Hello in need of guidance

[Cypher2365]

So after careful consideration, I've been playing skyrim for a long time on console, and have been a console gamer for a long time, never had a pc or laptop of my own. But a new possibility of going to school or a new career path has made me realize that Im in need of a laptop of my own, my sisters boyfriend gave me the information and showed me what it's capable of and so what brings me to these questions for Guidance

 

I truly would like a laptop to run skyrim with using the sex labs mods, I've read and glanced at the forums and it just seems like a lot and I would like advice on which ones would be considered essentials for how "I" can play skyrim, "my" way

 

Also I don't know what a gaming laptop should cost that could run it and unsure of how much money I should spend, I honestly wanted to just get skyrim, with the addons, and Antivirus, a decent video card that is a visual upgrade from console, probably a controller, and enough memory for addon/mod content (provided by this awesome site) that being said, I know that you all are very active on here and if you read this far, I'd appreciate some feedback, like what models should I look into (hp, Dell... No not apple, lol, I was told never that) as well as what site would be best to use ie Newegg or Amazon

 

I thank you if you can make time to comment

[gregathit]

Keep in mind that laptops are much like consoles.  They aren't user friendly for upgrading.  Personally I'd recommend you get a desk top.  You can spend the same or less and have something that is up-gradable, not to mention that a desktop will blow the doors off of most laptops.  

 

If you really need a laptop for work, then either get basic model or 2in1.  Work laptops can be quite cheap, as typically you aren't running anything graphically intense.  Just a thought.

[MadMansGun]

Also I don't know what a gaming laptop should cost

around $1500 and up is the norm.

 

Antivirus

the free version of Avast is good.

 

what models should I look into

ASUS/ROG, Gigabyte and MSI (but i'm not sure about MSI, i have never used one).

stay the fuck away from Dell, HP and acer.

 

what site would be best to use ie Newegg or Amazon

i use NCIX (NCIXUS if your living in the US) for my computer needs.

[Sinful Raevyn]

 

what models should I look into

ASUS/ROG, Gigabyte and MSI (but i'm not sure about MSI, i have never used one).

stay the fuck away from Dell, HP and acer.

 

 

MSI user here! Love mine! Had it about 3 years now, works lovely! MSI GT70 2PC Dominator Pro ^.^

 

 

@OP

 

For playing Skyrim, it really depends on how powerful you want your rig to be. Are you looking just to be able to play it without issues- i.e fast framerate, graphics don't matter? Do you want extremely high graphical quality? Are you looking for the base console experience, or are you looking to hit that constant 60 FPS?

 

Typically you can get a decent gaming laptop for around $1000 (lower end) but more competitive performance pieces are usually around the $1400+ range.

 

Desktops will always surpass a laptop when compared side by side, but don't let that dissuade you. Gaming laptops today are so much more than they used to be... Many new laptops today are more customizeable than they used to be. Some models have the ability to easily swap out RAM, GFX cards, and more. Some come with multiple harddrive bays so you can add more storage/SSD's, and some like mine, have a toggle switch extra fan to help manage the heat produce from more intense games.

 

My MSI was around $1300... I play Fallout 4 on mostly high-ultra at 45FPS average, with 200+ mods installed. Mind you, mine is a couple years old. If you got a similar price range model now, you would probably have a better gfx card in it.

 

 

I'm not sure about online buying. I got mine from a local shop, but I've always heard NewEgg has good prices. I would just shop around between a few different sites first, compare specs/prices.

 

As for antivirus, Avast is pretty good as mentioned above. I personally just use the default Windows defender for 'active scanning' and use a few free programs to safeguard myself. I find many active scanner software to interfere with some programs.

 

For internet browsing, definitely use Adblock Plus. It will prevent a lot of bad or malicious ads from popping up.

For scanning, I recommend Malwarebytes and Superantispyware. Both are very similar to one another and completely free. The nice thing is, sometimes when SAS misses something, MB will pick it up, or vice versa. The only issue, is that they are not active scanners, so you have to run them manually. With good internet common sense and practices, you'll never have to really worry. :3

[MadMansGun]

For internet browsing, definitely use Adblock Plus. It will prevent a lot of bad or malicious ads from popping up.

For scanning, I recommend Malwarebytes and Superantispyware. Both are very similar to one another and completely free. The nice thing is, sometimes when SAS misses something, MB will pick it up, or vice versa. The only issue, is that they are not active scanners, so you have to run them manually. With good internet common sense and practices, you'll never have to really worry. :3

i myself prefer the NoScript plugin for firefox, and a modified hosts file:

https://noscript.net/

http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm

[pinky6225]

Would echo the consideration of does it have to be a laptop

 

My work laptop in high performance mode has a battery life of about 3 hours and it only has an inbuilt graphics card (its a work laptop after all) so i would have thought any decent GPU would drain you dry in almost no time

 

Desktop v laptop you can pretty much always get either better stuff or the same stuff cheaper