Reddit reviews Lenovo G50 80E3005NUS Laptop (Windows 8, AMD A8-6410, 15.6" LED-lit Screen, Storage: 1 TB, RAM: 6 GB) Black

Windows 7 doesn't really come on new laptops. 8 has been out for quite some time. 7 is pretty dead.

If you absolutely need Windows 7 and want durability, the Lenovo ThinkPad 530i would be the way to go. Spill-proof keyboard, interior roll-cage, best quality keyboard on the market, etc.

If you can move away from Windows 7, the Lenovo G50 is an inexpensive option with decent specs for the price. Nowhere near the quality of the T530, but newer, cheaper, and slimmer.

If you don't mind refurbished and can go back up in price, you can get the ASUS Q501LA which has a beautiful 15.6" 1920x1080 IPS touch display, 8GB RAM, an i5-4200U, and great build quality for $579.

I know all this stuff, but again, with such a low performing integrated GPU it won't make that much of a difference.

Let's take a look a benchmark of integrated GPUs (memory scaling). I couldn't find something on integrated Radeon GPU, but here is article about the memory scaling of the Intel HD4000. The game Deus Ex: HR runs with 19.3 fps with 1333 MHz RAM modules and with 21.5 fps with 1600 MHz modules. This is an increase in fps of about 11 %. Let's be generous and say it's 15%. Maybe they made same improvements. A game like Skyrim runs with around 30 fps on the lowest settings with a integrated Radeon R5. So the difference would be wonderful 4 fps between a laptop with 1333 MHz and 1600 MHz RAM modules. The price difference between an Toshiba C55 and a Lenovo G50s with an AMD A8-6410 is 140 bucks (on Amazon). 140 bucks for an increase of 4 fps in Skyrim. Seems like a bad deal for me. I would rather save up a little bit more and get a laptop with a Nvidia GT820M or even a 840M.

is there any specific reason you want a laptop? If you don't need the portability, a desktop could be better, especially for record keeping as you can keep adding drives provided the case is large enough. If you do need a laptop, this or this should work.

If you were to do something like build a desktop you could build something like this for about the same price, but it will last longer as upgrading is very easy with a desktop.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor | $59.99 @ Micro Center
Motherboard | MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $79.99 @ Newegg
Memory | Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $34.99 @ NCIX US
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $51.98 @ OutletPC
Case | NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case | $44.99 @ TigerDirect
Power Supply | EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply | $19.99 @ NCIX US
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
Monitor | Gateway KX2153 Abd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor | $99.99 @ TigerDirect
Keyboard | Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse | $13.99 @ Amazon
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $495.89
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-17 21:28 EDT-0400 |

OS: Windows 8

Device: Lenovo AMD G50 AMD A8 Laptop.

Edit: Browser is Chrome.

Go with this. Has an A8 for light gaming and 6GB of RAM.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K6ZID58?cache=c73307eaca8c2a9229bbc3194bde2839&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&qid=1410056562&sr=8-23#ref=mp_s_a_1_23 do you think this is a good laptop for $450?