build a gaming laptop with a budget of $300

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orion780

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Dec 26, 2013
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I am trying to build a good gaming laptop for around $300, but have little experience in this field, can you list some good parts for something like this that stays in the budget provided?
I am trying to play games like skyrim, diablo III, dragon age 2, assassins creed: black flag, etc.
Also, if possible make it easy to assemble....?
Also if you could leave links to the parts and ( if you provide a full build example) leave the full price for it.
Thanks
P.s if the budget allows can you find one that you can overclock?
 
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The below link is are all the laptops sold at Newegg between $250 - $325 with Windows 7, Win 8, Win 8.1. I excluded Win 7 Pro since that is installed on business laptops. None of them are new.

Newegg - List of laptops $250 - $325

The best one for games is actually an open box Acer E1-570-6803 with an Intel Core i3 3217U(1.80GHz) and the Intel HD 4000 graphics core. Don't bother with any of the laptops with an AMD APU because the graphics core in those APUs are much weaker than the Intel HD 4000.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314235R

You can play Dragon Age 2 without any problems on medium. You should be able to play Skyrim at medium settings with some tweaks, Diablo III should run ok, but not sure...
You cannot build a laptop like you would a desktop. Last time I've seen individuals laptop parts for sale to actually build your own laptop was back 2007 / 2008 and the chassis alone (just the shell) started at $200.

You are not going to any new laptop for $300 that is capable of playing games unless you are counting games from 2006 and before. Laptops are expensive compared to desktops and I think you will even have a hard time building a desktop capable of playing games decently for $300 even if you already have the monitor, keyboard and mouse.

 
The below link is are all the laptops sold at Newegg between $250 - $325 with Windows 7, Win 8, Win 8.1. I excluded Win 7 Pro since that is installed on business laptops. None of them are new.

Newegg - List of laptops $250 - $325

The best one for games is actually an open box Acer E1-570-6803 with an Intel Core i3 3217U(1.80GHz) and the Intel HD 4000 graphics core. Don't bother with any of the laptops with an AMD APU because the graphics core in those APUs are much weaker than the Intel HD 4000.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314235R

You can play Dragon Age 2 without any problems on medium. You should be able to play Skyrim at medium settings with some tweaks, Diablo III should run ok, but not sure about Assassins Creed. Overall the Intel HD 4000 is a bit weak.

You are better off saving money to buy something new with a more powerful graphics core even if that means waiting 2 or 3 months. In the short run you might think that you have wasted your money on the Acer if you do not have low expectations. That means to have to save up for another laptop from scratch because you will not be able to upgrade the graphics. Only specific gaming laptop models will allow you to upgrade the graphics chip, but those laptops starts at $1,400+... and only specific models.
 
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