Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 136570 2014-03-17 06:11:00 The cost of living... Filthygamer (16897) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1370452 2014-03-17 06:11:00 I don't know whether to post here or in the 'off topic' section, but I need a new gaming laptop.

You've probably heard the story before, but I'm that kid who has a budget of about $1000 (maybe $1200 max) and wants a new laptop that will let me run games like Watch Dogs at at least normal settings. I looked at this (www.amazon.com), and thought it was pretty damn good, until I realised that when I added the cost of getting it to NZ plus customs, it simply wasn't worth it. Has anyone got any suggestions for a good laptop for my budget? Is it even possible at that price point? Or am I better off getting a small desktop like this (www.mightyape.co.nz) and getting a small netbook or chromebook for everyday use?

Thanks in advance.
Filthygamer (16897)
1370453 2014-03-17 06:56:00 Does it *have* to be a laptop? Because you will get a much better deal if you build a desktop. Agent_24 (57)
1370454 2014-03-17 07:04:00 Having been in the market for a new laptop recently I did a fair bit of research, and you'll be struggling to get anything decent in your budget. Greg (193)
1370455 2014-03-17 07:06:00 No it doesn't and yeah that's what I've been thinking myself. But I don't know much about building computers and the like (although Google fixes everything :D) and I'm definitely not overly knowledgeable when it comes to hardware. Have you got any suggestions for parts/build guides?

Thanks!

(This is a reply to Agent_24)
Filthygamer (16897)
1370456 2014-03-17 07:07:00 Having been in the market for a new laptop recently I did a fair bit of research, and you'll be struggling to get anything decent in your budget.

Hopefully one day I'll win Lotto then :D
Filthygamer (16897)
1370457 2014-03-17 18:07:00 Desktops usually game better than a laptop you can buy for the same price, the main difference from a gaming perspective is the graphics hardware although the CPU tends to be weaker also.
When you factor in a screen and keyboard/mouse the difference may not be all that great though price wise.

A desktop with a quad core and a GTX 750 or 750Ti or better would be an entry level gamer in the desktop world but would run rings around all but the hugely expensive high end gaming laptops ($3K upwards).
Having said that a laptop with a reasonable CPU and the GT750M like the one you linked will game ok on less demanding & older titles and may be ok for some newer games on lower settings. If you can find one in your price range with a better graphics chip it'd be preferable.
dugimodo (138)
1370458 2014-03-17 20:54:00 This is probably as close as you can get in NZ in that price range: pricespy.co.nz Note that it is 17", has a lower res screen and is running an i5 not an i7 (only a dualcore). The 8750m seems to be comparible to the 750m (slightly worse for the most part), the cheapest laptop I could find with a 750m was $1699 so I figured that was out of the question.

Personally I'd just learn how to build a desktop, would be much better value.
icow (15313)
1370459 2014-03-17 20:56:00 Have you got any suggestions for parts/build guides?


My advice, buy everything from the same supplier. It will make things so much easier if something doesnt work & you dont know what part is faulty.
Ask the shop if all the parts are compatable .
Check warranty the shop gives, many parts have 3year but some shops only give 1year on those parts
Get a descent Power supply, ie not a $30 one or a crap one that comes with a $50 case .

You may be able to get a better deal if you buy a pre-assembled gaming PC .

Or think about buying used, as you still have to get a Monitor, that cuts into the PC budget.
1101 (13337)
1370460 2014-03-19 07:48:00 Cool thanks everyone for your replies. icow brings up a good point - is the trade off in screen resolution worth it if it's cheap enough? As in, I found some refurbished laptops with half decent specs but they have 1366 x 768 screens (15 inch). At the moment I'm using a 15 inch Full HD screen (1920 x 1080). Will it make much of a difference?

Also, has anyone bought refurbished? Are there any disadvantages?
Filthygamer (16897)
1370461 2014-03-19 09:50:00 I wouldn't purchase any laptop with a 1366x768 screen, it's not a proper aspect ratio so nothing scales properly on it. Stuff like games will look ok at native resolutions but if you try and run anything below 1366x768 the image will be stretched and distorted. As for a visual difference between 1920x1080 and 1366x768 I can't say anything, most resolutions under 1600x900 look bad to me (my laptop has a 2560x1440 screen) I will say that because 1366x768 screens tend to be cheaper TN panels it's likely that the colour accuracy isn't going to be the greatest. icow (15313)
1 2 3