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Hey GAF! I need a new laptop for University! Any recommendations?

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K

Kralamoonard

Member
EDIT

Kralamoonard said:
I was looking at some Dell, ASUS Zenbooks & Lenovo IdeaPads and they have some ok deals going on at PC World.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compu...ok-ux330ua-13-3-laptop-grey-10146534-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compu...eapad-510-15-6-laptop-white-10146986-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compu...on-15-7000-15-6-laptop-gold-10155513-pdt.html

What do you guys think? They have a 10% discount going on which is pretty neat.

I also want this laptop to last for a long time. I think part of why my current laptop has lasted me also long is because I initially bought it as a gaming laptop so its performance held up for a long time. IIRC the i3 was quite good for its time. I'm not sure if times have changed now and that CPU doesn't really matter that much.
Click to expand...

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if GAF could recommend me a new laptop for medical school that's basically best bang for your buck. After having 7 years, my ACER laptop is still putting in work (I take good care of it! And I'm using it right now as a matter of fact!). I just thought I need a more modern, faster laptop, and thought GAF would be of great help, as though I can do my own research (and I have), I just don't know if I'm getting ripped off from PC World or other shops. Here are a few requirements of mine:

  1. I'm based in the UK, so as long as the models are available here, that's fine!
  2. Budget of £700-800.
  3. Main priority is for University work (being light to carry is a bonus, but not a priority). It just needs to mainly be good at multitasking things like having lecture recordings open, power-point, documents and YouTube videos.
  4. Having good bandwidth that can play YouTube videos at the minimum, running 1080p 60fps smoothly. Not sure what the requirement is for 4K YouTube videos. I know my internet doesn't limit me in that, but rather how powerful the system is, though I'm not sure if that would verge on having to get a gaming GPU which isn't what I want. So this can just be an extra if all the above are ticked & at no extra cost. I just want to be able to have loads of windows & tabs open, while running scans without the laptop slowing down or overheating.
  5. I heard Mac Book Pro's are really good, but I'll be honest, after having used Windows for my whole life, I just prefer the simplicity and ease of use of it. And to put it simply, I'm just more familiar with it. So unless there's a super good offer, I'd rather no Apple recommendations.
By the way, if it has to come to custom building a laptop, I don't mind, but yeah, I just thought perhaps some of you here use a laptop for gaming that you're also finding very useful for work, and may give it a recommendation.

Thanks in advance!.
 
T

TI82

Banned
Get a Lenovo Thinkpad, x220 is a good model. Super cheap and upgradeable. Great laptop and super durable too
 
G

gweemz

Member
A macbook pro at that price range will be terrible. Get either a Lenovo brand or you could try Acer again.
 
X

xNiallC

Member
Could always get a MacBook Air and run windows, but still OSX is super easy to use. I'm using my dad's 2012 MacBook Air as a hand me down for computer science and it multitasks with ease even with the age, plus super good build quality and portability. Would defo recommend, maybe get a refurb model?
 
E

el_colibri

Member
A used ThinkPad would do you very well.

Running a T430 here and it's a dream! The keyboard will go a long way towards comfort too, especially as it's for uni.
 
M

MTC100

Banned
Get a Notebook with at least a GTX 1050 as a GPU for Word and Excel action!.
in truth you likely won't need more than a ~£ 300,- notebook
 
K

Kralamoonard

Member
MTC100 said:
Get a Notebook with at least a GTX 1050 as a GPU for Word and Excel action!.
in truth you likely won't need more than a ~£ 300,- notebook
Click to expand...

Are the spoilers legit true? I mean would a notebook be able to handle loads of programmes open at one time?
 
T

TI82

Banned
Kralamoonard said:
Are the spoilers legit true? I mean would a notebook be able to handle loads of programmes open at one time?
Click to expand...

Yep, you won't be doing anything intensive lol. Don't get fooled into thinking you need a MacBook or something super fancy when it's just not necessary.
 
R

RedSparrows

Member
I use a Surface with a keyboard/cover attachment. Excellent machine, very portable and functional even away from desks. Not bad power eithrt.
 
T

TI82

Banned
Heck from what you are describing you could even use an iPad or a Galaxy tab S2 and get along very well. Maybe get a Bluetooth keyboard and the stylus attachment though, I love using my tablet for math classes I particular.
 
K

Kralamoonard

Member
I was looking at some Dell, ASUS Zenbooks & Lenovo IdeaPads and they have some ok deals going on at PC World.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compu...ok-ux330ua-13-3-laptop-grey-10146534-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compu...eapad-510-15-6-laptop-white-10146986-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compu...on-15-7000-15-6-laptop-gold-10155513-pdt.html

What do you guys think? They have a 10% discount going on which is pretty neat.

I also want this laptop to last for a long time. I think part of why my current laptop has lasted me also long is because I initially bought it as a gaming laptop so its performance held up for a long time. IIRC the i3 was quite good for its time. I'm not sure if times have changed now and that CPU doesn't really matter that much.
 
K

Kralamoonard

Member
mokeyjoe said:
Thinkpads are great, but for uni I prefer something thin and light I don't mind carrying around all day, and some of them are a little bulky.

The Asus Zenbook UX310UA is well reviewed and within your budget. Personally I've had good experiences with Asus. It seems a good option anyway.


http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/review/laptops/asus-zenbook-ux310ua-review-3647223/
Click to expand...

Ah thanks. Just curious then, is it able to run 1080p 60fps YouTube videos smoothly with no problems at all?
 
T

The Shadow

Member
Don't get a Macbook Pro. For that price, you'll get a woefully under-powered one, as someone else already said. I'd only recommend people get Macbooks if they're comfortable with OSX anyway. Yeah, you can install Windows on them, but if you're installing Windows on a Macbook to primarily use Windows, why the fuck are you spending $$$ for a Windows machine with an Apple logo?

I love my Dell XPS 13". One of the best built Windows laptops I've used. It's right in that budget too.

- Huge screen for a 13". It's nearly bezel-less, so the screen is actually pretty big relative to the size of the laptop. I used to work on my Macbook Air pretty comfortably until the XPS, and after, it just seems so small.

- The 2016 models (what I just bought) have Kaby Lake CPUs, which is literally a requirement for 4K Netflix streaming on Windows 10.

- Bought mine for about $870 (1080p model), which is actually on the south end of your budget. You could spend a little more for increased resolution and touchscreen.

- It's stupid light, but feels solid, constructed with aluminum and carbon fiber.

The 2016 models are frequently on sale as they're clearing inventory to roll out the 2017 models. Up to you if you want to save some money or wait for the new models. I went with the 2016 since it looked like the 2017 wasn't too different.

mokeyjoe said:
The Asus Zenbook UX310UA is well reviewed and within your budget. Personally I've had good experiences with Asus. It seems a good option anyway.
Click to expand...

When I was shopping around for laptops, my final decision was between the Asus Zenbook UX310UA and the XPS 13". I really struggled with that decision because they're both well reviewed.
 
K

Kralamoonard

Member
The Shadow said:
Don't get a Macbook Pro. For that price, you'll get a woefully under-powered one, as someone else already said. I'd only recommend people get Macbooks if they're comfortable with OSX anyway. Yeah, you can install Windows on them, but if you're installing Windows on a Macbook to primarily use Windows, why the fuck are you spending $$$ for a Windows machine with an Apple logo?

I love my Dell XPS 13". One of the best built Windows laptops I've used. It's right in that budget too.

- Huge screen for a 13". It's nearly bezel-less, so the screen is actually pretty big relative to the size of the laptop. I used to work on my Macbook Air pretty comfortably until the XPS, and after, it just seems so small.

- The 2016 models (what I just bought) have Kaby Lake CPUs, which is literally a requirement for 4K Netflix streaming on Windows 10.

- Bought mine for about $870 (1080p model), which is actually on the south end of your budget. You could spend a little more for increased resolution and touchscreen.

- It's stupid light, but feels solid, constructed with aluminum and carbon fiber.

The 2016 models are frequently on sale as they're clearing inventory to roll out the 2017 models. Up to you if you want to save some money or wait for the new models. I went with the 2016 since it looked like the 2017 wasn't too different.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Just wondering, the 4K streaming for Netflix translates to 1080p 60fps playback on YT, right?
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
Dell Inspiron Gaming Version if it's available. Get the version with a SSD and a 1050 TI if you can.

That is, if you're into PC gaming.
 
E

Elfotografoalocado

Banned
I have a Lenovo Ideapad 710s, mine has an i5 6260U which is enough for many games including 2-3 year old ones and even new ones at very low settings. (Iris graphics)
The new one has Kaby Lake and a Geforce 940MX, aling with a 1800p screen. (For gaming, it probably scales more nicely than 1080p, you can get for instance 600p for new titles)
 
R

Red Liquorice

Member
Can I piggyback this thread for laptop recommendations too? I didn't want to start a new thread.

I'm looking in the £500-600 range for something with a Full HD screen, 8GB RAM, leaning more towards 15" but 13" not out of the question. Something robust and that will last but not ugly (The Lenovo ThinkPads look ugly to me for reference) - I will not be gaming with this laptop at all, so just video, browsing, a bit of photoshop and office etc. I plan to put in a SSD myself, so would prefer a HDD I can use for storage (switch out the DVD drive).

I'm thinking about the Dell Inspiron 15 5000, my only hesitation really is the screen quality is often brought up as a negative in reviews. Other than that I'm a bit stuck for alternatives. Lenovo IdeaPads look nice for the price, but the screens aren't Full HD.
 
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