Choosing a new laptop for school

[Riesling]

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a laptop that will last me through university (I'm going to study law). I'm currently doing pre-u stuff, which includes some programming.

I live in malaysia, an I have a budget of about RM3200 ish, though I am willing to top up a bit, for a better system or to upgrade the RAM or add an ssd.

I am planning to use this laptop for school stuff, watch anime, and play some games, like Nier:Automata. I probably won't play many games after that though. I am totally willing to step the graphics down to get >30fps (I don't think I can tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps)

I am currently on a laptop with an i5-2450m and GT630M.

I want the laptop to be reasonably thin and light, have reasonable(like 5 hours editing documents/Youtube?) battery life, and not have gamer-y looks. Cuz school.

I have come to the forum before asking about this quite some time ago, and now that a few more models seem to be released on the local market.

 

Aspire 5
RM2699
i5-8250u
MX150 2GB
FHD, 15.6"
4GB RAM (soldered)
1 DIMM slot, up to 16 GB
1TB HDD
M.2 bay
2.1cm
2.2kg

HP Pavilion 14-bf103TX
RM3199
i5-8250u
GTX940MX 2GB
FHD, 14" Nano bezel
4GB DDR4 RAM
1TB HDD
2cm
1.6kg

 

For now, these are the choices I have found. I have seen other options such as the Lenovo Legion Y520, or the Dell Inspiron Gaming, which can be had here for about RM 3200 ish, but I don't think they are very suitable.

I have also seen dell's new Inpiron 15 7000 series with the kaby lake r processors in the local market, but those seem ridiculously overpriced to me. The base model here with i5-8250u and 940MX 4gb, 4gb ram, 128gb ssd and 1tb hdd is selling for about RM4500.

Is the difference between the MX150 to 940MX so big that the Aspire 5 would be an overwhelmingly better choice?(given that the HP is much smaller and lighter, and has narrow bezels, which I'm rather fond of)

Also, does anyone know if the HP model listed here have an M.2 slot to run an M.2 based SSD in parallel with the HDD?

Are there any other laptops in this range that I should know about?

 

Thanks in advance to everyone

[RonaldMcDank120]

I would recommend the dell any day. 7-9 hours battery life fast cpu gtx 1050 will get 60+fps (you can tell the difference) also now that they have changed the tn pannel to ips the display looks quite nice.

[dizmo]

Out of the choices you've given, I'd go for the Acer. Better battery life, putting in an SSD would be a nice touch and speed up the system. I also hate HP. You shouldn't be worried about graphics performance if it's for school, unless your class demands it. Do you need a numpad? Acer has one, the HP does not. Battery life, I found, was most important.

 

If you can swing it, the Inspiron 15 7000 is an excellent choice. I'm not sure how much more that is in your currency, though.

It really has 4GB of RAM only? Seems like a sin at that price point.

 

Does Asus offer anything reasonable where you live?

 

Welcome to the forum!

[Gaiaa]

Other models in a reasonable budget are:

Asus ROG GL552VW with i7-6700, GTX 960M, 8 GB DDR4, an HDD+SSD in some models.

Acer Nitro 5 with i5-7300HQ, GTX 1050, 8 GB DDR4.

Clevo N850HK1 with i7-7700HQ, GTX 1050Ti, 8 GB DDR4, small SSD.

 

[genexis_x]

Acer Aspire 5 with 8250U and MX150 is a better choice
Just make sure to upgrade the RAM, 4GB isn't enough for Win 10
 

6 hours ago, RonaldMcDank120 said:

they have changed the tn pannel to ips the display looks quite nice.

Here it's still using TN panel

6 hours ago, dizmo said:

If you can swing it, the Inspiron 15 7000 is an excellent choice. I'm not sure how much more that is in your currency, though.

It really has 4GB of RAM only? Seems like a sin at that price point.

 

Does Asus offer anything reasonable where you live?

The Dell 7567 (i5,4GB,1TB,1050) sells at RM3199 from other retailers online.
Many laptops here only comes with 4GB RAM so it's quite common
Asus Vivobook S510UQ, however IMO the battery life is a bit low. There are also some Zenbooks but only equipped with either m3 or i3 CPUs

[Riesling]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

As a point of interest, should I add 4GB of RAM, or should I stick it out and get an 8 GB RAM stick? 

Also, is a 128GB SSD large enough to last a few years, or should I get a 250GB one so that it will last?(I'll be paying for the upgrades myself, and I'm totally willing to format every year or so)

Personally, I don't use a lot of programs(Windows says that I use about 30GB of my C Drive), but I may install more programs in the future.

[RonaldMcDank120]

3 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Acer Aspire 5 with 8250U and MX150 is a better choice
Just make sure to upgrade the RAM, 4GB isn't enough for Win 10
 

Here it's still using TN panel

The Dell 7567 (i5,4GB,1TB,1050) sells at RM3199 from other retailers online.
Many laptops here only comes with 4GB RAM so it's quite common
Asus Vivobook S510UQ, however IMO the battery life is a bit low. There are also some Zenbooks but only equipped with either m3 or i3 CPUs

Where are you, also are you sure you aren't looking at the old model.

 

[RonaldMcDank120]

10 hours ago, dizmo said:

Out of the choices you've given, I'd go for the Acer. Better battery life, putting in an SSD would be a nice touch and speed up the system. I also hate HP. You shouldn't be worried about graphics performance if it's for school, unless your class demands it. Do you need a numpad? Acer has one, the HP does not. Battery life, I found, was most important.

 

If you can swing it, the Inspiron 15 7000 is an excellent choice. I'm not sure how much more that is in your currency, though.

It really has 4GB of RAM only? Seems like a sin at that price point.

 

Does Asus offer anything reasonable where you live?

 

Welcome to the forum!

It does have 8gb

[RonaldMcDank120]

4 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Acer Aspire 5 with 8250U and MX150 is a better choice
Just make sure to upgrade the RAM, 4GB isn't enough for Win 10
 

Here it's still using TN panel

The Dell 7567 (i5,4GB,1TB,1050) sells at RM3199 from other retailers online.
Many laptops here only comes with 4GB RAM so it's quite common
Asus Vivobook S510UQ, however IMO the battery life is a bit low. There are also some Zenbooks but only equipped with either m3 or i3 CPUs

The dell does have 8gb of ram

[dizmo]

10 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

-snip-

The Dell 7567 (i5,4GB,1TB,1050) sells at RM3199 from other retailers online.
Many laptops here only comes with 4GB RAM so it's quite common
Asus Vivobook S510UQ, however IMO the battery life is a bit low. There are also some Zenbooks but only equipped with either m3 or i3 CPUs

Do you actually need anything better than an i3?

[genexis_x]

9 hours ago, RonaldMcDank120 said:

Where are you, also are you sure you aren't looking at the old model.

 

OP is from Malaysia, prices are stated in MYR, the 7567 still using the TN panel, please read carefully, please

9 hours ago, RonaldMcDank120 said:

The dell does have 8gb of ram

Only the more expensive models

[RonaldMcDank120]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

OP is from Malaysia, prices are stated in MYR, please read carefully, please

Only the more expensive models

its only $750

[genexis_x]

1 minute ago, RonaldMcDank120 said:

its only $750

Excuse me?

[RonaldMcDank120]

3 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

OP is from Malaysia, prices are stated in MYR, please read carefully, please

Only the more expensive models

 

[RonaldMcDank120]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

Excuse me?

Your in a different currency

[genexis_x]

3 minutes ago, RonaldMcDank120 said:

 

OP is from Malaysia, repeat, Malaysia

 

Please read carefully before posting

[genexis_x]

12 hours ago, Riesling said:

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

As a point of interest, should I add 4GB of RAM, or should I stick it out and get an 8 GB RAM stick? 

Also, is a 128GB SSD large enough to last a few years, or should I get a 250GB one so that it will last?(I'll be paying for the upgrades myself, and I'm totally willing to format every year or so)

Personally, I don't use a lot of programs(Windows says that I use about 30GB of my C Drive), but I may install more programs in the future.

Better stick it out and get a new 8GB RAM to prevent any incompatibility

128GB SSD only enough for OS, at least get 240-275GB

[RonaldMcDank120]

1 hour ago, ZM Fong said:

Excuse me?

Sorry I was looking at USD

[Riesling]

Its pretty normal(i think) for prices for laptops to be higher in malaysia, they are usually priced much higher than the equivalent value in USD.

[Riesling]

14 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Better stick it out and get a new 8GB RAM to prevent any incompatibility

128GB SSD only enough for OS, at least get 240-275GB

Thanks!

As a side note, do you have any problems with battery life on laptops with similar specs as the dell?

It's using an HQ processor and a 1050, which I think are quite power hungry components.

Does that reduce battery life significantly? I'm willing to get a lower spec computer if it means significantly better battery life, but I won't forgo dedicated graphics.

I'm not talking about gaming, just doing some student stuff, like web browsing, documents and powerpoints, streaming Youtube in the background, etc. How long can it last under these circumstances, from your experience?

 

[genexis_x]

22 minutes ago, Riesling said:

Thanks!

As a side note, do you have any problems with battery life on laptops with similar specs as the dell?

It's using an HQ processor and a 1050, which I think are quite power hungry components.

Does that reduce battery life significantly? I'm willing to get a lower spec computer if it means significantly better battery life, but I won't forgo dedicated graphics.

I'm not talking about gaming, just doing some student stuff, like web browsing, documents and powerpoints, streaming Youtube in the background, etc. How long can it last under these circumstances, from your experience?

The Dell 7567 has a shocking long battery life, don't worry.

 

However bigger battery=heavier (if you can accept 2.6-2.8kg then fine)

[Riesling]

Wow.

2.6kg seems to be a lot to lug around campus, and that doesn't include the power brick, right?

Probably need to have a big power brick for that.

[applesuxD]

On 9/20/2017 at 12:14 PM, Riesling said:

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a laptop that will last me through university (I'm going to study law). I'm currently doing pre-u stuff, which includes some programming.

I live in malaysia, an I have a budget of about RM3200 ish, though I am willing to top up a bit, for a better system or to upgrade the RAM or add an ssd.

I am planning to use this laptop for school stuff, watch anime, and play some games, like Nier:Automata. I probably won't play many games after that though. I am totally willing to step the graphics down to get >30fps (I don't think I can tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps)

I am currently on a laptop with an i5-2450m and GT630M.

I want the laptop to be reasonably thin and light, have reasonable(like 5 hours editing documents/Youtube?) battery life, and not have gamer-y looks. Cuz school.

I have come to the forum before asking about this quite some time ago, and now that a few more models seem to be released on the local market.

 

Aspire 5
RM2699
i5-8250u
MX150 2GB
FHD, 15.6"
4GB RAM (soldered)
1 DIMM slot, up to 16 GB
1TB HDD
M.2 bay
2.1cm
2.2kg

HP Pavilion 14-bf103TX
RM3199
i5-8250u
GTX940MX 2GB
FHD, 14" Nano bezel
4GB DDR4 RAM
1TB HDD
2cm
1.6kg

 

For now, these are the choices I have found. I have seen other options such as the Lenovo Legion Y520, or the Dell Inspiron Gaming, which can be had here for about RM 3200 ish, but I don't think they are very suitable.

I have also seen dell's new Inpiron 15 7000 series with the kaby lake r processors in the local market, but those seem ridiculously overpriced to me. The base model here with i5-8250u and 940MX 4gb, 4gb ram, 128gb ssd and 1tb hdd is selling for about RM4500.

Is the difference between the MX150 to 940MX so big that the Aspire 5 would be an overwhelmingly better choice?(given that the HP is much smaller and lighter, and has narrow bezels, which I'm rather fond of)

Also, does anyone know if the HP model listed here have an M.2 slot to run an M.2 based SSD in parallel with the HDD?

Are there any other laptops in this range that I should know about?

 

Thanks in advance to everyone

Hmm I'll definitely say get 250gb ssd if you can.

 

[ErrystioT]

There's also the Acer Nitro 5 which are similarly priced to the Lenovo Legion Y520 in Malaysia with non-striking gaming looks.

[genexis_x]

2 hours ago, ErrystioT said:

There's also the Acer Nitro 5 which are similarly priced to the Lenovo Legion Y520 in Malaysia with non-striking gaming looks.

Nitro 5 is just about the same with Y520 except for a slightly better (brighter, richer colour) display, a slightly worse keyboard (Y520 keyboard is more clicky and slightly more key travel), a better cooling system (IMO the Y520 can handle load very well despite the old cooling design. Even a 1060 Max-Q can perform like a regular mobile 1060 after some tweaking) and more noise under load

21 hours ago, Riesling said:

Wow.

2.6kg seems to be a lot to lug around campus, and that doesn't include the power brick, right?

Probably need to have a big power brick for that.

You don't have to carry the power brick whole day as the battery can last long enough.
Slightly light gaming laptop + power brick is more heavier than a slightly heavier gaming laptop with a big battery