Recommend a $600 - $750 gaming laptop? (Canadian dollars).

October 2, 2017 9:57 AM

Hi. I am looking for an afforadable gaming laptop between $600 - $750 in Canadian dollars. I have no idea where to look. I am hoping to play some games on Steam (Witnes), Portal 2, racing games, strategedy games, if possible for this price. I also do some photography work and writing work too. I am not picky with brands.
posted by RearWindow to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Although based in the US, the Wirecutter cheap gaming laptop recommendations should be relevant for you. Unfortunately, all their choices are above $800 US: "You can’t get a good gaming laptop for $800..."

For less expensive laptops, you should read Wirecutter's recommendations as well.
posted by blob at 10:23 AM on October 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

When you do find a candidate laptop, you can see a rough estimate of performance on games at http://notebookcheck.com.
posted by blob at 10:29 AM on October 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Agree with checking out the wirecutter. Unfortunately your budget seems low for your stated goals with the computer (gaming etc.) Another option is to look for refurbished since those will be cheaper.
posted by FireFountain at 1:44 PM on October 2, 2017

The two specific games you mention don't have terribly huge system requirements so you might actually be okay. The Witness isn't very framerate-sensitive since it's a puzzle game (great, gorgeous game though) and Portal 2 is six years old by now, which is forever in game years.
posted by neckro23 at 9:12 PM on October 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

welllll, I have a pretty decent laptop, and I had to play the witness at a rather low resolution. It was playable, but it would have looked a lot better if I played it on something that was more suited for gaming. So yea, I have played a lot of games on my regular laptop, but it's not optimal.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:44 AM on October 3, 2017

Are you wedded to a laptop? Because while <$800 is a tough ask for a gaming laptop, you're in a lot better striking distance of a gaming desktop.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:12 AM on October 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: @blob Thank-you very much!
posted by RearWindow at 11:11 AM on October 3, 2017