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Budget gaming laptop recommendations

  • 26-06-2014 9:07am
    #1
    IcarusPlus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35 ✭


    Hi guys,

    I'm looking to replace my stuttering 6-year-old laptop with something a little more current, albeit with a maximum spend of €550.

    Although I know that's a pretty limiting price, especially as I'd like to be able to play recent enough games (although I'm not expecting Skyrim -- Empire: Total War will do!), I figure it should be enough to tide me over until I can invest in something a little more potent.

    I've been looking at the Lenovo G505s, but the model with a dedicated graphics card (priced at around €530) appears to have vanished from its website. I can't link here because of my post count, but if you go to shop[dot]lenovo[dot]com and navigate to the G series, you'll see it.

    Do you chaps have any recommendations?

    Cheers!


Comments

  • #2
    BobCobb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 159 ✭✭BobCobb


    Hi,

    There's a Lenovo on amazon.de for about 550e, with an i7 processor and an AMD 8750 Graphics card. It comes without windows but it's still a great price I think. There's a thread on it in Bargain Alerts.

    pcspecialist.co.uk have some good options too, and allow you to buy without windows if you don't need.
    An i5 with gt840 card would be about 600e (w/o windows).


  • #3
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    This is a decent gaming laptop for 620 delivered, would play Skyrim at high settings handily.

    Be careful with 'dedicated' graphics. Just because it's dedicated doesn't mean it's any good. Some of them are as slow, or even slower, than Intel integrated graphics.


  • #4
    IcarusPlus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35 ✭IcarusPlus


    Alas, though that looks awesome, it's just a little too far out of my bracket at the moment.

    Thanks for both your tips, guys. Lenovo seems like the recommended brand.

    I've been eyeing up the Lenovo IdeaPad G Series G505s-01035 on Komplett.ie (grrr -- sorry, I still can't post links!). Is there anything that I should be glaringly concerned about? I know it's not the most powerful machine in the world, but my current laptop is about to give up the ghost, so it could tie me over.


  • #5
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,648 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    TerrorFirmer wrote: »
    ...Be careful with 'dedicated' graphics. Just because it's dedicated doesn't mean it's any good. Some of them are as slow, or even slower, than Intel integrated graphics.

    What he said.

    Worth looking at the benchmarks of the video cards. The names/numbers are not that useful to gauge performance.

    I'm in the same boat. Old gaming (ish) laptop.

    I wondering if, for the price of a gaming laptop, even a mid range one, you'd buy one non gaming latop and build a low end gaming desktop that would be considerable better in games.

    I was looking at the A8/A10 Lenovo/Acers. And the 505s. ( I also wanted USB3x2 on the left side. But I think they are heavily compromised for the cost. They are really low end for gaming. I expect they won't have the longevity as our older gaming laptops did. Theres a bigger gap in performance between desktops and laptops (graphics wise) these days.


  • #6
    IcarusPlus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35 ✭IcarusPlus


    Yeah, I figure I won't get much out of whatever I buy. Really, I just need a laptop to tie me over due to the state of my current one, with a view to building a gaming PC somewhere down the line. My intention is to keep new (and therefore demanding) game releases on my 360 (and hopefully PS4!) until then.

    Right now, I guess I'm just after something that's reliable and reasonably fast, and as a bonus, can handle something like Empire: Total War or some other recent-ish strategy games.


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  • #7
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    IcarusPlus wrote: »
    Alas, though that looks awesome, it's just a little too far out of my bracket at the moment.

    Thanks for both your tips, guys. Lenovo seems like the recommended brand.

    I've been eyeing up the Lenovo IdeaPad G Series G505s-01035 on Komplett.ie (grrr -- sorry, I still can't post links!). Is there anything that I should be glaringly concerned about? I know it's not the most powerful machine in the world, but my current laptop is about to give up the ghost, so it could tie me over.

    It's not a gaming laptop, the graphics card is pretty bad, but it's an OK general purpose machine. If you're going to spend 500, you might as well buy the Lenovo on bargain alerts and mentioned above that has an i7 and 8750M for just fifty euro extra - it's way, way faster that the one you're considering, way faster processor and much stronger graphics card. It is an excellent deal. The one I posted at 620 is the best out of all of them for gaming, but if you can't stretch to the 620, definitely go the 550 for the Amazon one.


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