Help me find a new laptop

[Ravenpoe]

My laptop finally died, so it's time to get a new one. I don't want to say I'm looking for a gaming laptop, because when you put gaming in the title of something, it's typically a way to charge more for inferior hardware in the hopes that people don't know any better. But I do mostly use this thing for lighter/older games, game streaming from a more powerful pc, and multimedia. You know, basic laptop use.


My budget is preferably around or under $600. Dedicated gpu is a must (nvidia is preferred, but I don't turn away from radeon if the deal is good enough), 8GB of ram or more is required, and of course the faster the cpu the better. Here is what I'm currently looking at, I'm wondering if anyone has any comments, or have found any better deals elsewhere.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315926

 

[strawman]

I think that’s a pretty good choice. The next step up would give you a 1050 for $200 more, then. 1060 for $400 more.

The 950 is right in the sweet spot for games right now, and while you’ll have to turn down graphics features for AAA titles a few years from now, it’ll still play them well, and it play most of today’s titles with nearly all setting son high for its 1080p display.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I think that’s a pretty good choice. The next step up would give you a 1050 for $200 more, then. 1060 for $400 more.

The 950 is right in the sweet spot for games right now, and while you’ll have to turn down graphics features for AAA titles a few years from now, it’ll still play them well, and it play most of today’s titles with nearly all setting son high for its 1080p display.

Those are all pretty much the reasons I took notice of this one. The other option I'm considering is this, which is a little more than I was looking to spend, but swaps out the 950 for a 1050, and while it doesn't come with an SSD, does come with a quad core cpu over a dual core.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAC4Z6KE3135

That sale price is hard to pass up. Damn their effective marketing.

 

[strawman]

I choose quad core for my personal stuff because I have a million tabs open along with 5-20 programs depending on what I’m doing and a second or third monitor.

The extra video memory comes in handy in that setup as well.

The 1050 isn’t a huge jump from the 950, though. Maybe worthwhile.

The ssd is tricky. You can’t easily change the video card, but you can generally change the ssd and memory (double check to be sure). So all else being equal for my purposes I’d choose the machine with the better processor and video card, and stat saving for an ssd and more memory later.

But that does cost more now, and unles you’re really going to use the processor you’d probably be fine with a 1050 and a dual core machine, for instance. The 1050 should also upgrade you to 3GB of video ram, which means less time loading resources in video games, and better video options for port connections. Pay attention to which ones have hdmi or thunderbolt or usb 3 or usb C. Depending on your needs that might also play into your decision.

 

[PatrThom]

you can generally change the ssd and memory (double check to be sure). So all else being equal for my purposes I’d choose the machine with the better processor and video card, and stat saving for an ssd and more memory later.

THIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS...

Buy the best engine and transmission you can get now, worry about tires and aspiration later.

...or if you hurry (seriously, it says there are only 2hrs left in the sale), you can pick up one of these for $599:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-000X-00S56

I have no idea about the reliability or anything else, but given your requirements the specs look REAL NICE.

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

All the way back to my days in high school working at Best Buy, I've been leery of Acer products. They're cheaper, but that's because they're cheaper, if you understand my meaning. The only product I was less enthused about was Packard Bell, for reasons I'm sure I don't have to explain to anybody who recognizes the name.

That said, I do have an Acer 28 inch monitor on my desk at work that has served me well for years.

But that aside, I've had good luck with Asus laptops (I've owned one for about 7 years now and it's still working). So, if I was going to try to replace it in the neighborhood of $600 today, I'd probably end up going with this one.

Amazon product[DOUBLEPOST=1514307477,1514307428][/DOUBLEPOST]Ha ha fuck that (and disregard that I etc etc), get the one Patrthom posted on Newegg! Acer or not, it's got a 1050 gpu! And the $599 sale seems to be over but it is still just $617.

 

[PatrThom]

The “sale”price was only $20 off? Sheesh.

—Patrick