Is this a good gaming laptop?

[SoonToBePCGamer]

Check out its specs: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Compaq-Black-1…

If it is not a good gaming laptop, please list all the things it needs to be an amazing gaming laptop... I honestly dont wanna buy a $1,000 laptop. Thanks.

 

[sttubs]

Your link isn't working. What is the model number?

 

[SoonToBePCGamer]

Ahhh stupid link.. here is the specs:

Compaq Black Presario 15.6" Notebook Computer:

Key Features and Benefits:

AMD Dual-Core processor, C-50
1.0GHz, 1MB L2 Cache
2GB of DDR3 SDRAM system memory (expandable to 8GB)
Give you the options for surfing, video conferencing, documents, basic photo editing and simple computer tasks
250GB SATA hard drive
Store 166,000 photos, 71,000 songs or 131 hours of HD video and more
SuperMulti DVD Burner
Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats on your Compaq laptop PC
10/100Base-T Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your black Presario 15.6" notebook computer
15.6" HD BrightView LED display
AMD Radeon HD 6250 Graphics
Additional Compaq Laptop PC Features:

Webcam with microphone
2-in-1 memory card reader
3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x VGA port, 1 x headphone-out, 1 x microphone-in, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet port
6-cell lithium-ion battery, up to 4 hr., 30 min. battery life
Software:

Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition (To learn more about the features of Windows 7, click here)
Microsoft Office Starter 2010: Includes reduced functionality versions of Microsoft Word and Excel, with advertising. PowerPoint or Outlook are NOT included. Purchase Office 2010 today and get the most out of your new Compaq laptop PC. (To learn more about the features of Office 2010, click here)
Norton Internet Security 2011 (60-day)
CyberLink Power DVD, CyberLink YouCam BE
Backup and Restore options built into Windows allows you to create safety copies of your most important personal files, so you're always prepared for the worst

 

[CTho9305]

No, that computer is much too slow for gaming. AMD's E-series and C-series processors are designed for very low power consumption (good for battery life) and low cost, but they aren't very fast.

I have a laptop with an E-350 processor (a much faster version of the C-50 chip in that laptop) and it's barely fast enough for light Minecraft gaming at fairly low quality settings. It can run StarCraft 2 single player at very low settings at a barely-playable framerate (I've played through the first few missions). It handles Portal fine, although I can't remember whether or not I also tried Portal 2. I would not expect a C-50 to be able to handle any of these games (except maybe Portal 1?).

If you're going to go with AMD, you need something from the A-series (but not any A-series... specific ones). At the very least, you need something faster than 2.0GHz (probably more). It does depend on what you mean by "amazing gaming" though - people on this forum tend to want to run very high-resolution external monitors at high quality settings, and for now, that requires either a desktop or a bulky, heavy (and usually expensive) laptop. Can you clarify what "amazing gaming" means to you?

 

[SoonToBePCGamer]

Can you clarify what "amazing gaming" means to you?

I mean something decent that will run games OVER 60 fps but doesnt cost me over $250.

 

[jacktesterson]

I mean something decent that will run games OVER 60 fps but doesnt cost me over $250.

save $150 more for a PS4

 

[SiliconWars]

I mean something decent that will run games OVER 60 fps but doesnt cost me over $250.

If such a laptop existed we'd all have one.

 

[I4AT]

Depends on what you consider a "gaming" laptop. Which games are you hoping to play?

Either way the one you linked isn't going to be good for much, that's actually one of the lowest end laptops you can buy. It's entry level even for a basic internet browsing machine.

If you want something that can play AAA PC titles released within the last few years you'll probably need to spend at least $600.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you want something that can play AAA PC titles released within the last few years you'll probably need to spend at least $600.

He said at over 60FPS. Try double or triple that cost.

Edit: OP, check this one out.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Refurb...essor-and-Windows-8-Operating-System/23081578

A6-4400M, which is undoubtedly a dual-core, but it might get you 20-30FPS in some games.

 

[2is]

I mean something decent that will run games OVER 60 fps but doesnt cost me over $250.

What you want does not exist, has not ever existed and will never exist.

 

[NTMBK]

What type of games do you play?

 

[scannall]

About as cheap as you are going to get is this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gateway-15-...45911960?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item3f27842798

Quad core A8-4500m

$329

 

[AtenRa]

About as cheap as you are going to get is this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gateway-15-...45911960?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item3f27842798

Quad core A8-4500m

$329

That one is perfect for the price.

 

[Arkaign]

That one is perfect for the price.

I agree, for the money it's not going to get better than that on a laptop. I've used that exact laptop before, the Acer version, and if you set the settings right, almost every game will run decently at the native resolution of the screen. This will mean cranking down stuff that doesn't matter too much to gameplay. If you turn down shadows to minimum, turn AA off, and run medium textures, you can even play BF3 fairly well. Once you're in the middle of an intense gaming run, a few jaggies aren't the end of the world and you'll barely notice them unless you're super spoiled with higher-end equipment (that you won't find anywhere near the $329 price of course, hell $329 barely buys a moderately high end GPU!).

There are a couple of caveats with that model. The cooling is not extremely good on that one, the turbo speed it cranks to while gaming causes the fan to max out and the thing gets really toasty before it cranks speed back down (this is annoying if you're in the middle of a game and it starts dropping frames). In the Acer-labeled version, this was aided by removing the stock thermal paste and applying some better stuff. That didn't totally fix it, but it did drop the temps and make it less severe. Running it over a decent laptop cooling base also works wonders.

The other thing is that the llano stuff really loves fast ram. It comes with DDR3-1066, 2x2GB. This is okay to start with, but the bios does see and adapt to DDR3-1600 (didn't try 1866, but I think they make that in laptop form as well). Upgraded the Acer to 2x4GB 1600, and gaming performance skyrocketed. It was like upgrading the GPU, a very notable increase.