What should I be looking for while laptop shopping?

[Ryzen95]

Hi all,

 

I recently lost my custom built PC in a house fire and am in the market for a new computer. Due to my current living situation, I'd really prefer a laptop as I don't currently have much extra space for a dedicated desktop setup. I'd like to keep the budget in the $500-$800 range (USD) but would be willing to pay up to $1,000 for the right deal. I mostly play games like Minecraft, Sims 3 (because Sims 4 kind of sucks IMO) and older titles I grew up playing. I'd like to be able to play Minecraft at full settings with a different resource pack, possibly shaders, and Sims 3 at full settings. I just want them to look their best and run well (60 fps). Not picky about battery life as I will probably be running on wall power most of the time.  What components should I be focusing on for the best performance? Not sure if Minecraft is GPU intensive or more dependent on the CPU. My old gaming rig only had an overclocked G3258, 8GB of RAM and a GTX960 given to me by a friend and it ran everything I asked of it perfectly. Bonus points for things like backlit keyboard, 1080p screen, and good looks. But of course performance comes first. Thanks for all your help, and I hope everyone has a great day!

[Aidanlockett1]

if your thinking about a powerful comeputer for that price and if its really just a space issure then make a super comact pc?

[Mira Yurizaki]

The only laptop I can see that can almost match your gaming rig, meet your requirements, and maybe might not offend your tastes is the base model Dell Inspiron 15 7567. Or if you can find it, the Inspiron 15 7559.

[LienusLateTips]

Perhaps not the best for the price, and is at the top end of your budget, but here:

http://www.frys.com/product/9076707?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[Zondaa]

Minecraft tends to be more CPU intensive than gpu, if you're trying to look for a decent laptop that will play those titles then make sure it has a relatively new generation cpu and also a discrete gpu.

[Ryzen95]

6 minutes ago, Aidanlockett1 said:

if your thinking about a powerful comeputer for that price and if its really just a space issure then make a super comact pc?

That was something else I thought about. Unfortunately don't have much free time to do another built ATM as I've been working lots of OT and tend to sleep most of the day away (I work nights). I'd really like to just find the best option for me and go buy it from the store if possible.

[Ryzen95]

6 minutes ago, JDE said:

Perhaps not the best for the price, and is at the top end of your budget, but here:

http://www.frys.com/product/9076707?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I like that one a lot. Definitely at the top of my budget but it seems like it'd be worth it. 

[Ryzen95]

7 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

The only laptop I can see that can almost match your gaming rig, meet your requirements, and maybe might not offend your tastes is the base model Dell Inspiron 15 7567. Or if you can find it, the Inspiron 15 7559.

Not bad at all! My favorite so far

[Zondaa]

12 minutes ago, Ryzen95 said:

Not bad at all! My favorite so far

got something:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Gaming-GeForce-VX5-591G-75RM/dp/B01N12YZ7B/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1492207430&sr=1-2&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_36%3A2421890011%2Cp_85%3A2470955011

[Zondaa]

I don't really know other US etailers where you could find a good deal as i'm from the UK but i know amazon is probably the best place to check.

 

Found another laptop, is 100 dollars more and certified refurbished but look at those specs!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-G752VT-TH71-Generation-Dedicated-Refurbished/dp/B06XNSR7X8/ref=sr_1_40?s=pc&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1492207709&sr=1-40&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_36%3A100000-110000%2Cp_85%3A2470955011

[JFischer00]

24 minutes ago, Ryzen95 said:

- SNIP -

There have been multiple options in that price range released recently. Most have either i7-7700HQ or i5-7300HQ, GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti, 8GB or 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD or a 1TB HDD.

 

Some of the options:

Lenovo Legion Y520

Dell Inspiron 7567

Acer Aspire VX 15

Gigabyte Sabre 15

HP Omen 15 (2017 edition)

 

I would check out individual reviews for all of them or you could start with this video which compares a few of them.

 

 

[Mira Yurizaki]

46 minutes ago, Ryzen95 said:

Not bad at all! My favorite so far

The one thing I'm curious about, because reviewers have pointed it out, is that the 15 7567 gets 9-10 hours of battery life surfing the web. Everyone else in this category of laptops seems to struggle getting 5 on the same test.

[Pendragon]

the best pure value including second hand would be the GL502 970m one. It has a 6 hour battery life, doesn't overheat. The only good GL502 and is cheap because it's a 970m (which OCed is like a 1050ti)

[Ryzen95]

Think I'm going to go with the base model Inspiron 7000 Gaming. Quad core i5, 8gb of RAM, GTX 1050, backlit keyboard, full HD screen... Exactly what I was looking for. I'll likely post a review after I get it and have had a chance to use it some. Thanks to everyone for your responses!

[Pendragon]

1 hour ago, Ryzen95 said:

full HD screen

plz note that the stock screen is fucking terrible. BUT, it's easily replaced if you choose to purchase a panel yourself. 

[Ryzen95]

7 hours ago, Pendragon said:

plz note that the stock screen is fucking terrible. BUT, it's easily replaced if you choose to purchase a panel yourself. 

I believe you, but what's bad about it?