"Gaming" laptop on a college budget?

[Sedjwick]

To be clear, I'm not really a hardcore gamer type, especially as far as more recent games go, but there are certain games that I would like to be able to play, but my current laptop isn't much good for gaming, mainly on account of it running Linux (about which I have absolutely no regrets, mind you).
So, basically, what I'm looking for is a relatively inexpensive laptop (preferably somewhere within a few hundred dollars, if that's realistic) that has reasonably good graphics and sound quality, a good amount of hard drive space, and runs Windows (obviously). Also, a built-in CD/DVD/blu-ray drive would be a nice feature, but I know that's becoming rare these days (not quite sure why since CDs/etc. don't seem to be going away anytime soon, but that's neither here nor there).
So, do any of you peeps have any helpful suggestions?

[BrokenPromise]

Most stuff doesn't come with a cd/dvd/blu-ray/floppy slot because digital downloads are becoming so prevalent.

You are not going to get "good graphics" on a laptop for "a few hundred dollars." dollar for dollar, laptops are about two to three times as expensive as their desktop counterparts. So if you want quality for a budget price, you're not going to find it in a laptop. Laptops are also much harder to upgrade, and as such, won't last as long. My current computer will likely just need a few hundred dollars in upgrades to make it last a full decade, at least for what I use it for.

But if we knew what you wanted to play, it would be easier to find a laptop for you. But unless you really need the mobility, I strongly recommend a desktop computer if you want quality and a decent price.

[Bee]

If you want the best bang for your buck, I highly recommend the Acer Nitro 5. At its very cheapest config it's about $680 and it should play anything you throw at it so long as you don't mind playing on medium settings. Unfortunately most laptops these days no longer come with a DVD drive.

Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Laptop: Core i5-8300H, 15.6inch Full HD IPS Display, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, NVidia GTX 1050 4GB Graphics amazon.com/dp/B07C6WYLQB/ref=cm_sw_r_…

[Sedjwick]

@BrokenPromiseUnfortunately, I move between home and college on a regular basis, so a desktop isn't really a good option for me as it would be a major hassle to transport, not to mention the fact that the dorms here don't exactly have room for a desktop computer and my laptop rig, so something more portable really is the best option for me.
As for games, like I said, I'm not really a hardcore gamer. Most of my stuff is retro games that have been fixed to be able to run on the newer systems, such as the re-release of the Myst series or the older Tomb Raider games (the more recent ones don't look to be quite my style, and are way more graphic than I would prefer). As for other more recent games, I don't have a whole lot of experience with what's available due to using Linux for the past few years.
@BeeLooks good, but is there a comparable model that has an SSD? I rather prefer the stability of a solid state drive to the traditional hard disk drive.

Also, a general question: can the new versions of Windows still run DOS games? I've been meaning to finish Castle of the Winds for some time now, and it ran fine up to Windows 7, but I'm not sure if it will still run on the newer versions. This isn't a sticking point for me getting a new comp, but I'm curious.

[Bee]

@BrokenPromiseUnfortunately, I move between home and college on a regular basis, so a desktop isn't really a good option for me as it would be a major hassle to transport, not to mention the fact that the dorms here don't exactly have room for a desktop computer and my laptop rig, so something more portable really is the best option for me.
As for games, like I said, I'm not really a hardcore gamer. Most of my stuff is retro games that have been fixed to be able to run on the newer systems, such as the re-release of the Myst series or the older Tomb Raider games (the more recent ones don't look to be quite my style, and are way more graphic than I would prefer). As for other more recent games, I don't have a whole lot of experience with what's available due to using Linux for the past few years.
@BeeLooks good, but is there a comparable model that has an SSD? I rather prefer the stability of a solid state drive to the traditional hard disk drive.

Also, a general question: can the new versions of Windows still run DOS games? I've been meaning to finish Castle of the Winds for some time now, and it ran fine up to Windows 7, but I'm not sure if it will still run on the newer versions. This isn't a sticking point for me getting a new comp, but I'm curious.

@Sedjwick

I do not believe so but I believe it does have an m.2 slot so you can probably snag one on Amazon and set that as your primary drive.

If I had a more concrete price range for you I'd definitely be able to help you a lot better.

Also, DOS games do play on Windows 10. You just may need DOSBox to play some of them.

[BrokenPromise]

Oh, wow, okay.

The computer that Bee selected is way overbuilt for what you need, but it's probably the best deal on a new computer that you're going to get.

SSD are still kinda pricey, but if you want one, here's a 800$ laptop on cyberpower PC.

cyberpowerpc.com/system/Tracer-III-15…

Again, way overbuilt for what you're doing. You might want to consider getting a non-gaming computer, or something used if you want to shave off a few bucks. just keep the game's specs in mind.

systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/requir…

As for dos games on windows, no clue.

EDIT: realised that the remastered myst is called "real myst," and that has specs that are much closer to what Bee and I recommended. That's probably as cheap as you can go.

[Penny]

There are dosent to windows emulators freely available. I need to get a new laptop mine eats power supply like crazy :(

[Sedjwick]

Thanks for the tips. I've looked over your suggestions, and I think I'm gonna go with a newer version of the Acer Nitro 5 that has a 1 TB SSD plus an additional 1 TB HDD. It's a bit more expensive than the ones you mentioned, but I have enough money in my savings account to justify the expenditure, I think. Once it shows up and I've seen how it works, maybe I'll post here again and let you know what I think, but for now, thank you for the help.