minimum laptop specs for light gaming?

[01sweetgirl]

So my sons pc is having issues with the mobo and im looking to build another or possibly replace with laptop. my question is what would minimum specs be for a laptop that could handle wow type of gaming from time to time. i know this can have a lot of answers and i welcome the options, im going to be trying to price them and see whats out there that may work for him, and trying to do that on a tight budget. he mainly listens to music and watches youtube videos, skype, instagram type stuff, he doesnt game all the time but i would prefer that when he does that the computer is somewhat capable of handling it.
if you know of any specific models that fit the bill im open to checking those out as well.
thanks in advance

 

[Amit Parmar]

How will anyone know if you don't tell us what games you are playing? If it is just world of warcraft then pretty much any laptop will run it. And every game has a minimum specs list.

https/us.battle.net/support/en/article/world-of-warcraft-system-requirements

 

[jaguarskx]

WOW started out with relatively low requirements from what I have read, but expansions do increase the requirements.

I would recommend a laptop with a Richland generation (Trinity is the older version) AMD A10 series APU (AMD's name for a CPU + integrated graphics or iGPU). The following Lenovo G505s has an A10-5750m APU with an integrated Radeon HD 8650G; currently the most powerful iGPU. It is not as powerful as most dedicated graphics chip, but for what it is, it's pretty good and helps keep the price down.

Here's an open box version which basically means somewhat bought, and decided to return it. Even if it was never turned on, the fact that it was taken out of the box means that it cannot be sold as "new" anymore... at least by a reputable store like Newegg. Some accessories could be missing though. You can call to find out if the power adapter and power cord are considered accessories. Additionally, there is no warranty which could mean this is a deal breaker. The price is $440.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312829R

A new Lenovo G505s costs $550 and it is the least expensive laptop with the A10-5750m.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312829

 

[jaguarskx]

For a mere $50 more @ $600, you can by an even better laptop for games which means it can potentially last a while longer for your son and provide a better gaming experience.

The Acer V5-552G-X414 is another laptop with a similar A10-5757m APU. However, it also comes with a dedicated Radeon HD 8750M which is much more power than the integrated Radeon HD 8650g and well worth the $50 just for the performance alone.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314181


Lastly, it is still possible to get a laptop for less than $550 to play games with, but will limit performance a bit as well as the "fun factor". Having low expectations helps too.

 

[01sweetgirl]

I apologize for the lack of information re: the games, honestly the only one i could recall him playing was the wow and runescape, the only other thing i can think of about the games he plays is that he gets on the mic and talks to his friends while he does it. Really, he doesnt play often, he told me only recently he might start again, which is why id like the computer to be capable of doing so. At the moment hes 16, just got his license, my old truck and a girlfriend, between those and the straight A's I expect of him, Im not sure where hell find the time
I read this article and wonder what you all think? if its ok, flat out incorrect or something i should consider?
[with a 15.6-inch 1366 x 768 LED backlit screen powered by a muscled AMD Radeon HD 7640G graphics engine integrated into the Trinity A8 series and is 20%-24% faster than the Intel HD Graphics 4000. Other laptops that cost more or even going beyond the $500 price point can’t touch it. This same laptop had been featured in laptops below $400 and also recommended for college students. Under the hood is an AMD quad core A8-4500M CPU clocked at 1.9 GHz and supported by a 4GB DDR3 system RAM. Data storage is served by a 500GB SATA drives running at 5400 rpm and is bundled with a 32-bit Windows 8. An added bonus is its 1.3-inch profile on a lightweight 5.3-lb body.]
Thank you Amit and Jaquar for your input And the links are a tremendous help, thank you for taking the tiime

 

[Amit Parmar]

That laptop should be fine for what games he is playing but you should warn him that it doesn't play the latest games on high. The 7770 is the entry level discrete card that could play on medium-low but your integrated card would have to play on low. As long as he is playing games like flash games or WoW he will be fine.

That looks like a really budget laptop with it's 4gb ram and 500gb hard drive. If he talks with his friends a lot you should take in to consideration how well the sound quality of his laptop is.

I would get the Acer V5-552G-X414 as mentioned by Jaquar for it's 750gb hard drive, 64-bit windows and it has better integrated graphics than the laptop you were looking at. It has a 2.50ghz processor and it is on sale right now for about $80 off.