Study/light gaming laptop for £500?

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560
Hi all.

I'd like a study laptop that has some gaming power. The most demanding games I'd like it to be able to play comfortably on max graphics are Mass Effect 3, SimCity (2013) and Civilization V.

Specs wanted:

1920x1080 or higher resolution
8GB RAM
500GB + hard drive
4hr + battery (when using non-gaming apps)

I can go higher than £500 if necessary but the lower the price the better.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

EDIT: I seem to be asking a bit to much with max graphics, so just medium-high graphics would be great.
 
Solution
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/cosmosII/
I5 4210M
8 GB RAM
1080p
gtx 850M - go here to see the benchmarks: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-850M.107795.0.html
500GB HDD 7200 RPM
extra thermal paste (a very nice little option)
gigabit + intel ac 7260 wireless card - Ideal for unis or study areas where there is a heavy reliance on wifi.
silver warranty
its a 15.6'' laptop
its 2.4kg - so its quite light for the size
and its between 1-1.5'' in thickness.
all that for £702.
it's the best deal you're going to get in the UK market at this price point right now
If you're worried about build quality, then never fear. This company supplies PC world with their laptops.

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


I'd rather a new one... how much would I be looking to pay?
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


The two reviews don't fill me with confidence... thanks though.
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


Thanks! I really like that laptop. How do I get that ultrabay dual graphics card?
 


You pretty much have to get the same graphics card again which is the gt750M from lenovo
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


But isn't it a special one that fits into the compartment? I would think I'd need to buy the laptop and add it as an extra but I can't see the option on Amazon.
 

sora

Honorable
Oct 30, 2013
388
0
11,010


It is solid but it is also kind of overpriced in my opinion... I'd try getting something made by Lenovo since they have the best price to performance laptops in my opinion.
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


A cheaper laptop would be great. Do you have any recommendations?
 
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/cosmosII/
I5 4210M
8 GB RAM
1080p
gtx 850M - go here to see the benchmarks: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-850M.107795.0.html
500GB HDD 7200 RPM
extra thermal paste (a very nice little option)
gigabit + intel ac 7260 wireless card - Ideal for unis or study areas where there is a heavy reliance on wifi.
silver warranty
its a 15.6'' laptop
its 2.4kg - so its quite light for the size
and its between 1-1.5'' in thickness.
all that for £702.
it's the best deal you're going to get in the UK market at this price point right now
If you're worried about build quality, then never fear. This company supplies PC world with their laptops.
 
Solution

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


Thanks, those specs are quite a bit better. Should I get the IPS screen? Also, is the processor definitely powerful enough?
 


its up to you for the IPS screen, it costs a fair bit more, but if image quality is really important then go for it. I personally only have ever used 900p screens max.
the processor is definitely powerful enough, not everything requires a quad core. It won't bottleneck
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


I'll get an IPS screen. I'll be ordering it tomorrow if nobody comes up with a better option.

Thanks for your help!
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


A final question before I order, which 8GB memory should I get? The normal 8GB or the Hyper-X?
 


Id get the hpyer x if it doesnt cost any more. Memory is pretty much similar between different brands
 

crzyclarks

Estimable
Jun 13, 2014
10
0
4,560


Okay thanks. It only cost 3 pounds more so I'll get it.