Recommend me a laptop.

[darkmage64]

So I'm currently typing this on an old busted ass Hp Notebook. I bought my current laptop about two years ago and both hinges have broken. The screws holding the hinges to the case have completely busted out on both sides and the bottom of the screen case part thingy has started to split so I don't think it's too much longer for this world. What I'm looking for is a halfway decent laptop around the $500-$600 category that will play games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 decently. I'm not a hardcore gamer so I don't have any need for absolutely groundbreaking graphics cards. So any recommendations for a new faptop...er...I mean laptop...is appreciated.

[TheGreatFalro]

Skyrim will run fine on just about anything modern, but at least for Fallout 4, stretching your budget in the $600+ range would really serve you well. If you can't, though, these would be my recommendations:

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Acer-E5-575G-57D4-15-6-Inches-Notebook-i5-7200U/dp/B01LD4MGY4/

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Intel-GeForce-E5-575G-75MD/dp/B075FLBJV7/

 

Now, a comparison:

Both laptops are sitting squarely at the listed minimum requirements for FO4. The first one has a very slightly better GPU, the Geforce 940MX (which might make the difference between playable and slideshow), but the CPU (an i5-7200U) drags a little behind the required i5-2300. The second has the newer MX150, which may well be plenty to run it, but it's behind just a few points - and that could mean everything; however, its i5-8250U is a few strokes better than the listed minimum, meaning that whatever performance is lost from the GPU may - and that's a very strong may - be made up for. Of course, either one you'll be playing at the lowest of the low settings, and it may not be your idea of "playable", depending on how generous Bethesda was in computing the requirements.

 

Overall, if you could save up a bit more, you could get something like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5577-5328BLK-PUS-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B06XFG7157

...which would mean you could play FO4 comfortably on medium-high settings, and run Skyrim with a moderately heavy loadout.

[darkmage64]

So I'm currently typing this on an old busted ass Hp Notebook. I bought my current laptop about two years ago and both hinges have broken. The screws holding the hinges to the case have completely busted out on both sides and the bottom of the screen case part thingy has started to split so I don't think it's too much longer for this world. What I'm looking for is a halfway decent laptop around the $500-$600 category that will play games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 decently. I'm not a hardcore gamer so I don't have any need for absolutely groundbreaking graphics cards. So any recommendations for a new faptop...er...I mean laptop...is appreciated.

Suppose that I held out for the magical tax fairy. What could I get for around a grand?

[TheGreatFalro]

You could get this baby:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/

Which is currently the best bang for your buck in terms of a gaming laptop right now.

[TheMastersSon]

Gotta love how laptop manufacturers are charging an extra $700 (or more) just to go from a 1060 to a 1070. You'd get as good or better performance in most games from a 980M compared to a 1060:

 

http://hwbench.com/vgas/geforce-gtx-1060-vs-geforce-gtx-980

 

Here's the difference a 1070 makes:

 

http://hwbench.com/vgas/geforce-gtx-1070-vs-geforce-gtx-980

 

The 980M is an older chip that draws more power (stick with the 1060 imo if you'll be using your laptop as a portable) but 980M-based laptops are cheap now thanks to the age difference. Last I checked they started ~$1000.

Edited November 1, 2017 by TheMastersSon