New Laptop Help

mptaatamt2014

Prominent
Nov 25, 2017
11
0
560
1. What is your budget?
230$
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Light but want a fan inside
3. What screen resolution do you want?
720p or 1366x768
5. How much battery life do you need?
A lot
6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
Low, like emulators and minecraft, stuff like that
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Recording with Elgato HD60 S 720p 60fps from a Xbox One
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
250GB min, but as much as possible
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
As long as possible
13. What country do you live in?
USA

also need bulit in wireless card and win 10
 
Solution
I've seen $2000 Chromebooks I don't understand why you need such powerful hardware for such a crappy OS but they are out there, Id rather has a full on Linux distro over it myself.

$300 still isn't getting you something very powerfull.
APU's lower end still
i7 6th gen with IGPU
I5's 7th gen with IGPU
i3 8th gen with IGPU
Pentiums with IGPU

Mid $300 to $400
3rd and 4th gen i7's with dedicated GPU's these are generally heavy and have shorter batter life.
APU's a little higher
All you see in the $300 range with more perks

High $400 to mid $500
6th Gen i5's, 7th gen i3's with dedicated GPU's
Higher end APU's
8th gen i7's with IGPU
AMD and Intel chips with MX150 GPU's "Mobile version of the 1030 gt"

High $500- $700 Here is where...

delaro

Distinguished
If you're expecting to game and stream then you need to look into the high $500 and up budget range, honestly bank your money and save yourself the frustration.

$250 and what to expect

A9-9410 APU
Pentium N3350 or N4200 with HD 505 at best
Skylake-based i3 and HD 520

Not much for gaming here, Most titles from 2012-2014 are playable with low settings and low FPS, anything above 2015 and they struggle to even load the game.
 

mdsimmons1118

Proper
Aug 6, 2018
36
0
110
Do you mind if the laptop is powered by Intel or AMD? Generally Intel will be more reliable and use a lot less power making battery life better but AMD has about the same performance as similar Intel CPUs and AMD integrated graphics would work better for gaming. You probably won't find a laptop with dedicated GPU for under $500-600.
If you don't mind an AMD based laptop I will look into the best one around your price range and post some links below.

UPDATE: This was the best new one I could find https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6V67982186&ignorebbr=1
You may need to either buy refurbished or raise your budget a little bit for one with better performance. Remember you will probably be using this laptop for a few years and they can't be upgraded too much so you may need to get the best one you can up front.
If possible you could also consider a desktop? They cost less, are usually more powerful, and can easily be upgraded in the future.
Hope this gives you a better idea of what to look for.
 

mptaatamt2014

Prominent
Nov 25, 2017
11
0
560

What if i raise the budget to $305
 

mdsimmons1118

Proper
Aug 6, 2018
36
0
110


Take a look at this one and see if it would be any better for you https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-laptop-amd-a6-series-4gb-memory-amd-radeon-r4-1tb-hard-drive-hp-finish-in-jet-black-with-a-maglia-texture/6240847.p?skuId=6240847
 

mptaatamt2014

Prominent
Nov 25, 2017
11
0
560

look at elgato's min specs, needs to compare to a 4th gen i5, that is the hard part about this ;(
 

mptaatamt2014

Prominent
Nov 25, 2017
11
0
560

my laptop is a hp stream 14-0XX, my life sucks on this
 

mdsimmons1118

Proper
Aug 6, 2018
36
0
110


Well the description says to use emulators and play minecraft. These typically don't require much so the Radeon R4 integrated graphics would probably be the best option for this price range.
 

mdsimmons1118

Proper
Aug 6, 2018
36
0
110
Here are those requirements I believe you are referring to:
• Windows 10 (64-bit)
• 2nd generation Intel Core i5 CPU (i5-2xxx or comparable), 2 Ghz or higher, before Turbo Boost
• Sound card (if your laptop can play sound, then it meets this requirement)
• 4GB Total Installed RAM (or higher)
• Built-in USB 2.0 port
Is this right?
If so, this laptop would be within your price range but will barely meet the requirements: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-laptop-amd-a6-series-4gb-memory-amd-radeon-r4-1tb-hard-drive-hp-finish-in-jet-black-with-a-maglia-texture/6240847.p?skuId=6240847
Since it is a newer laptop it might be able to perform better than the 2nd gen processor mentioned but not by much. You should be fine with this laptop but it may just run a little slower than you would like since the price will really tell you how well it will perform.
 

mptaatamt2014

Prominent
Nov 25, 2017
11
0
560

no elgato says
• Windows 10 (64-bit)
• 4th generation quad‑core Intel Core i5 CPU (i5-4xxx or comparable)
• Intel HD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 600 series or VCE 3.x compatible AMD graphics (or better)
• 4 GB RAM, built-in USB 3.x port
• Internet connection
i make this harder on myself ;(
 

captaincharisma

Distinguished


that was the laptop i was thinking of when you said you only had 230.00 to spend. you would be better off with a Chromebook over that. expect the same kind of laptop for 305.

like others have said here, you need a laptop that starts at at least 500USD to get the specs you need to start playing games and video

 

mptaatamt2014

Prominent
Nov 25, 2017
11
0
560

ill never be able to save $500
people have told me to avoid chromebooks
and ill have to haul around a screen and keyboard when i travel, if i can get a bulit in mouse if i get a small desktop
 

delaro

Distinguished
I've seen $2000 Chromebooks I don't understand why you need such powerful hardware for such a crappy OS but they are out there, Id rather has a full on Linux distro over it myself.

$300 still isn't getting you something very powerfull.
APU's lower end still
i7 6th gen with IGPU
I5's 7th gen with IGPU
i3 8th gen with IGPU
Pentiums with IGPU

Mid $300 to $400
3rd and 4th gen i7's with dedicated GPU's these are generally heavy and have shorter batter life.
APU's a little higher
All you see in the $300 range with more perks

High $400 to mid $500
6th Gen i5's, 7th gen i3's with dedicated GPU's
Higher end APU's
8th gen i7's with IGPU
AMD and Intel chips with MX150 GPU's "Mobile version of the 1030 gt"

High $500- $700 Here is where things start to get interesting.
High-end APU's
7th gen i5's with 1050's
Used 6th gen i5's and i7's with 940m,960m,970m

With any electronics devices the more you are willing to pay the longer it will last. Emulators depending on which one and Minecraft can be run on just about anything, but an i5 is preferred for core count. The middle to high-end APU's is also excellent for that.
 
Solution