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Good gaming laptops for $300 - $500 ?

the weeaboo·5/2/2018, 5:02:56 PM·1 votes·4,494 views

What I'm looking for:

  • in the mentioned price range, preferably around 400
  • can run:
  • League
  • Minecraft
  • Dishonored
  • Fortnite(?)
  • CS:GO
  • good multitasking so I can run Spotify and Discord and tab out of a game without freezing up
  • Not a shitty 2012 MacBook that my parents handed down to me like the one I've been using lmao

Currently looking at:

Anyone have one of these that they'd recommend? Are the specs good enough to run what I want to run? Any other suggestions besides these ones?

29 Comments

TheRiddum5/2/2018, 5:12:23 PM4 votes

I don't know man the laptops at that price range are pretty ass for gaming. those laptops are basically the 2018 version of your shitty 2012 macbook Of those 3 i would pick the ASUS, i have always had good experience with ASUS stuff i have bought....they do 'budget' pcs/laptops fairly well.

Why do you want a laptop for gaming? Can you save money for a little bit longer? It's honestly much more worth it to shell out a bit more of a desktop or even a bit better of a laptop that way you don't have to buy something new again in a year or two once more updates/changes are made to the games you like.

if you think you could finance something and fit it into your budget you could get something nicer you could be using that $300-$500 as a down payment. just an idea.

Sohleks5/2/2018, 6:16:27 PM4 votes

They're all hyper crap. If you can save up to around 800 usd you can get an acer aspire 7 laptop with an actual good intel cpu with actual good nvidia dedicated graphics that comes with the OS installed on a ssd. It looks cheap as far as build quality goes and you have to add your own standard harddrive disk [!] but it's 4 times the laptop for just double the price.

All the old 2010+ pre-ryzen amd cpus work like blowdriers in laptops and will be roaring the fan and it really sounds just like a soft blowdier if you try to actually use it beyond a web page. I have two lappys around here that is like that, an a4 and an a10, and they are not high end high power versions. And one of the machines isn't even thin.

But because the lenovo might have an r7 dedicated graphics (it's hard to tell, amazon is pretty bad at tech specs, and it says intel as the cpu if you scroll down even tho it clearly states amd a9) and dedicated graphics will make your games more playable than any intel integrated graphics. Still it's probably doable for the pretty old games.

CLG ear5/2/2018, 6:35:11 PM4 votes

you're gonna have to shell out more money if you want more than lowest settings performance.

Modl Ryden l5/3/2018, 12:37:38 AM2 votes

It'd be a good investment to up the anti to $600 budget. Well, that's before tax and get this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075KCJHMD/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's got all the guts of what makes a good gaming laptop without that crummy gamer-y aesthetic.

Anything less and you'd probably be ripping yourself off. I know the extra $200+ sounds like a stretch but when it comes to laptops as necessity as well as a want you really shouldn't skimp out on the specs. In one of these cases, not only do you need it but you could treat yourself to something nice.

I have the same laptop but the previous generation and I'm able to have league open with steam/chrome/discord in the backgroud without any issues, alt-tabbing with very little delay as well.

Kilanost5/3/2018, 12:58:40 AM2 votes

Here's the thing... It depends on what gaming ur doing. If u just play league, pretty much anything with a dedicated gpu suffice and probably some integrated setups as well.

First person shooters and open world games with gorgeous environments tend to be harder to deal with. Obviously new games are tougher than old ones. Here is my suggestion: save your money and buy something later when you prices drop more. In the mean time use ur current computer to play league and visit a bunch of older, dirt cheap games on steam. That's more or less what I've been doing bc I'm buried in student debt and can't justify using loan money for a new rig. Seriously there are a ton of games that are like 10+ years old that's are just awesome.

Felbhu5/2/2018, 8:29:57 PM2 votes

If you REALLY need a gaming laptop, save a little more and get yourself this https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525292920&sr=1-4&keywords=acer%2Baspire%2Be15&th=1

Otherwise don't bother and just get a Desktop.

ZenithEevee5/2/2018, 7:00:32 PM2 votes

>Minecraft

Normal or modded?

Because let me tell you, You want modded minecraft, You'll need a lot better specs than any of those.

TouchpadExpert5/2/2018, 9:28:28 PM2 votes

I have an Acer Predator 15 GTX 1060. It cost me $1250 at the time that I bought it and it performs in the same class as $2000+ laptops. I've yet to have any issues with it whatsoever, it handles all the games I throw at it. But that's more than 2x your budget so probably not something you can "just save up for" so maybe look into getting a desktop if you want performance and longevity. But just to show you what that amount of money can buy, here's the review video that swayed me to buy my laptop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPmzynninPg

And if you're still stuck between a laptop and a desktop just know that laptops only real draw over desktops is portability. You sacrifice most everything else in order to have it made portable. It is cheaper to get a desktop than a laptop if all the specs are the same. So if performance is your main appeal then desktop is your best route. And you can make your dollar go even further if you build your desktop yourself. Newegg is a great website to look at and the forum over there is very helpful for novices to learn everything there is about the process of buying and building said desktop.

But word of advice, if you go cheap and buy a gaming laptop that is already near obsolete you will be back in the market within two years. Its better to save, save, save and then splurge on something mid or top market so you at least get your money's worth out of it. The laptop I bought was a mid market gaming laptop. I've had it a year now and can reasonably expect it to last me another 3-4 years before it starts to out live its expiration date and go obsolete.

Sohleks5/2/2018, 7:46:37 PM2 votes

I wonder if you can find a prebuilt with a Ryzen 2200g cpu. Those are the new amd cpu chips with integrated graphics. Only the g versions have graphics but they are pretty good for what they are. They are the best affordable graphics you can get.

They kinda compete with the cheap dedicated nvidia 1030 card AS non dedicated graphics. So they SHOULD be cheap. I know I could Build a system cheap like that. Not sure what the oems are doing.

It has a big brother called the 2400g too. Definitely better. Probably less bang for buck maybe. Maybe not depending on the prebuilt manufacturer's deals.

The MechE5/3/2018, 3:08:01 AM1 votes

Hmm...you might be able to build a good DESKTOP in that price range...depending on the prices of GPUs right now.

For a laptop though? Ehhh, maybe you could run some low end games. League is not very intensive and can run on most potatoes. I would recommend something around the $800 range though. Take a look at this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154733

And you get a $100 rebate. SCHWEEEEET!

[{quoted}](name=l Ryden l,realm=NA,application-id=yrc23zHg,discussion-id=7PejjMAh,comment-id=000c00000000,timestamp=2018-05-03T03:04:21.256+0000)

OP is asking for a laptop. As far as his concern goes, with a budget that tight he's probably not looking into upgrading anytime soon. By the time you're wanting to upgrade your parts might as well all be upgraded to the point where you can build a new computer all over again.

I'm assuming OP isn't living a dank hotel so cleaning heatsinks really isn't an issue. Again, OP is asking for a laptop so get the "build a custom PC" argument out of here. Everyone knows you can save money in terms of price vs performance when it comes to building your own computer but OP is in the market for a laptop.

Who knows, maybe this guy wants a laptop since he also needs to take notes in class? Good luck lugging around a desktop to class and setting it up for your lab experiment.

Surface Pro 4. Amazing tool for note taking and stuff. Definitely would recommend. Won't do shit for games though.

Xeronator5/2/2018, 6:56:40 PM1 votes

Mines is an Asus GL553

Sohleks5/2/2018, 7:52:43 PM1 votes

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA65C6YR0803

literally the first one I found when I put 2200g in desktops in newegg

Oh but you WILL need to add more storage lol. A 1 TB hdd from the good brand western digital is like 45$ (not sure if a full sized 3.5 goes in there tho. might req a 2.5)

Also I wonder if there's enough space to add a proper graphics card in there later. Because if not. Then maybe look for a more normal looking desktop.

Sohleks5/2/2018, 8:05:47 PM1 votes

You should be able to fulfill your needs closest to your budget with a system with a 2200g or 2400g in it

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100019096&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&SrchInDesc=2200g&Page=1&PageSize=36&order=BESTMATCH

The new ryzen integrated graphics knock's the socks off intel's.

Get the 2400g if you can help it

Felbhu5/2/2018, 8:27:09 PM1 votes

I hate AMDtards.

SilentNightSona5/2/2018, 10:22:50 PM1 votes

You can probably find a laptop with a Ryzen 5 or 7th Gen Intel I5, 8GB RAM, a 1050 ti, and a decent sized solid state drive for about $600. I work at a Best Buy near the Seattle area, and I see decent laptops about that price range all the time. Seriously just walk into a store to check the open box section, and you may find something good at a price you could afford.

ADC Bard5/3/2018, 1:23:56 AM1 votes

No such thing as a good computer for 300 to 500$

I also think you mean Dishonored 2, if that the case then a 300 to 500$ computer cannot play this game

Bard