Would this be a satisfactory laptop for gaming?

[yettyman]

Hello I am currently thinking about getting a laptop that I will take with me to school.
I have a decent desktop right now but I might give it to my parents since their computer just died on them.

I don't want to spend too much which I know that is a paradox when talking about gaming laptops.
I customized this on HP's website and it came in at ~$750

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-480M Dual Core Processor (2.66GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
Graphics card 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6470M DDR3 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
Memory 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Primary battery 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 4.25 hours of battery life +++
Display 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
Primary optical drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Networking 802.11b/g/n WLAN
Keyboard Standard Keyboard

So you have an idea of what I am coming from my old computer.
Windows 7
Intel core 2 quad 2.66ghz
4gb ddr 3 ram
ati radeon 4650 HD
640GB Hard drive
(also built by HP)

I know the laptop is decent as far as the processor but I have no clue about laptop graphics cards. Would it be able to run games at low-med settings at good framerate?

Also I like to have a second monitor for watching streams/netflix while doing work or playing on my computer, would the laptop be able to handle this.

I think I got all necessary information down. Let me know if not.
Thanks in advance.

 

[WR2]

Hello yettyman;

The CPU is pretty good but that HD 6470 isn't going to thrill you in any gaming.
HD 6470 review

Usually we call a Radeon Mobility HD 5650 the 'floor' for a gaming laptop GPU. This is well below that in performance.

Let me see what else is out there in your budget range.

 

[WR2]

Acer Aspire AS5742G-6600 Notebook $700
Core i5 480M(2.66GHz) 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/GeForce GT 540M 4GB RAM 500GB HDD. It's an Optimus GPU which means it will shut itself down when not needed to save battery power and use the i5 480M's integrated GPU.

GeForce GT 540M If you look at the long list of mobile GPUs listed along side the review you'll find the HD 6470 at the top of the 'Class 3' GPUs and the GT 540M in the top half of 'Class 2' just above the Radeon Mobility HD 5730.

 

[WR2]

Here is a review for the Acer Aspire 5742G Notebook (GT 540M)

A performance chart showing the relative performance of the GT 540M vs HD 6470.
Where no FPS are shown the performance is estimated based on other benchmark tests. Results vary quite a bit since not all testing had the same CPU, etc,.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[vvhocare5]

Yeah, but an Acer.....?

 

[yettyman]

Thank you for all the info WR2. The Acer does sound like the best solution so far. However it seems the difference between my current desktop will be very noticeable.

After looking over those charts and reading the reviews on the acer I may just end up keeping my own desktop and get my parents a new computer.
I wanted to have the mobility of a laptop but the loss and performance does not seem worth it.

@vvhocare5: I don't know that much about laptops. Do Acer's have a bad rep or something?

 

[WR2]

Want to talk about a laptop for your parents?

 

[yettyman]

Truthfully a laptop for my parents would be easy. They only would use it for the internet so I would just get them a $300-400 dollar one.

The only reason I am thinking of getting a new good one for myself is because I am going away and it would be easier to take to classes and to friends houses.

If you have any brands that you think are reliable that will be helpful though. As you can probably tell I am kind of a fan of HP but I am open to suggestions.

 

[WR2]

What I like:
Not yet avaiable but on the way for ~$750 Sager NP5160 notebook
Core i5-2520M 2.5Ghz dual core Sandy Bridge CPU, 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ GT 540M graphics, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD. Windows not included though.

It won't be too long we'll start seeing the SB dual cores on the HP site too. I wonder if they'll offer the GT 540M GPU?

 

[HPrometheus]

Did you go to the HP Academy site and get the student discount on top of your overall price? http://goo.gl/ovtMH

 

[yettyman]

^^Good Info. With the HP Academy discount i could get this setup for ~$715

Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-380M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
Graphics card 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5650 DDR3 switchable graphics [HDMI, VGA] - For Dual Core Processors
Memory 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
Hard drive 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
Primary battery 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 5.0 hours of battery life +++
Display 17.3" diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)
Primary optical drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
Networking Intel Wireless-N Card