Help me find a very small laptop capable of running older games

[ibex333]

I am looking for laptops which meet the following criteria:

1)Screen must not be bigger than 14". That is the absolute cutoff.

2)Resolution must be 720p or below. 1080p is a no-no.

3)Must run Doom 3, Penumbra, Amnesia, Cryostasis, Dead Space 1-3, Star-Craft 2 on HIGH settings.

3)Price must be $200 or below.


PS: Having done some research it looks like the AMD A10 APUs can do it, but seem somewhat overpriced. I wonder if there;'s anything in the same performance range graphics wise. but again, absolutely no 1080p or above!

Important:

I am not buying this right now, so please don't offer anything you have. This is just for me to get an idea whats available out there.

 

[VirtualLarry]

ThinkPad Carbon, Maybe?

Your requirements are slightly difficult to meet, as any modern laptop with an adequate CPU is likely going to have a higher-end (1080P) screen.

 

[ibex333]

having done some research, I am going to modify the requirements some...

ThinkPad Carbon, Maybe?

Your requirements are slightly difficult to meet, as any modern laptop with an adequate CPU is likely going to have a higher-end (1080P) screen.

And those 1080p screen resolutions are horrible for gaming, because whenever games will run more or less fluently at 720p, they will most likely be a slideshow at 1080p. Lowering the resolution on a 1080p screen is not a good idea because of blurriness/fuzziness.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I have a "backup" A8-6310 APU-based laptop, it's Puma+, quad-core, around 1.8-2.3Ghz, 8GB of DDR3 (two SO-DIMM slots, but single-channel), 480GB SSD. I could sell it, but it would be waaay more than $200, with 8GB and a 480GB SSD. It's also 15.6".

I'll be honest, trying to get a "Gaming" laptop, that can play those games on "High" settings, even on 720/768P, AND get a screen smaller than 15.6" (which normally carries a premium), and has enough RAM, AND maybe an SSD, is a tad...unrealistic... for $200. Even used.

Edit: I think that your requirements for a smaller-than 15.6" screen size, combined with "Gaming" on "High" settings, with some semi-modern games, are conflicting, especially with your pricing requirements.

I think that you should research Razer-branded gaming ultra-books. Even used, though, they're probably kind of expensive.

 

[Ancalagon44]

You don't really get 720p screens in laptops, you get 1366 x 768 screens in laptops. You should still be able to find them in low end 11 inch and some 13 inch laptops. Some really low budget 15.6 inch laptops have them.

OP, the way I see it, you have two options.

Option 1 is to buy an 11 inch laptop with a Pentium Silver N5000 or N3540. Or maybe the previous gen N4200 or N3450. If you are lucky, you might find one with a 1366 x 768 screen rather than a 1080p screen. These low power SoCs should have plenty of power for older games. Doom 3 will run fine, Dead Space 3 should be okay-ish but not great.

Option 2 is to spend a little more and get a modern Ryzen APU. These will come with 1080p screens, but the extra grunt will mean you can actually use 1080p no problem.

 

[ibex333]

I have a "backup" A8-6310 APU-based laptop, it's Puma+, quad-core, around 1.8-2.3Ghz, 8GB of DDR3 (two SO-DIMM slots, but single-channel), 480GB SSD. I could sell it, but it would be waaay more than $200, with 8GB and a 480GB SSD. It's also 15.6".

I'll be honest, trying to get a "Gaming" laptop, that can play those games on "High" settings, even on 720/768P, AND get a screen smaller than 15.6" (which normally carries a premium), and has enough RAM, AND maybe an SSD, is a tad...unrealistic... for $200. Even used.

Edit: I think that your requirements for a smaller-than 15.6" screen size, combined with "Gaming" on "High" settings, with some semi-modern games, are conflicting, especially with your pricing requirements.

I think that you should research Razer-branded gaming ultra-books. Even used, though, they're probably kind of expensive.

Well when I mentioned gaming on "high" settings, I was talking about old games with modest system requirements. ; )

 

[VirtualLarry]

Option 2 is to spend a little more and get a modern Ryzen APU. These will come with 1080p screens, but the extra grunt will mean you can actually use 1080p no problem.

This is seriously your best option.