Apologies if there is an existing thread for this, couldn't find anything.
I'm looking to upgrade my laptop so I have something to play games on. Now I'm mainly talking about playing existing and older games, the kind that you can only really play on the PC - I don't need the very highest performance. I suppose the highest benchmark I'd ideally like to reach is something like Civilization VI or Cities: Skylines. I have a back catalogue of games on Steam to get through as I haven't had a decent laptop for several years.
Due to time, space and money constraints I'm going to have to stick to a laptop instead of a desktop, and I'd really like to keep it under £800 if possible. Does anyone have any suggestions, or am I asking for the impossible?
Gaming laptops
Re: Gaming laptops
I'm no expert, but the good news on this is that your requirements should be met quite easily.
I'm in the same boat, in that I use a laptop for PC-centric games, ie the strategy and builder games that are a pain to play on console, if even available. These do not require a high-end gaming machine in my experience. In fact, Stellaris can be played with an integrated graphics card, believe it or not. It is a bit of an exception though, so you do need a proper graphics card (but not a high end one by any means).
If you google 'gaming laptops under 800', you will get some good machines*. If you will be a digital-only guy (which really is the only way to go on PC unless you like collecting), then you can get rid of the DVD/readable disc as a money saver. Instead, get a SSD (256 is grand if you don't need a lot of stuff installed at any one time, 512 is better but probably not doable in that price range). Some laptops come with both a normal hard drive and the SSD you could also save money by going SSD only. And get 8GB Ram minimum, The SSD and RAM may sound like overkill but will make it up to you primarily in loading times (and turn times) for this type of game.
I can't really advise on graphics cards, but any decent mid-range one will do - just check the spec against the recommended requirements for the most recent games on your list. A laptop with a GTX 1050 *seems* to be in your range and will be really good, if not overkill. Probably it should be a 4gb graphics card, not 2gb. Someone else should really verify this paragraph as I could be bullshitting here (a little knowledge etc).
Of course, you'll probably have to compromise on something in the list above, it's always the way. Otherwise you get stuck in feature creep and end up buying something for 1200 rather than 800.
*Beware the laptops you find under 'gaming laptops' sometimes have absolutely horrible designs, mad backlit keyboards, terrible function keys, crazy logos etc, so if you have to use the laptop in public try and go for something understated
I'm in the same boat, in that I use a laptop for PC-centric games, ie the strategy and builder games that are a pain to play on console, if even available. These do not require a high-end gaming machine in my experience. In fact, Stellaris can be played with an integrated graphics card, believe it or not. It is a bit of an exception though, so you do need a proper graphics card (but not a high end one by any means).
If you google 'gaming laptops under 800', you will get some good machines*. If you will be a digital-only guy (which really is the only way to go on PC unless you like collecting), then you can get rid of the DVD/readable disc as a money saver. Instead, get a SSD (256 is grand if you don't need a lot of stuff installed at any one time, 512 is better but probably not doable in that price range). Some laptops come with both a normal hard drive and the SSD you could also save money by going SSD only. And get 8GB Ram minimum, The SSD and RAM may sound like overkill but will make it up to you primarily in loading times (and turn times) for this type of game.
I can't really advise on graphics cards, but any decent mid-range one will do - just check the spec against the recommended requirements for the most recent games on your list. A laptop with a GTX 1050 *seems* to be in your range and will be really good, if not overkill. Probably it should be a 4gb graphics card, not 2gb. Someone else should really verify this paragraph as I could be bullshitting here (a little knowledge etc).
Of course, you'll probably have to compromise on something in the list above, it's always the way. Otherwise you get stuck in feature creep and end up buying something for 1200 rather than 800.
*Beware the laptops you find under 'gaming laptops' sometimes have absolutely horrible designs, mad backlit keyboards, terrible function keys, crazy logos etc, so if you have to use the laptop in public try and go for something understated
Re: Gaming laptops
I would always recommend getting a PC over laptop but that's not always possible. eBuyer do daily and weekly laptop details that are worth watching. By waiting a month and watching eBuyer I got my dad a much better laptop than his budget originally offered via Amazon,
Just to expand on choppers post ^
SSD's are coming down in price but are still pricey, they offer a huge speed increase but at the cost of available storage. You can buy HDD caddy's that fit into the DVD-ROM drive slot of laptops allowing a second hard drive to be installed at the expense of a DVD drive. This give you options to toy with and helps keep prices down. It's normally cheaper to do this yourself, it's very easy to do. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/ssd-lapto ... 32366.html
Memory (RAM) is also one that can be upgraded for cheap and again is super easy to upgrade, don't be put off by a laptop with 4GB Ram as you can probably upgrade it for under £50. https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/
With the above said, find a laptop with a good screen, Processor, GPU and then focus on memory and hard drive configuration.
Just to expand on choppers post ^
SSD's are coming down in price but are still pricey, they offer a huge speed increase but at the cost of available storage. You can buy HDD caddy's that fit into the DVD-ROM drive slot of laptops allowing a second hard drive to be installed at the expense of a DVD drive. This give you options to toy with and helps keep prices down. It's normally cheaper to do this yourself, it's very easy to do. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/ssd-lapto ... 32366.html
Memory (RAM) is also one that can be upgraded for cheap and again is super easy to upgrade, don't be put off by a laptop with 4GB Ram as you can probably upgrade it for under £50. https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/
With the above said, find a laptop with a good screen, Processor, GPU and then focus on memory and hard drive configuration.
Re: Gaming laptops
Just an FYI - saw this offer for a sub-800 gaming laptop (with discount code) on Rock Paper Shotgun which seems decent.
You need to scroll past the 'real Dark Souls jewelry' bit o_O )
You need to scroll past the 'real Dark Souls jewelry' bit o_O )
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kintaris
Re: Gaming laptops
Thanks Chopper!
Went down a bit of a rabbit hole from that link and ended up here. Seems to cover a lot of bases, including room for RAM expansion. I can't find many reviews on this specific model at all, but I know Asus are generally considered a decent brand for my price range.
http://www.ebuyer.com/791536-asus-zx553 ... 3vd-dm968t
Went down a bit of a rabbit hole from that link and ended up here. Seems to cover a lot of bases, including room for RAM expansion. I can't find many reviews on this specific model at all, but I know Asus are generally considered a decent brand for my price range.
http://www.ebuyer.com/791536-asus-zx553 ... 3vd-dm968t
Re: Gaming laptops
ASUS are a great brand; I would have bought my last two laptops off them but the UK store won't sell to Ireland.
Unless I'm missing something, the graphics card is mentioned at the top but not in the specifications at the very bottom. Odd.
The one I linked is a bit more of a beast, I think, but this looks good to me. Only thing is 2.3ghz processing speed; I think that'd fine (I have 2.6 at the moment) but would be worth checking on how that is.
Unless I'm missing something, the graphics card is mentioned at the top but not in the specifications at the very bottom. Odd.
The one I linked is a bit more of a beast, I think, but this looks good to me. Only thing is 2.3ghz processing speed; I think that'd fine (I have 2.6 at the moment) but would be worth checking on how that is.
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kintaris
Re: Gaming laptops
Well, I finally bit the bullet and ended up going for an MSI very similar to the one Chopper posted. Looking good so far.
Downloaded Steam again for the first time in several years, instantly increased my backlog by 200.
I've also picked up a decent podcasting mic and I'm hopefully going to get myself back into audio design after giving up for about a decade. Exciting times! Thanks for the help guys!
Downloaded Steam again for the first time in several years, instantly increased my backlog by 200.
I've also picked up a decent podcasting mic and I'm hopefully going to get myself back into audio design after giving up for about a decade. Exciting times! Thanks for the help guys!