Going to college: Laptop or ITX case?

[Spork829]

10 hours ago, Malibrew said:

Everyone going to college has access to financial aid giving them the opportunity for 4-8 years to have access to the best technology and education available and interest free at a minimum.

Believe me, I wish this were true...

[seagate_surfer]

 

 

1

16 hours ago, Spork829 said:

Oooh I haven't seen that HP before, thank you! The MSI is a good deal, but I just don't think I could get past the look.

Yes, I know right! I discovered that the HP laptop by mistake, was looking for another model and this one came up, I saw the technical specifications and I found it a very interesting option.

And regarding the look of the MSI, there are two other similar models I have seen lately and they do not have that thick appearance:

• https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-GA502DU-Ryzen-3750H-NVIDIA/dp/B07RDJ8DRQ
• https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-GeForce-Gigabit-TUF505DU-EB74/dp/B07QQB6DC1

 

 

1

17 hours ago, Spork829 said:

And yes, I'm seriously considering a Matebook, but worried that Microsoft might stop them from getting Windows updates given the situation. The Xiaomi Mi Notebook seems like a good alternative as well, but it looks like I'll have to buy it straight from China.

Yes, I saw the 13-inches laptop of Huawei and I think it's the best in that category and I'd also get one, regardless of what people say. I think the problem will be mainly with phones, but who knows in the future. Also, the Xiaomi Mi Notebook is a good choice. I bought it just when it was launched to the market a couple of years ago and it cost me very cheap because nobody knew what you could expect from the machine, after some time the prices went up because the machine is actually a very good product and now it is not a cheap laptop anymore and costs the same as others in that category...

[DarkDragon2K04]

On 6/3/2019 at 6:14 AM, Spork829 said:

Hi everyone, so I'm in a bit of a predicament at the moment. I ship off to college in about two months, and right now all I've got is my massive full-ATX tower (specs are in my signature). My laptop I used for all of high school is 7 years old and borderline non-functional. I need something I can lug around easily because I'm only an hour away from home, meaning I will be driving back and forth often. Soooo, before I go I need to figure out what I want to get. I will need strong CPU performance because I'll be running Reaper and other fairly intensive music/audio software, and I want to still have a dedicated GPU for at least light gaming.

 

• Option 1: Switch out my current case, motherboard and probably PSU and cooler, stuff everything into an ITX case that I can take home when I need to, then get a Chromebook or some other super-cheap laptop for just notes and stuff.
• Option 2: Sell the whole rig and buy a good all around laptop (looking at XPS, Gram, Thinkpad, Zenbook, Xiaomi Mi, etc, would love recommendations if you have any) that I will use for everything and bring back and forth. Probably (definitely) sacrificing performance so I don't have to deal with a desktop at all. 

 

What do you guys think is the best course of action here? I really can't decide what I should do. Thanks so much!

I believe the second option is the best. You have a hard drive and I don't think any ITX case has space for that. Second, these are older components so it's better you get a newer laptop, you are bottle necking the 1060 with that i7, these components will surely heat up in an ITX case more than you think. With a laptop you will only need the laptop. A laptop can still be connected to a monitor and egpu for more power if you are into that kind of stuff.

 

On 6/3/2019 at 6:29 AM, Spork829 said:

I'm tending to agree, the problem is just budget. I won't be able to afford too much more than the amount I'd get from selling the desktop, meaning my cap will probably be around $1200. Finding something with a GPU and 16GB of RAM that's also thin and light at that price point doesn't seem to be so easy.

And about your price problem with the nvidia gtx 16 series laptop you can find amazing speced laptop for this price. Keep in mind AMD laptops are also getting quite good.

Asus zephyrus G - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-max-q-512gb-solid-state-drive-metalic-hairline-black/6335912.p?skuId=6335912

 

Asus TUF - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-tuf-fx505-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-1tb-hdd-256gb-ssd-black/6349945.p?skuId=6349945, https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-GeForce-Gigabit-FX505DT-EB73/dp/B07QM4F25N/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=nvidia+gtx+1650+laptop&qid=1559765983&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

 

Lenovo Y740 - https://www.newegg.com/black-lenovo-legion-y540-81sx0017us-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834845011

ASUS ROG G531GT - https://www.newegg.com/black-asus-rog-gaming-entertainment/p/1TS-001A-00J97

 

Lenvo L340 - https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-i7-9750H-Processor-81LK000EUS/dp/B07R6XPYKB/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=lenovo+l340&qid=1559765728&s=gateway&sr=8-2, https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-i5-9300H-Processor-81LK000EUS/dp/B07R81FDRJ/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=lenovo+l340&qid=1559765728&s=gateway&sr=8-6, https://www.newegg.com/black-lenovo-ideapad-l340-81ll0002us-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834845010

 

Acer predator helios 300 - https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-9750H-Keyboard-PH315-52-78VL/dp/B07QXLFLXT/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=acer+predator+helios&qid=1559765853&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

 

Dell G3 - https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/new-dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-3590-laptop/gnslk5crg307s, https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/new-dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-3590-laptop/gnslk5crg303s

 

Dell G5 - https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-g5-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-5590-laptop

 

Dell G7 - https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-g7-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-7590-laptop

 

Alienware m15 - https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/alienware-m15-gaming-laptop/spd/alienware-m15-laptop

 

Alienware m17 - https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/alienware-m17-gaming-laptop/spd/alienware-m17-laptop/wnorn7chm710s

[genexis_x]

On 6/3/2019 at 1:14 PM, Spork829 said:

strong CPU performance

dedicated GPU for at least light gaming

Any preference on weight and battery life?

[Malibrew]

I finally got to see how the new Dell XPS performs and I'm genuinely impressed.  I would feel confident in their product, performance and customer support.  They are the best of the "road warriors" as far as laptops go in their price range in my opinion.  Well rounded, highly productive and extremely long battery life.  Also has some extensive workstation abilities through TB3 as well.

[seagate_surfer]

On 6/7/2019 at 9:54 AM, Malibrew said:

I finally got to see how the new Dell XPS performs and I'm genuinely impressed.  I would feel confident in their product, performance and customer support.  They are the best of the "road warriors" as far as laptops go in their price range in my opinion.  Well rounded, highly productive and extremely long battery life.  Also has some extensive workstation abilities through TB3 as well.

Yup! It almost gets it right in all departments, I do consider that one as one the best all-rounder laptops out there...