Advice on a relatively cheap new laptop

[Gucumatz]

I don't do any particularly excessive gaming on my laptop so its relatively never been much of a problem, I just want to upgrade my laptop as it is getting to be several years old at this point.

As I don't use too much with my PC and Civ 5 currently the most intensive game I play on my existing laptop, I am curious if you all have any advice for a laptop under say under $480?

I only need a computer that is able to handle my most intensive game and survive a few years.

So I am currently looking at 3 laptops, that I can get around ~$400 at Staples and want your advice on what is the best one in your opinion and your opinion on the video card drives since I am just getting informed now on some of them.
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http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-L875D-S7332-173-Laptop/product_984633?externalize=certona

Currently this ^ is the one I am leaning to 6 GB RAM
AMD A6-4400M Accelerated 2.7GHz up to 3.2GHz with AMD Turbo Core Technology 3.0 1MB L2 Cache Processor
AMD Radeon HD 7520G - Shared Memory

The other 2 are also 6 gigs of RAM laptops:
http://www.staples.com/Toshiba-C855-S5350-156-Laptop/product_984635
($350)

and

http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-...oduct_132506?externalize=certona#revs_content
($450)

Not the most knowledgeable when it comes to PCs, particularly laptops, so any help/advice would be appreciated

 

[tokala]

If Civ5 runs on your current laptop, there's probably not much point to get a new one one that budget.


What are the specs of your current laptop?


You will probably need about $600 to have a chance for a decent CPU and a not-absolutely-crappy graphics "card".

 

[Gucumatz]

What would you recommend at around 600 then? I personally use a desktop more often, but when I am travelling I use a pretty old laptop atm - that surprisingly was able to handle Civ 5 so I didn't bother replacing it (only has 64 MB dedicated Video memory, 3 GB RAM, etc.)

It works and I prefer to be frugal when possible. I bought my current one on a sale like 4-5 years ago for about $200 - graphics don't have to be optimum to me

 

[tokala]

Something with an intel CPU and a dedicated graphics chips better than absolute entry-level.

E.g.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834256813

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314016

 

[Gucumatz]

Hmm... well I have kept looking, I like this PC here:

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V...dnight/dp/B00AYT8H3Y/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

$510, 6GB RAM and 2GB dedicated Video Memory. Your opinion of it?

 

[Mr.WorldWide]

Decent offering for price and quite a step up over your old laptop graphics wise.

 

[Gucumatz]

15.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LED-backlit Display: (1366 x 768) resolution; 16:9 aspect ratio
AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M Accelerated Processor 2.3GHzwith TurboCORE Technology up to 3.4GHz (4MB L2 Cache)
Windows 8
AMD Radeon™ HD 7660G + 7670M Dual Graphicswith 2GB of dedicated DDR3 VRAM
6GB DDR3 Memory
750GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Bluetooth® 4.0+HS
1.3MP HD Webcam(1280 x 1024)
Optimized Dolby® Home Theater® v4 audio enhancement
Two Built-in stereo speakers
2- USB 2.0 Ports
1- USB 3.0 Port
1- HDMI™ Portwith HDCP Support
6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (4400mAh)
Up to 5-hours battery life
5.74 lbs. | 2.6kg <\strong>system unit

I think I have decided on this one, thanks for the advice as well guys , the Staples PCs I was looking at were cheaper but perhaps not as strong as this one and for still a good price. The question is this though, I see there is debate on the video card. Some say the AMD Radeon&#8482; HD 7660G + 7670M Dual Graphicswith 2GB of dedicated DDR3 VRAM is better, but others say the HD 7660G (Non dual card) is better. Could someone explain why either would be better. I found the 7660G for slightly more on Newegg and would like to know if its actually better and if so I might pay a few more dollars then for it than the 7660G + 7670M dual

 

[Zelig]

1366x768

 

[tokala]

The question is this though, I see there is debate on the video card. Some say the AMD Radeon™ HD 7660G + 7670M Dual Graphicswith 2GB of dedicated DDR3 VRAM is better, but others say the HD 7660G (Non dual card) is better. Could someone explain why either would be better. I found the 7660G for slightly more on Newegg and would like to know if its actually better and if so I might pay a few more dollars then for it than the 7660G + 7670M dual

In theory the dual graphics should be faster, and it usually is putting out more frames per second.
But you will get all kinds of trouble with a dual gpu setup, and those extra fps sometimes do not actually feel faster than a single GPU (micro stuttering).

I would recommend to look for a version with the 7660G only.
It should be cheaper though, not more expensive.

You should be able to disable the 7670m if the dual graphics gives you trouble, so that $500 Acer looks more attractive than a more expensive model with only the 7660G IGP

 

[Zelig]

I absolutely would not consider discrete graphics on any laptop under $1k, you're getting marginally faster graphics in exchange for awful hard disk speeds and screen quality.

 

[Mr.WorldWide]

Have integrated graphics really caught up that much in these past few years that they are on par with discrete?

I'll agree though, 1366x768 is quite a low resolution, even on a 15" display.

 

[tokala]

Have integrated graphics really caught up that much in these past few years that they are on par with discrete?

The best integrated graphics surpasses entry level discrete chips, yes.

 

[Zelig]

Have integrated graphics really caught up that much in these past few years that they are on par with discrete?

Even if they don't, unless your laptop is pretty much exclusively for gaming, the trade-off in getting better graphics isn't worth it, you get worse performance for anything on the desktop, a lower-quality screen and a heavier/thicker laptop that heats up more during its shorter battery life.

 

[Iranon]

AMD generally trails Intel in terms of CPU performance and efficiency, but their processors are priced aggressively and have relatively powerful integrated graphics. If you decide on one, check the speed of the RAM (which can usually be ignored, but in this case graphics performance depends on it).
What surprises me a little is that there are rather few AMD-powered laptops above 13" without a discrete graphics card.

If you get a well-specced laptop and it's not a dedicated (and probably expensive by your budget) gaming rig, you need to consider whether you're likely to actually get to enjoy the performance advantage. Noise, heat and possibly throttling could ruin your fun.

 

[Zelig]

I actually just put together an A10-6800K system this morning, and am fairly impressed by the performance for the price.

But yeah, not really helpful for a laptop buyer...

 

[Gucumatz]

So I ended up buying the Acer laptop and nearly immediately its been having problems. It plays civ on the highest settings without any problems or overheating so in that regard its fine. However, will occasionally reboot itself and freeze up.

Sometimes it reboots itself multiple times and its even blue screened once. I am guessing something is wrong with OS. I read several other people have had these problems with Acer. I guess I have to reformat the damned thing?

Any idea why it might be restarting on its own as its only about a week old now

 

[Zelig]

It's probably not an OS problem.

Boot from a usb stick and run memtest86+ overnight. If that's good, run a Prime95 torture test on the maximum heat generating setting overnight. If that's good, start thinking of software problems.

Edit: Actually, you just bought this, it's not your problem, bring it back to the store and make them give you a working one.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Yeah dude, take it back. You got a lemon.

 

[Gucumatz]

So I reformatted it still had problems (and even more problems too... like IRQL not equal, crashes, command registry coming on the computer and then freezing, etc.)

Yea I ended up just returning and asking for a replacement. Hopefully 2.0 will work better

 

[Zelig]

In my experience IRQL errors are 90% faulty RAM.