(Part 3) Best traditional laptops according to redditors

Apple Macbook Pro

• i5 CPU
  
• 8gb RAM
  
• 256gb SSD
  
• $1500
  
  Asus Laptop
  
  
• i5 CPU
  
• 8gb RAM
  
• 256gb SSD
  
• $500
  
  
  The screen on the Asus is not quite as nice as the one on the macbook but it doesn't account for the $1000 difference in price. You could find one with a nicer screen for a couple hundred more if you looked around.
  
  This one is the same price as the macbook but has more ports, twice the RAM, twice the SSD space, a higher screen resolution, a much better CPU, and dedicated graphics.
  
  What is apple even doing?
  
  
  
  

So...

Lets base this more accurately..

$500 6 years ago after inflation is between $550-$600 nowadays

The Core i5-350m has a passmark score of 1909
https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-350M+%40+2.27GHz&id=743

A modern mid-range laptop CPU is a Core i5-6200u this has a passmark score of 3900
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-6200U+%40+2.30GHz

It also has a max TDP half of the 350m and probably uses less than half of the power of the 350m.

It's not all about clockspeed.

Hell
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-2512BLK-Generation-GeForce/dp/B015PYZ0J6/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467049899&sr=1-1&keywords=dell+inspiron+15+7559.
This has an IPS 1080P screen, a core i7 skylake, a dedicated 960M GTX, 8GB ram, backlit keyboard and a SSHD. for only $850 USD

Edit: https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-ay013nr-Full-HD-Generation-Windows/dp/B01CGGOZOW/
Or a HP with SSD and 8GB ram.. only $450 USD

Um, you can...https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-ay013nr-Full-HD-Generation-Windows/dp/B01CGGOZOW/

There are several with 1080p screens and smaller SSDs under $500.

I really have no idea. And as always, im sure people will say "you cant get better machines for the price bro". Ugh. Stop being sheep. Windows machines are drastically better speced out even at this price range.

I just want better hardware for ChromeOS. We should be able to beat Windows on price and quality. But they just refuse to even try. They want to take the Apple approach without being Apple. Its frustrating.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-R5-3500U-Graphics-F512DA-EB51/dp/B07QQB7552

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenBook-NanoEdge-I5-8265U-UX431FA-ES51/dp/B07NZ8HBBK

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ultrabook-Touchscreen-Quad-Core-Fingerprint/dp/B07CNVG2CD

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-Lightweight-WideView-Fingerprint/dp/B0795W86N3

Looking at the games you listed, you don't need a 'gaming' laptop.

Since you know nothing about 'what all the specs mean'. I'll give you a quick run down of what's important.

The CPU - just because a laptop says advertises itself as quadcore at X ghz doesn't mean it's good. Instead find the CPU model (e.g. i5 8400) and look it up on a bench marking website and compare it with other CPUs of other laptops at whatever price point. Another thing you can do is look for youtube benchmarks, which will give an indication of how that CPU will perform on whatever games she wants to play (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggfuW_tx9GA). Generally when looking at these benchmarks you want to look out for the FPS counter - anything 60 or above is good.

GPU - Again, look for benchmarks of how the GPU performs on websites and on you tube. Although the games she plays doesn't need to good of a GPU. Again, anything above 60 FPS is good.

HDD/SSD - SSDs are SIGNIFICANTLY faster than Hard-drives, although are more expensive. So if you can get an SSD, get one as I've been able to turn utterly crap laptops into fast ones. This will not help with actual FPS (frames per second) performance in games, but load times and the responsiveness of activities will be significantly better. You shouldn't ever underestimate how big of a difference an SSD will make. Therefore I'd probably find a laptop with an SSD of 240GB or over. You can always upgrade/replace a HDD with an SSD if the laptop you brought doesn't have one and you can find them for about $30 I'd say.

Resolution - Get a 1920x1080 screen (commonly referred to as 1080p). IPS is nice but not necessary. The screen size is up to you. Bigger = better viewing experience however if you want to carry it around every where, smaller might be better.

RAM - 8Gb is generally the norm, although you can probably get away with 4Gb. If you need to you can upgrade the amount of RAM your laptop holds anyways pretty easily.

___

Now the games you listed aren't very intensive games (meaning they don't require too good of a PC). Anything over $800 imo is definitely overkill since she won't be playing graphics intensive games. I'd get a laptop with a decentish CPU but nothing too fancy, and you might be able to get away with integrated graphics (the GPU that comes with the CPU), although I wouldn't be overly sure. So don't waste your money on a laptop with a really fancy GPU. Especially as she's only 12; she doesn't need a mid-high end laptop for the types of games she plays.

Something to watch out for is the tag 'gaming'. Just because it has the tag 'gaming' doesn't mean it's good at gaming - it's simply a tag used for marketing. So ignore the tag 'gaming' and just focus on pure specs. The only thing a 'gaming' laptop offers is that it probably looks nice with flashy colours.

Also have you considered a desktop? As they generally are more upgradable (If she decides she wants to play games which are more graphically intense she could easily buy a new GPU for 200 and throw it in there instead of buying a totally new laptop) and more affordable. The only thing she won't be able to do is carry it around.

Hope this helps

Edit found this laptop - https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Nitro-AN515-Laptop-i5-8300H/dp/B07C715KNT/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=laptop+gtx+1050+ssd&qid=1565396341&s=pc&sr=1-4

Now the GPU is a bit overkill IMO so if you do some digging you could probably find a laptop with a better CPU and a worse GPU at a similar price.

PSA: Amazon Prime Day is fast approaching. There are so many options for forwarding and some have promos for Prime Day starting already.

Also PSA: the local distributors are all ripping you off and offer dumster-fire tier customer service and warranties. Don't support them till they stop (and ignore their puppet accounts that will reply with FUD). Do the math yourself on forwarding costs, the big Prime Day price discounts (check camelcamelcamel for the actual lowest price on items) and amazing Amazon customer service vs buying locally and getting shit-tier customer support the local distributors. The exception to this is cell phones, the US sucks for this if you want dual sims, no bloat or any kind of modern cell phone experience. Europe is much better and there are forwarders who offer EU addresses, but forwarding is overall more expensive from Europe. Make sure you choose a forwarder who has been around for a while and has people on social media reporting good experiences (there are crappy/rip off forwarders now). I will not recommend any particular service as they all have negatives and positives and I am not interested in advertising for any of them.

I posted a lengthy price calculation on a post by a guy who got ripped off buying a P145,000 laptop on Lazada from the official seller (which is just a local distributor) so you can see what that looks like:

>Let me pose the question to you: have you checked out Shippingcart, Jinio, POBox, Johnny Air, etc? How much would that laptop be if you bought it on Amazon? Forget putting it on Camelcamelcamel and waiting for the price to drop or on Black Friday/Prime Day or something, just retail price and bought the laptop today? Lets find out.

>So I dont know what model you tried to buy but you said ROG. See [this model at Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;condition=all) (its the Amazon Choice model). Right now its $1299.99 sold by Amazon itself (best seller to buy big ticket items you will import): https://imgur.com/a/eeKVxhV. <br /> <br /> &amp;gt;So there is tax of $126.75 if you ship it to Jinio (Connecticut). That is: P67,314.13 + P6563.18 = P73877.31. But then you've got shipping. This is really hard to calculate depending on how you ship (sea or air) and which company you use (I use 8 different forwarding companies these days). I air shipped 2 laptops and a few other things 6-7 months ago via Shippingcart with their 12lbs 15% off promo and it looks like I paid about $58 per laptop. <br /> <br /> &amp;gt;So, P3003.27 + P73877.31 = P76880.58. Thats right, a little over half what you paid OP. And you get that sweet Amazon customer service.

>But wait, what if something went wrong in shipment? So this is Amazon itself you bought from. If you don't know what this means, this is the company that is giving refunds for Huawei phones bought 1 year ago (as per people on /r/Android). Ok so say you have to send it back to Amazon. This is a PIA but LBC is one of the cheaper options for this and I can tell you it costs around P7000 to send a laptop back to Amazon or Best Buy (I`ve done it to both). Then you have to pay to forward it back to you here in the Philippines.

> So, P7000+ P3003.27 + P76880.58 = P84180.85. Yep, even if you have to replace a broken laptop (or received a switch instead of a laptop) its still about 60% the price you paid.

Win10 certainly made some improvements in the battery life department, but the rMBP is still going to reign supreme there thanks to Mac OS just being better optimized for it. If you're looking for something comparable spec-wise to the 13" rMBP, but cheaper, look at the Asus UX305LA, or if you want something more durable and a similarly long battery life, check out the 14" Lenovo Thinkpad T450S, which you can get cheaper by signing up for a free "student & teacher account" here. I'm also a big fan of the XPS 13, though the price and specs are fairly similar to the 13" rMBP. If you want to go higher than 13", but still get a premium finish and good performance, check out the $1449 config of the new XPS 15. They manage to fit a 15" screen in the body of a 14" laptop thanks to the infinity display. A little out of your price range, but one of the best laptops on the market, and has a good GPU for most gaming.

I have been running Lubuntu on the Asus UX305LA and have been pleased with it. It has an aluminum build similar to the MacBook Air.

I was deciding between the Asus and the Dell XPS 13 and ultimately went with the Asus based on price.

FYI it's only $800 for a new one.


https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-Laptop-G5587-5859BLK-PUS-Anti-Glare/dp/B07CD3MRZD/

I would go for something like this G5587-5859BLK-PUS G5 if looks and performance are important to me.

It will run TS4 no problems on High settings. But for that kind of money ($1000) you'll find other laptops with the same specs if not better. And that is more "built" for gaming. Problem with most laptops for media consumption, they don't have enough air vents. Or not large enough for the air to pass through.

This for example costs $300 less with better GPU. A GTX 1050 Ti leaves the 1050 in the dust.

This laptop was recommended by another user from another thread asking for laptop advice. Again cheaper than the Acer Aspire 7 and with better specs.

Victorinox 8 Inch Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife which I got for my husband, we needed a better kitchen knife and this one was rated pretty well by america's test kitchen

Chooka rain boots I have thick calves and these rain boots are fantastic, they're a bit wide too so I can wear wooly socks with them.

My Asus laptop

This cat lounger my cats love, especially my chunky one

And my air purifier

The best value laptop in my opinion is the HP 15 for $430. It has great spec for it's price that will work very well for multi-tasking with a skylake i5 processor, 8gb of ram and a 128GB SSD (upgradable if you wish). It also has a decent battery life, a lightweight for a 15.6'' at 4.65 pounds, and a 1080p display.

In the 300s, my best suggestion is the Acer E15 for $330. It has a new Kaby Lake i5 processor, 4gb of ram and a 1TB HDD. It would still work fine for multi-tasking, but if you want to heavy multi-task it would be worth buying another RAM stick and upgrading the ram. It also has a 1080p display and a backlit keyboard.

And Above the $430 range, my best suggestion is the HP 15 for $585. It has even more powerful specs with a Skylake i7 processor, 8gb of ram and a 256gb ssd. It also has a full 1080p IPS display, and a pretty decent battery life (advertised up to 6 hours).

This laptop will get the job done with running Fortnite, it doesn't have a lot of space but it's upgradeable and I doubt she needs that much. It has a very respectable battery life.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Dell+Inspiron+15+7567&qid=1565572396&s=electronics&sr=1-3

Getting really close, I got one of them for a recent trip and it works great for VR on the go :)

What games are you going to be playing?

Actually nevermind, this is the best new gaming laptop you can get in this price range:
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-5000-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B06XFG7157/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523978923&sr=8-3&keywords=1050+laptop

Or in general, an i5 HQ and a gtx1050 with 8g of ram. Frankly at $600 there's not much you can do, either the games you want run, or they don't. You would need to jump up to $850 to get an i7 and a 1050ti, which should handle most games at medium-high, and $1050 to get an i7 and a 1060, which will handle just about anything. Then if you want portability you'll need to jump up to the $2000 range for something semi portable and capable of gaming.

You may have more luck trying /r/hardwareswap, Craigslist, and the secondhand market in general.

You will want to spend $40-60 to get a second stick of ddr4 to run in dual channel. I highly recommend the second hand market for this, ram usually lasts for ever so second hand ram is rarely an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE62VR-Apache-Pro-026-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01IS33QWY/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1480274572&sr=1-3&keywords=msi+gaming

here's a dope one for half of a macbookpro15" (I'm an owner of last gen 15 inch macpro. I love it, but my next hardware upgrade will be away from mac)

If you can spend $100 more, get this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IS33QWY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1483800908&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1060+laptop&dpPl=1&dpID=417k1GWAGtL&ref=plSrch
The graphics card is ridiculously better, not an old 960m, but a full desktop model 1060

The Lenovo y50 would be ideal, but it is a little over your hard limit.

here is a list I put together of some gaming laptops. The 7th option down is a Lenovo Y40 and it would provide the best situation for your type of work. Good battery life, decent gaming performance, portability, etc.

Probably something like this: Dell Gaming Laptop G5587-5859BLK-PUS G5 - 15.6" LED Anti-Glare Display - 8th Gen Intel i5 Processor - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD+1TB HDD - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, Licorice https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CD3MRZD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SWS0CbS3MHPBA.

For your budget, a laptop with a GTX 1060 6GB graphics card is likely the best you can find. The RAM and SSD could be of greater capacity; however, those things are generally simple to upgrade later when your budget allows.

This dell G5 tick all your boxes. check it out.

take a look at the zenbook and vivobook line.
Asus ZenBook 15 price: $1300

ZenBook 14 UX433FN price: $1250

ASUS ZenBook 14 price: $800

Vivobook S15 S512 price: $800

Asus ZenBook 13 price: $788

Asus Vivobook 17 price: $700

ASUS VivoBook 15 price: $550

VivoBook F510QA price: $355


More Customization: BudgetSet


^(You are talking to a human.)
^(If you find this reply useless, downvote for removal.)
^(This project is purely for help, and there is no way for us to profit from it)

Straight from Dave Lee's review on YouTube, the ASUS Zephyrus S GX531GS is a great fit. It has no overheating issues. It has:

• i7-8750H 6-core processor
  
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
  
• 512 GB SSD storage
  
  
• 1080p 144Hz 15.6" display
  
  
• GTX 1070 8 GB Max-Q graphics card
  
  
• Weight of 4.6lbs
  
  The laptop runs Windows 10 Home. The laptop will be able to run recent games on high settings to max.

Idk your budget, but something that has at the minimum an Intel Core i3 processor with Intel Integrated graphics card and 4GB Ram. This would go for about $300-$400 dollars, would be able to play the Sims 4 at very low settings and the Sims 2 Ultimate Collection at comfortable settings/smooth gameplay.

If you can spare some more money, ideally you should get an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, preferably a 6/7/8th generation (generation indicated by the first of number that follows, so for example I have an i5 6200U processor). 8GB+ RAM (more the better) is all suggested. The processors I just mentioned will suit the game fine for medium/high settings but for ultra settings look for one of the i5/i7 with “HQ” at the end. The difference between a processor ending is that 6/7th gen and below processors that end with U are only “dual core” while HQ means “quad core”. If you don’t have the money to grab a quad core/HQ that’s ok, but it leads to my next point.

If you can’t get an HQ processor, try to at least get a U processor accompanied by a dedicated graphics card! Some dgpu’s in a decent price range that work well for sims are the Nvidia GeForce 940m, or MX150 made by the same company! Ultra settings could benefit from a Nvidia GeForce GTX1050 or above (1050,1060,1070,1080). That’s basically it!

The first option is only recommended if you’re on a tight budget. You can get more bang for your buck if you go for a desktop, ie. better processor/graphics card for less money but you use the portability factor. I like to game in bed and also have college to worry about so I need my machine to be portable.

Here are some good laptop choices

If you’re on a really tight budget (ie. first option):
Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-33BM 15.6-Inch FHD Notebook (Intel Core i3-7100U 7th Generation , 4GB DDR4, 1TB 5400RPM HD, Intel HD Graphics 620, Windows 10 Home), Obsidian Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oHeJAb87X98XF

Have a bit more money to spare:
Acer Aspire E 15, 15.6" Full HD, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 8GB RAM Memory, 256GB SSD, E5-576G-5762 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nIeJAbZFVCXT4

Other pricier ($600+) but better choices:
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5577 Gaming Laptop - (15.6" FHD (1920x1080), Intel Quad-Core i5-7300HQ, 1TB HDD, 8GB DDR4, NVIDIA GTX 1050 4GB, Windows 10 - Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFG7157/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iJeJAbCQ911ZA

HP Pavilion Power GTX 1050 Gaming Laptop - 15" Full HD, Intel Core i7-7700HQ , 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD, Windows 10 Home, Black - 15-cb077nr https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075VT9LFD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6KeJAbYG1C2XN

Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 15.6" Full HD, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, AN515-51-55WL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074Q54GSR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wLeJAb9TZ7ZEH

Civ isn't a massive performance hog, so that price range should be reasonable. If you can bump up your price by $100 you get into the range for gtx 1050Ti graphics cards, which are going to be solid cards that last you a long time. You probably don't need a full 8GB of ram for Civ, it might help in the late game but it's realistically out of your budget anyway.

MSI w/ i7, 1050Ti

Dell w/ i5, 1050Ti

Acer w/ i5 1050Ti

My wife and I both have MSIs and we love them - the keyboards especially are best in class for laptops, IMO. You might also try over in r/gaminglaptops, there's not always a lot of answers but you might get lucky.

Acer Aspire Black Edition:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Nitro-GeForce-VN7-593G-73KV/dp/B01N35Z1DA/

Several Clevo/Sager models:

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np7850-clevo-p650hp3.html

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8155-clevo-p650hp3.html

Gigabyte P55Wv7:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G5EB2190

I'm anxious I'm on an Apple TV so that might be bad for the help! https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Nitro-GeForce-VN7-593G-73KV/dp/B01N35Z1DA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1495748033&sr=1-1&keywords=nitro+1060 It isn't a government in a corner OF spot a la Adam Frazier.

~ PandaMan32

-----

^^Info ^^| ^^Subreddit

https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP7850.html

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Nitro-GeForce-VN7-593G-73KV/dp/B01N35Z1DA/

For school in this price range I would advise you to check one of those laptops

laptop name | Acer Swift 3 | ASUS VivoBook | ASUS VivoBook S15
--- |---- |---- |----
CPU | Quad core 8th Gen I5-8250U | Quad core 8th Gen I5-8250u | Quad core 8th Gen I5-8250U
GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Intel UHD Graphics 620
Screen "| 14"" FHD IPS" "| 15.6"" FHD" "| 15.6"" FHD"
Ram | 8 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB
SSD | 256 GB | 128 GB | 256 GB
HDD | 0 | 1 TB | 0
Weight | 3.2 Lbs. | 3.7 Lbs. | 3.5 Lbs.
Battery life | 8.5 Hrs. | 4.5 Hrs. | 6 Hrs.
Price | 600~700$ | 600~700$ | 650~750$
Pros | One of the best bang for the money in the market. | Very light . | Great all-metal chassis with a stilsh colour .
Pros | Very light . | Decent storage .. | Very light .
Pros | Great battery life . | Decent battery life . | Great battery life .

Yes, 99% of the time they are, and the one you linked seem genuine, reason it is lower than the other laptops you are comparing it to is because of few things:

• 1.This one comes with HD screen not full HD which is very old resolution and shouldn't be available in this somewhat high price range.
  
• 2. This is sold with 3rd party company called "Oemgenuine" not by Lenovo directly, what they do is buy a cheaper lower configured laptop, open it up and "upgrade" it with more ram or more storage, which is much cheaper than buying them preconfigured from Lenovo directly.
     
     With that if your main usage is going to be gaming then I wouldn't recommend either, GPU on both is weak, and that has a big affect in gaming performance so instead If you could push your budget a little then this is your best option it comes with great value for money, it has high refresh rate with 1080 resolution like you wanted and it is just about 5 lbs.
     
     If you can't push your budget then your second best option is this Acer Nitro 5 because of the following:
     
     
• The display cover has a brushed-metal look to it and you can open it with one hand.
  
• Ram is easily upgradeable, SSD is also upgradable but it needs a little more work.
  
  
• Keyboard is backlit chiclet keyboard (only red) and it can be turned on and off, with good travel and precision.
  
  
• Touchpad supports multi-touch gestures and it is big enough to use them, with clear pressure point.
  
  
• Screen is not super bright, so it might struggle in direct sunlight, and color coverage is also not great but slightly above average at 40% RGB and 62% sRGB.
  
  
• Screen doesn't have Screen flickering / PWM and it has IPS panel so the viewing angles are great, but response time is not great too.
  
  
• CPU throttle a little and gets hot (to the point that it is painful to use on your lap), but for general usage and most games it shouldn't have a big negative impact.
  
  
• GPU is powerful enough to run Runescape on medium to high settings, you can view the expected FPs from this link
  
  
• https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1050-Ti-Notebook.168400.0.html
  
  
• Fan noise is very low during idle or light usage, but rather loud during gaming, but that is to be expected.
  
  
• Battery life during non gaming usage is very good for a gaming laptop at around 5.5-6.5 hours.
  If you want to check similar option make sure to check my post a list of gaming laptops

Gaming laptops are hard to find with sufficient power below $1000. If your budget is not flexible, then the closest thing you'll find is the Lenovo Y50 i5 version, which is around $900 and has a pretty good GTX 860M GPU. For the money, the performance is quite good, though the screen leaves much to be desired.

I'd go for something with an Intel 4th-6th gen i3/i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a relatively roomy SSD (>250GB).

You don't really need a laptop with a dedicated GPU, intel integrated graphics post 4th gen is more than enough for running DA:O

Other than that maybe go for a large and nice screen?

Personally I'd maybe go for this one: https://amzn.com/B01CGGOUJM
Extremely good CPU (i5, 6th gen), Big SSD (256GB), 8GB of RAM and the display is 1080p.

This is a lot of computer for your money and it's definitely worth it. I did look at some of the cheaper ones, but seeing as you're also going to be using it for school and such, I'm thinking you're going to want to invest a teeny bit more. Trust me, I've worked with a lot of cheap laptops and the low price is almost never worth it. The cheaper ones are going to last a couple of years before they become outdated, but the one I suggested is going to last a lot longer (as long as you're careful with it).

If you got any opinions/wishes/questions just mention them and I'll do my best to help you ;-)

Suggestions:

• SSD so he can have it going right when he enters class, maybe 256 because Windows 10 and basic programs might be hard to fit on 128
  
• Good battery life and light weight so he can carry it around all day
  
• Something that isn't power hungry and will run well on a battery (Most computers in the $700 or below range will do this)
  
  I looked on Amazon and this seemed like the best for your price range, plus it's sold straight from Amazon for $530 and free shipping

Rather than being a dick like the others around here and telling you to get a desktop, I'll suggest this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IS33QWY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_kIPCybDWF5EQ1

This one's an absolute beast, just a bit over $1000.

Would suggest spending a little more for this. The GTX 1060 is a really big jump from a 960M or even 970M.

I have money saved up to buy a laptop if I needed to, I just didn't want to if I didn't have to. I already have this laptop picked out https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR82G0W?ref=emc_b_5_t

I might upgrade to the i7 version for 100 more, but I'm thinking its probably not worth

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMMMMX2

I don't know of any laptop you'd want to keep for 6-7 years. You'd be better off buying a $1000 laptop every 3 years. Even at that price point you can get excellent machines and you skip the problem of having outdated hardware. Take a look at this Zenbook. Computers today have much better SSDs, faster RAM, better peripherals, more power efficient CPUs and better GPUs than those 2-3 years ago.

That's curious, especially after you compare this with, for example, this.

At a nearly $1800 budget, I'd personally be more ambitious than a 1660Ti. I mean, the MaxQ variant with Ryzen chips can already be had for $1100. Depends on where your priorities are, sure, but I'd think above $1200 is where you should expect better than "overall value" shopping and can be a little choosy.

I'd recommend the ASUS TUF 505. It has a Ryzen 3750H which is a decent CPU. For the GPU it has a full desktop grade 1660ti. It also has a 120HZ IPS panel with great colour accuracy. All this for just $1099.

Amazon link : https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QQB6DC1/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

size is a big one for students. 15.6in is good, but if you have a small pack or need it to be smaller 13 inch laptops are out there. since students would be using their computer a lot to open things like word documents or spreadsheets, so you need a fast but efficient processor and a good amount of ram like maybe 8 or 16gb, like a ryzen 5 3500u.

the amd laptops are cheaper and offer similar performance to intel laptops. look for laptops with ssds, so it starts up fast and is snappy. though ssds are small in capacity unless you need to have large photoshop or 3d modeling stuff on the laptop, ssds are definately the better option for students.

look for either high quality plastic chassis or metal chassis, as these are durable and are good for taking out/putting away a lot, and are generally light as most metal laptop chassis are aluminum these days.

you should also look for laptops with a good battery life, at least around 19~14 hours. also look for USB-C charging capable laptops as a lot of phones have them nowadays, so you only have to carry one charger if your phone uses USB-C, and you can transfer files between your phone and laptop quickly if you need to.

also look for thin designs as these are easy to carry, usually lighter than textbooks and dont make you tired carrying around all day.

here are some good examples of what i just said: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-330S-15ARR-Laptop-Memory-Platinum/dp/B07HGTFTZB/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=ryzen+5+3500u+thin+light&qid=1574045426&sr=8-7 according to reviews of this, as long as you remove McAfee "antivirus" it is blazing fast

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-R5-3500U-Graphics-F512DA-EB51/dp/B07QQB7552/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=thin+light+laptop+amd&qid=1574045773&sr=8-2 fast cpu and good amount of storage. REMOVE MCAFEE if its there

edit:formatting

You are on the right track with those two you mentioned; exactly the two I would have thrown out to you if you are running away from the gaming appearance. The XPS has a little better display than this NITRO but the Nitro has a much better graphics card which is crucial in especially high level CAD tasks...The Nitro also has a bigger storage.

Portability + power is a bit of an issue. That said, here are some sub-$1500 suggestions from Amazon:

• Inspiron 7000 with GTX 1050, $678--all-around decent option for the price. It might be worth opting for the one with the SSD, although it's a bit more expensive. You could also just install a SSD yourself (should set you back less than the upgrade at checkout).
  
  
• Insipiron 700 with GTX 1060, $900--a big price jump from the previous one but IMO worth it for the performance. I would say this is the sweet spot for price, performance, and design.
  
  
• Alienware 13 with 1050 Ti or 1060--if you want something smaller, although it's going to cost more than the Inspirons despite having very similar specs.
  
  
• MSI GS43VR with GTX 1060--another smaller option, although it's going to cost you.
  
  
• Eluktronics P857HR with GTX 1070, $1400--probably the best you can get in terms of pure gaming performance for under $1500.

Dell Inspiron 15 7567 $839 with a 1050Ti, 256GB ssd (user questions note that there is space for another hard drive)

Eluktronics N850HK1 $998 I've linked the version with the 1060, 128GB ssd, but there are other variations with more memory bigger SSD etc

Both taken from /r/SuggestALaptop's FAQ & Quick Pics side bar, more suggestions there too. I have no direct experience with either laptop.

At $800 you can buy brand new gaming laptops with way better specs. RAM isn't the most important thing for a PC and they can be upgraded easily later.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9

I would not put more than $450 for the Alienware.

Hi,

Based on your requirements I have made this noteb search

You can see and change the search parameters using the "Refine results" button in the upper-left part of the search results page. You can also click on the laptops for more information.

An option for you might be this one: Dell Inspiron 15 7577 Gaming - combines power and low cost perfectly - you can find the configuration I gave you here for 750$ or on amazon from 940$

Another option might be this one: Dell Inspiron 15 7567 Gaming - this one is slightly weaker but with a better battery life - you can find the configuration I gave you on amazon for 780$

If you want the best game performance for the price, these are slightly over but probably the best value, with the 6GB GTX 1060 and also IPS / 72% NTSC displays.

• https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-Gaming-GeForce-G9-593-72VT/dp/B01LD4MGSA/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-GT62VR-Dominator-027-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01K00YHMG/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Nitro-GeForce-VN7-593G-73KV/dp/B01N35Z1DA/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-P650RP6-Premium-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B01KZ6BBOM/ ^(be aware: offered 4K model is PenTile RG/BW not-true-4K. See /r/SuggestALaptop/ sidebar for more info. You'll have to run many games in non-native res on a 4K display, but if you did want 4K, I have different recommendations in mind, that use true 4K.)
  
  There are a handful of GTX 1060 laptops that use mediocre TN displays with poor contrast and viewing angles (worse than decent desktop TN displays) that I might suggest to skip, unless you're perhaps getting a really good deal and are planning to replace the LCD yourself. They also use the 3GB 1060 which isn't bad but is lower performance in ways other than memory.
  
  
• ASUS FX502VM
  
• MSI GP62MVR
  
  EDIT: I'll also add, the Lenovo Y720's display isn't nearly as bad as these low quality TN panels, but is only 45% NTSC color gamut, and the meh color saturation could be a downer.
  
  -----
  
  A GTX 1060 should be well more than enough for the last three you listed, but ARK seems to be particularly intensive for some reason, and brief googling indicated that a GTX 1060 6GB is where you want to be for that game. If you want cheaper options with the next step down in GPU I can make recommendations for that as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Gaming-GeForce-VN7-593G-73KV/dp/B01N35Z1DA This is my vote. I have the ACER Predator Helios 300 and love it (it was on sale for quite a bit, and had similar specs to this) but the Acer looks professional and not like a gaming laptop, which I hate about the Helios 300.

The Acer Triton 300 is the cheapest laptop you can get with a full 6GB GTX 1060 graphics card in it right now, at ~$1,049. That will max out all the games you listed without issue.

Reviews:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No5RbW1A2Ss
  
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvID5D_Bkl4
  
  ASUS's GL502VM is also the same price on sale right now, and is sleeker and I believe thinner. Looks a bit nicer too, IMHO. I had two of the ASUS GL502VS last year, which are the slightly thicker versions with the GTX 1070.
  
  Overall, a good, solid portable gaming laptop but with Gsync battery life was crap, so keep that in mind.
  
  If you want to step up a little bit, I'd highly recommend the Acer Aspire Nitro 15" because it looks like a business laptop, not some gaming eyesore. That means you can take it to school, work, the library, coffee shops, etc. without people judging you. Plus, it starts at $1,299 so it's not much more expensive.
  
  Beyond that, you go up in price a bit for laptops with more metal in their builds and sleeker, thinner, lighter chassis. All of the laptops I've mentioned so far are between 5.5 and nearly 8 pounds. Not the worst thing, but noticeably heavier than thin and light ones in daily use.
  
  Start with the new Sager NP8950, which is well under an inch thick and packs the same specs as the other laptops mentioned, in a plastic and thin metal chassis. It also has a 3 or 4 zone RGB keyboard, which some people love. At $1,499 it's right at the edge of your budget, but the thinness, weight reductions, sleeker design, better building materials, included RGB-lite keyboard, and expandable storage and RAM options make it worth it, IMO.
  
  From there, things quickly go outside of your budget with the MSI GS63VR, Gigabyte P35 and Aero 14/15, Razer Blade, etc.

Acer Aspire v15 nitro black edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N35Z1DA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GcfNzb6NXKM37

Or I would recommend the acer e 15, or inspiron 15 5000 5577

Link to all 3 on amazon:



Acer inspiron 15

Acer Aspire E 15

Acer Aspire 5

First off, while your GPU is always the priority while gaming, black desert is fairly CPU and RAM intensive as well. Cheaping out on either of those will really hurt you, especially the CPU. I’d personally have 12-16GB of RAM.

If you’re looking for a laptop, I bought this on Black Friday. Runs the game well on medium settings, 40-60 FPS outside of cities. It can run it alright on high as well, but remastered or ultra will suffer major performance drops. https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ya_aw_od_pi

Also use a monitor and peripherals personally, so my experience is mostly with the internal components

Edit: I also added another stick of 8GB RAM, as well as a SSHDD.

I would go with this version of Dell Inspiron 15

• 15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED Backlit Display
  
• 7th Generation Intel Core i5-7300HQ Quad Core 2.50 GHz
  
• 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM, 256GB Solid State Drive
  
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Built in media reader, Bluetooth 4.2
  
• Windows 10
  
• Weight: 5.78 lbs
  
  More details

thank you!

would this laptop be able to handle it ok? im sorry to be needy but i really have no idea what im doing here

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1529352854&sr=8-4&keywords=dell+inspiron+7567+gaming&dpID=41UOlGUlcEL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Heres the same thing with a slighter better GPU for cheaper. Best Buy is usually the worst buy.

Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Laptop: Core i5-8300H, 15.6inch Full HD IPS Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, NVidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Graphics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C715KNT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9fizDb45GNM8P

Hi long time Mac user, so if your not already good with macs or Linux/Unix it’s going to be harder on you and your wallet to get a Mac. Don’t get me wrong I love macs and my wife even has a work Mac for her Dev job.

That being said most professors won’t know how to help you with Mac set up of your IDE and other software and at least a few times your going to have to run a VW with windows to get the software you need for class.

Honestly I would say get something like this NITRO V I have had my larger Acer predator since my MacBook Pro became unreliable and have recommended it and purchased several for my family. It’s above average hardware at that price and the screen it’s a crappy TN panel. Also it’s easy to get into the laptop if needed for upgrades down the road. But that should be plenty for your classes and fast with that SSD. Only real downside is it’s not a thin and light but it’s also not the monster that my predator is.

Good luck finding your new best friend for the next 4-6 years

I have exactly the same question and these are the ones I’ve seen so far near this price point (some BF/some available now). There are probably others. Best of the bunch? No idea.

1050ti

• $600 @ Best Buy – Acer Nitro 5
  
• $600 @ Walmart - HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop (15-cx0056wm)
  
• $600 @ Microsoft Store – Dell G3
  
• $700 @ Newegg ASUS TUF FX504GE-US52
  
• Discontinued – Unsure if this can be found at a reasonable price – [Dell 7567] (https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9)
  
  
  1060 6GB
  
  
• $750 @ Microcenter (in-store only) - Dell G3 15 3579
  
• $800 @ Microcenter (available for shipping) – [Dell G3 15 3579] (https://www.microcenter.com/product/513696/g3-15-3579-156-gaming-laptop-computer---black)
  

You can also check out the Dell Inspiron 15 7567

• 15" IPS FHD Display
  
• Core i5-7300HQ
  
• 256GB SSD,
  
• 8GB RAM,
  
• GTX 1050Ti
  
• Weight 7 lbs
  
  While this is a powerful gaming laptop for the price with a nice display and power GPU its weight is something that might be off putting
  

This is the laptop I use

Granted I know it's above your price range, but I got it "used" for $370, but there was nothing wrong with it and you can't even tell it was used. Very solid laptop, good battery life, lots of storage, and I haven't had it run into any problems with FL yet. If you can find it used or on sale I highly recommend this one

Asus Vivobook S14 i7 + MX150 is the fastest laptop I know of in this price range.

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-i7-8550U-GeForce-NanoEdge-Display/dp/B07B7VFTN9/

14" FHD, Intel Core i7-8550U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce MX150, NanoEdge Display, Backlit Kbd, FP Sensor

Weight : 1.45 kgs (3.2 pounds)

Note : This is the recommendation since you want something thin and light. If that's not the case then gaming laptops will serve you much better. But they're usually thick and definitely not light at this price range.

I'd recommend either an MX150 graphics card, or a Ryzen 5 with Vega 8 graphics. Here are a few options for you to compare:

• https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-i7-8550U-GeForce-NanoEdge/dp/B07B7VFTN9
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Kepler-MateBook-14-Mystic/dp/B07G7GSM29
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Convertible-Touchscreen-Processor-81SS000DUS/dp/B07TWHYTSQ
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Dell-TouchScreen-Performance-Business-Keyboard/dp/B07DF9KKRD
  
  I'd probably pick either the Asus (first link) or the Dell (last link).

No, para el uso que le vas a dar conseguir notebooks mas baratas.

No te puedo recomendar un modelo especifico pero si las caracterisitcas que tiene que tener. Busca modelos "ultrabook" que son mas finos y livianos, pantalla no mas de 14" con resolucion FHD y panel IPS. Procesador no menos de un i3 7° gen. Ram al menos 6 o 8 GB, si es mas mejor. Nada de disco duro mecanico, si o si SSD no menos de 240GB, compra la que tenga mas espacio porque con las SSD cuanto mas llenas, mas rendimiento pierden. Teclado retroiluminado si trabajas de noche en lugares con poca luz.

Algo asi

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-i7-8550U-GeForce-NanoEdge-Display/dp/B07B7VFTN9/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1549549672&sr=1-2&keywords=ultrabook&refinements=p_n_feature_twelve_browse-bin%3A9521908011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A2423840011

I have been happy with my Acer Aspire VX 15. It has a 1050ti, 16GB ram, 256GB ssd, and an i5-7300HQ for $900. I'm not sure how it would handle VR, but at that price point I don't think you'll get a better graphics card.

Also, black and red FTW.

Just check Tekken's requirements:

• Minimum: Processor: Intel Core Intel Core i3-4160 @ 3.60GHz or equivalent
  
  Memory: 6 GB of RAM
  
  Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, GTX 750Ti 2GB, or equivalent
  
  
• Recommended: Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5 GHz or equivalent
  
  Memory: 8 GB of RAM
  
  Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 equivalent or higher
  
  Based on those, you can look up Laptops that fit your need.
  
  To answer your question tho', The Lenovo has a 960m while the MSI has a 950m so the Lenovo would perform better.
  
  I'd also like to recommend that you check out newer laptops with the new architecture for graphics card since they're more future and of course faster than olders, but I don't know your budget. An example would be this.

Absolutely, what formfactor would you be looking for?

Remember that the USB-C will be the standard soon especially on Anything storage related.

specswise thisis very powerful at the moment
quity bulky though compared to a macbook.

This one has a better processor but the video card is a serious tier lower imo

Portability with good touch controls and nifty features and a 'fun' design only 2 usb slots though.

Some other things you could check out.
Razer Blade Pro
Asus ZenBook Pro

gl on your search.. $ per Performance wise the windows/linux laptops are lightyears ahead imo not a bad choice if you are looking for usb slots AND power :)

Why get those for that price when you can get THIS INSTEAD

Edit: and the system I linked will stomp the shit out of skyrim special edition at 1080p

I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-i7559-5012GRY-3840x2160-Touchscreen-i7-6700HQ/dp/B015PYZI8E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1488237062&sr=8-5&keywords=dell+inspiron+i7

i got just the normal 1080p screen (not the 4k or touchscreen, but those are options)

also if you get it through dell you can get financing for easy payments.

It runs arch linux just fine, nvidia optimus runs fine on it as well. (dont bother with bumblebee). it also comes with an m.2 slot. I upgraded mine to 16gb ram, 256gb m.2 ssd, along with the 1tb sshd it comes with. The keyboard is full sized so i have my num keys, and the touchpad is nice quality and isnt overly sensitive, and doesnt get in the way of my palm. the battery life is great also!

I got this around may of last year and love it.

It's a dell inspiron. I got it specifically for its expandability because I already had an M.2 and ram that would fit it from a couple of older computers. As much as I wanted to grab a fancy razer or other "top tier" laptop, I couldn't justify the price. Another factor that drove me to this "type" of laptop was its build quality. I needed something that would be more durable than my previous laptops. I find myself being overly cautious with my electronics and even then sometimes they just don't stand the test of time. This laptop, however, I have zero complaints about. It's actually my most favorite laptop I've purchased, and it's not even remotely close to the most expensive. Disclaimer, I don't know how it performs without the M.2 or extra RAM since I installed them immediately, but I expect this laptop to last me for a while. Here's links to the laptop and M.2.

Laptop: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015PYZI8E/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

M.2 Drive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07822Z77M/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sorry for the wall of text lol.

https://www.amazon.com/F556UA-AS54-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01CGGOUJM

This looks pretty decent for you.

That ASUS F556UA-AS54 lapotp really look a good choice and fits your needs perfectly. It has a decent processor, as well as memory and the 256 GB SSD will give you some much needed speed.

A real good quialty laptop for you right now is the ASUS F556UA-AS54 15.6inch Full-HD Laptop within your budget and perfect for you. It also has wonderful keys to type on, comes with the 6th generation Intel Core i5 Processor perfect for writing and running programs,running Microsoft office, and browse the web seeing that your going to college.With a nice battery, An 8 GB DDR3L SDRAM which is excellent for the price and 256GB Solid-State Drive for blazing-fast program launches and excellent for booting your Operating Sytem quickly.It is within your budget and you will not be disappointed this selection.

Buy a desktop for 1400 + a laptop for 600$
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor | $293.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler | $59.88 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $109.99 @ NCIX US
Memory | Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $96.89 @ OutletPC
Storage | Kingston Predator 240GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $146.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $48.99 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card | $389.99 @ B&H
Case | NZXT S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $89.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | SeaSonic Platinum 400W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular Fanless ATX Power Supply | $127.88 @ NCIX US
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1364.59
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-07 16:12 EST-0500 |

• https://www.amazon.com/F556UA-AS54-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01CGGOUJM/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478553095&sr=1-5&keywords=asus+laptop
  
  

Since Steam In-Home streaming relies on the source computer to do all the processing, the actual laptop it's being streamed to doesn't have to be all that powerful. Your primary concern for a stream laptop is going to be your network card. With that in mind, I suggest this Asus
or this Acer.

The Acer has everything the Asus has, is within .2 lbs of weight (5 pounds for either) with the addition of a dedicated graphics card. I'm more inclined to suggest the Acer as a better overall deal, since for an extra $20 you get the capability to game reasonably well on the go. The Asus, however, does have a slightly larger battery (38wH vs ~31wH on the Acer) so I would estimate you're looking at about an hour difference in favor of the Asus. Say 4-5 hours for the Acer and 5-6 for the Asus under normal usage. Not a colossal difference, but it might affect your usage plans for it. As far as Steam streaming, both have dedicated Ethernet ports- which I would absolutely prioritize over relying on WiFi. Especially if you're playing a fast-paced game like Overwatch.

If what you stated is all she would be doing, have you considered a chromebook? Chromebooks are literally amazingly fast & beautiful to use for the way your wife would use it. Their literally designed to do the things your wife would be doing.


You may look at the hardware at first glance and not think their any good, but the amazing thing about these is that they are so well optimized with ChromeOS (the operating system) so they run like a laptop thats worth double.

The only downside to these would be if she wanted to load specific software to the computer, like office/adobe/etc you cant. But their are alternative that are free like google docs. Outside of that, they dont provide really any storage for stuff like having a lot of movie/music files. But everything is streamed now anyways right?


The awesome part is that their really inexpensive, starting at about $200, i would say if you have a local BB near you, go try one on yourself & you'll be amazed on how smooth and fast they run.
A really awesome one coming out soon from Samsung is this one right here. Samsung - 12.3" Chromebook Plus - Touch Screen
If she doesnt mind the screen size this thing will be awesome, a good alternative which is my favorite that we currently sell is this one here. Acer - R 13 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Chromebook

Now if she wanted a bigger screen, like 15in amazon has this one as well for like half the price, although the smaller ones i mentioned would have better build quality over this one. 2016 Newest Acer 15.6" HD Widescreen Chromebook PC


If for some reason you end up picking a windows :( here or some good alternatives that would still give you a responsive computer for your wife:

• Dell - Inspiron 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i3 - 8GB
  
• HP 15-ay013nr 15.6" Full-HD Laptop (6th Generation Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152668&cm_re=msi_laptop-_-34-152-668-_-Product
Personally I like the nvidia mobile series and since it is a gaming machine it will potentially get hot. At just about 6lbs it isn't too heavy for a gaming laptop. On sale currently.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMMMMX2/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B00NNQDZRI#customerReviews
Above you have the ASUS Republic of Gaming laptop with weighs in at just over 9lbs if you're willing to put up with that. Slightly better graphics card and more ram.

Both run Windows 8.1 if you're alright with that. As someone who plays league and some triple A titles I would probably buy the lighter one if I were carrying it around campus. The heavier asus is really a desktop replacement. Both laptops are 15.6 inches and do not unfortunately give the battery life in hours. Any other questions I'd be happy to do more research.

With the $50 saved on the first option, buying a carrying bag wouldn't break the bank. Best of luck to you.

Best bargain right now is http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NVV2B98/ref=pd_aw_sims_2?pi=SS115&simLd=1


One that's in your price range and has a smaller screen is http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MMMMMX2/ref=pd_aw_sims_3?pi=SS115&simLd=1

And back to a 17 inch http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IKF2H12/ref=pd_aw_sims_6?pi=SL500_SS115&simLd=1

One of these? If so, very nice!

I have one of these and it runs Kubuntu almost perfectly. The things to watch out for:

• Mine had no legacy mode bios so I couldn't install any distro that didn't work with EFI.
  
  
• I had to manually build the drivers to get the wifi working. As the little vivobook has no Ethernet port, I was lucky enough to have a wireless dongle that was recognised immediately.
  
  
• The trackpad is hyper-sensitive and doesn't have Linux drivers yet. It was recognised as a mouse so tweaking the mouse settings calmed it down a bit.
  
  

That opens up a lot of options. I believe there are some Microsoft surface deals for the holidays going around. They look decent and are really portable. Convertibility into a tablet is also pretty awesome for a dorm room.

Your requirements are pretty low so there are too many options for me to list. Look for a SSD. Keep your CPU choice below an I5. Doubt you'll need more than 4 or 8 Gb of ram. You should be able to stay well within your budget.

On second tthought here is a laptop that I wanted to get on black Friday :D

ASUS Zenbook UX305LA 13.3-Inch Laptop (Intel Core i5, 8GB, 256 GB SSD, Titanium Gold) with Windows 10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013KKANTE/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_DWZFwb1MD7PPV

If your budget is as high as $899, chances are that a lot of traditional laptops are also in your price range. I mean, just looking quickly on Amazon, I found this 13" Acer. It has the same RAM, a better processor, 4x storage, and the same integrated graphics core. I can't speak to build quality, but the screen is double-hinged, so you can use it as a (presumably very bulky) tablet. Or this one, which has a weaker processor (though still more powerfull than the Dell's) and with only a traditional clamshell design, but which is $100 cheaper. These aren't gaming laptops (though those are also in your price range), but they're also not underpowered.

Then again, the most expensive Dell CB13 is only $650 from their site, so I'm not sure where you got $899 from. Maybe you're not in the US? Nevermind, there's a second page that I missed.

I'd say that you should understand what you're getting into with ChromeOS. Stock, it's simpler and (arguably) more convenient than a Windows, Mac, or Linux box, but it's also more restrictive. Crouton works around those limitations, but now you're essentially running a second environment from within the first. And Crouton, great as it is, isn't perfect. For example, there's currently (unless it was recently fixed) a bug related to keyboards locking up while installing it.

I have a Pixel and am considering a Dell CB13 as well. (And honestly, if the Dell was around when I bought my Pixel, I probably would have gotten it instead.) But I started with a cheap Acer C720. I didn't spend a lot on a Chromebook until I knew that ChromeOS met my needs, though I still feel like I'm frequently running into things that it doesn't handle well. It might be useful to know what degree you plan to pursue. An English major might do just fine with a Chromebook, though I think I'd recommend something else to a Computer Science major.

I haven't used a Dell CB13 myself, but most signs point to it being an excellent device. The build quality is allegedly great, and the hardware is about the best you can get below a Pixel. I suppose that if ChromeOS doesn't pan out for you, you could always remove the write-protect screw and install a Linux distro on it.

I guess you have to decide how brave you are. Are you willing to take a chance and deal with the fallout if it doesn't pan out? Or would you rather walk the safe road?

UX303UA for $850. It just went back up recently coming from $799. For $350 more you could get the UB which has double Memory, +4GB ram, dedicated GPU, and a jump from an i5 to an i7.

There is also the UX305 which is an older edition that only comes in gold. Not worth it IMO if you could get an even better one for $100 more.

If you really want to go light look at the ASUS Zenbook 305. I just got one and installed Linux on it with almost no issue. It was a little bit of work to get the wi-fi working during the install, but that's only because I was putting Debian on it and they don't include any non-free components on their standard install media so I had to figure out how to get it to load the binary firmware. A less stringent distro like Mint shouldn't even have that problem.

It's very lightweight, very thin, very powerful & has a beautiful screen.

I suggest the XPS 13, included other options though.

HP Spectre x360

• 1440p screen
  
• i7 6500U
  
• 8GB ram
  
• 256gb SSD
  
• 12.79" x 8.60" x 0.63" (HxWxD); 3.2lbs (thinner than MBA, only .2 lbs heavier)
  
  Dell XPS13
  
  
• i5-6200U
  
• 8gb ram
  
• 256gb ssd
  
• 3200 x 1800 resolution with touch screen
  
• 12.0 x 0.6 x 7.9
  
• 2.78 lbs (actually lighter than the MBA!)
  
  Zenbook Ux303UA
  
  
• 1080p screen
  
• i5 - 6200U
  
• 8gb ram
  
• 256gb ssd
  
• 8.8 x 12.7 x 0.8 inches
  
• 3.2 lbs

The UX303UA has a backlit keyboard. Why would anyone skip a major feature like this? It's awesome.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014VHW24Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-59418222/dp/B00K6ZIO2K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409444859&sr=8-1&keywords=y50

First of all, the Razer Blade is kind of bad (to put it lightly) in terms of price:performance.

Since your budget is higher than most of the mainstream laptops, you can have almost anything (certainly much better than what Razer offers).

If money is no object, there are usually two options:

1. Portable gaming notebooks (if you are restricted by travel especially) like the MSI GS60(GTX870M + quad core) for $1800 or the Lenovo Y50(860M + dual core) for $900.
   
   
2. Huge, crazily powerful desktop replacements like the Asus notebooks, or the MSI ones that aren't in the GS series. I remember though that one of the MSI models is horribly flawed because it only has one fan to handle so much heat, so watch out.
   
   The crazy notebooks are usually closer to $3000 now, but they can pack the 880M, which cannot be had in the more desirable thin form factor. Also, they can have good performance at a reasonable price. These are between a desktop and a laptop in portability, and are also somewhat cost-efficient.
   
   It used to be that all gaming notebooks came in this massive form factor, but now the medium-high end graphics can be put in a smaller chassis, and this is almost always more desirable over the monsters that used to be. The portability sometimes comes at a premium, for example the GS60 with the 870M goes for ~1800 while you can get that performance for ~1200 in a less desirable form factor.
   
   The Y50 is extremely cost efficient. If you want a cut-down model with a so-so processor, the Amazon model for $900 is very cost-effective. The 1080p display is pretty bad, although for the cost/performance, you can't really complain. Since your budget is described as <$2000, I imagine this is not for you. There is a model with a higher resolution display that fixes the poor performance of it in that regard
   
   Over at Lenovo's website they have all the configurations at decent prices. The second one from the left for $1129 is probably the best (though with the 1080p display). 16GB of RAM and 4GB of VRAM is unnecessary and only adds to cost. The 1TB HDD is more useful, and warrants an upgrade from the first model. The SSD is limited to 8GB from the factory, and I recommend buying your own mSATA SSD to use. The 250GB 840 evo is nice.
   
   The 860M is technically an upper-mid range GPU, and may not perform to your expectations. Unfortunately, the next step up, the 870M, costs quite a bit to get in a portable form factor. I only know of the GS60 that manages to do this, and it typically costs $1800 (Also the Blade for $2200). This is kind of unreasonable for such a performance jump. Still, if you compare the GS60 to the Blade, you are still getting a good deal, so it's not that bad. If you expected to spend $2000, you will be well-served by the GS60 for $1800. It's basically a Blade with a lower-resolution screen for $400 less.
   
   One thing about the GS60: It gets hot. most of the thin gaming notebooks do, but the GS60's underside on the 870M model can cause burns. It's quite cool when web browsing and such, but during gaming, you need to watch out. The palmrest is pretty cool too, even when gaming, so you just have to make sure to NEVER use it on your lap while gaming.

Hey,

I found this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-59418222/dp/B00K6ZIO2K

Looks like it even has a better graphics card and its cheaper.
it does have an i5 instead of an i7, but like KallyWally said,
you can safely go down to an i5.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMMMMX2#productDetails

?

Alright, so, if I were going to buy a laptop I'd go with this dell: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-Laptop-G5587-5859BLK-PUS-Anti-Glare/dp/B07CD3MRZD

It's listed for $800 on Amazon but it might be the best you're going to do in a laptop. It's hard to find a laptop much lower than that. This one, though, at least has a lot of storage. There's a 128GB boot drive and then a 1TB drive for storage (though you can install games on it if you want). When I was looking for my gaming laptop I found the folks at r/gaminglaptops to be pretty helpful. Here is some of their recommendations at various prices: https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLaptops/comments/ca2fzv/best_gaming_laptops_of_2019/

If you want to dip down around $600 a popular choice is the Acer Aspire e15: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7?th=1

I'm going to warn you that this isn't a powerful laptop. There are games out today that it won't run. However, for $600 I've been told that it is a solid laptop.

As for pre-built desktops it's tough to find the best deals online. One I did find was the Acer Nitro 50 for $480: https://www.microcenter.com/product/609860/nitro-50-gaming-desktop-pc

Again, not the best computer in the world, but it is solid for the price.

I would recommend finding whatever electronics stores are near you (Best Buy, etc) and look for deals. Open box deals are great, there are regular sales, and if you go regularly for a few weeks you'll likely find a solid deal.

There's one thing you're looking for: a dedicated graphics card. Every computer has "onboard" graphics that are built right into the motherboard. This is fine if you're just using a browser and word processing but not fine for games. A gaming PC needs to have a special graphics card that is added onto the motherboard. When you're looking at a computer's specs it will have a listing for "graphics." If it says something like "integrated" or "on-board" under graphics then it's not going to be for gaming. If you see something made buy Nvidia or AMD listed under graphics then you're looking at a PC made for gaming.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX531GS is what I've been usimg as my daily driver since December and it's handled everything perfectly fine! The price is a little high, but for my use it's perfect. It's also very slim and lightweight. on the downside, it sounds like a fucking jet engine when under load lol

overall, very worth imo.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_qmhzCbABSV1WQ

My freshman year (2 years ago) I ended up buying an $1100 laptop off Amazon with a i7 7700HQ and 1050 ti (4GB). This was plenty of hardware for my solidworks (similar to CAD) class. My issue with all of the laptops that Clemson recommends are that you are paying almost twice as much for a slim, sleeker laptop. I'm not gonna lie, it is nicer to have a laptop like this though. I have a very nice Desktop (which I also had in my dorm in RiSE), so I sold my bulky, heavy gaming laptop and bought a $350 laptop and a $80 SSD specifically for class and couldn't be happier. I should also note I'm in IE, not ME.

I also want to explain that, in my solidworks class, A LOT of people had Macbooks, of all things. Clemson has a server or something that you can connect to to run Solidworks. I'd assume this is the same for CAD, but wouldn't be sure? If I had known this I never would have wasted my money on that first "gaming" laptop.

I also just found this laptop on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-R7-3750H-GeForce-TUF505DU-EB74/dp/B07QQB6DC1

I believe this laptop will outperform any that you have listed above. I'm actually shocked how good this laptop looks, and slim as well.

You need a laptop with at least a GTX 1060 (closest to the gtx 970 listed on the game's steam page). The laptop you linked does not have a dedicated GPU but only the integrated Intel thing, which can't do anything beyond facebook games. Personally, I would look for a laptop with at least a GTX 1660 Ti (if it has to be a laptop and can't be a desktop), since that would at least be a tiny bit future proof.

For example:

GTX 1060

https://www.amazon.com.au/Acer-Predator-Helios-Black-i7-8750/dp/B07CTHLX8C/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

https://www.umart.com.au/Infinity-17-3in-FHD-144Hz-i7-8750H-GTX-1060-256GB-SSD-Gaming-Laptop--S1060-CD_50812G.html

or

GTX 1660 Ti https://www.amazon.com.au/ASUS-Gaming-Laptop-15-15-99-inches/dp/B07QQB6DC1/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=laptop+gtx+1660&qid=1559039759&s=gateway&sr=8-3 (CPU isn't the greatest however)

​

If you happen to have a display (or you'd have to buy a cheap one) a Desktop PC would be either quite a bit cheaper for similar / slightly better specs or way more powerful at a similar pricepoint, e.g. https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/WFg2vn (RTX 2060/2070 as GPU and higher CPU if you want more power, Windows can be found online for cheap)

How's this Asus VivoBook from Amazon for $529.99?

New 2019 Lightweight Zenbook Amd Ryzen Laptop From Asus is Greatest Choice

ASUS VivoBook 15 Thin and Light Laptop, 15.6” Full HD, AMD Quad Core R5-3500U CPU, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD, AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics, Windows 10 Home, F512DA-EB51, Slate Gray

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-Lightweight-WideView-Fingerprint/dp/B07QQB7552/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zenbook&qid=1567433119&refinements=p_36%3A-55000%2Cp_89%3AASUS&rnid=2528832011&s=computers-intl-ship&sr=1-1&th=1

Only $549

I use a $500 Asus Vivobook with Ryzen 3500u and I've never had problems running MC on it. I'm currently playing on the Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons pack and I'm averaging in the high 50s with some tweaking in Optifine.

Mind you these tweaks are the same I run on my much more powerful desktop so I'm not really cutting quality down.

Edit: Product Link

F512DA-EB55 link seems to be missing, but F512DA-EB51 is still intact.

looks good. maybe the webpage isn't ready yet. looks like an ultrabook grade since the intel version is indeed ultrabook

This Asus vivobook should match what your looking for pretty well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QQB7552/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don’t know a lot about computer but here’s one I found, just check around for “asus vivobooks” on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-R5-3500U-Graphics-F512DA-EB51/dp/B07QQB7552/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3OG7JKZGFD625&keywords=asus+vivobook&qid=1571721823&sprefix=asus+v%2Caps%2C368&sr=8-3

If you are going to stretch to $2000, I will recommend you to take a look at this -> ASUS ROG Zephyrus S.It packs a GTX 1070 Max-Q, a 8th gen processor, 16GB DDR4 and 512GB NVMe SSD. Design wise it has a 15.6" 144Hz display in a mil grade metal chassis. Check it out and see if it works for you.

The problem is the xps 15 has loads of issues, just go r/Dell and have a look at them. You are paying too much for the Zephyrus M or the Zephyrus S:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=asus+gm501

https://www.amazon.com/Zephyrus-i7-8750H-Military-Grade-Customizable-GX531GS-AH76/dp/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540049780&sr=8-2&keywords=asus+gx531

Alternatively you can just get the Asus gl504, it's pretty much the same except the thunderbolt 3 port is exclusive for the Zephyrus M gm501:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=asus+gl504

The Asus Zephyrus S would fit the bill (1900$ on amazon), I wouldn't recommend other thin and light gaming alptop atm as there are still a lot of thermal issues. So far the Zephyrus S seem to have the best thermals and thus longevity.

ROG Zephyrus S
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_exr4Bb7WXWA1C

GTX 1070 and i7-8750H
512GB NVME SSD

made of aluminium, fully rgb keyboard, slim and simple on the outside.
omg look at the touchpad/ numpad its amazing
its like a sheet of aluminium with a gtx 1070

Since you're paying for a new laptop that has a thunderbolt3 port (the Y530 doesn't have that, a decent 15" would be around $1000) + eGPU (w/enclosure+gpu can go for ~$500) you're getting close to ASUS Zephyrus range (~$1800). Amazon link

For $300 more you get a 144hz screen, 1070 MaxQ, decent thermals, decent cpu, nvme ssd etc.

It also depends on the games you want to play. If you can do without VR then you'll have cheaper options with 1050/1060 laptops without bothering with the eGPU or something that costs $1300+.

Here's a recent list of laptops with TB3 ports

Hope this helps

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-9750H-Keyboard-PH315-52-78VL/dp/B07QXLFLXT/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

The newer one for $200 more if you can.

Or this: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-GeForce-Gigabit-FX505DT-EB73/dp/B07QQB6DC1/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=asus%2Bfx505&qid=1562967224&s=gateway&sr=8-2&th=1

ASUS TUF

Great looking 120Hz screen, 1660ti, plenty of IO, and a good keyboard. It's great for the price :)

For 100 more i would recommend this. Better processor and WAY better videocard https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Gaming-Processor-Gigabit-Windows/dp/B07QQB6DC1/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=gaming%2Blaptop%2Bryzen%2B5&qid=1566274751&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

If you are in US, IMO this is better than what you listed and is cheaper.

Here's one I just looked into for myself, and seeing as our requirements are similar, I think this will work for you as well. Asus TUF FX505DT-EB74. This spec comes with a Ryzen 7 3750H, 16gigs of RAM, GTX 1660Ti, 15.6in 120Hz Full HD display, and 256GB+1TB of storage. It also has MIL-STD-810 military grade certification, so at the very least, build quality should be good

This isn't that great of a deal IMO.

For $150 more you get 16 gigs of ram, another 1TB harddrive, and a 120hz screen on the same model.

https://www.amazon.com/R5-3550H-Processor-Graphics-FX505DT-AH51-Keyboard/dp/B07QQB6DC1/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=asus%2Btuf%2Bfx505dt&qid=1570479848&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

What ya think of this Asus VivoBook equipped with AMD? Looks to be on Prime sale right now https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-R5-3500U-Graphics-F512DA-EB51/dp/B07QQB7552/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

What are some good and cheap laptops for school and light gaming? My budget is around $600 USD, but I want to spend as little as possible.

I’m currently looking at the ASUS VivoBook 15 or the Acer Aspire 5.

I would not buy that. There is no reason for 32GB of ram. If there is you'd be buying a much higher end system with better specs overall. Make sure it has at least a 1080p panel as well. That screen will not look good. Check out the ASUS F512 and Lenovo 530s. Also the Lenovo S340 seems to be a good deal between 500 and 600 (depending on specs obviously). But filter Newegg and other sites looking for similar specs at similar prices and pick what you like. Also, the ASUS can be upgraded to 12GB of ram (buy an 8GB stick and install yourself; 4GB permanently installed), and the 530s can be upgraded to 16GB (buy 2 8GB sticks).

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-R5-3500U-Graphics-F512DA-EB51/dp/B07QQB7552

https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/2553990/Lenovo-IdeaPad-530S-Laptop-14-Screen/?cm_mmc=Affiliates-_-CJ-_-1122587-_-11263938

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VivoBook-R5-3500U-Graphics-F512DA-EB51/dp/B07QQB7552/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=r5+3600+laptop&qid=1568180133&s=gateway&sr=8-3
It'll be better but by how much I am not sure.

When you say "processing pictures and making videos" I'm assuming that you will be editing hi res photos and video. You will still need a decent GPU to handle that as integrated graphic are shit, unless you go for an AMD-based system.

Dell has 3 laptop product lines that would fulfill your needs.

XPS - this is their premium line that will have the best display quality, build quality, and internals. However, that gets a bit expensive. A used 9560 should fit in your price range, though would be pushing it if your country has a VAT and shipping costs.

Precision - this is dell's workhorse. It's a professional laptop made for doing videocediting, CAD work, etc. However, these too are a bit expensive, but you can find used or refurbished machines on ebay well within your price point. Check out the 2016 and 2017 models.

G3/5 g this is their gaming line. They will have not so good build quality, clunky, shit battery, but will do the job as all of the frills will be sacrificed for the specs. I'm in the US so this is a US link but will point you in the right direction. Its $800, has an 8th gen i5 processor (its quad core and the i7 only gives a slight boost that isn't worth the upgrade) and a gtx1060 that can handle video editing fairly well, unless you're dealing with raw 4k video. The display isn't the best. It's mostly made of plastic and weighs about 5 lbs (3.5-4kg) and the battery life isnt good. However, it will do what you need it to do.

under $1000 you're probably not going to get a lot performance wise. this might be your best bet: Dell Gaming Laptop G5587-5859BLK-PUS G5 - 15.6" LED Anti-Glare Display - 8th Gen Intel i5 Processor - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD+1TB HDD - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, Licorice https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CD3MRZD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CpC2CbABERW6Y

Dell G5 https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CD3MRZD/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

Prime day sale https://www.amazon.com/Zephyrus-i7-8750H-GeForce-Military-Grade-Chassis/dp/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=55782374373&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyLDpBRCxARIsAEENsrI5g5JJwgEpDD8RR3y2IS2OKnosfYpAQhdjSwgk1xAVa2rseaNt2aMaAr-UEALw_wcB&hvadid=274713547083&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9010329&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=568128924941812046&hvtargid=aud-647006051489%3Akwd-299707332420&hydadcr=20136_9346277&keywords=aorus+laptop&qid=1563241613&s=gateway&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=8-3

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_SxkvDbDXP3P1P

Have a look at the ASUS ROG Zephyrus S . It is a good light weight gaming laptop that can run games well without getting too hot

• 15.6” 144Hz IPS Type,
  
• Intel Core i7-8750H CPU,
  
• GeForce GTX 1070,
  
• 16GB DDR4,
  
• 512GB PCIe SSD,
  
• Metal Chassis, Win 10 Home - GX531GS-AH76

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QXLFLXT

if thats too thick

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5Z9H8R

Well I think if you wait and look around you can find much better hardware for money. Just avoid any MaxQ gpus.

Just quick look found this for same money..

https://www.amazon.com/Zephyrus-i7-8750H-GeForce-Military-Grade-Chassis/dp/B07G5Z9H8R/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?

There are a lot of choices with gaming laptops so it would be good to list out the specific games you're thinking about and how you would use the notebook. Do you have a size preference? Does it need to be portable? Are you going to need a long battery life?

Like I said, there are a ton of great gaming notebooks, but here are a few that are in your price range.

• Acer Aspire V7-582PG-6479 Good screen, battery life, and weight but mid GPU so fine for Minecraft, not a good choice for graphics intensive games like Watch Dogs, etc.
  
  
• Gigabyte P35K-CF1 Great screen, noise under heavy load.
  
  
• Lenovo Y50 15.6 Honestly, the Y50 is probably your best choice for price/performance. Screen is crappy, but apparently simple to replace and the GTX 860M is a terrific GPU for most games at decent FPS performance.
  
  

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Laptop-59418222-Black/dp/B00K6ZIO2K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

i5 Y50. The 860M will be the bottleneck in gaming usually, unless it's heavily cpu intensive. If you're rendering video, compiling code, the i7 would be better.

16GB of ddr3 ram doesn't really help with gaming.

That newegg link isn't a good deal, you're not even getting a SSD out of it, you might as well purchase from lenovo website for $1,020 i7 1TB version, last week it was $949 i7 500gb version on lenovo w/ barnes & noble discount.

I was looking at the Envy's also, but wanted a beefier video card just in case I wanted to play some future games. I settled on the Lenovo Y50 line, 15" screen, 1tb hd +8gb solid-state, 8gb DDR3L and a GTX860M card. Plus is has your critical features (except not sure about taking apart, but I'm pretty sure with all laptops they are hard to take apart unless specifically made for gaming or something like Alienware, I don't know). Im going to the store later today and check them out in person, and maybe buy one.

Heres a model for $899, but it has a I5 processor (for $100ish more you could get an I7)
http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Laptop-59418222-Black/dp/B00K6ZIO2K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1406232926&sr=8-3&keywords=lenovo+y50#productDetails

This Acer should be able to accomplish that.

If you want something closer to the higher end of that budget, the Lenovo Y50 offers much higher graphical performance with a 1080p screen. It was under 900 about a week ago, maybe it'll dip again.

If your scholarship has to be directly allocated to buy a computer, 1000 is more than enough.
RAM isn't the biggest factor in running programs like Solidworks and AutoCad, it's your graphics card. I'm was a regular poster on /r/SuggestALaptop (you should go here if you have any further questions). These laptops are 15.6 inch and relatively bulky, because portable laptops sacrifice performance for light weight and battery life. I assume you're willing to trade performance for those things.

First, decide if you need a laptop or desktop. The desktop will have better performance, but the laptop will be more portable. You stated that you want a laptop.

Acer Aspire V15
This would be a great buy. It has a Mid-High range GPU, 1TB hard drive to store all your files. If you want you could buy a laptop with an SSD but I would argue it isn't worth it since you're on a budget.

Asus N550JK
This laptop has a touchscreen, and has the best quality display out of all 3 laptops. If you have to do color specific work, this is the laptop to get. It also has a touchscreen, but the weakest GPU out of all 3.

Lenovo Y50
This last laptop is one of the most popular gaming laptops on the market, mainly due to the branding, backlit keyboard, etc. Many people complain about the display on this laptop, but it has a good price to performance ratio. The processor on this one is weaker than the other 2. There is a model with a stronger processor but it's over your budget.

Usually I would recommend the Lenovo Y50, but that's a great deal on the Acer. I would recommend that one personally because of the discount right now. With regards to the previous poster, my older brother is an ME, he does a lot of Solidworks/AutoCAD stuff and he often talks about how his laptop is convenient for him to work on, so if you feel a laptop would be really beneficial then I would buy one.

If you have any more questions you can message me or visit /r/suggestalaptop .

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K6ZIO2K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Here is the laptop I have, I think it should be good enough to run streams at 1080p.

But to your actual question. It depends on what you are making. But at that price range, maybe something with a decent i7. A decent graphics card and a fair amount of ram (def no less than 8gb but imo 16 is a god send)

Good laptops:
Dell Inspiron i7559-5012GRY 15.6" UHD (3840x2160) 4k Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Quad Core i7-6700HQ, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Microsoft Signature Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYZI8E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1M04Cb6KHV04D

HP Pavilion Power 15-inch Laptop, Intel Core i7-7700HQ , AMD Radeon RX 550, 12GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, Windows 10 (15-cb071nr, Black), Gaming https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071L1VCV6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eO04CbGQ4MT02

Dell Inspiron i5577-7342BLK-PUS,15.6" Gaming Laptop, (Intel Core i7,16GB,512GB SSD),NVIDIA GTX 1050 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFC44CL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iP04CbG9P4AAV

I bought a used Dell Inspiron i7559 and was tripping about the price (my previous laptop I got at Best Buy for $300 three years ago and it did everything I neded for business but not for music) but got an Amazon Store Card and will make some reasonable, zero-interest payments over the next year.

Getting something with an SSD really does improve load times dramatically (from 2-8 second map load-times, to half a second or so)

I'll see what I can find again..

Edit:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CGGOUJM/
Dual-core Skylake i5 laptop processor with Intel HD 520 graphics, 1080p monitor, 256GB hard-drive.

Might want to continue this on the RuneScape forums, Tech Support or NXT, so Dooogy0 can weigh-in - he'll know more on the performance levels of integrated graphics.

You can try the ASUS F556UA-AS54.
This laptop has a 15.6 screen, and all the connection ports that a professor should need (SD cards, VGA, HDMI, USBs). It also has exactly 3 USB ports, 2 being USB 3.0s. It also has an optical drive in a 15.0 x 10.0 x 1.0 inch (WxDxH) form factor. The 6th gen i5 and 256 SSD would make this laptop feel blazingly fast with less than 10 seconds boot up time, and would more than suffice for Microsoft office and statistical packages. Lastly, this laptop is around 5 pounds, and battery should last way past an hour.

You can find it on amazon for around $549:
http://www.amazon.com/F556UA-AS54-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01CGGOUJM

Well it really depends on your budget at that point. Surfacebook will be fine especially now with the bash subsystem in Windows. But honestly, you don't need anything that fancy. You can probably get just a regular laptop for a lot less.

Something like this is probably fine: https://www.amazon.com/F556UA-AS54-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01CGGOUJM/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478987971&sr=1-4&keywords=asus

this one! you don't need to though haha I can search for it :)

Well, if you drop the gaming I think something like the first suggestion by techrico is pretty competitive (the $370 asus). I have not had the opportunity to test it myself, but the reviews are mostly positive and if I was getting one myself I would simply add another 4GB of RAM (~$20) and a 120GB SSD (~$40) - for my old laptop I removed the DVD bay and replaced it with a mount for 2nd hard drive (in my case a regular SSD), but if you want to keep the optical drive, you can simply replace the HDD with a 256GB SSD.

Anyway, here are a few more options for you to consider:

• $460 - 15.6" HP Has a fullHD display, 6th gen Core i5-6200U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD and a DVD Burner
  
  
• $500 - Acer Aspire E5 1366x768 display, 5th get Core i5-5200U, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, no optical drive
  
  
• $400 - Toshiba Satellite C55 1366x768 display, 5th gen Core i3-5005U, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD Burner
  
  I am not a big fan of HP products in general, but I think the HP laptop is really good for the price. The option of "upgrading" the $370 Asus is also really cost-efficient, and I would suggest one of those as a "final" decision, mostly because of the fullHD screen that is imo much nicer to work with.
  
  I wish you the best of luck with your fiance and the joy of fatherhood after June!

Much better value ($399) from MS Store:

https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/HP-Notebook-15-ay091ms-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.2855526900

Touchscreen, 8GB RAM, 1TB disk, 6th gen Core i3 processor.

Or for $40 more ($439), get this direct from Amazon (rather than a reseller):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CGGOZOW/

Full HD screen, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 6th gen Core i5, SuperMulti DVD writer.

What about this one HP 15-ay013nr 15.6" Full-HD Laptop (6th Generation Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) with Windows 10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CGGOZOW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pQI0xbJCW0C41

HP AY013NR

4.6lbs

Recently started shipping with 8GB of DDR4 ram instead of DDR3.

6th Gen Core i5

128GB M.2 SSD

Full 1080p instead of the usual 720p

https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-ay013nr-Full-HD-Generation-Windows/dp/B01CGGOZOW

As someone who owns this machine, I can't recommend it enough. Great value for the cost. Build quality is excellent for an HP device.

Go for the Acer Aspire VX 15 Gaming Laptopperfect for CAD and gaming.

7th Gen Intel Core i5,

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050,

8GB DDR4 Ram,

256GB SSD

Check out this website.

It's a fantastic place to compare laptops.

Personally I've been eyeing this ACER baby which should run the game well.

It is another model of acer vx 15 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR82G0W?ie=UTF8 it comes with i5-7300HQ processor instead of i7-7700HQ.... rest of the specifications are same as above laptop.... its available for $900...

If you can increase your budget slightly go for this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MR82G0W/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496371384&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=acer+aspire+vx+15&dpPl=1&dpID=51LptbJAClL&ref=plSrch


And it's better to go for better performance, storage can be upgraded down the line

From your 3 choices I would pick Acer aspire vx

Hey, what's the consensus on the new silver Strix refresh? Specifically this model

https://www.amazon.com/GL502VM-G-SYNC-Gaming-Laptop-i7-7700HQ/dp/B01MS14CQH/ref=pd_sbs_147_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MS14CQH&pd_rd_r=VYYJJ8Z7Z4C7R9ZX08B6&pd_rd_w=oiyRW&pd_rd_wg=KHl8W&psc=1&refRID=VYYJJ8Z7Z4C7R9ZX08B6

I'm highly interested in it, but I'm concerned about battery life while not gaming and heat management both while not gaming and while gaming. I want it to play games while away from home (I have an i7 & 980ti at home), but also need a new laptop for my graduate program because my current laptop's trackpad stopped working correctly after 5 years.

Therefore, I'm curious about those two main points and how it'll work for extended periods nongaming (papers, notes, ect). Thanks!

Edit: if you want a better indication of what I'm looking for, check my history for a laptop suggestion request I posted yesterday :)

Edit 2: If it's necessary I can pay the extra $200 to upgrade to 1070 and 120hz screen, but I'm not sure if those would hurt or help my two major concerns. I feel like they'd make the issues worse, personally

ROG Strix GL502VM 15.6" G-SYNC VR Ready Thin and Light Gaming Laptop NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB Intel Core i7-7700HQ 16GB DDR4 128GB SSD 1TB HDD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MS14CQH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_eTHhAb4JWKFPT

That to me is your best bet for performance to professional look, definitely think it fits the bill.

What's your budget like?

As for specs, the main thing you need to watch out for is the graphics card, which the minimum requirement for Stormblood is gtx 750. To explain this number, 7 is the generation and 50 is the level of power. And higher generations means more power, so a 1060 would be more powerful than a 960, for example.

Looking at budget laptops (like this one), it seems the 960m is fairly popular among them. The 'm' means it's a lesser version for laptops, and it turns out 960m is right on par with the 750, so you meet minimum requirements for Stormblood, barely.

Personally, if I were going for the "best bang for your buck" I really like this one, all really nice specs. 1060 is a solid card for FFXIV, especially when paired with G-Sync (complicated tech, but it makes your frames per second nice and smooth without vertical tearing). The SSD means short load times, that CPU is fantastic for laptops, so no concern there. If you're willing to spend more to make it more "Future Proof", the 1070 option isn't bad either.

So yeah, depends on your budget. Hopefully I explained what you need to look for well enough.

Check this one out

This one seems to be in you price range, and it's thin and not bulky like Alienware, and it's 15.6" so it's not too big to carry around in a bag. It also has a gpu.

https://www.amazon.cm/dp/B01MS14CQH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IFpPzbTWK81TP

How about the HP AY013NR
It is $420 right now
Specs:
15.6" 1920x1080 screen
8GB DDR3 RAM
i5-6200U
128GB SSD
An optical drive

Well, you have a few options depending on how much you want to spend. I assume hard drive space isn't much of an issue so I'd look for something with an SSD first and foremost.

You can get something like this from trusted Ebay sellers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Inspiron-15-5559-15-6-i5-6200U-6th-gen-skylake-8GB-128GB-SSD-768p-silver-/322336011352?hash=item4b0cb93458:g:zM4AAOSw9N1Vznwu

That is a fairly new Intel processor, nice screen, more than enough memory, and an SSD all under $400.

But if you want something newer, something like one of these maybe: https://www.amazon.com/HP-15-ay013nr-Full-HD-Generation-Windows/product-reviews/B01CGGOZOW/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_five?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=five_star&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&showViewpoints=0

I'm not a big HP fan but it has good ratings at least.

You may also want to try over in /r/SuggestALaptop and follow the sticky advice for what you are looking for and see what they recommend.

For around the same price, I'd suggest this instead

EDIT: Actually, I'd recommend this one

These are all using an older GPUs, but are priced very well:

https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/HP-Pavilion-17-ab091ms-Signature-Edition-Gaming-Laptop/productID.2855526800

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE62-Apache-Pro-239-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01D8VJ0B2/

And then I spotted this gem:

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE62VR-Apache-Pro-026-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01IS33QWY

How is it that cheap?
I don't understand...

Would you like to be able to run these titles on high/ultra settings? If so, consider the MSI GE62 Apache Pro-026 https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE62VR-Apache-Pro-026-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01IS33QWY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486444960&sr=8-3&keywords=msi+ge62

Don't buy origin. ASUS and MSI are both good. Razer is something you can consider for portability. 16GB of RAM is the sweet spot. If you are buying a laptop, make sure to buy one with the 10 series of cards (1060 or 1070). They are MUCH better than the 960m/970m. You definitely want an SSD but it's okay if it has a second HDD (as long as it also has an SSD). I wouldn't buy an AMD laptop currently. Some options for you to consider:

https://www.amazon.com/GL502VS-DB71-Full-HD-Gaming-i7-6700HQ-Windows/dp/B01K1INYD0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482809759&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+1070+laptop

https://www.amazon.com/GL502VM-G-SYNC-Gaming-i7-6700HQ-7200RPM/dp/B01KB0WKVK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1482809774&sr=8-4&keywords=asus%2B1070%2Blaptop&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Blade-GeForce-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B01LZTCMPA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482809797&sr=8-2&keywords=razer%2B1060&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE62VR-Apache-Pro-026-i7-6700HQ/dp/B01IS33QWY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482809822&sr=8-3&keywords=msi+1060+laptop

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-GL551JM-DH71-ASUS-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00MMMMMX2/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt

Whelp there is the AW17 right now thats 1k off

http://www.amazon.com/Alienware-ALW17-5312sLV-17-3-Inch-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B00JXLGE7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416887375&sr=8-1&keywords=alienware+17

Or if you want there's always the 1k model ASUS ROG


http://www.amazon.com/GL551JM-DH71-GeForce-GTX860M-Optimus-Technology/dp/B00MMMMMX2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416887716&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+rog

I'd look for something with 8-16 GB ram, an Intel Core i7 Processor and a good graphic card. Something like this. Its a little expensive, but the main issue is rendering with weak laptops. They are essentialy useless to do other things with whilst rendering. Of cource you have to decide youreself what you want to spend on it. Its just a suggestion.

I would recommend the Asus GL551. I got one one sale for $1000, threw in my old SSD and have been quite happy with it. The display isnt amazing, but i dont notice any problems. Its handled all my games like Titanfall and BF4 no problem with noise or heat. Its also an Asus and I trust them plus the free year accidental damage coverage, the only thing i can think to compare it to would be the Lenovo Y50. If you need portability it might be better but the Asus's screen and cooling is superior.

www.amazon.com/GL551JM-DH71-GeForce-GTX860M-Optimus-Technology/dp/B00MMMMMX2

$500 is not going to buy you a new gaming laptop that will be up to date for DA:I, even at low settings.

Generally speaking, Asus's Republic of Gamers line of laptops are solidly built gaming laptops sold at reasonable prices, but the cheapest model I can find on Amazon is the 15' ASUS ROG GL551JM-DH71 which is currently $1,089.99.

It comes with a GeForce GTX 860M which I believe will play DA:I at High settings at 720p resolution based on these benchmarks.

So I'd recommend discussing with your parents if they would be willing to front you more money and/or you save up your own to chip in, and/or look for some used ones on ebay.

Asus ROG 15.6 gaming laptop GTX 860 2gb graphics card, thats better than whats in my shrine!

This one is just under your budget: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMMMMX2/ref=psdc_565108_t2_B00IAA5BSS

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMMMMX2

You can look for one of the older asus zenbooks without the dedicated gpu, these are very sturdy, and don't heat up kuch (just don block the air intake, goes for all laptops)

​

Check this one (obviously try to find it used for cheaper)

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-UX305-13-Inch-Laptop-model/dp/B013KKANTE

​

I just bought the ASUS Zenbook UX305LA, and it's great. It's a metal build that's lightweight and durable. The i5 processor runs Fallout: New Vegas very well, and it also handles photo editing well.

The battery life is pretty damn good. I've read mixed things about the screen resolution, but I've been impressed even through photo editing.

I'm not a huge fan of the track pad. It's not very responsive, but it isn't awful. I could get used to it. I use a mouse, so it wasn't a concern of mine.

Here's a link to it on Amazon. It's $750. http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX305LA-13-3-Inch-Titanium-Windows/dp/B013KKANTE.

If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to answer them.

Amazon has a thing to help find computers based on needs, that being said at first look something like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010SBAJDS/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_147ECL_2b1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-top-3&pf_rd_r=0EM0WYGQ2ZVN3539R6KJ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2383875942&pf_rd_i=11392907011 would be a good option and give five hundred of the budget to buying an ssd. But it'd probably b better to look for a pc with two drive slots and put ssd in so it's also got storage.. hell http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PYYDMQ/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_147ECL_4a1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-top-3&pf_rd_r=0EM0WYGQ2ZVN3539R6KJ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2383875942&pf_rd_i=11392907011 would work too. Or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013KKANTE/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_comp_LenToshC_1_i?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=0EM0WYGQ2ZVN3539R6KJ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2359165242&pf_rd_i=11392907011 but those are just a few quick choices from Amazon's easy pc finder thing. The Asus looks pretty good, but yea, your requirements can b filled for less than 1000 USD pretty well

For general usage I think you should look for 8 GB of RAM and an i5 CPU.

If you are looking for a light 13" laptop with a reasonable battery life and a decent build quality, what about the [ASUS Zenbook UX303UA-DH51T] (http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UA-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Windows/dp/B014VHW24Y)?

Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3 GHz, 13.3", 1920 x 1080, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Intel HD Graphics 520, Windows 10 Home 64-Bit, 7 hours battery life, 3.2 lbs.

It only has integrated graphics but it should be able to handle Minecraft and Sims 3 reasonably well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0H7mXNZFs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Veg3AWopM

It depends on whether you are focussed on performance or portability.

If you are more foccused on performace check this out
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462418884&sr=1-1&keywords=laptops&refinements=p_72%3A1248879011%2Cp_36%3A70000-105000

If you are more foccused on portavlility check this out
http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UA-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Windows/dp/B014VHW24Y/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462418884&sr=1-7&keywords=laptops&refinements=p_72%3A1248879011%2Cp_36%3A70000-105000

Try this

I've liked Asus Zenbooks. This one here looks like it meets your specs. There is also a slightly more expensive version but with a better processor here.

Get the ASUS ZenBook UX303UA, it would do a great job for you as it matches perfectly what you are looking for.

I'd recommend just getting an Ultrabook with a graphics card in and an i5 or something. But here are some for 2 in 1's.

Here are 2 options I found:

Higher-end: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/900-series/yoga-910/?action=testB

Cheaper: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/flex-series/flex-3-15/?action=testB

Here's options for an Ultrabook that I'd get:

Best choice - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_J3nyybHTFCNQ4

Cheaper one, but still very good! - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHW24Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.1nyyb450832N

Hope these help you find a laptop for yourself (:

EDIT - I don't know what I'm talking about dedicated graphics cards in 2 in 1s.

How about an Asus UX303UA? Integrated graphics, but it's a brand new Skylake chip

http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UA-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Windows/dp/B014VHW24Y

I recommend this for a cheaper and better (has IPS and a GTX 1050) specced laptop, or this for the same price as what you were thinking of buying but better than the other one (GTX 1050 Ti). The downside is the storage, only a 256GB SSD is with it, can always add an HDD though.

I was personally thinking of getting a Acer Aspire VX 15 VX5-591G-54VG. It has the i5 so a little less powerful and I don't really think I need 250g more SSD space personally, but I'm saving $200. I'm wondering how good the battery would last on that Eluktronics laptop, since that's one of the biggest factors for me. If I can't reliably see 6 hours of non-gaming usage I'm not interested. Or if there's anything else I'm missing that would lead me to consider the laptop you recommend.

Acer vx15 there's two versions of this there cheapest on the acer website (model one 750-800$ 8gb ram gtx 1050.) Vs (The more expensive one 850-900$ 16 gb ram and a gtx 1050ti) both feature the I5 7300 cpu

I personally will be buying the more expensive one as the 1050ti performs 20% better than the 1050 plus a additional 8 gb of ram to me opting to spend 50-100 more is totally worth it

The reason why I left prices in a range format is this varies state to state I posted a easy Amazon link for you to find it tho. It will easily play over watch at max 60fps all day long. Just be weary as a budget gaming laptop it only have 3-4 hours of battery life well gaming.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR82G0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ekxyzbX8ZTDJ7

It's awesome for its price! To put it into perspective, $900 on Amazon normally gets you this: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Gaming-GeForce-VX5-591G-54VG/dp/B01MR82G0W

Which only has an i5 and a 1050ti.

How much more powerful do you think it is? It's the 3gb model. Most their specs are the same. 1060 3gb with i5 6300 with a TN panel or 1050ti i5 7300 with ips Acer Aspire VX 15 Gaming Laptop, 7th Gen Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 15.6 Full HD,16GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, VX5-591G-54VG https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR82G0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YmpwzbT5X9S2W

The extra storage bay is just if you need more space, you have that option to add more. Idk anything about faster, the 1050ti model is just the choice next to the one you choose.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0795W86N3

The version with SSD costs $620, but the version without costs $510. Is the SSD really worth $110?

What makes theirs so special? Or I'm I not noticing an additional feature?

Edit: Should I buy the $510 version without an SSD and add a cheaper SSD or should I just get the $620 version which already has an SSD.
https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-240GB-Solid-SA400S37-240G/dp/B01N5IB20Q

This ssd for instance is only 30 bucks

ASUS Vivobook (1TB HDD + 128 gb SSD)

Acer Aspire E15 (256 gb SSD)

Both of these are solid choices with what you're looking for.

That's the laptop I have and used for university to do web development (and still do). Its fantastic. Beautiful display and long battery life. Never had any issues.

EDIT: Sorry, i didn't see you wanted i7 specifically. Still, you might want to consider it and keep some extra cash on hand, your choice :)

For general use the 8gb should be fine though, correct?

I’ve been juggling a few laptops to choose this Black Friday.

What do you think? Is the one listed here still the better choice for the price?


ASUS VivoBook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795W86N3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VEW8BbWNE4C9H


Acer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-000X-00UY5&ignorebbr=true

Since you won't be doing anything requiring much performance you can get a basic i7 laptop and if you want to do a little gaming, you can take a look at some Ryzen Mobile systems although they do have some driver issues:

• Asus VivoBook
  
• Acer Aspire E15
  
• Dell Inspiron 15
  
• Acer Swift 3
  
• Dell Inspiron 13
  
• Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6"
  
  The Aspire E15 is the only one with a dGPU if you want to play some games, it's great. But the Ryzen Mobile systems perform really well in a small package, especially the Acer Swift 3 and if you don't care about performance AT ALL, get the VivoBook as it's a great thin and light which is well built and performs quite well. If you're interested in a 2in1, get the Inspiron 13.

Where do you live?

In the states you can get a vivobook for ~630 with an 8250U, 8gb Ram, and 128 ssd + tb HDD.

ASUS VivoBook Thin and Lightweight FHD WideView Laptop, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 128GB SSD+1TB HDD, USB Type-C, NanoEdge, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 - F510UA-AH55 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795W86N3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NPa4CbDVXP0AV

I am not good with 2-in-1 suggestions, but the ASUS VivoBook F510UA is a great laptop.

The ASUS VivoBook Thin and Lightweight FHD WideView Laptop, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 128GB SSD+1TB HDD, USB Type-C, NanoEdge, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 - F510UA-AH55 would be a good selection for you.

avoid getting a gaming laptop if you'll be using it for school. you'll make sacrifices on portability and battery life. for games like csgo and rocket league an mx150 is sufficient, and there are plenty of ultrabooks that have one.

​

here's a thin/light 14" laptop that looks pretty good: https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-i7-8550U-GeForce-NanoEdge-Display/dp/B07B7VFTN9

​

not sure if you can open it with one hand, but according comments you should be able to add more storage: https://i.imgur.com/iFIWnGh.png

https://i.imgur.com/Cv30F3x.png

IMO, I would definitely not get that laptop unless you would want to run games with very low settings and still hit a poor fps score. It only uses Intel's integrated graphics card and only stands up to very light titles and general windows usage.

At $800, it would be hard to balance between the portability and battery life versus the gaming performance you want. Are you planning to use your laptop to take notes on? Or are you more of the type to like physically writing down notes to review later? If you don't mind giving up a bit on battery life and portability, you can try to grab something with a 1060 gpu in it for much better gaming performance. It's a shame that you asked this literally a day right after Intel's Gamer Day sales ended, otherwise I would have suggested if you could push the budget a bit for Acer's Predator Helios 300 model from last year. If you want still, you can get a certified refurbished one for $800 on eBay ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-Predator-Helios-300-Intel-i7-8750H-16GB-Ram-256GB-SSD-W10H-NH-Q3FAA-001/254049080476?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3b2681549c:g:QNMAAOSwqaNcvf4v&enc=AQAEAAAB4BPxNw%2BVj6nta7CKEs3N0qXuA3M7IxeHPxPU0iOMfihz50e%2F5Hu6C2kPupUGV%2B1pulLkRAYsBPHHzygOZeX8bWDJZnSlMPLu36huncMtpn%2BI7%2FsqJIAtmZvVRhhx8Ae%2Fd2wehotTNC8WELYhV%2FEejvdSed95F9y6rr%2FoXoDCn4QLK4nwhD%2B%2F0u%2F0BM0flXxCm7iJT%2FH%2FXDLIMUJmvrUq1UWEF2gXqcx8%2BWhdrKffEXPnF1uGjBCOtyoH326iUyD0PypzJshEoLoHWaJIix71iECnDKgtC9TssKPurjVQRDUCbbA%2Fg2DtRe%2Bp7AoRU2h0h1zXzMzZ7oXGNn429GXCCkfRHWs3EoJXNNlx%2F0fLITqORvEUfGfd6znre6xPHX9RIpOuCqQ5etKijUAuhKecjEEUVVA7oVrkHSxrkI2wzNvyMKKgQ%2Bl1rhYBt44Xf5KC%2FFj7TpcHTWtbk263IzqM7wFuX54opy3OFjx2FrOCG%2B455%2FNijYwjG%2BDkSel37TRAbFLhE2v4zuxv7BXbEDQWzhLIvC7TMsXqoSsp6jsEc54JhQN1846fMLwqtJtuNhrBlPKIW4u5rQ5cM3O5ptXidbh1uOPYFz2FbfjlTCoZ%2Bhu1Qd14QKGoCO0yrkCSy6UAgw%3D%3D&checksum=254049080476b1c787bfe3ca4291894e764b60b8ccf2 ) (Wow, that is a long link). At this price point, if you don't mind the little bit more gamery top lid, nothing for gaming comes close to it at this price point.

If you want something with a bit more portability to it and design, you'll have to drop down to a 1050 or mx150 for gpu. You'll see longer battery life, but your gaming performance will take a fair hit. If you want something more portable, go for a MX150 option like https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-i7-8550U-GeForce-NanoEdge-Display/dp/B07B7VFTN9/ref=sxin_7_ac_d_rm?ac_md=2-2-bXgxNTAgbGFwdG9w-ac_d_rm&keywords=1050%2Blaptop&pd_rd_i=B07B7VFTN9&pd_rd_r=79541585-e1f2-4211-9b5e-4d8ecf298f03&pd_rd_w=aV7ij&pd_rd_wg=6SJDJ&pf_rd_p=d29bc9bc-49e2-46b8-bc05-387917c341ec&pf_rd_r=23EHCWG183SCVY1NW4RE&qid=1568016931&s=gateway&th=1 . For a 1050 option, everything looks to be of similar bulk at this price point so I would still go with the acer predator on the eBay link above.

I have had good luck with ASUS laptops. I think that they tend to give you that extra bit of quality for the price.

If I were you I would look into the Vivobook line or the ZenBook line. Vivobooks tend to have the best price/performance/build quality whereas the ZenBooks usually don't have a dedicated graphics chip but are thinner, lighter, higher build quality and have better battery life.

This laptop

ASUS VivoBook S Thin & Light Laptop, 14" FHD, Intel Core i7-8550U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce MX150, NanoEdge Display, Backlit Kbd, FP Sensor - S410UN-NS74 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7VFTN9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_NG.ZBbXGT81ED

Gives you a 14 inch screen in a 13 inch form factor with a dedicated graphics chip so that you can run a few of the lighter games and do more multimedia work

This laptop

ASUS ZenBook Ultra-Slim Laptop - 14” FHD IPS WideView Display, Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, 8GB DDR4, 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD, Windows 10, Backlit keyboard, 3.1lbs, Quartz Grey - UX410UA-AS74 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079TBQ4H4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YO.ZBb3WFNXMZ

Has a better screen and battery life, but no dedicated graphics chip. Probably a higher build quality too but I can't speak to that first hand. It's also a tad pricier.

I have a ZenBook that I have been using for 3 years now and it is still as good as new. I bought it at the time because it was the most macbook-like machine that didn't cost a fortune.

Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro Black Edition

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N35Z1DA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5eDezb3DGYB6X

This is what I have, ive been using it for about a month now and it's amazing. it's one of the cheaper laptops compared to those with the same specs if you're looking to save money. It runs a little hot out the box when playing heavy games but after undervolting my CPU it doesn't get hotter than 80°.

I'd pick this Dell, it has a GTX 1050, 8gb ram and a quad core i5 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFG7157) and it's $636 at the moment.

You might want this version, the other one only has a single 256GB ssd compared to a 1tb HDD in this version for cheaper https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-i5577-5335BLK-PUS/dp/B06XFG7157/ref=dp_ob_title_ce?pldnSite=1&th=1

Also seconded, in the US it's a $650 laptop with specs comparable to a $300 laptop. It's not that it won't be powerful enough, as I think it should be, but it won't live up to the specs of a laptop that costs the same amount. Something like this laptop from Dell would suit you much better.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-5000-5577-GamingLaptop/dp/B06XFG7157/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549442670&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=dell+gaming+laptop&dpPl=1&dpID=41zfabBnrLL&ref=plSrch this laptop is the one I have it can run every game but rust in max setting the only problem is ram you need at least 12 gbs of ram or you will get 60-40 FPS on potato with lots of freezing

Dell Inspiron i5577 :Intel Core i5 (up to 3.5 GHz),8GB Ram ,1TB HDD, NVIDIA GTX 1050 a lil bit over your budget its $740 but the best for its price

For 50$ more u can get this with a GTX 1050... Just don't buy the 940mx https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XFG7157?ref_=mw_olp_product_details

Here you go dude https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XFG7157/ref=psdcmw_13896615011_t2_B01I22VGNW



Or you can get a Dell g3 with an i5-8300 and a GTX 1050 for 70 bucks cheaper here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07C9J1PY6/ref=psdcmw_13896615011_t1_B06XFG7157

For heavier gaming focus: (good price btw)


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074Q54GSR/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1521752253&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop+nvidia&dpPl=1&dpID=51RRmfUEm-L&ref=plSrch


More class focused, can still play some games:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075FLBJV7/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1521752366&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop+nvidia&dpPl=1&dpID=41HfDkXXyeL&ref=plSrch


Really good middle ground, good Graphics card for gaming, you do lose the SSD in favour of a bigger graphics card though so not as good for day to day tasks


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XFG7157/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521752410&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop+nvidia&dpPl=1&dpID=41zfabBnrLL&ref=plSrch

If it's gotta be a laptop the best you're going to do at that budget is an i5 and a 1050 ti, which should get you 60 fps on Fortnite at high/1080p according to notebookcheck.

This Acer is the cheapest one I can find with those specs at $700

Here's a Dell Inspiron with pretty much identical specs for $800

Maybe make a post on /r/suggestalaptop too, they might have some other suggestions.

Personally I wouldn't go with anything less than a 1050 ti for what you want.

there is a 1050 ti version for not much more https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9

Picked up my Dell with an i5-7300hq and a 1050ti for 800 a couple years ago, you could probably find one used for 4-500 easy. I think its still around 750 on amazon.


edit: its a 15.6 and not the lightest laptop in the world, but carried it around Ireland in my pack and it wasnt too bad. https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-7567-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B07793DRK9#customerReviews , pretty sure this is the exact model actually and the 144hz screen swap is inexpensive and pretty easy to do.

Would the pavilion run CAD fine? With regular use how long do you think before it would see a decline in performance? I'm an EE major looking for something to last 4+ yrs.

Also, what is your opinion on this vs. this at the same price?

Ha, that is the exact configuration I was looking at as well - 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and the GTX 1060. Thanks for the tip about the displays.

So I guess in that $1300 price point, which outweighs the other? The P650 or the Acer? (link to Acer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N35Z1DA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_t36CzbDH4NKZ0)

Honestly, at 720p lowest settings you MIIIGHT be able to get 30+ frames. Mayyyyyyybe at 1080p.

But really, if you want to game on a laptop just grab a last-gen gaming PC (HP Omen, Lenovo Y series, Acer Nitro series) with a 1050 ti or even 1060 and it will absolutely blow the laptop away. I'm talking 60fps+ at 1080p with medium-high settings, probably 3x-6x the performance and you'd probably spend a few hundred less.

The Laptop just isn't meant to be a gaming PC. The Surface keynote even highlighted that the custom AMD tuning was for 'professional workloads' and not so much gaming.

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop PC for $989

Asus TUF Gaming Laptop FX504 15.6" for $809

Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Laptop for $675

Asus TUF FX505DT Gaming Laptop for $699.99

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=10YQCPFZ24O4P&keywords=acer+aspire+5&qid=1557803401&s=gateway&sprefix=acer+a%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Acer's build quality is hit or miss, but for the price to peformance, you cant beat this in a relatively portable laptop

other choices

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-i7-8550U-GeForce-NanoEdge-Display/dp/B07B7VFTN9/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=mx150+laptop&qid=1557803463&s=gateway&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Lenovo-Ideapad-720s-Business/dp/B07M9ZCYQR/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?keywords=mx150+laptop&qid=1557803463&s=gateway&sr=8-11-spons&psc=1

ASUS Vivobook? $800 there's a cheaper option too but it has an i7, 8gb DDR4 ram, 1080p screen, backlit keyboard and an SSD. Im assuming you mean you want something that's going to last 5 years and just gonna break it to you eventually the battery's going to need replacing at least as soon as you get a laptop the battery is dying. This should do everything you want and more but if you wanna save money maybe this Vivobook, don't buy the version with an SSD though you could easily add one for way cheaper.

You can get something with a decent dedicated GPU for this price, with a slight upgrade in CPU, which should be a substantial performance increase. For instance, this Acer Nitro 5 with a 1050 TI, larger SSD, IPS display (lower end IPS).