a ti 83 plus will cost you around $100, other than that, im not sure what you can get under 500.
http://gaminglaptopunder1000.org/best-cheap-gaming-laptops-under-500-dollars/
google is your best friend
I agree that if you can, you should get a desktop PC - you get more power for less $. If you need the mobility of a laptop try this
You can definitely build a desktop that will run dota no issues under $500. Dota isn't demanding. But you'll want to build it yourself. Go look at tomshardware.com for some good builds.
The issue with alienware is not the computer itself but the cost for performance you get. Since an early age I have built my own desktops simply because I do not believe in paying a premium for a name brand like Alienware/Apple etc. While sometimes there may be a legitimate need to buy a certain product if you are buying an Alienware for laptop gaming you may as well buy a server for desktop gaming while you're at it as it makes just about as much sense.
A lot of the higher range laptops (not crazy range laptops with tri-SLI) hold a decent enough graphics card to be able to play the game at a more than acceptable level. Most of them come with an ATI 7600m or a Nvidia 750m which will suffice for mid-entry level gaming. Buying an massively overpriced and bulky gaming laptop (that will be obsolete in technical terms in about 2 years) would be pointless as it would be a lot less mobile than some of its slightly less powerful sibling laptops.
While of course everyone has their preferences but let it be said that a lot of the people you get out there have a lot more money than sense or just sense by itself. I think the only thing you need to look for in your price range is a graphics card ample enough to do what you want. My reasoning for this is that most laptops will have an i3-i5 or ATI equivalent, 4-8GB RAM, and a sizeable HDD. Beyond that is going to cost you so you have to gauge how much you are willing to spend.
Suggestions:
Try a multimedia range instead of searching for "gaming laptops" as multimedia PC's usually are quite close to the spec just without the premium.
Avoid AMD if you can help it but they do tend to come cheaper so make sure that if you get an AMD you find one with specs that adjust it to it's Intel counterpart.
If you can build a desktop I would recommend it due to parts coming cheap and upgrades being more widely available.
TL;DR
Don't look for "gaming" computers for $500, look for powerful regular computers for $500.
You can indeed....give or take some parts maybe you want to swap things around but this seems like a decently stable build that should run DotA2 at an acceptable level.
buy a cheap AMD mATX mobo and $100 cpu.
a $80 graphic card will be great for dota2.
go tigerdirect for their bundle deal.
I got my 2 year ago with $240 + $80 GTX550Ti. run DOTA2 60fps at max setting 1920x1080.
I recommend invest more on keyboard and GAMING MOUSE, as dota2 doesn't require a lot hardware power.
Well I would suggest almost the opposite as very rarely is it the mouse or the keyboard that is holding you back. If you have a high DPI mouse than you must also have/need a very large monitor as that is the only time it is warranted. A keyboard makes no difference as long as you find one that fits your hand size comfortably enough to stretch.
A really expensive mouse or keyboard is pointless and a gimmick in my opinion as a lot of the pro's (even in starcraft) have like really old keyboards and mice and do just fine.
"Lets go buy a really cheap car but spend loads on some banging hubcaps" - Same advice from a different angle.
well. i guess that depends on people. I find it huge important to have a good mouse. It can change your performance a lot.
A bad mouse can hurt your hands and shoulders if you are old (30+) and play dota more than 4-5 hours a day.
high DPI is not something I really want. Just comfort. But like I said it really depends on people.
also, you may want to have a mouse with side buttons so that you can assign single click items to it (like magic ward , shiva).
$50 in hardware can not get you much performance improvement once you built a $500 desktop computer. a $50 mouse can indeed change a lot. try it.
i got a question about building my own laptop/desktop... do i just buy the part and they put the part together for me or do i have to do it myself.?
@ The_Pro_Hacker There are companies and individuals that will assemble the hardware for you for a slight cost. Custom laptops are not something you should be getting into and if you would give me a rough location I could try and see what options are in your area/country.
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does anyone know a laptop or desktop that can hold dota 2 graphics with no lag under the price of 500?