Budget Gaming Laptops?

1454 Views 24 Replies 18 Participants Last post by Chimeracaust, Mar 21, 2009

Sacre

Discussion Starter · Mar 17, 2009

Heya,

Looking for a very budget gaming laptop. No, it doesn't need to run Crysis.

Games I'd want to be able to play:
Sins of a Solar Empire
WoW (Maybe)
Source type games (L4D at most)

Doesn't need to be a big screen, just usable with a decent resolution (1440x900ish?).

I'd imagine used would be the way to go, because the second they put ANYTHING besides an Intel piece of crap video card in there, they label it as a GAMING LAPTOP and mark the price up by 200%.

Any advice?

Edit: Price range is ~200-400. Battery life is not important, but at least a few minutes in case I have to switch plugs would be nice.

1 - 20 of 25 Posts

gerikoh

· #2 · Mar 17, 2009

that's tough. you can't even get a geforce 8200m or a radeon 3200m for that price range. just those crappy intel igp

Sacre

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 17, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerikoh

View Post

that's tough. you can't even get a 8200m or a 3200m for that price. or even a 4500. just those crappy intel igp

Damn... thanks.

Also, EVE Online.. hehe.. but I'm pretty sure you can still do 'classic content'.

I don't need to run these games at high resolutions or with outstanding framerates. Anybody have any experience running any of the above listed games on a budget laptop?

See less See more

noobpower2

· #4 · Mar 17, 2009

lol, a budget gaming laptop in an oxymoron. the laptops that will play the games you specified are more in the $700-800 price range

xxicrimsonixx

· #5 · Mar 17, 2009

You probably won't ever find anything in the 200-400 price range, simply because that is the price range of netbooks, then in the 500-1000 price range is the regular laptops, 1k-1.2k is tablets, and then anything above that is gaming...

For a gaming laptop, I highly suggest
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...87624&CatId=17

It is very nice, and I have been eyeing it for about a year (I bought a bunch of other things instead, like a TV, computer, and netbook :/).

Sacre

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 17, 2009

I have no problem going used, and I see plenty of Dual Core 2.0 laptops going for ~$300-400.

I don't need to play anything super high tech or at high resolutions/settings. Maybe this isn't the best site to ask, since it's commonly accepted around here that a x500 or x400 won't play any games at all. =P (They will, just not at 1920x1200 on max settings)

Edit: nVidia x500/400 cards, not the old ATi's.. hehe

Hayday

· #7 · Mar 17, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sacre

View Post

I have no problem going used, and I see plenty of Dual Core 2.0 laptops going for ~$300-400.

yeah but a gaming laptop in that context usually run up to couple of grands.
good luck though man, rooting for ya.

See less See more

xxicrimsonixx

· #8 · Mar 17, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sacre

View Post

I have no problem going used, and I see plenty of Dual Core 2.0 laptops going for ~$300-400.

LOL, just because they are dual core, does not mean they will be able to play Left 4 Dead. The whole purpose of a gaming laptop is to have a video card (a decent one at that). Mobile video cards just cost a lot, which is why you wont see any gaming laptops under ~700-800 USD used that can play L4D. Mobile video cards are different to desktop ones because there is more too take into account, such as energy effiency, and making them super small. This is not a problem (to some degree) for desktops because they have very little size restrictions, and as long as the card consumes a reasonable amount of electricty, it is fine to sell.

See less See more

Sacre

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 17, 2009

2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayday

View Post

yeah but a gaming laptop in that context usually run up to couple of grands.
good luck though man, rooting for ya.

Well, any of the things I listed above will run just fine on a P4. So I'd imagine a gaming laptop from a couple years back would suffice. Kind of hard to find them though, so I was wondering if anybody knew where to find older laptops like these. (Used, obviously)

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxicrimsonixx

View Post

LOL, just because they are dual core, does not mean they will be able to play Left 4 Dead. The whole purpose of a gaming laptop is to have a video card (a decent one at that). Mobile video cards just cost a lot, which is why you wont see any gaming laptops under ~700-800 USD used that can play L4D. Mobile video cards are different to desktop ones because there is more too take into account, such as energy effiency, and making them super small. This is not a problem (to some degree) for desktops because they have very little size restrictions, and as long as the card consumes a reasonable amount of electricty, it is fine to sell.

I know that, but the fact that newer laptops are going for that cheap would make me think that OLDER laptops that were geared towards gaming a few years back would be going for a reasonable price - used.

Alright, forget L4D. WoW can run on incredibly slow machines, and the others listed don't require a ton.

See less See more

yawnbox

· #10 · Mar 17, 2009

i suggest using outlets, like the Dell outlet.

http://www.dell.com/outlet/

often companies buy bulk laptops and get too many, so they just get returned, unused. anything with a dual core and dedicated graphics memory should do just fine.

also the discontinued laptops and refurbs

http://www.dell.com/content/products...dfh&~ck=anavml

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/s...dfh&~ck=anavml

CallmeRoth

· #11 · Mar 17, 2009

go for roughly 1000 and get a entry level Alienware its honesty your best best, most 1000 laptops have integrated graphics, an entry level alienware at same price is using discrete.

Rookie1337

· #12 · Mar 17, 2009

LOL alienware. Strangely, you can get a laptop at cyberpower with a GTX260m for about 1.7k. Honestly, the ASUS and MSI ones at the 1k-1.5k range on newegg are your best bet.

version2

· #13 · Mar 17, 2009

If you look for the deals, you can get a decent gaming laptop for ~$750-900. I've seen some with 8600m (and even some 9600m) cards in that range.

I like to use the following "list" when comparing laptop video cards. (Ordered from Best to Worst):
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Compari...rds.130.0.html

ericeod

· #14 · Mar 17, 2009

If you act fast, Dell outlet has an M1530 Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz with an 8600GTS for $779. They are sold as they are available. So what is listed is their actual inventory:
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineS...=22&l=en&s=dfh

I got my XPS M1530 refurbished, and for all intents and purposes, it is new. I have never had a problem with it and save 50% off retail. it also carries the same warranty as a new laptop.

I managed to call up Dell and have them send me Vista 64 Home premium for free.

Quote:

XPS M1530 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB, 3MB Cache)

System Price:$779.00

Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista Business

Memory
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (2 DIMMs)Hard Disk Drive

160 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Video
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GTSoftware Upgrade

Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio Software EditionMedia Bay

8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability

Camera
Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web CameraNetwork Interface Card

Dell 1395 802.11G Wireless Mini CardHardware Upgrade

6 Cell Primary Battery

90W AC Adapter

Dell Travel Remote ControlSystem

Color
Tuxedo Black

Laptop Screen
15.4 inch WXGA+ Laptop Screen with TrueLife

edit: You can keep checking their stock for better deals. I got mine for $709 and it has a 2.4GHz dual core (T8300 penryn core), 4Gb ram, 320Gb HDD, Vista Home Premium, Amazing LG screen (the best Dell offers), DVD RW and wireless N.

See less See more

Illusion Of Progress

· #15 · Mar 17, 2009

Mine was $850, and it has an Intel 4500MHD...

See less See more

Joeking78

· #16 · Mar 17, 2009

Your best bet is Ebay.

A secondhand Gateway, Asus or HP. There is a mammoth selection there, I'm sure you'll find something

cgg123321

· #17 · Mar 18, 2009

Check craigslist or something. paid $360 shipped for my Sony S360 which has an ATi 9700m

Sacre

Discussion Starter · #18 · Mar 18, 2009

I got a laptop with T7750 (2.0GHz Dual Core), 4GB RAM, and a FX 360M 256MB (8400M GS equivelant) for a very cheap price (locally). 15.4", 1920x1200. Dell M4300.

And it plays everything I want to just fine.

Thanks guys.

See less See more

Jjangthekid

· #19 · Mar 19, 2009

I'm selling a decent laptop for $300. Check my signature for the link and PM me for any details.

I was able to play C&C 3 moderately well but Supreme Commander was a stretch. ;D

NakedSuperhero

· #20 · Mar 19, 2009

sorry if i say something already said. i didnt wanna have to reaad everything.
I have a laptop that will play WOW at 35fps at mid settings, that was at 4x aa with an intergrated x1200, thats a 128mb card. so if i took out aa, it would jump a decent amount.

anyways, my point is that you dont necessarily need a dedicated video card to play some games. As long as you know what settings on the game to raise or lower. my laptop cost 600 on ebay. 1.8 dual core, 1gb of memory which i am about to upgrade cuz vista is a bastard. but at that resolution, u would probably need a dedicated card. im only at 1280x800

1 - 20 of 25 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.