Student Looking for sub 700 laptop for gaming

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qzyxya

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Oct 10, 2012
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Hi guys, this is my first post here on tomshardware, so sorry if I mess anything up. :p
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I'm looking for a laptop for school that I can also use for gaming and video/photo editing with adobe after effects/premiere pro and photoshop. At the moment, I play TF2 mostly on my desktop along with a bit of battlefield and some assassin's creed and portal.

Budget: under $700 but i can extend it to $8-900 if its worth it

I'll definitely need a dedicated GPU and a moderately fast GPU. The screen size should be 14-15 inches, so that I can fit it in a backpack everyday for school. I also need good build quality (preferably not plastic) since slamming it in a backpack with heavy textbooks is not exactly gentle.

Here are a few different models I've picked out. I'd like some feedback on what you guys think would be good or bad, or for you to suggest another model or something

HP DV6z with A10 or A8 and 7730m

HP DV6z with A8/A10 and 7670m crossfire

Acer V3 571g with 3rd gen i3 and GT630m

Acer V3 561g with 3rd gen i5 and GT630m

Lenovo Y480 with 3rd gen quad i7 and GT640m LE. I've heard a lot of bad about this one. The gpu supposedly is underclocked and has only 96 shaders versus 364 or 398 or whatever. This is supposed to be a cheap reskin of the old gt555m.

Lenovo z585 with A8 and integrated 7660m (supposed to preform moderately well, best of the integrated gpus) very good build quality so i hear. extremely cheap $500 with a10 and 7660m

Lenovo Y580 with 3rd gen i7 and GTx660m - most expensive and i don't know if its worth it. Will it be that much of an upgrade? I might play games like skyrim or other graphics intensive games in the future

Acer M5 ultrabook 3rd gen i5 and gt640m (actual 300+ shader version so i hear)
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Is it worth it to get intel i5 versus i3 in the Acer V3?
Is the 7730 or 7670m crossfire better for general use and gaming (the games i listed earlier)?
Is the A10 worth it over the A8?
How do the GT630m in the acer V3 and the GT640m le in the lenovo y480 and the acer M5 compare?
How far behind does the integrated 7660 by itself trail?
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I'm inclined to get the Y480 since its only 599.99 at newegg right now, but Im discouraged by the negative talk of the GPU. Could someone clarify if its that bad? Like would it be worse than the others in the price range? The i7 i assume will be very good for rendering in after effects and premiere, but if the graphics are worse than say the 630m or the 7670 then I won't get it.

Please just give me a recommendation of whats the best deal with good build quality in my price range.
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EDIT:
I've read a couple other posts about the 7730m vs the 7670m and the a8 vs a10 but I'd like for someone to tell me how these will affect the gameplay (of my games, TF2 and BF3 mostly mayby skyrim) and everyday performance
 
Solution
thor220
You many be right junky77, because certain OEMs cheap out on certain parts. This creates a lesser part or bottleneck, so I would not be surprised if the GT 640m could reach those speeds. But also note that AMD's new trinity just came out not to long ago and has excellent power management and is built on piledriver. According to Tom's, it translates into good overclocking.

source: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-trinity-efficiency,3315-4.html

Also I would go with the A10 lenovo. It's integrated graphics are about on par with the HP's discrete one, and it does so using less power. Although I do have a thing against HP laptops. I have had to repair so many already in college, it's crazy. Not to mention, I was annoyed...
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edit1754

edit1754

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What I would actually suggest considering is the HP DV6z-7000 in a configuration that includes the following components:
- A10-4600M
- Radeon 7670M
- 1920x1080 display.

The A10-4600M's integrated 7660G GPU and the Radeon 7970M can crossfire to achieve game performance faster than that of the Radeon 7730M, which cannot crossfire.

The reason you should get the upgraded 1920x1080 display and not the stock 1366x768 display is both because of how good the 1920x1080 display is, and also because of how bad the 1366x768 display is. The display is something you need to focus on, because it affects everything you do. The 1920x1080 display is great, with high contrast, a matte finish, wide viewing angles, and lots of room onscreen. But 1366x768 resolution in a 15.6" display makes things onscreen large, and 15.6" displays that have 1366x768 resolution tend to be low-grade LCD panels with very poor image quality due to low contrast. You should avoid displays like this when it is reasonable to do so. Note that the Acer V3 is only offered with a 15.6" 1366x768 display, and the versions of the Y580 that come with the 1920x1080 display are over $900.

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Here is a saved configuration of the HP DV6z-7000 that includes the aforementioned upgrades: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=7527025

Use coupon SAVE20HP to knock off $20.

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Q

qzyxya

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Oct 10, 2012
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Is the 1080p screen that much better? I guess I'll have to go to a store and see for myself. I've been using a 900x1600 17.3 inch screen and have been fine with it. 768x1336 on a 14 inch screen seems to me like it would be fine. What about the graphics of the Y480? Do you think it would be adequite?

That configuration looks pretty good to me. I saw something on amazon called Asus N56vz with a 1080p screen and GT650m for 800-900. You know anything about that? Would it be better than the HP? Thanks
 
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edit1754

edit1754

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Take your 17.3" 1600x900 display and compare it with a decent desktop monitor. Especially when displaying darker images. You'll probably see what I mean. But keep in mind that quality isn't the only issue, the other issue is that a higher resolution display allows you to fit more onscreen. This affects essentially everything you do.

The N56VZ-DS71 and N56VZ-RB71 are good options (Avoid the ES71 model), but if you're willing to increase your budget that high then I might suggest considering these as well. They come with the faster GDDR5 version of the GT 650M instead of the slower GDDR3 version the N56VZ has, and I'm also not seeing the N56VZ for that price.

MSI GE60 (i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display) - $939 no tax
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152339
- http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE60-0NC-006US-9S7-16GA11-006-15-6-Inch/dp/B007YDHLYE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346102799&sr=8-1&keywords=msi+ge60

Sager NP6165 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $920 no tax
- http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6165-clevo-w150er-p-4344.html?wconfigure=yes
- Select Windows 7 under Operating System if you cannot acquire your own copy for cheaper.
- 17.3" version: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6175-clevo-w170er-p-4345.html?wconfigure=yes
 
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thor220

thor220

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Skyrim is a pretty demanding game so you will need some decent hardware.

TOSHIBA Satellite S855D-S5256 - $699.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214872

has an a10-4600m, a very good mobile card

skyrim review for it:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-4600m-trinity-piledriver,3202-9.html

For $50 more you could also get:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214893

It's the same but with a larger and better screen. Worth the extra dough in my opinion.
 
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edit1754

edit1754

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The Toshiba Satellite S855D-S5256 and Toshiba Satellite S875D-S7239 are not good options, because they come with 15.6" 1366x768 and 17.3" 1600x900 displays, both of which make things onscreen large and tend to be low-grade LCD panels with very poor image quality due to low contrast.

The HP DV6z will provide considerably better game performance. The DV6z has the integrated 7660G and the crossfire-ing 7670M GPU. The Satellite models only come with the 7660G, which is considerably slower by itself.

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The ASUS with the GT 540M should provide a bit better game performance than either a 7660G or 7670M on its own.

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But if you're fine with GT 540M-level performance, I might suggest a Lenovo Thinkpad T530 with the NVS 5400M GPU.

Lenovo Thinkpad T530 - $621 + tax and up. ($659 + tax and up w/ NVS 5400M GPU)
- Sign up and sign in here: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=barnesnoblegold
- T530 base configs through the discount: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/barnesnoblegold/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=DC8F3B79220E3BCF3B7C12AAA11F7BFB&action=init (Generally, start with the cheapest)
- On the configuration page, upgrade the "Display type" to at least HD+ (1600x900). You should not buy the Lenovo Thinkpad T530 in any configuration that includes the default HD (1366x768) display. 1366x768 resolution in a 15.6" display makes things onscreen large, and 15.6" displays that have 1366x768 resolution tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast. But the upgraded 15.6" 1600x900 and 15.6" 1920x1080 displays have great contrast, and also allow you to fit more onscreen. The availability of the upgraded displays upgrade is part of why I recommend this laptop.
- The i5-3210M is not a bad upgrade choice from the stock previous-gen i3-2370M. Even if the performance difference doesn't affect you, it's a more efficient chip that might make a difference in battery life. Not a mandatory upgrade though, and get the 1600x900 display upgrade first.
- Get the free Intel Centrino 2200 WiFi adapter upgrade. Some have reported issues with the stock adapter.
- Note that, unlike most laptops, the Webcam is an upgrade, it isn't included by default.
- Don't select any memory upgrades on the configuration page. Do them yourself, because they're a lot cheaper that way.
- Get the NVS 5400M GPU upgrade if you plan on playing games that benefit from it.
 
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thor220

thor220

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Those laptop are decent but he's looking for gaming performance and those both have much lower power in that area. Also because they are older models vs the brand new trinity, they have a smaller battery life, less ram, and no Blu-ray player. I would have to advise again'st these cheaper lappies.
 
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qzyxya

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Oct 10, 2012
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I don't care too much about power unless its as low as like 2 hours even just browsing the internet. Thor220 do you think either of these would be good?
The lenovo z585 has A10 and 7660g like those toshibas. Im not sure if the 540m or whatever others like it would be better or worse than the 630m or the trinity a10.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085H64E6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085H64E6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

This acer with the i7 and 540m looks pretty good to me. Would the battery really be that bad? I dont need blu ray and i can always upgrade ram too.
 
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thor220

thor220

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On the first link, that's a great deal. Awesome price but a little low on ram and screen size. Also note that it does not have a blu-ray drive, but that may not be a big deal for you.

On the second, also pretty good. The graphics will be around the a10 and so will the processor. The disadvantage are the ram, hard disk, and small screen.

The best choice is the second link in your post(Acer Aspire) if you need to save cash. It's the cheapest one offering performance close to the toshiba's. If your not to strapped for cash though, I would get the $699 Toshiba.(second link in my first post) It's just a quality laptop but I guess that is why it is about $150 more. Once sec I'll see if i can find a better price for it...


 
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Q

qzyxya

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Oct 10, 2012
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So what exactly does that Toshiba have? Same A10 and 7660g. Better battery? I'd rather buy from a bigger site like amazon or tigerdirect or newegg.

What is your opinion on the lenovo with the A10 nad 7660g for $512?
 
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CaptainTom

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I know you don't want to hear this but it isn't gonna happen. Any laptop that can game "well" costs over $1000. If you want to game cheaply, get a netbook and a budget desktop...
 
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