Need some help picking out a cheap laptop - General Discussion

#1 Posted by RainVillain (470 posts) - 4 months, 18 days ago

Hi!

I have a 15 inch Macbook Pro that I currently use for everything (making music, school, writing, some games, iTunes, videos, etc.) but I want to leave it full time in my music studio space, making it a dedicated Digital Audio Workstation and nothing else.

So I'm thinking of buying myself a small Windows laptop for my other needs: something nice and portable I can take to the library/cafe for writing and to run some games.

Unfortunately, I'm not great when it comes to comparing PC processors and graphic cards. I find it confusing. If I gave you guys some criteria would you be able to help me come up with a good laptop?

1. 500$ is the MAX.

2. 15 inch is the absolute max size, though I would be much happier with a 10-13 inch range, making it super easy to lug around in any bag.

3. Needs to run um, Word, RPG Maker and Game Maker

4. Play some games on at least "low" settings, while giving me an ok framerate on games like Civ V, FTL, Terraria, Guild Wars 2(?) etc.

5. Available for purchase in Canada. Ideally something like Canada Computers or Future Shop etc.

I've been told to stay away from the Atom chips like the plague, but beyond that, that's all I know. Any input/advice would be very appreciated.

#2 Posted by hughesman (257 posts) - 4 months, 18 days ago

@RainVillain Got this for my wife a few months back.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085H63TC/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00

At the time it was one of the only laptops I could find with a dedicated graphics card for less than 600 bucks. It does pretty well for games but, since it cheaper, it's a bit heavy and a bit larger than what your looking for i think. Maybe someone else here can prove me wrong but for around 500 dollars you not going to have a ton of options.

#3 Posted by RainVillain (470 posts) - 4 months, 18 days ago

@hughesman: thanks for the reply. I think that one is on sale at future shop/best buy right now.. the bulk is definitely a big negative for me. I would say weight/size is a bigger issue for me than playing 3D games.