Help making laptop

[Reeceholme30]

So im moving out in a couple of months and i need a laptop for university. I want to be able to do work on it and also game. I have been looking around for a couple of hours and this site seems to give me the best value for my money i have around £600 to spend i can spend more if needed just need some help in creating a laptop that would work for me. So im asking if someone can create me a laptop around work and gaming and the money i have to spend.

 

[SpyderTracks]

So im moving out in a couple of months and i need a laptop for university. I want to be able to do work on it and also game. I have been looking around for a couple of hours and this site seems to give me the best value for my money i have around £600 to spend i can spend more if needed just need some help in creating a laptop that would work for me. So im asking if someone can create me a laptop around work and gaming and the money i have to spend.

You won’t be able to get anything at that budget. Laptops are more expensive than desktops, for any entry level custom gaming laptop you’d be looking nearer £1000

 

[MisterCrow]

Spec below will play most current games fine at 60fps. It's £100 over budget (plus you'll have to source a copy of Win 10 from somewhere cheap like Ebay), and it won't be very future proof. I'd recommend upping your budget, but if you really need a cheap gaming laptop:

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 144Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 10300H (2.5GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Cosmos Series Integrated 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.2 PORT + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
15" COSMOS SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NP50DB (4GB GTX-1650, i5-10300H, 144Hz N4, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £700.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosIX-15/Kzu6v33XdC/

 

[SpyderTracks]

Sorry, but the above would not be recommended at all. You can build a pc out of components as you like, it doesn’t mean it will do what you want.

the 1650 won’t manage 1080p 60Hz on its own, that’s without the further RAM bottleneck that would further reduce performance.

Sometimes you have to know when to advise someone just to save up some more. If a builds life is limited by poor components, then it’s not fit for purpose.

At this budget a console would give far better performance for far longer.

 

[MisterCrow]

My bad, I had (wrongly) assumed the 1650 was a few steps up from my 1060, whereas it's actually considerably slower. However, for many mainstream current games it should still get reasonable performance on medium-high settings at 1080p (depending on the game).

I agree you really want 16GB of RAM as opposed to 8GB, just trying to keep costs down (which is really tough here). I'm not recommending he buys a £700 laptop to game on (I agree, you really want to spend around £1k minimum), but students often don't have a ton of money and have to just make do. Just trying to give him an option for his very limited budget.

Besides, we don't know what sort of games the OP wants to play and what his expectations are. Triple A games are often going to be more demanding than many of the little indie titles on Steam, but it very much depends on which games he's wanting to play and what performance he demands.

A dedicated console and a dedicated work laptop could be a better option at this price point, true. But I don't know if the games he wants to play are exclusive to the PC, in which case a console isn't an option.

 

[SpyderTracks]

for many mainstream current games it should still get reasonable performance on medium-high settings at 1080p (depending on the game).

The understanding for any computer purchase when you’re speccing is that the very lowest that’s acceptable is 1080p 60hz at full settings. If it can’t achieve those basics then it’s not recommended as the corners being cut lead to too much of a significant impact in quality and longevity. So yes, if you reduced settings significantly it would manage 1080p 60Hz, but that’s not acceptable from a gamers perspective and would certainly never be recommended, it’s just a waste of money.

just trying to keep costs down (which is really tough here). I'm not recommending he buys a £700 laptop to game on (I agree, you really want to spend around £1k minimum), but students often don't have a ton of money and have to just make do. Just trying to give him an option for his very limited budget.

But again, it’s not our job to tailor poor performing builds to meet a low budget, it’s our job to correctly inform of the requirements they need in order to get something worthwhile. Don’t be afraid just to say, you need to save up more.

If they were to buy that proposed build, they’d have to replace the thing within a fraction of the time compared to just saving an extra few hundred. It’s economically bad and in the long term costs them far more than if they were to save up a fraction more. Plus it would give a poor experience anyway.

With budgets like this we’d always looking to console as an alternative which is cheaper and gives a far better experience for the budget.

You have to know when to say it’s not worth it.

Besides, we don't know what sort of games the OP wants to play and what his expectations are. Triple A games are often going to be more demanding than many of the little indie titles on Steam, but it very much depends on which games he's wanting to play and what performance he demands.

This has no relevance, doesn’t affect what build you recommend.

But I don't know if the games he wants to play are exclusive to the PC, in which case a console isn't an option.

Again, not relevant, weather or not they exclusive doesn’t change the fact you don’t want to recommend a system that’s not going to perform adequately.