School/Gaming Laptop Under $850 Max

[theme57]

1. What is your budget?
No more then 850usd after tax. Shipping isnt a factor.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
15 and below (16 tops but I am used to a 10.5in Laptop and still want it to be portable)

3. What screen resolution do you want?
720x480 (1080P would be nice though)

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Both, but I will be using it for school so mostly portable.

5. How much battery life do you need?
5+ for non gaming and 3+ for gaming. My Acer Aspire One gets about 5 hours while I surf the web, but if I am watching stuff it gets around 3.

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.
Borderlands 2, Skyrim, Crysis, Fallout New Vegas all on Medium setting (high would be nice) with no lag.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Internet, basic video editing and school.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Unsure. I was thinking about an SSD since it helps with speed which I think is good for school, but otherwise an HDD with a high RPM

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
A reliable site that wont screw me over.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
4-5 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Something that can play/burn DVD's

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I hear HP, Lenovo and Asus are good ones, but something that is good.

13. What country do you live in?
United States

Right now I use an Acer Aspire One, its a nice little Notebook that does the basic stuff like internet searching, writing and etc. It has been a reliable little Laptop so far, but since my Xbox just broke down I am looking at a stronger laptop. My sister says just to get a 300usd laptop and settle with it, but I rather keep the one I have now since it has served me so well. I want to have a laptop that is able to play games like borderland 2 and maybe arma 2 on medium settings with no lag. I have searched for a while, but havnt decided yet. I originally wanted to spend 600 tops, but it seems the 800ish laptops were stronger for the money. I will be using it for mainly school and gaming and internet browsing as well. It will be used for the next 4-5 years as well. I want it to be portable as well so thats why I dont want it too big and that I am used to a 10.5in. Also if it is able to hook up to my HDTV as well (its a samsung) that would be great too.

 

[jackspeed]

I was showing options an informed buyer is preferable to an angry buyer. and 1080 doesn't have to be hard on the eyes you can increase the icon size, and text size.

2 last things trying to persuade you to a desktop, rhetorical questions.

1. "when the time comes I need something a bit more powerful I can bring the Lenovo in" When is this time?
2. Will you be likely to play games instead of taking notes?

the first is more important, to be able to answer. The second is why I never got a gaming laptop while in school.

 

[theme57]

I just prefer the lower resolution, sure I can increase text or even make the screen look 1366x768, but my eyes have an easier time with the lower res screen for a few reasons.

1. If my acer dies on me, when I need it for a class when I am in an engineering school, to be able to use a program my acer cant hand for on the go use (library, park, etc.) and for when I need to multitask with multiple browsers and programs without lagging like my Acer. At first I did want a good desktop, but when my sister pointed out that a laptop would be more useful since I am not hardcore gaming at the moment so a good gaming desktop isnt needed at this point.

2. If I bring it to school I will be using it to take notes and complete assignments when I have to the time to, either at school, home or somewhere else. On free time I will be playing games, browsing the internet and etc.

For me because my desktop is so old, my acer is underpowered and my xbox is broken. I see an application for the Lenovo, because it will play games pretty well for a while (5~ Years), it is portable, its stronger then my acer, and that my desktop needs a replacement which I believe the Lenovo Y580 fits well.

 

[theme57]

Best answer selected by theme57.