Need Urgent Advice

So guys I am a broke college student and do not have much money to spend. I recently purchased this particular computer

its an acer aspire v5, i5-4200u, 6gb ram, 500 gb hdd, 15.6 Full HD IPS touch display (1920X1080)

it was 499+40(tax)= $539 from Microsoft store

I am happy with the full HD ips touch screen display at this price point, however this computer cant game for and I like to play games sometimes. Also the lid of this laptop is flimsy. It bends if I open the lid from holding the corner, and the fan makes weird sounds like a helicopter lol so i have decided to return it. My budget cannot go past $630 inclusive of taxes.. so i considered this laptop

Newegg.com - Acer Aspire V5-561G-6407 Notebook Intel Core i5 4200U (1.60GHz) 6GB Memory 500GB HDD AMD Radeon R7 M265 2 GB 15.6" Windows 8.1

Although this does not have an Ips full hd touchscreen. It has a R7 M265 lower midrange graphic card.

Also, as I am short on budget. I was also considering buying a chromebook + ps4 instead of buying a 600 dollar laptop which i expect to game on lol. the chromebook can get my schoolwork done ( i just do word and surfing mostly and ps4 cna take care of my gaming needs)

Should i get aspire v5 with the r7 m265 or a chromebook + ps4. I cant consider a pc because i move a lot unless i can fit something in a mini Pc Case or something like that which can be compared to the size of the console.

Although i will be sad to lose the versatility and options which the pc can offer.( like playing old game titles etc.)


Looking for your guys advice

 

If you're a poor college student, what's going to be the bigger priority for you: getting your work done, or gaming? Personally, if I had to pick and choose, I'd go for the *vastly* better display rather than the somewhat better GPU.

 

yeah i like this laptop a lot. However the laptops screen lid is thin and semi flimsy so i tried bending it a few to time to see how sturdy this thing is and it bends lol. its hard to open the laptop without putting pressure on the base and if i do not open it from the center and use the corner of the lid it bends a little on one side because of the tight hinges i think. However the screen hasnt messedd up or anything but as I have OCD (specially for tech gear), i think it would mess up in the future or the backlight will bleed soon from me trying to test if the lid is flimsy. I also have a led tv i can use for the PS4 and buy a cheap notebook ... what say? I am an economics major and this is my last sem. we dont have much work on the computer except the Microsoft office.

 

Well, a console would certainly be the more cost-effective way to game, that's for sure. But even still, I'd go with a laptop with a better display (not necessarily the Acer you mention, but others as well that are within budget), as the display (especially resolution) is the most important spec for a laptop. That's what you need to focus on, and a bad display can pretty much ruin the entire computer for you, even if you only planned on keeping the laptop for this last semester (I'm sure you're keeping and using it longer). A good display can still benefit even basic tasks like Office; for example, with 1080p you can fit two full-sized Word/Excel/PowerPoint/etc. windows side-by-side. Can't do anything nearly as good with a 768p display.

If you're worried about the durability of the laptop, but still want to get something with a decent display, I'd suggest you check out OEM-refurbished business-class laptops, mostly from the Sandy-Bridge era. For example, I'm sure you'd be able to find a FHD Lenovo Thinkpad T520 for around that price on Lenovo's outlet, and similar deals can be found on Dell's/HP's business outlets as well (I bought my sister a FHD HP Elitebook 8570p for ~$600 last summer, for example). Those sort of laptops would be much, *much* better build than any inexpensive consumer-class laptop you can find.

 

I already have the acer on me, i was thinking about shipping it back tomorrow .... its also a touch screen being a FHD ips. U think it would mess up in the future if it hasnt so far? Also i think Radeon R7 M265 is significantly better than the on board intel HD 4400.

 

Well, if you handle it with care it should last for a decent amount of time at least (thinking 2-3 years, though could be longer depending on treatment).

 

my main concern is that i have tried to bend the screen too much holding the two end corners of the lid day before yesterdau. Are ips displays really fragile? will this screen bleed in the future if i have by any chance deformed it. It doesnt shows signs of damage so far but i am really scared to keep it now

 

Well, all displays themselves (as in the actual display part) are tender, but the Acer construction is just pretty sub-par in general.

 

should i keep it then? or can u recommend me something else right away?

 

Well, I already recommended the refurb'ed business laptops. That's what I'd go with personally.

 

i dont know which ones have a full hd display, the ones u told me i cant really find em anywhere

 

Go to DFS Direct Sales and order yourself an off-lease Latitude or Precision. The build quality will be far superior to any Acer and you have the option of getting a system with an nVidia Quadro. While not the greatest for gaming, the Quadro is better than any Intel GPU.

 

thank for your suggestion, however i am not buying a used laptop. These lease laptops are abused before they go back

 

No, that's just wrong. But it's your choice so do as you please.

Get a chromebook and a ps4 to play your call of duty on.

 

I would be glad to consider one if somebody was to find me one for about $600

 

Either but a ps4 and Chromebook or google it. You're just as able to find it as everyone else.

There's also a completely different forum for asking for recommendations, you should use that instead.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/what-notebook-should-i-buy/

 

I am kind of at a loss atm. The notebook scene has changed alot in the past 2 months and the newer laptops have all gone with ULV processors now. While great for battery life, ULV processors are abit lacking, and while they do great when paired with a standalone GPU their power is too weak to manage on their own integrated graphics.

Running through best buys $500 laptops, I saw nothing but ULV processors. And you won't see any dedicated gpus until the $900 mark, so you need a laptop with one of the more powerful intel processors for some capable 3d performance.

If you keep searching you may find one, but it may just be best if you get a console + laptop. Heck, just get a PS3 + PSN subscription and look for the free and discounted games. Last gen consoles will still have new games released for them for another year or 2.

 

what do u think about this Newegg.com - Acer Aspire V5-561G-6407 Notebook Intel Core i5 4200U (1.60GHz) 6GB Memory 500GB HDD AMD Radeon R7 M265 2 GB 15.6" Windows 8.1

 

Hi thanks for replying, i actually posted in that forum however nobody replied. Over on this side people are more ready to help, specially when its related to GAMING

 

Try newegg power search. Dial in your budget max and see what gpu are available in that price range.

 

Looks like the R7 M265R7 is low to mid range, so current games will run in the lowest of detail specs. It is equivalent to a GT 730m.