First Time Looking into Buying a Laptop - Please Help!

[MeesterJackson]

Hey so I'm getting a Laptop soon because I think having one for college would be great as I'd like to do work on the bus and etc. 

 

However i'm also a gamer and I also do video recording and editing. 

 

I don't need this Laptop to be heavily based around gaming, I'd like it to be an all around machine. Though if I could give percentages, I'd say I'd like the specs to be 45% about gaming and 45% for video editing and rendering and 10% for college work (I know the last thing isn't going to require any power from the specs at all as most of my work can be simply done on the internet. 

 

My budget is 800 dollars, however if the computer that is picked for me is under 50 dollars more (not including tax, meaning 850 dollars is the retail price) then I GUESS that works as well. 

 

My favorite brands are ASUS, MSI, I kind of trust Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Gigabyte, PNY and I don't mind Lenovo's too much (although I hear they offer cheap for really great Laptop specs).

 

Please help soon as I will be buying a new Laptop (most likely) tomorrow on Monday. 

 

I know a lot about desktops, I know the specs of Laptops are generally the same as desktops in terms of a CPU's or GPU's naming however the power is roughly cut in half for the Laptop version (for example the GTX 770 mobile version is most likely 20% - 45% less powerful than the actual desktop version) just saying this as I DO have knowledge of computers, just not TOO much on Laptops. 

 

I'm pretty much asking for recommendations. I've looked around a tad, but I'd like to know what you guys would choose. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to help.

 

EDIT: IF THE LAPTOP CAN RUN MOST GAMES AT MEDIUM SETTINGS FOR GAMES I AM FINE WITH THIS. THE GPU DOESN'T HAVE TO BE INSANELY POWERFUL, JUST SOMETHING THAT CAN RUN GAMES AT MEDIUM SETTINGS WITH AT LEAST OVER 30FPS. 

[Single Infinity]

If you already have a gaming desktop I recommend just getting the cheapest netbook you can find for portable work. If not, it's quite hard to find anything running more than integrated graphics for ~800 dollars. You may either want to stick to a desktop for gaming, and get a cheap netbook for school, or raise your budget a bit(1100 dollars seems to be a better spot) for a laptop with a discreet graphics card.

[MeesterJackson]

If you already have a gaming desktop I recommend just getting the cheapest netbook you can find for portable work. If not, it's quite hard to find anything running more than integrated graphics for ~800 dollars. You may either want to stick to a desktop for gaming, and get a cheap netbook for school, or raise your budget a bit(1100 dollars seems to be a better spot) for a laptop with a discreet graphics card.

Hmm...you have a bit of a point. Though I don't have a gaming desktop. I'll be making one later at some point. If it can play games at a decent FPS (meaning running at least at 30FPS, with medium settings at most) I'd be happy with it. 

[TheEpicCanadian]

Here you go: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231096

 

EDIT: Sorry, forgot you are in NY, here's a pretty sweet deal: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313742

[sumedh_vsk]

Hi,

Just this morning i had started a topic on laptops. someone suggested that i use the filters on newegg site to narrow down the options. it did help me . i am sure it would help you too.,.

 

I have set the price point as 725 to 850 dollars.. you would get a rough idea as to what configuration you can expect from a 850 dollar laptop.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740&IsNodeId=1&Description=laptop&PriceMin=725&PriceMax=850

[qwertywarrior]

i recommend high quality laptops over cheap powerful laptops because most ofthem end up having heating issues among other things

 

go with the Lenovo Y510p

it will be the best purchase ever

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/

 

i would really recommend waiting for the new 860m maxwell GPUs

[sumedh_vsk]

Yes, qwertywarrior is correct + lenovo laptops are robust and last long especially their hinges. I have got two Lenovo laptops are they are working perfectly fine.

 

Lenovo Y510p would be a very good buy.. keep this on top of your list.

[MeesterJackson]

Yes, qwertywarrior is correct + lenovo laptops are robust and last long especially their hinges. I have got two Lenovo laptops are they are working perfectly fine.

 

Lenovo Y510p would be a very good buy.. keep this on top of your list.

I heard it gets pretty hot. 

[Single Infinity]

Thre Lenovo Y510p looks like what you might want, although I counted it out because it's 850 before tax. If you can stretch that it might be better, but most people as well as myself would recommend grabbing a netbook or tablet and getting more cash for a desktop later. The horrid downside to laptops is their huge price for lucklaster performance and lack of upgradability. If you can deal with that the Y510p would be a good choice, maybe grab an external fan pad for it as well at some point.

[MeesterJackson]

Thre Lenovo Y510p looks like what you might want, although I counted it out because it's 850 before tax. If you can stretch that it might be better, but most people as well as myself would recommend grabbing a netbook or tablet and getting more cash for a desktop later. The horrid downside to laptops is their huge price for lucklaster performance and lack of upgradability. If you can deal with that the Y510p would be a good choice, maybe grab an external fan pad for it as well at some point.

I don't mind my desktop right now, I think I might stick a 750 Ti in it or 760. Depends. I'm not TOO big on PC gaming, though I love the benefits of it. I'm thinking of maybe lowering down to a 700 dollar Laptop. 

[sumedh_vsk]

I heard it gets pretty hot. 

oh ... i didnt know that..

[MeesterJackson]

oh ... i didnt know that..

Some say that just adding a cooling mat fixes it though. 

[Xquisite]

$800 for a Laptop meant to Game & Render is just not enough you will need to "up" your budget to atleast $1000.