Buying Affordable Laptop! {Specific}

[Crow]

Alright peeps, I really need your help here.

My laptop is dying and I think I really need to just buy a new one at this point. I have an Acer Aspire V3-551 that runs Windows 7.
Now I HATE change. I love this laptop. My dad bought it for me in 2012 for college and I've been using it ever since. It's kinda heavy, overheats easily, and I've replaced its battery three times. I've also had it repaired once (the hinges broke, so they essentially just put epoxy in there lol). It's a dirty old thing and I hate to upgrade but I think it's really about time.
It can hardly handle shit anymore and will just shut off if I have too many tabs open or if I'm streaming anything really.

What I'm looking for:
-Preferably something not as heavy / more lightweight
-Something that can handle online gaming a bit better (I don't need a gaming laptop necessarily, just something that won't shut off if I attempt to play something online)~ I need a laptop that will be able to run the upcoming "Book of Travels" game on Steam which I just backed in the Kickstarter
-Also something that can handle making Animashes/AMVs/etc; I used to make them all the time and upload to Youtube but I don't think my current laptop can handle such a process anymore, nor do I have the space really to download/burn movies to it
-Preferably still able to run Windows 7 because I fucking hate Windows 10 with a burning passion
-PC NOT A MAC--I HATE THEM WITH A BURNING PASSION
-Ideally something that doesn't feel like a big change from what I already have, if that makes sense (I hate change)
-$300 or under (I cannot afford anything more, I understand this is a stretch for a decent laptop but it's all I can do)

Basically looking for something that isn't too much of a jump from what I already have, but will last me another 5 years or so, and won't randomly shut off on me when I try to do things.

Anyone good with tech and know what I'm essentially looking for??

[Mama Bear]

-Preferably still able to run Windows 7 because I fucking hate Windows 10 with a burning passion
-PC NOT A MAC--I HATE THEM WITH A BURNING PASSION

I appreciate your passion, particularly around the Mac thing <3
Regarding the OS though, you're better off getting W10 and customising it to look and feel more like W7. I was in the exact same boat when I transitioned, and I still don't like the way W10's start menu works, but I've had to get used to it at work. (you need an account to see links) <- you can minimise the change though, and W10 will give you greater access to current (and future) programs.

[Effektivv]

Alright peeps, I really need your help here.

My laptop is dying and I think I really need to just buy a new one at this point. I have an Acer Aspire V3-551 that runs Windows 7.
Now I HATE change. I love this laptop. My dad bought it for me in 2012 for college and I've been using it ever since. It's kinda heavy, overheats easily, and I've replaced its battery three times. I've also had it repaired once (the hinges broke, so they essentially just put epoxy in there lol). It's a dirty old thing and I hate to upgrade but I think it's really about time.
It can hardly handle shit anymore and will just shut off if I have too many tabs open or if I'm streaming anything really.

What I'm looking for:
-Preferably something not as heavy / more lightweight
-Something that can handle online gaming a bit better (I don't need a gaming laptop necessarily, just something that won't shut off if I attempt to play something online)~ I need a laptop that will be able to run the upcoming "Book of Travels" game on Steam which I just backed in the Kickstarter
-Also something that can handle making Animashes/AMVs/etc; I used to make them all the time and upload to Youtube but I don't think my current laptop can handle such a process anymore, nor do I have the space really to download/burn movies to it
-Preferably still able to run Windows 7 because I fucking hate Windows 10 with a burning passion
-PC NOT A MAC--I HATE THEM WITH A BURNING PASSION
-Ideally something that doesn't feel like a big change from what I already have, if that makes sense (I hate change)
-$300 or under (I cannot afford anything more, I understand this is a stretch for a decent laptop but it's all I can do)

Basically looking for something that isn't too much of a jump from what I already have, but will last me another 5 years or so, and won't randomly shut off on me when I try to do things.

Anyone good with tech and know what I'm essentially looking for??

(you need an account to see links)

(you need an account to see links)

[booble]

It sounds like what would be best for you is a used laptop. Especially since you mentioned you would prefer a machine with an older OS and that you'd like decent performance on a budget. Look for something with at least an i3 processor and a decently sized (>= 256 G.B.) SSD with a minimum of 4GB of RAM.

[Synth Salazzle]

There's some pretty cheap laptops out there. When I needed a PC at my brokest and ol reliable crapped out on me I got one for about $20 on ebay.

It was not fast, glorious and barely ran runescape but it was better than nothing. I could still play neopets and key quest, along with other browser games (tells you how long ago this was) without any issues. I could also run programs from cheat sites like this one without any issue. (I DID have to upgrade it to win 7 as it was XP at the time I got it.)

I could also run really low end steam games like cave story and organ trail.

[Ked]

If you're in the market for something used I recommend ebay. I got my i7 4gb laptop on there for $125 a couple months back.