I am playing currently on Full HD using HD3000 (so a bit less than HD4000). It is stable 20 fps on medium. Not the best experience, granted but never had any significant lag related to graphics - even with lots of effects on the screen. Although I agree that 650M atleast would be much better (you may want to consider also SLI)Depends on screen resolution, if it's 1366x720, an Intel gma 4000 or radeon integrated card would do at medium setting.
At Full HD, you will definitely need a gaming laptop, the one with 670M or 6800M.
At a 500$ budget I would recommend looking into a refurbished unit. HP and Dell have good outlet stores to get factory refurbished laptops from, or use Newegg. In fact go to Newegg first, as I have never had an issue with them. Their customer service is top notch and they have competitive pricing.
Also, with that budget you will want to look into an fast AMD A10 or A8. Good enough CPU with a best in class GPU. Only an Intel Iris pro is as good of an integrated GPU, but costs a whole lot more. Just be aware that you get what you pay for in built quality. If you need this laptop for anything other than entertainment, you will want to look into a pro level unit. HP Pro Books are very nice for this price range. Here is their latest product line so you can get an idea on price. HP ProBook. They have good build quality and are easy to service. But the screens are not what one would call the best for gaming. Still to get a gaming level screen you are going to be paying more than 500$ anyway.
I am sure Dell has a similar laptop line. So if you prefer Dell then they are an option as well.
Your biggest problem is the 500$ budget. That makes it very hard to get something right now off the shelf. If you had more time , I have seen Newegg and Amazon deals come up occasionally with what you want. But, there is no predicting when they will come up...
Here are a few options to look at:
HP Pavilion 17-e067cl 17 inch 1600 x 900 screen, 8 GB of ram, 750 GB Hard drive,and a A8-5550M
If size and weight do not matter then this one is the best I could find GPU wise.
HP Pavilion 15-n088ca 15 inch touchscreen at 1366 x 768, * GB ram, 1 TB Hard Drive, and a A8-5545M
If you want something a bit lighter and with a touchscreen go with this one.
DELL Latitude 3330 13.3 inch screen 4GB Ram, 320GB Hard Drive, and an i5 3337U
Small and light but with the best CPU in this list, but the worst GPU. Go with this one if portability is of primary concern or you need the best CPU you can get for other tasks. Note this is an ultrabook so no optical drive. Also, it has Windows 7 Pro if you are picky about your OS.
HP Probook 430 G1 1366 x 768 13.3 inch, i3 4010U, 4GB ram, and 320GB
Another ultrabook, but with a better GPU and a worst CPU. Built like a tank. ProBooks are some of the best Pro class laptops available, and built much better than the consumer crap like the Pavilions. I would recommend this one, but the video card is still pretty weak and the screen is only 13.3 inches.
Take a look here for some more examples:
NewEgg laptops in the 400-500 dollar price range. If you look around you may be able to get a better deal. But, it will require effort and a lot of luck. Check your local stores for closeouts, and look at what amazon and other online sellers have to offer. To play games, you want the best video card you can get. Most games will run fine on any relatively good CPU (AMD A8 or A10 or any intel i3, i5, or i7) with room to spare. What they need is video card power. Do not get anything with less than 4GB of ram! Try for 6 or more if at all possible.
SLI on a laptop? watalterfenixeb17_ESO wrote: »I am playing currently on Full HD using HD3000 (so a bit less than HD4000). It is stable 20 fps on medium. Not the best experience, granted but never had any significant lag related to graphics - even with lots of effects on the screen. Although I agree that 650M atleast would be much better (you may want to consider also SLI)Depends on screen resolution, if it's 1366x720, an Intel gma 4000 or radeon integrated card would do at medium setting.
At Full HD, you will definitely need a gaming laptop, the one with 670M or 6800M.
99LukeKBub17_ESO wrote: »oops, forgot to mention that a Desktop is out of the question, i need something mobile.
please, if you could help at all with this I would be very grateful. I'm not very tech-savvy and I don't know what I should be looking for in these laptops.
cubansyrusb16_ESO wrote: »Lets throw out another option ... does it have to be a laptop ?
Let me leave this here for though
$170 - i5 3350p 3.1ghz - turbo 3.3ghz
$200 - MSI GTX 660 OC 2GB
$85 - MSI B75A-G43 Motherboard
$70 - corsair gs600 power supply
$20-30 - off the shelf 8gb ram
Total $555 .... a Midi ATX case can be anywhere between $30-$100+ depending if it comes with fans
EDIT : As i was typing this, noticed you said PC was out of the question .. ill still leave this here.
cubansyrusb16_ESO wrote: »Lets throw out another option ... does it have to be a laptop ?
Let me leave this here for though
$170 - i5 3350p 3.1ghz - turbo 3.3ghz
$200 - MSI GTX 660 OC 2GB
$85 - MSI B75A-G43 Motherboard
$70 - corsair gs600 power supply
$20-30 - off the shelf 8gb ram
Total $555 .... a Midi ATX case can be anywhere between $30-$100+ depending if it comes with fans
EDIT : As i was typing this, noticed you said PC was out of the question .. ill still leave this here.
You may want give the Ars Budget Box guide a look. They have a good component breakdown for basic gaming on the cheap. They include a Monitor and keyboard and mouse in the cost, so it works out to a bit under 800$. Well outside of the given budget here. And, you will need to include an OS so add another 100$ or so. Unless someone has ESO working well in WINE now.