Hello all! I'm helping my friend look for a laptop for architecture.
The total budget would be $3000 CAD, shipping + tax included.
So here are some of the characteristics we're looking for:
Battery life: Aiming for 6 hours with normal use, aka facebook, word doc, video streaming. However, battery life is not a huge priority.
Screen size + resolution: 15.6 inch, 1080p. 13 inch is too small to be working on and 17 inch is to large to lug around. 4k seems like a gimmick and destroys battery life. Also looking for a decent panel as well.
Processor/GPU: quad core mobile i7 chip, preferably skylake for battery life. 970m/980m/workstation card. This is where i need the most help. My friend will be using programs like Photoshop, premiere, rhino, revit, vray, and some other programs for her architecture projects. I know workstation cards are "certified by adobe" or whatever but what are the real world differences between using a GTX card vs workstation? Similarly, what are the differences between 970m and 980m in those applications?
Ram: 16-32 gb although 32 would likely be out of the budget
Storage: At least a 256 ssd
some other notes: looking for good build quality/reliability, want this laptop to last 3+ years (at least till graduation). decent trackpad (friend is coming from macbook air).
Ive looked at a lot of laptops these past few weeks but i couldn't decide on one due to user reviews, cost, or availability. any recommendations would be appreciated!