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Need a gaming computer, on a budget.
Okay I am still trying to get that computer I want.
I usually will play games like swtor, TSW, LoL, Infinite crisis, TERA
So far i have done a lot of research and I have set a minimum at the Asus k55n-db81
I was wondering what gaming laptops are better than this one? It has a AMD Radeon HD 7640 GFX Card and runs at about $400. My budget is $600 max maybe a little over, suggestions?
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Hi
As i have simmiliar question i rather added my post here instead of creating new thread.
I want to upgrade cpu, mainboard and ram memory ( aiming for 8 gig ) for about 250 quid ( pounds
). Any advice would be really helpful.
Thanx
EDIT: Maybe 300 pounds but its max
That's not at all similar. Start your own thread, and list the components you have that you're looking to upgrade from.
This ones off of Ebay but the seller has 2k+ sales with 100% positive.
It's 2 gens old but has an I7, GTX 560m, and 8Gb Ram the guys asking $700 or best offer so you could see if he'd do $600.
I wouldn't buy a used laptop but thought you might be interested.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-G53S-RH71-Windows-7-Core-i7-2-2Ghz-8GB-DDR3-Ram-GTX560M-/151105437074#viTabs_0
I'm guessing that this is the laptop that you're looking at:
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-K55N-DB81-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B00COR29XI
That's a last generation Trinity laptop that Asus is trying to get rid of. The memory channels are mismatched, so if you buy it, you'll want to pick up your own 4 GB memory module for $30 or so to replace the 2 GB module that comes in the laptop.
For somewhat more, you can get a current generation equivalent:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834312828
That's around 10% faster on both the CPU and GPU sides. This one leaves a memory channel vacant, so again, you'd need to fix that yourself.
If you want something faster than that, you could try this:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-ENVY/C9W57AV?HP-ENVY-15z-j000-Notebook-PC
While the base configuration comes with mismatched memory channels, HP will fix that for you for $20. (That's the 8 GB of memory option.) The advantage of this over the Lenovo that I linked above is the option to get two worthy upgrades: a 1080p monitor ($40) and an A10-5750M CPU ($80). The monitor upgrade should be self-explanatory. The CPU upgrade means a slightly faster CPU, but also 50% more GPU. That comes to $670 with all upgrades, which is over your stated budget, but you can bring it down by skipping either the CPU or monitor upgrade. If you don't want either upgrade, then save some money and get the Lenovo instead.
Those all sport integrated graphics, but getting a discrete card that isn't meaningfully faster than integrated graphics is a bad idea. Discrete switchable graphics are also likely to give you driver problems if the graphics don't switch when they should; with integrated graphics only, that problem is impossible. Getting a video card much faster than integrated graphics makes sense on some budgets, but doesn't fit yours.
The first is way over budget. For the second, ULV is a bad idea if you care about performance. For the third, there's not much point in buying a discrete video card without GDDR5 memory, and if it doesn't explicitly say that the card has GDDR5, then it probably doesn't have it at all.
The third is the exact same HP you recommended. Even without the GDDR5 the 8750M should still be a great deal more powerful than the 8650G from the A10-5750M. Also quickly glancing through Google the 8750Ms in HP laptops appear to be the GDDR5 models but I am not certain.
If the only thing you care about is raw frame rates, then yes, the discrete video card will be faster. But it will also lead to the laptop using a lot more power, and can easily lead to driver problems where it doesn't properly switch between the integrated graphics and the discrete card. It's a matter of priorities, but I'd rather give up some raw performance in order to have something that reliably just worked.
So If I were to go over my budget,
would the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216539
be the best one?
Definitely not. That has some really bizarre specs, and I can't think of any usage model at all for which it would make sense. And that's even if we ignore Toshiba's penchant for blocking video driver updates, which we shouldn't if you have ideas about playing games on it.
If you want to go over your stated budget to get more performance, then go far enough over the stated budget to actually get substantially more performance. For example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314147
I am not sure how AMD Mobile cards are but with my Nvidia GTX660m I just set it to only use the 660m when I plan on playing a game then switch it back to auto when I am done. Also this is still Nvidia but the only to game I have had trouble with in regards to GPU switching has been Planet Side 2 because the folders are pretty screwy it is default set to use the 660m for the launcher but not the game lol? Guess it is an issue with how Steam handles it but if I set my laptop to use the 660m it works and also digging around on the Planet Side 2 forums I finally got the auto switching to work as well. If the switchable GPU is the biggest issue that's not very big at all only other issue I can see is battery life but the OP wants to be able to play games so that comes with the territory I always have my laptop plugged in unless I am at school anyways.
Also that Acer is damn nice for the money though I am still shy about Acer's but I have heard they have gotten much better over the past few years, in regards to customer support and reliability.
Also that low power I5 in the Toshiba is not that bad it is on par with a lower end 2nd Gen mobile I5 or the 1st Gen Intel I7-620M. Also the advantage of the mobile processor shows it has a battery life of 4.37hrs according to the Toshiba site. But again I am still weary or Toshiba quality, much more so than Acer, and also OP is looking for a laptop $600 under that can play games so can't really be too picky in regards to what we find.
Yes, you had trouble with graphics switching on Planetside 2. And that probably won't be the last game where you have trouble. And if you need to update the video drivers, that may or may not turn into a royal pain. Go with integrated graphics instead and all of those problems completely vanish. It's a matter of priorities.
But your comparison to older chips is instructive on the CPU in the Toshiba, though not for the reasons you think. Compared to a Core i5-520M that you could have bought 3 1/2 years ago, the Core i5-3337U is actually slower. But it's not cheaper; they're the same price. The advantage of the 3337U is reduced load power consumption, which comes at the expense of reduced performance.
But the advantage of reduced load power consumption is that you can fit it into a smaller form factor, i.e., a thinner laptop. But in order to make the laptop thinner, you probably give up the video card, which is why that particular laptop is completely stupid.
Intel can take a given chip and cap the power consumption at 13 W or 17 W or 25 W or 35 W or 45 W or 65 W. Allowing it to burn more power means it can clock higher, and that means higher performance. But 35 W is perfectly acceptable in a laptop, so the only reason to insist on 17 W is if you want a really thin laptop. And the really thin laptop will be a poor choice for gaming.
But what reduced load power consumption doesn't give you is greater battery life by typical measurements. Battery life is dictated by power usage at idle, as in most cases, a computer is essentially idle. Capping the load clock speeds lower doesn't affect idle power consumption, so it doesn't affect battery life.
You know what does affect battery life? Making it thinner. That means a smaller battery (because a bigger one won't physically fit), and hence, reduced battery life. Which is why the Toshiba laptop actually has rather poor battery life.
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y410p/
I mean I looked at some reviews I don't really see why I shouldn't get it "weird specs" doesn't really explain much can you elaborate? o_o seems like it has a good gfx card and everything (That price would be the complete max I'd be able to go for atm)
If you're willing to spend enough for the $769 version, then you could perhaps justify getting it over the HP on the basis that some driver headaches from discrete switchable graphics are justified by getting an extra 50% CPU and 100% GPU performance. Do be aware that it has a tiny 14", 1366x768 monitor, but if that's what you want, then have at it.
So you are saying that the 769$ would be better to get except for the small screen? And if I was looking for a bigger screen that had slightly less performance and cheaper then I should go for the hp?
It's a question of priorities. Some people would prefer a smaller screen (in inches) over a larger one because it makes the laptop easier to carry around. Some people would prefer the larger one. The Lenovo makes sense for some people, and the HP makes sense for others. It's a question of what you prefer.
You asserted at the start that you need a laptop, but you've never said why. Why does it need to be a laptop as opposed to a desktop?
Because I'm going to be college soon, and currently I am going to be moving around a lot so a laptop would be best since it is mobile :P.
But my question was is the Lenovo better than the hp, except for the screen? And if I want a bigger screen but lower performance I'd go for the pc? also how would I go about getting the upgrades
Going to college isn't a reason to get a laptop rather than a desktop, unless your college is fairly unusual. What is moving around "a lot"? If you need to pick up the computer and take it with you somewhere most days, that's a good reason to get a laptop. If it's 2-3 times per year, that's not a reason to get a laptop.
A desktop on the same budget would get you something much nicer: much faster, more reliable, plenty of upgrade options, better ergonomics, etc. The only drawback of the desktop is that it's a pain to pick it up and carry it somewhere. But that may not be much of a drawback, depending on how often you need to do so.
Gaming laptops are something of an oxymoron. Yes, you can get laptops that can play games, but they're fundamentally about putting way too much heat into too little space. As dust accumulates over time, it's an overheating problem waiting to happen. Gaming laptops have much shorter life expectancies than desktops for a lot of reasons: they're more likely to break, much harder (sometimes impractical) to repair, nearly impossible to upgrade, performance is obsolete sooner, etc.
For the HP laptop, at the link, click the "customize and buy" button. That will take you to a window where you probably want to switch the CPU from an A8-5550M to an A10-5750M, definitely want to switch the memory from 6 GB to 8 GB, and may want to switch the monitor from 1366x768 to 1920x1080.
A Core i7-4700HM is maybe 50% faster on the CPU side than an A10-5750M, at least in programs that don't scale to more than four CPU cores. A GeForce GT 750M with GDDR5 memory is maybe twice as fast as Radeon HD 8650G integrated graphics. For the monitors, 15.6" is a little bigger than 14.0", and 1920x1080 means you get about twice as many pixels as 1366x768, which lets you see more on the screen at once.
I got a laptop for college and I regret doing so. Looking back I realize it was more of an excuse to get my first gaming laptop. It was a nice machine but a desktop is so much better.
If you must have a laptop for school I suggest going cheap, something that can browse the web and handle your work needs. Just save up for a gaming desktop. You will get far more bang for your buck and can skip things like battery life and heat. If you get a laptop for gaming expect to always be plugged in somewhere anyways. Even the best laptops don't last long while gaming.
The chromebooks are currently in my eye as a possibility for a work laptop. They are around $200-$250 but they are almost strictly work computers.
Okay so If i wanted a better graphics to fps ratio I would go for the lenovo?
Sorry I'm not really a tech guy, althought I somewhat understood the last paragraph i mean.. it is still somewhat confusing aha. So the core for the lenovo is better, the GFX card for the lenovo is better, however the hp has 15.6 monitor and 1920x1080?
Which one do you think would last longer?
And I am going to probably never be in 1 place for more than one time but I were to get a desktop, if the option somewhat came available what would you recommend?
If I had to buy a gaming laptop today, I would still go with the AMD A-core series. They are significantly cheaper than the Intel + Nvidia laptops, yet they still perform fairly well. Don't expect amazing performance out of it, though.
That might save you some money so you can buy a gaming desktop eventually, while having the ability to play games and use a decent laptop for school in the meantime.
Gaming performance in a laptop comes at a price. The Lenovo will get you higher frame rates than the HP, but it might put out twice as much heat in the process. More heat in a smaller space means you're more likely to have overheating problems. It's also more likely to mean a hot keyboard that you don't particularly want to type on. Either laptop would probably seem fine on heat the day you get it, but that can change as time passes and dust accumulates.
For a desktop, what to get really depends on your budget. On a $500 budget, you'd go with basically a desktop version of the chip in the HP, which would run faster because it's clocked higher. (The laptop version caps heat at 35 W; in a desktop, it's pretty easy to dissipate 100 W.) On a $700+ budget, you definitely get a discrete video card, and then you'd end up with much higher performance on both the CPU and GPU sides, and without the cooling problems.
If you're interested in getting a desktop, you can name a price tag and I could pick out parts for you. If you don't have a computer of your own at all (e.g., if you're using your parents' computer at home, but can't take it with you to college), you'd also need new peripherals with your first desktop, but you can keep those if you replace it later. One advantage of a desktop is that you can easily replace the monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. independently of the case and what goes inside; on a laptop, replacing the laptop means you have to buy a new monitor, even if the monitor in the old laptop is still perfectly good.
I am currently looking at all options, If I were to get a desktop my budget would probably be at 700$ I already had a desktop but it is pretty much completely run down now with a BSOD and everything. I couldn't really play much games on it since it had a G43/45 chipset though >.>
So if I were to get a desktop can you refer some specific ones for me
thanks