Recommendations for laptop PC under $600

[not-so-newguy]

Hi!

After nearly a decade of owning only tablets, I'd like to purchase a laptop that'll meet my needs and I think I can do this for under $600.
Here's what I'm looking for:

School I am taking an online course. I need to save some PDF documents for this. Also, possibly do some writing

Zoom/ Roll 20 (1) I do weekly play readings. (2) Since my D&D group is kaput because of social distancing, I'd like to try some gaming with strangers on the internet.
I need a camera/microphone. Nothing special here. It just needs to be reliable

Gaming 8gb RAM. I miss playing turn based strategy games on the PC, but I'm sure that I won't need the latest and greatest games out there. This should be enough, right?

 

[Umbran]

The lower-end Dell Inspirons come in under $600.

 

[dragoner]

I have seen some pretty good deals on Lenovo i5's w/8 gb on amazon, newegg is another place to look.

 

[Deset Gled]

After nearly a decade of owning only tablets, I'd like to purchase a laptop that'll meet my needs and I think I can do this for under $600.
Here's what I'm looking for:
...
Gaming

You can certainly get a laptop for under $600. The gaming is going to be the hardest part to fit in. With an Intel processor, you don't want to go any lower than an i5 chipset, and even then the onboard graphics are going to be a limiting factor in gaming. With an AMD processor, pay close attention to that graphics card it has. Anything listed as just "AMD Radeon Graphics" probably isn't going to cut it.

I would recommend looking up games you think you'll play on Steam and looking at the minimum hardware specs, then use a website like Home - UserBenchmark to compare the minimum vs. a laptop you're looking at. Ideally, you want to be well above the minimum specs.

I would also highly recommend planning on using an external monitor. At $600 you're probably going to have either a small or low resolution screen. A monitor will help a lot. Make sure you know what plugs both your laptop and monitor have.

For desktops I recommend looking at refurbished equipment. On laptops, the battery and screen on used systems are a lot more of a gamble. Also, the used market is probably abnormally high priced right now.

 

[not-so-newguy]

@Deset Gled ,
I really appreciate the in depth response. Unfortunately, no room for a desktop in my current living situation.

 

[Umbran]

You can certainly get a laptop for under $600. The gaming is going to be the hardest part to fit in. With an Intel processor, you don't want to go any lower than an i5 chipset, and even then the onboard graphics are going to be a limiting factor in gaming. With an AMD processor, pay close attention to that graphics card it has. Anything listed as just "AMD Radeon Graphics" probably isn't going to cut it.

So, I'm going to push back a bit here. It depends on what kind of gaming you're trying to do.

The OP mentions turn-based strategy games. The requirements for that are rather less than, say, modern fast-paced first-person shooter games.

 

[FrogReaver]

So, I'm going to push back a bit here. It depends on what kind of gaming you're trying to do.

The OP mentions turn-based strategy games. The requirements for that are rather less than, say, modern fast-paced first-person shooter games.

Most FPS run in ps4 and Xbox 1. You don’t need currently gen hardware to run most games.

but laptop graphics Cards are meh. So that will be the most limiting factor anyways.

 

[FrogReaver]

My take is:

1. processor is more important than graphics card. But you can’t totally skimp on graphics card.

2. More ram is better than faster ram but you only need really enough to run the programs you want to run or maybe a little more.

3. Look at the games you want to play and make sure to hit min ram needs. If you don’t the game is likely to play super choppy. You can make a slightly slower processor or graphics card work usually by turning settings down to ultra low.

4. Think about storage capacity. Most games are large. Solid state drives boot up really fast but may not can hold more than 1-2 of the games you want installed at a time.

 

[not-so-newguy]

So I'm looking at this right now:

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-Premium-Business-i5-8265U/dp/B07ZB5QH7G/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Lenovo+i5&qid=1597084105&s=electronics&sr=1-3

2019 Lenovo ideapad
S340 15.6" HD Premium Home & Business Laptop, Intel Quad Core i5-8265U Upto 3.9GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, USB-C, WiFi, HDMI, Webcam, Windows 10, Dark Orchid


Screen Size 15.6 Inches
Max Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 Pixels
Memory Speed 3.9 GHz
Graphics Coprocessor Intel UHD Graphics 620
Chipset Brand Intel
Card Description Integrated
Wireless Type 802.11ac
Other Technical Details
Brand Name Lenovo
Series Lenovo Ideapad
Item model number LENOVO
Hardware Platform PC
Operating System Windows 10
Item Weight 3.96 pounds
Product Dimensions 14.09 x 9.64 x 0.7 inches
Item Dimensions L x W x H 14.09 x 9.64 x 0.7 inches
Color Dark Orchid
Rear Webcam Resolution 1.2 MP
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Count 4
Computer Memory Type DDR4 SDRAM
Flash Memory Size 128 GB
Hard Drive Interface PCIE x 4
Power Source Battery Powered
Batteries 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)

For an example of what games I might buy, I'm interested in Civilization VI on steam.

RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7x64 / Windows 8.1x64 / Windows 10x64
Processor: Fourth Generation Intel Core i5 2.5 Ghz or AMD FX8350 4.0 Ghz or greater
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: 2GB & AMD 7970 or nVidia 770 or greater
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 12 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Device

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I'd second the Lenovo recommendation for a laptop. If you can get a solid state drive, all the better. Your laptop will live longer for it.