Suggested Laptops

[spydermann93]

Hello everybody,

I'm wondering if anybody here has any suggestions for affordable laptops for a college student with very minimal income.

My ASUS Gamer's Republic Laptop's motherboard was cracked the other day, so I'm in search for another laptop that can at least play Freedom Force and perhaps some Heroes of Might and Magic III.

Somehow, someway, after sending my computer to the shop for what was supposed to be a charger replacement (my laptop wouldn't charge, but it otherwise ran perfectly fine) and they called me saying that somehow my computer's motherboard was cracked, despite my computer working perfectly well not just 10 hours before hand.  I do believe that the store just cracked the motherboard trying to open my laptop (after I just paid them for their services and the parts that they needed to fix my laptop) as I don't see how in the world my motherboard would have been damaged if I didn't do anything with my computer.

So, I am just wondering if anybody has any suggestions for a decent laptop.  I'm not looking for anything fancy; just something that I can play at least two of my favorite games on.

[BlueBard]

What's your budget for a laptop?

[spydermann93]

What's your budget for a laptop?

Preferably between $400-$600.

I'm not looking for anything too extravagant; just something that can handle games like Medieval II: Total War, FFvtTR, and Heroes of Might and Magic III. I'm pretty sure that many laptops nowadays will be able to handle those games, so really, I'm just looking for a reliable laptop.

I am currently using a little ACER Netbook until I can get something a bit better (I can't even run FF on it )

[BlueBard]

Got another question for you... 

Are you open to trying to run your games on Windows 8/8.1 (older games might not work),

or are you set on running Windows 7 (64-bit might not play nice with game video driver support for some games)?

Windows 8 laptops are readily available for the price range you're asking.  But Windows 8 takes some serious getting used to and it's a very different user experience from previous versions of Windows.  The transition is not an easy one even for a tech head like me, especially without a touchscreen.

Windows 7 laptops with decent specs might be a bit harder to locate and getting harder all the time.  You might have to settle for a refurbished unit.

Try looking on walmart.com and bestbuy.com, if those stores are in your area or if you're okay with an online purchase.  Dell, Lenovo, and Toshiba brands are all okay and relatively safe purchases in my opinion.  HP can be a little pricey and some models are better than others.  Acer is notorious for bad customer support -- steer clear.  In all things, read the user ratings and look for the gotchas.

My recent laptop purchase was a Dell 17" desktop replacement that I am very happy with, but the price is over your range.

[AfghanAnt]

Some of the discount places have great refurb'd laptops. You can also try tigerdirect.com, newegg.com, and even overstock.com.

[spydermann93]

@BlueBard: Yes, I am quite set on Windows 7.  I tried windows 8 before and it did not provide enough benefits to outweigh the downsides, in my personal taste.  It wasn't that it was difficult to get used to; it was the incompatibility with many of my favorite titles.

But I'll give Best Buy another look.  They sold my last laptop to me, and I loved it.  If they don't have anything, it will be off to Wal-Mart I go, haha

@Afghan Ant: Thanks, I'll try looking around on those sites