6344G50Mnrr+15.6"+LED+Notebook+-+AMD+A-Series+A6-3400M+1.40+GHz/3683795.p?id=1218426408425&skuId=3683795&st=Acer+Aspire+AS5560-7402+Notebook+AMD+A-Series+A6-3420M%281.5GHz%29+15.6"+4GB+Memory+DDR3+1066+&cp=1&lp=1
 

kiirokami

Distinguished
Jan 12, 2012
11
0
18,560
Processor AMD A-Series
Processor Speed 1.40GHz
Battery Type 6-cell Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) 4400mAh
Display Type Widescreen Active Matrix TFT Color LCD LED Backlit with CineCrystal Technology
Screen Size (Measured Diagonally) 15.6"
Cache Memory 4MB
System Memory (RAM) 4GB
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To 8GB
Type of Memory (RAM) DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive Type Serial ATA 5400 RPM HDD
Computer Hard Drive Size 500GB
Optical Drive DVD±RW/CD-RW
Digital Media Reader or Slots Yes
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6520G
TV Tuner No
Built-in Webcam Yes
Networking Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 Connector)
Wireless Networking IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth-Enabled No
USB 2.0 Ports 3
Laptop Weight Standard (more than 5.5 lbs.)
Pointing Device TouchPad
HDMI Output Yes
Blu-ray Player No
Operating System Platform Windows
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
System Version 64-bit
 

americanbrian

Distinguished
May 3, 2007
202
0
18,860
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUJITSU-LIFEBOOK-AH531-i3-2310M-2-10GHz-NOTEBOOK-2GBRAM-250GBHDD-HDMI-BLUETOOTH-/320913524905?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item4ab7efc8a9

Basic spec,
CPU: i3 2.1 GHz (sandy bridge)
GPU: Geforce 525m 1gb discrete
Ram: 2GB (easy upgrade)
HD: 250GB HD (could go SSD at a later date).

Total Cost: $380 delivered

This would smoke your suggested system, it is a refurb unit with a small blemish on the screen. Depends what you value and if you would consider a "fixer upper". A new screen runs @ ~$50-80 if you can install it yourself at a later date.
 

americanbrian

Distinguished
May 3, 2007
202
0
18,860
That is a good price for that machine^^

My only reservation is that the AMD cpu just isn't that great. By putting in the Discrete GPU you kill the main advantage of a llano, which is the "free" GPU that is ~good enough for light game use.

If you have a discrete GPU, then coupling with a SB or IB intel cpu is the correct choice imho.

you can OC the CPU reportedly (2.6Ghz mentioned on the tigerdirect comment section), but I still think that the SB chips are the value maker at the mo. Highly upgradable socket (the i7 29xx's go up to 3.6GHz with better IPC's).

Saying that, to achieve similar gaming experiences to the above, you have to OC the GT 525m. Which can be done very successfully from experience and other reports (as I have a laptop with this GPU).

So, yeah +1 to WR2's suggestion.
 

gorgerax

Distinguished
Jul 20, 2006
2
0
18,510
Samsung Series 3 NP305E5A-A03US. @ $450 at Tiger Direct. I got mine last month from the for $399. Added another 4GB of ram. Getting the following Windows Experience scores:
CPU:6.6
Ram:7.3
Desktop Graphics:5.9
3D Graphics: 6.5
HDD: 5.9

As you know, the CPU ramps from 800mhz to 2.6Ghz but it is EZ to lock into a speed of 2.6, 2.8 or even over 3.0 GHZ with K10stat at LOWER voltages! I really don't think you can find a better performer with all its features for the money.

I'm pulling that brand new 500GB 2.5" HDD out tomorrow and installing a 128GB SSD. (I have a 2TB NAS) can't wait!