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Sub $500 gaming laptop
So I'm looking for something that can will let my son raid in wow decently for under $500.
Quiz recommended an A6 laptop that sold out before I had a chance to snag it.
I'm looking at the following A8. If anyone has any recommendations, it is appreciated.
I'm also looking at the following same price point:
http://www.frys.com/product/7345714?site=sa:adpages page:P10_WED date:120512
Comments
If 500 is your maximum budget and you want your son to have the best experience possible i would sunset that you buy a desktop. You can get a pretty beefy machine with 500 if you are willing to buy the parts and build it yourself.
Trust me 500 dollar laptops while they can run wow on Atari settings, will have a hard time in a raiding environment
At least with a sub game they know that people won't tolerate bullshit and leave. With anet we have no recourse but to buy our own lube so our assholes don't get too stretched out from getting bent over a table at Anets will. - Hrimnir
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
Here's a review of the graphic chipset on the laptop's video card.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-7640G.69836.0.html
Any reason that it has to be a laptop? I could suggest a parts build to you for around 500 bucks if you wanted me to.
Actually, let's back up. Why a laptop in the first place, rather than a desktop?
But if you're going to play games on it, then you want the AMD system and not the Intel one.
I'd go for a desktop... i had a few laptops of that budget, and they didn't play WoW very well.
Unless you don't mind playing on low settings.
Since it seems you have left for a bit, I'll give you decent starting point. I'm assuming you have a monitor/Keyboard/Mouse, however you should be able to pick those up for just a little more. I've gone with all current gen parts as their isnt really a good reason to go for last gen parts this time around.
CPU: $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078
GPU: $109
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130827
MOBO: $94
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128548
RAM: $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144
PSU: $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
CASE: $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345013
TOTAL: $480.00
Thanks for all the replies. It HAS to be a laptop. He goes back and forth from boarding school to home all the time. A desktop is what he currently has, and is a pain to lug.
So will the Samsung I linked work, or is there something better for the money?
Thanks.
If you can add your own memory module to properly match the memory channels, then go with the Samsung.
If it comes with one 4 GB memory module and one vacant memory slot, then you'll want to add your own 4 GB module to properly match the memory channels. If it comes with two 2 GB modules, then you don't need to modify it. And if the memory is soldered onto the motherboard and isn't replaceable by the end user, then the laptop isn't what you want at all.See if you can find the information online. If you can find somewhere that it says the number of memory slots or talks about a "max" amount of memory that it can have, then it's user-upgradeable, at least if the number of memory slots is at least two. I can't find that information, though.
You could try to find the manual from Samsung, and see if it gives any details on how to replace or upgrade memory. You could also try asking Wal-Mart, and if it's not user-upgradeable, then see if you can return it. There's likely a slot on the bottom that you can open up and get access to the memory and/or hard drive, but the details vary from one laptop to the next. The memory is probably upgradeable by the end user, as soldering it directly to the motherboard seems to only be done for extra thin form factors and likely adds cost.
You dont want to get that samsung..I'm sure it would do fine for wow on med settings maybe drop down to low in 25man raids.
Raids can be very taxing on the hardware. If you are willing to cough up another $100 bucks
i would suggest this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V3-571G-6407-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B009JXK1WQ/ref=dp_ob_title_ce#productDetails
In any case try to find something with a dedicated video card instead of intergrated. Tomshardware.com Suggeted this as one of the better budget gaming laptops. So I bought it myself and let me tell you It runs great. I can run most games on high to max settings no problem. Raiding in wow i have to drop it down to medium settings but for normal stuff in Wow' i can keep it at high settings.
btw 4g memory with 1g dedicated video card would do just fine for him..No need to bump up the memory for gaming in school stuff.
And what exactly is the point of getting a discrete card that isn't any faster than integrated graphics? So that you can have an older, inefficient architecture that puts out a lot more heat than necessary?
If you're going to increase the budget a bit to add performance, then you get an A10-4600M instead of the A8-4500M.
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/113893/HP-Pavilion-dv6-7138us-Laptop-Computer/?cm_mmc=Affiliates-_-kmZjHBYatgE-_-10-_-261067_1
That uses Windows 7 rather than Windows 8, which is probably why it's discounted as far as it is. It mismatches the memory channels, so you'll need to buy your own 4 GB module and use it to replace the 2 GB module. But that one definitely has user-replaceable memory.
thats not bad for the price range but the tech support of HP is just terrible , but good eye ther man.
You're shopping for a sub-$500 laptop. What do you expect in that price range? It's not like anyone else is going to give you good build quality in a sub-$500 laptop that can handle games.
If you don't want to get the HP I linked, that's fine. The Samsung will suit your needs so long as you fix the memory. An A8-4500M is the same die as an A10-4600M, but with 1/3 of the graphics disabled and the CPU clocked lower.
Wasn't trying to offend you...
Also, the one you linked is out of stock.
I was able to find this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Midnight-Black-15.6-Refurbished-Pavilion-m6-1035dx-Laptop-PC-with-AMD-Quad-Core-A10-4600M-Accelerated-Processor-and-Windows-7-Home-Premium/22081776#Item+Description
And likely not coming back, as it will be replaced by a Windows 8 version of the same thing. Oops.
Regardless, my point was that if you wanted something faster than an A8-4500M and are willing to pay more for it, the sensible thing is an A10-4600M. A discrete video card doesn't make sense below about $800 or so. But that's going over your budget.
Anyway, I found this link while looking for another alternative.
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch_v3.asp?scriteria=BE04137
The product doesn't matter. Look at the price tag.
Reg. Price: $60,599.00Instant Discount: $59,993.01
Price: $605.99
Same deal as before: mismatched memory channels means that you'll want to replace the 2 GB memory module with your own 4 GB module.
Refurbished also means that you don't know what the previous owner did to it. But Trinity launched earlier this year, so it can't be that old.
I just pulled the trigger on this deal http://1saleaday.com/main/
HP 15.6" HD Laptop w/ 3.2GHz Quad-Core A10 CPU, AMD Radeon HD 7660G, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD for $399.
I know I will need a new 4gb memory stick. Can you recommend one on newegg?
Thanks.
You need a single 4 GB DDR3 SODIMM. Take your pick:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007609%20600000399%20600006178&IsNodeId=1&name=204-Pin%20DDR3%20SO-DIMM
You want it to have at least as good of specs as the 4 GB module that comes with the laptop. As for what those specs will be, you could wait until you have the laptop, open it up, and see. My guess is that it will be 1333 MHz CAS 9, as 1066 MHz hasn't been cheaper than that in a long time. HP has started advertising that some of their laptops have 1600 MHz memory, so if you get lucky, it could come with that. But the memory clock speed likely won't be adjustable in the BIOS.
If you don't want to wait and see, then you could just order a 1600 MHz module now:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231481
So the sticks don't have to match exactly?
If I get that 1600 stick, and the laptop comes with 1066 or 1333. it will be fine?
It will be able to run at the lower speed. What you don't want is to buy a 1066 MHz module, then have the laptop BIOS assume 1333 MHz and have your module crash the system.