What are some good laptops?

[Melon]

So I recently broke my laptop and am looking for a new one. I'd like to have a laptop that can handle a couple of games, and not be extremely slow. However, my problem is. I don't have a ton of money. So what are some good budget laptops? I think I can spend about 500-600. ;--;

 

[Windsong]

Unless you drop the dosh for a laptop with a GPU you're pretty boned with that integrated graphics card that most all of them come with. So you're gaming is going to be extremely limited. Older games from pre-'05? Sure! GPU's weren't viable yet, so plenty of RAM and a decent CPU could run them.

Also, is it a standard laptop being used for schooling, facebook, e-mail, etc?

 

[Halo]

Unless you drop the dosh for a laptop with a GPU you're pretty boned with that integrated graphics card that most all of them come with. So you're gaming is going to be extremely limited. Older games from pre-'05? Sure! GPU's weren't viable yet, so plenty of RAM and a decent CPU could run them.

Also, is it a standard laptop being used for schooling, facebook, e-mail, etc?

Common misconception. Integrated graphics aren't half bad these days. I've got Intel HD 4000 on my laptop and I can run Mass Effect, Fallout 3, CS: GO etc. with no problems. Might struggle on graphic-intensive games from the past couple of years, but honestly, if you're just gonna be doing some casual gaming and don't really mind using low graphics settings, then integrated graphics can do you just fine.

Melancholy - I'd suggest customising your own on a site like PC Specialist or Cyberpowersystems or something. By which I don't mean building your own, but picking and choosing the parts yourself and then they build it for you. Saves you quite a bit of money, surprisingly, and you can tailor much more specifically to what you need from your system. It's surprisingly easy to get a grasp on how powerful the different parts are using GPU/CPU comparison sites and stuff, and there are lots of test playthroughs on youtube for different setups that show you how well various games run on certain components. The one I linked is someone running Crysis 3 on low settings with only integrated graphics (not a separate, discrete graphics card) and an admittedly pretty hefty CPU, but that just goes to prove that a discrete graphics card isn't necessary.

 

[Minibit]

A "good" laptop depends on what you want to use it for.

I recommend getting a new one, not a used or refurbished one.

Do some research on what kinds of specs you need beefed up for your usage. Do you just want something that can do internet and word processing? You'll probably be fine on a notebook with a decent memory capacity. Did you want to play some games? additional RAM and CPU speed will be handy, and you might want to look into the graphics card, too.

The list goes on; 'good' really is a very subjective term. My current laptop is a handmedown HP with four gigs of RAM, a dual-core 2.1gHz processor, and an OK graphics card. It does what I need it to do which is cruise the web, stream video, store lots of music and handle Minecraft. If I wanted to play WoW on it or store a lifetime worth of photos on it, I might want different specs.

 

[Xander95]

Hey Mel, the games you want to play has system requirements...drop them here and I will look for a computer that would be well within your range.