College Notebook With (More Than Not) Gaming Tendencies

[zombimudkip]

Hello all,

 

In about a month I will be entering University. While I am trying to decide my courses (most likely computer science/programming classes) I would like to find a laptop beforehand.

 

I enjoy playing SOURCE engine games (Half Life 2, Garry's Mod, and other Valve related games), Heroes of the Storm, Fallout 3, and possibly Overwatch in the near future.

 

I have found a laptop with my desired specs (8GB-12GB RAM (DDR4 preferred), 1TB+ HDD (combination HDD and SDD is acceptable), CPU on par with an i5/i7 (MUST BE QUAD), UHD screen, 2-in-1s are priority) but I am not sure how well it will perform. I do not expect to run these on high/ultra settings (more like low/medium, as higher graphical options are not expected by me). (HP Envy x360 - 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD FX - 8GB Memory - AMD Radeon R7 - 1TB Hard Drive)

 

I am open to suggestions and my price point is up to $700 USD

 

One last question: Does anybody have reservations for AMD chips over Intel's? I would like to hear why if there is any opposition.

[zzzzzzzhhh]

Get a 200$ laptop for actual coursework and a 500$ PC for gaming.

[scighera2]

Don't get a Gaming Laptop, huge waste of money. Get a cheap laptop with an iGPU for schoolwork and build a desktop for gaming. It will save you hundreds.

[Kobathor]

Up your budget to around $800 and you can get a decent gaming-oriented laptop. Honestly though, if you're gonna use it for school, I'd look at getting a laptop with better battery life than a gaming laptop.

[AncientNerd]

18 hours ago, Vespertine said:

Get a 200$ laptop for actual coursework and a 500$ PC for gaming.

 

17 hours ago, scighera2 said:

Don't get a Gaming Laptop, huge waste of money. Get a cheap laptop with an iGPU for schoolwork and build a desktop for gaming. It will save you hundreds.

What they said - maybe even a tablet to take notes on - or just your phone. And a desktop for your dorm. Unless you think you will need the laptop away from your room, build a desktop.

[zombimudkip]

On 7/18/2017 at 11:21 AM, AncientNerd said:

 

What they said - maybe even a tablet to take notes on - or just your phone. And a desktop for your dorm. Unless you think you will need the laptop away from your room, build a desktop.

My only problem with this is constantly loading and unloading the desktop to take home and right back to school a week or less later. That is why I am looking into a laptop. 

 

I am not totally sold on gaming laptops either. Their battery lives do not seem consistent and their form factors are usually bulky or misplace components of the laptop (*cough cough* Asus GX501Zephyrus with your out-of-the-way keyboard and trackpad).

 

Thanks for your help though guys.

 

 

[Erfsh]

VivoBook Pro N580VD seems promising, and if you go for 1080 display you will get a better battery life.

Problem is I just don't know the release date.