I don't want to go above $600. I also need to know some specs; I play a lot of games, but usually stuff like Civ, Crusader Kings II, or Total War. Nothing insanely CPU-heavy. Do the brand and version matter, too? Which venue should I buy it through: a store like Best Buy or Walmart, or online?
How should I go about getting a laptop?
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Synobun
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Good luck getting a laptop that will run any of those games well* for less than $600. Buying it in-store would need to be a mighty fine deal for it to be worth it.
You can probably get a refurbished laptop from Newegg or Amazon. The retail price of these is often around the $1000 mark but gets sold for $400-600 because the packaging was messed up or someone bought it and didn't like it. It's "used" in most circumstances, but approved for resale.
I'd say brand matters, but I'm a bit uneducated and biased. I hate Lenovo and HP laptops, but they both might be pretty great if you get a certain model.
Edit:
*: My laptop cost me $700 and it can run CK2 if everything is disabled (literally everything, no rivers, no water, no trees, no cities, low resolution, etc) with lag (unplayable with the new DLC), it can run Civ V on the lowest settings and low resolution semi-okay on sizes below Standard, and it can barely run Rome: Total War, let alone Empire, Napoleon, Shogun 2, Rome 2, etc.
You can probably get a refurbished laptop from Newegg or Amazon. The retail price of these is often around the $1000 mark but gets sold for $400-600 because the packaging was messed up or someone bought it and didn't like it. It's "used" in most circumstances, but approved for resale.
I'd say brand matters, but I'm a bit uneducated and biased. I hate Lenovo and HP laptops, but they both might be pretty great if you get a certain model.
Edit:
*: My laptop cost me $700 and it can run CK2 if everything is disabled (literally everything, no rivers, no water, no trees, no cities, low resolution, etc) with lag (unplayable with the new DLC), it can run Civ V on the lowest settings and low resolution semi-okay on sizes below Standard, and it can barely run Rome: Total War, let alone Empire, Napoleon, Shogun 2, Rome 2, etc.
My previous laptop (which I don't know the specs of) came from a pawn shop; it was ancient but it could play even Europa Barbarorum decently.
cybrxkhan
Asian Xwedodah
$600 might get you a decent desktop (maybe, with luck, even a somewhat high end one), but a laptop, I doubt - or, perhaps, I'd say you'll have to do a lot of searching. It's probably easier if it's an old one, but the problem with old ones ( both the laptops I've had in my life were used ones - the first was a hand me down of a hand me down, and my current is a hand me down) is, of course, they may have some issues to begin with, and they'll probably deteriorate faster.
Remember that though CKII's requirements are fairly lenient it is still fairly demanding compared to previous PI games. It does need a lot more power too because it has to deal with a crapton of characters, in contrast with other PI games that deal with a much smaller number of states.
Remember that though CKII's requirements are fairly lenient it is still fairly demanding compared to previous PI games. It does need a lot more power too because it has to deal with a crapton of characters, in contrast with other PI games that deal with a much smaller number of states.
Zack
99% hot gas
My old laptop, which was roughly the same price, played CKII fine. It could play Civ 5 at low settings and older Civ games without a problem. Never tried Total War.
That said, there are no gaming laptops for $600. This is the cheapest I could find after looking for a few minutes, and it's $700. If you're not too picky about playing on higher settings, something with integrated graphics could work and still be in your given price range.
Those games are all CPU-heavy.
That said, there are no gaming laptops for $600. This is the cheapest I could find after looking for a few minutes, and it's $700. If you're not too picky about playing on higher settings, something with integrated graphics could work and still be in your given price range.
Those games are all CPU-heavy.
I can play Civ5 decently with a refurbished laptop I bought at MicroCenter for about 500 bucks, but I couldn't really handle any of those other games. It runs retro games just fine though.
At that price point, I feel like you may be better off with a desktop?
At that price point, I feel like you may be better off with a desktop?
tokala
Emperor
Something like this will probably be about the best you can get specs-wise, given the budget:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314383
intel dual-core and a R7 M265 (a notch above the GT820m)
ywhtptgtfo
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CKII with the Raja of India expansion will require a much strong computer to run smoothly. $600 will not cut it unless you have a generous owner selling a high-end laptop at a huge loss. Aim for $800 instead...
Also, laptops are not great for high powered games due to heating issues.
Also, laptops are not great for high powered games due to heating issues.
600 dollars? Go for a desktop and build it yourself. It will last twice and long and be twice as strong as any laptop.
EDIT: Czech out the 600 dollar tier on this website, seems like a pretty good build that can easily be reduced in price.
EDIT: Czech out the 600 dollar tier on this website, seems like a pretty good build that can easily be reduced in price.
hobbsyoyo
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Yeah, you could build a pretty decent desktop yourself for $600 if you don't mind the loss of mobility. And if you can scrounge components from older desktops (keyboard, monitors, mice, power supplies, DVD player, the computer case itself, etc) then you can spend even more of your budget on a better GPU/CPU/Hard drive.
"Czech," sure. I have no idea how to build anything. A desktop is not an option for me.
What specs should I be looking at? What are some minimum requirements? My problems would be solved with an answer.
tokala
Emperor
Ummmh, I thought you specified your requirements in the initial post?
"Entry-level gaming laptop" would be the thing that fits those, and it's not like you will get much of a choice with that budget.
or some other dedicated card in that performance class is what you will have to look for.
For some comparisons, you might look here:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-R7-M265.109394.0.html
A top-of-the-line AMD CPU might be another option, those have decent integrated graphics these days, but might be even harder to find on $600 than intel machines with dedicated graphics.
On older games an AMD mobile CPU might be markedly slower than even an ULV intel CPU, though.
Everything else is almost irrelevant, as it will either bust the budget (SSD, better display, lightweight, long battery time) or is nowadays standard even with very cheap laptops (like sufficient main memory, hard disk space and connectivity).
Do you need an internal optical drive? Not all modern laptops have one.
Zack
99% hot gas
People already gave you links to some laptops.
Something like this is probably fine. The games you listed are more CPU-intensive than GPU-intensive, so I'd focus more on getting a good CPU. Also, there are tons of "Civ" and "Total War" games, so something more specific would be nice. There's a huge difference in requirements between Rome Total War II and Shogun II. Look here for graphic cards comparisons.
You could also do your own research instead of whining about the people who are doing it for you.
Something like this is probably fine. The games you listed are more CPU-intensive than GPU-intensive, so I'd focus more on getting a good CPU. Also, there are tons of "Civ" and "Total War" games, so something more specific would be nice. There's a huge difference in requirements between Rome Total War II and Shogun II. Look here for graphic cards comparisons.
You could also do your own research instead of whining about the people who are doing it for you.
hobbsyoyo
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What specs should I be looking at? What are some minimum requirements? My problems would be solved with an answer.
Hey, seriously, building a desktop is much easier than you think. Everything is plug and play. You just make sure the parts work together (there are lists and specifications or you could ask us) then you literally plug it all together and voila, new computer. You would be able to get a much, much nicer and more powerful desktop at $600 than you could hope for in a laptop, even refurbished.
At least look into or watch a youtube video. I had no idea how to build one myself but after like 2 days of looking it up online, I ordered the parts and build one, no problem.
Synobun
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Hobbs is right. Building a PC today is easier than it ever has been. I don't even think there are many parts left that still involve sensitive pin work and careful assembly. A desktop is the best shot at playing the games you want to play comfortably... at your budget. A laptop will be hit or miss.
tokala
Emperor
That's an ULV CPU, where the GPU is noticable slower than on the higher powered models, and it has to share its (small) thermal budget with the CPU, which might get you into really bad performance in games that need CPU as well as GPU power.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
Anyone care to recommend a gaming laptop with good heat dissipation? It's a bit hard to search for laptops with the latter, since it seems experience is the best measurement of it.
Synobun
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None. Laptops reaaaally aren't built for being heat efficient. You could get a really good laptop cooler, ensure there's some space on all sides of the laptop (even the bottom), get one with specs so high that it never strains except on the big games... But you'll never get a heaven situation with a CPU that never goes above 60 like with a PC.
