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Question

PC Gaming

Oct 13, 2015 4:28PM PDT

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to PC gaming and I'm hoping to get a few questions answered. They are:
1. I have been told that my Dell Latitude E6430 won't do for PC gaming due to a built-in graphics card and GPU. What decent laptop do you think would meet/exceed the below requirements and NOT drain my bank account?
2. What parts would you recommend that meet or exceed the following requirements?
- Quad Core Intel or AMD CPU processor
- DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1 GB RAM
- DirectX compatible sound card
3. How well would an external Hard Drive work in PC gaming?

I think my current computer has a 2.6 GHz CPU installed and has 8 GB RAM with 256 GB memory capacity. What should I upgrade, how should I go about it, where do I get it, and what's the best price I should look for? Thanks ahead of time for your help!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
I rarely suggest externals.
Oct 13, 2015 4:53PM PDT

All it takes is one unexpected unplug and the contents can scramble.

As to item 2, I don't now your goals. 4K Gaming? What frame rates you want from what game?

While I like the usual Lenovo's, ROGs and more, your specs are a little too loose.

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Clarification
Oct 14, 2015 3:32PM PDT

Sorry it's too vague. I'm trying to find out what laptop I could get or upgrade to play Skyrim on. Does that help?

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Today almost all gaming laptops can play Skyrim at decent
Oct 14, 2015 4:29PM PDT

At decent settings. No laptop can game at 4K yet so I can't guess if that's in the specs. What would I buy today? Some Lenovo y50 w/i7m 16GB RAM, 250 or larger SSD and a GPU of 960m or better. I don't mourn the loss of optical drives. And the 1080p display.
Note: Edited to add 1080p comment.

Post was last edited on October 14, 2015 4:30 PM PDT

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Biggest concern: price
Oct 14, 2015 7:55PM PDT

I'll look into a Lenovo. Do you happen to know buying a clunker laptop and upgrading it would be a good idea? I know that there are good-to-excellent gaming computers, or ones that could be made so, but I'm hoping for something not quite so expensive.

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Rarely a good idea.
Oct 15, 2015 4:32AM PDT

Gaming laptops don't age well and unlike a desktop we can't install video cards. So no.

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What about PCs?
Oct 15, 2015 11:15AM PDT

I've been poking around and found a few desktop PCs priced more to my liking, but their reviews recommend upgrading. I have no problem with that. What would you look for?

Also, do you have a suggestion as to where I might find a good deal on computers and parts? Not necessarily an auction site, but somewhere you could get some bang for your buck?

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What I'm on today
Oct 15, 2015 11:29AM PDT

Is some Lenovo y510p with the usual. Today I'd look at the core i5 or better, 16GB RAM and the usual 970m or better. It's a big world so I can't guess what's in your reach.

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how do you like it?
Oct 15, 2015 1:32PM PDT

Have you made any alterations to it? Does it have DVD-ROM drive?

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I dropped the Optical drive years ago.
Oct 15, 2015 5:37PM PDT

I think my laptop had one over 4 years ago. So how do I use optical media if needed? I use a 25 dollar USB DVDRW. It's nice to lose some laptop weight too.

That said a sale on a BluRay recorder came up at 55 bucks for a USB Buffalo so when the 25 buck drive passes or I need BD, I'm ready.

You may wonder how I install the Windows OS? It's now on USB too.