Looking for a low budget casual gaming laptop

JCTwenty

Commendable
Oct 10, 2016
3
0
1,510
I've basically never done PC gaming before. I mean I own a desktop, but it is a Microsoft XP from 2002. I've tried playing even low end games like Wold of Warcraft, Runescape Classic, heck something off Miniclips, and my computer would either lag very badly (on lowest settings) or just not work altogether. But now that I have a job, and am starting to earn some money, I can afford to finally make an upgrade.

Right now, $600 is my budget. I know its not much, but literally its the best it'll get for me right now. Maybe a desktop would be better for me at that price range, but then again I'd need to also buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. The reason I am kind of leaning towards a laptop is because everything I need is already there. There's so many browser games like the ones above, or say TF2, Combat Arms, Maple Story, and World of Warcraft, that I missed out completely on because my computer couldn't handle it. So I pretty much just want a laptop that can.

And then down the road once I learn more about computers and such, and save up some more money, I'll maybe buy something better. But for now I just want something that will work for the budget I got. If you need me to answer specific questions NP, I kind of just google searched where the best sites to ask this stuff would be and this came up lol. So I am new here.
 
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If you already have a desktop, why can't you keep the monitor, keyboard, and mouse from it and transfer it to a new desktop? I mean, if the main reason you're looking for a gaming laptop is because of the peripherals, you're right in the middle of pricing. A lower-end gaming laptop is about $150 above your budget, which is also about the price that you'd pay above $600 desktop.

Now, assuming you actually do need those things and can't bring them over from your old system, here's a basic system that comes in about $500. So, add a basic $100 monitor on top of that and a $30 keyboard/mouse combo and you're just a hair over your budget.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor...

Purpletalon55

Respectable
Apr 2, 2016
463
0
2,210
Honestly the best laptop you are going to get near your price point is https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ

$600 is simply put a bit low to get good performance. At least the performance you are desiring laptops with 960m are considered the starting point and those are about 700-800 starting price range, you could honestly build a desktop and really get more bang for your money. Which I would be willing to assist you with if necessary.
 

RedJaron

Distinguished
Sep 20, 2011
44
0
18,610
If you already have a desktop, why can't you keep the monitor, keyboard, and mouse from it and transfer it to a new desktop? I mean, if the main reason you're looking for a gaming laptop is because of the peripherals, you're right in the middle of pricing. A lower-end gaming laptop is about $150 above your budget, which is also about the price that you'd pay above $600 desktop.

Now, assuming you actually do need those things and can't bring them over from your old system, here's a basic system that comes in about $500. So, add a basic $100 monitor on top of that and a $30 keyboard/mouse combo and you're just a hair over your budget.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus H110M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 360 2GB NITRO Video Card ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $482.90

If you can still use your old peripherals, as I suspect you can, then you can look at getting a substantially stronger desktop for around $600.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150M GRENADE Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 470 4GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $606.91

If you need to get a new copy of Windows, or OS of your choice, then this gets much harder to budget.
 
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