The 5 Best Laptops Under $500 for the Casual Gamer

Not every gamer wants to play Call of Duty: Black Ops, Crysis, or other graphics-intensive, hardcore games on their laptop. Some are perfectly content to play Farmville or other free-to-play games. Since you don't need a screaming system to run these casual games, here are five great laptops under $500 that would be perfect for the casual gamer.

5) MSI Microstar CR500-438US 15.6" Notebook: This laptop features an Intel Pentium dual-core processor running at 2.3 GHz, a 250 GB hard drive, 4 GB of RAM, a DVD drive, and awesome graphics. Your casual games will look spectacular, and this laptop will play them effortlessly. The 6-cell battery will keep you powered for hours as you enjoy your games, and at $499 from jr.com, it is an excellent deal.

4) Acer Aspire AS5551-4937 15.6" Notebook Computer: An AMD Turion II X2 dual-core processor running at 2.3 GHz ensures that all your light gaming needs will be met, and the 4GB of ram makes sure that they will run smoothly. This laptop also has a 320 GB hard drive, DVD drive, and multi-gesture touchpad. A great choice for the casual gamer, this laptop can be found for $464.95 here.

3) ASUS Eee PC 1215N-PU17 Seashell 12.1" Netbook Computer: With a 12.1-inch screen, this laptop is very portable yet still offers a full-size keyboard. It runs on the latest Intel Atom processor, which is the dual-core D525. This processor uses little power, and combined with the 6-cell battery provides up to six hours of cordless computing. The nVIDIA ION 2 graphics processor provides great graphics, and the 250 GB hard drive is more than ample for casual gaming. Find this laptop for $483.03 at bhphotovideo.com.

2) Gateway NV5934u : Utilizing Intel's Core i3 processor running at 2.13 GHz, this laptop has the speed and power to play any casual computer games easily. The 4 GB of installed RAM will keep lag at bay, and the 6-cell battery, 320 GB hard drive, 15.6-inc screen, and DVD drive combine to make this a versatile system that will be ideal for the casual gamer looking for an inexpensive laptop. It costs $499 at frys.com.

1) Toshiba Satellite L645D-S4036 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop: Coming in at $499, this Toshiba laptop is the perfect blend of performance and value for the casual gamer. It runs on a AMD Phenom II triple-core processor that will easily handle all light-to-moderate gaming. It has a decent-sized 14-inch screen with excellent color and resolution to make your games come alive, as well as a 320 GB hard drive to ensure that there is room for plenty of games. Add in a DVD drive, and you have everything a casual gamer could possibly need. This laptop is available exclusively at amazon.com.

Look no further than one of these five great laptops if you want to play casual games on your PC without spending too much.