Picking out a new laptop and really need some input

[wintersflame]

Looking to buy a new laptop at the end of January and I have no idea what I am doing. I am not even a little tech savvy so I'm hoping someone might have some input as to what to look for.

I only have a $500-ish budget. I need something that I can run Daz Studio on, do light photo editing, run a few low res adventure games (Geneforge and the like). It needs to have at least a 15.6 screen (my eyes are crap) I would prefer a CD drive but it's not really that important. The main thing is running Daz Studio as that is my income source. Need a laptop because the place I am living doesn't have room for a desktop.

Thanks.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
I believe your budget is a bit low and puts you in the open box and recertified units section,
Although this has win-8.1 on it it's has nice spec's and your software supports it,
A gaming laptop would have better chances of doing both of your requirements,
Open Box: MSI CX61 2QC-1654US Gaming Laptop 4th Generation Intel Core i5 4210M (2.6 GHz) 8 GB Memory 750 GB HDD NVIDIA GeForce 920M 2 GB 15.6" Windows 8.1 - Newegg.com

A win-10 unit but 10 is still a bit green and win-8.1 is still on the free upgrade list
Acer Aspire Nitro Black Edition VN7-571G-50VG Gaming Laptop Intel Core i5 5200U (2.20 GHz) 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD 128 GB SSD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 4 GB GDDR3 15.6" Windows 10 Home 64-Bit - Newegg.com

7 Pro here just above your budget,
Lenovo Thinkpad T530 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) Notebook - Intel Core i5 3320M (2.60GHz), 8GB / 256GB Solid State Hard Drive, DVDRW, Webcam, Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit - Newegg.com

Not sure about gaming on it though ?
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/22701634-Software-System-Requirements-

 

[bigmck]

If you can afford to get it very soon, you can save a lot of money on the Christmas sales. The Win 7 that ThrashZone points out is a good one. The type of hardware that is in it is what you should be searching for. You can find some good deals on Newegg.com

 

[wintersflame]

Unfortunately I have to wait til my taxes come in at the beginning of February. Fixed income.

 

[bigmck]

I don't know if you are familiar with "Refurbished Laptops". They are ones that have been sold and returned because of some defect. They have been fixed and are good as new. I have owned two refurbished PC's and never had a minute of trouble with them. They are cheaper because they are not new and you can probably have a better selection if you are wanting to stay with Windows 7. You can google "Refurbished 15.6 laptops i5 Windows 7". Just be sure and get an i5 processor with Windows 7 and the 15.6 screen that you mentioned. You might just check to make sure it has a DVD drive, but those are the main things to look for. Everything else that goes with it are pretty standard.