Laptop, SSD + HDD capable of light gaming

LxDan on 28/07/2014 - 14:24

Hey guys,

Looking at buying a new laptop for uni this semester. Was looking for something with both a SSD and SATA.
As at home I use SSD and can't imagine not having one, but not having decent storage isn't really plausible either.

Was looking at spending around a grand and was hoping to find one with a dedicated graphics card too for gaming if I wanted to goto a friends house to play. Nothing to intense, probably just league of legends and dota2.
Preferably full hd.

Any suggestions?
Or anyone have anything similar?

Thanks guys.

Computing

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 28/07/2014 - 14:40
    +1

    The 2 hard drive requirement will severely limit your choices.

    Id advise getting either a portable USB drive, or if you don't need a dvd burner (who does these days), install a DVD-Rom replacement caddy such as this:

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Laptop-2nd-Hard-Drive-HDD-DVD-Bay…

    • xDan on 28/07/2014 - 15:15

      This looks interesting. thanks for this

  • IceCreamBandit on 29/07/2014 - 20:00

    This is decent IMO and fits your requirements.

    $1149 Acer V7
    i7 4500u
    8gb RAM
    20GB SSD + 1TB HDD
    Nvidia GT720M 2GB
    Wireless N/ BT4.0
    FHD Touch Screen

    I purchased a lower spec version of the same model (i5, 4gb ram upgraded to 8, 20GB SSD + 500GB HDD, Intel GPU and non-HD touch screen) from the same shop and have no problems playing older games like CSS and TF2. SSD also means 10 second boot which is awesome.

  • tokimonkey on 03/08/2014 - 23:01

    Just look for one with an Nvidia graphics chip and an i5 CPU. If you get an ssd drive, it will relieve a lot of pressure on the cpu. Even if you got one with a hybrid hdd (ssd+spinning), that is almost as fast as an SSD.

    • xDan on 08/08/2014 - 15:51

      forgive me but, how does an ssd relieve pressure on the cpu? I was unaware it made much / any of a difference…

      dedicated gpu chip I understand but the ssd?

      • mrmarkau67 on 08/08/2014 - 16:13

        A lot of workloads are like this:
        - 2 sec read disk
        - 3 sec cpu cpu cpu
        - 2 sec write disk
        Total 7 seconds.

        For years the speeds of disks weren't changing, so if you wanted more speed for your typical workload, the only option was a faster CPU. Maybe like this:
        - 2 sec read disk
        - 2 sec cpu cpu cpu
        - 2 sec write disk
        Total 6 seconds.

        But with an SSD, the disk reads and writes are much faster
        - 1/2 sec read disk
        - 3 sec cpu cpu cpu
        - 1/2 sec write disk
        Total 4 seconds.

        You have a much faster-seeming PC, but the CPU is still the same. And that's why our SSD based 2009 Macbook Air performs well even after all these years.

      • scrimshaw on 12/08/2014 - 02:46

        SSD's will not improve gaming framerate. Gaming is dependant (in order of) GPU, CPU and HDD, under normal circumstances.

        That said an SSD is user upgradable, (many laptops will take MSATA drives) but the CPU and GPU are not, and will require you to make an informed decision from the moment you purchase.

        Keep an eye for this thread for gaming laptops under $1k.
        http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2242298&p…

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