Laptop needed for Computer Science Engineering student

[deadpoolio]

Which specs should my laptop have that can fulfill my requirements? I am about to start Computer Science Engineering with specialization in cybersecurity. I need the laptop for college purposes as well as for external courses and internships. Also, it should be able to work for like 3-4 years without any problem after so much usage. Any suggestions for which laptop I should use are welcome.

[genexis_x]

First, what's your budget and where are you from?

[deadpoolio]

2 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

First, what's your budget and where are you from?

I am from India and my budget is approx $1500 or ₹ 1,00,000

[genexis_x]

3 minutes ago, dieegoperi said:

i7-8550U/i7-8650U

Nope, performance not much better than 8250U/8350U due to cooling and TDP limitations.

3 minutes ago, dieegoperi said:

the screen... sigh, not the best, I can't play because of the tearing, and the keyboard isn't for gaming exactly (ghosting),

You're complaining a non gaming laptop with no gaming features like 120Hz 5ms panel and anti ghosting keyboard?

4 minutes ago, dieegoperi said:

pick the one you love because of the screen , the keyboard, the design.

Always look for reviews first. Design means nothing to me.

[genexis_x]

27 minutes ago, deadpoolio said:

I am from India and my budget is approx $1500 or ₹ 1,00,000

Budget is a bit tight. Mind providing some links of online stores in your country?

[deadpoolio]

The thing is I dont know what stuff i would be dealing with in 3-4 years and I think i might need better specs than what are required now, so that the laptop could be a long-term investment. What are your thoughts? And some people say that GPU should be good too. 

[deadpoolio]

3 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Budget is a bit tight. Mind providing some links of online stores in your country?

Most of the electronic devices in my country are overpriced. So, I would be buying my stuff from some other country like USA, Canada or maybe from Dubai. I just need to know the laptop I require. 

[Sauron]

I am a computer science engineer and I never had any problems with my refurbished thinkpad x220 during my courses. You can find them for 200 bucks on ebay. I recommend the ips version if you can find it and to add an ssd (it's extremely easy to swap it in).

5 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Budget is a bit tight.

 

[jj9987]

How much does size matter for you, e.g. less than 13" or bigger than 15"?

I highly recommend getting one with i7 and 16 GB of RAM, you will likely be multitasking quite a lot and these will help you.

Integrated GPUs are fine for most of the tasks.

 

Also, what is your view on Macbook Pros? They are expensive, however as someone who switched from Windows to macOS, I have to say that working on macOS is much better. I simply got tired of Windows' retarded forced updates and shit breaking constantly (have team members using Windows for coding, it's still an issue), whereas macOS can run for 38 days (personal score) with no reboot required. Macbooks last very long as well.

[deadpoolio]

4 minutes ago, jj9987 said:

How much does size matter for you, e.g. less than 13" or bigger than 15"?

I highly recommend getting one with i7 and 16 GB of RAM, you will likely be multitasking quite a lot and these will help you.

Integrated GPUs are fine for most of the tasks.

 

Also, what is your view on Macbook Pros? They are expensive, however as someone who switched from Windows to macOS, I have to say that working on macOS is much better. I simply got tired of Windows' retarded forced updates and shit breaking constantly (have team members using Windows for coding, it's still an issue), whereas macOS can run for 38 days with no reboot required. Macbooks last very long as well.

Size does matter because of my time with the laptop and I dont want to strain my eyes much. 

 

I would be using Linux most of the time. I was not comfortable with MacOS and wasnt getting used to it. I like Windows more than MacOS. Maybe bcoz I have been using it my entire life. 

[genexis_x]

45 minutes ago, jj9987 said:

i7

Which i7? For ULVs:

1 hour ago, ZM Fong said:

performance not much better than 8250U/8350U due to cooling and TDP limitations.

 

56 minutes ago, dieegoperi said:

snip

That's what you would expect in most laptops.

 

I would suggest a Thinkpad P, however they are probably out of your budget if you buy them in India. If you're going to buy in US then get P51/P50 or even P71/P70. Nevertheless you might want to wait for refresh: P52 and P72 are coming.

[jj9987]

3 hours ago, deadpoolio said:

Size does matter because of my time with the laptop and I dont want to strain my eyes much. 

 

I would be using Linux most of the time. I was not comfortable with MacOS and wasnt getting used to it. I like Windows more than MacOS. Maybe bcoz I have been using it my entire life. 

Understandable. Linux is also a great option, tho then I suggest finding model that has the most compatible drivers. You might struggle with some really basic things sometimes, such as wireless driver dying, graphics driver crashing, keyboard hotkeys not working. I have/had HP EliteBook 840 G2 and it's network died about once every 2-3 days.

 

Dell XPS 15 and Lenovo Thinkpads are widely recommended models in general, however I am unsure about the pricing and Linux driver support. Look around Linux forums/subreddits, people can guide you.

 

2 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Which i7? For ULVs:

Any one from recent generations (6th to 8th) with at least 4 cores.

[deadpoolio]

How is dell inspiron 15 i7-7700hq 16gb ram with 4gb gtx 1050ti?

I have heard it has great battery life and is a considerable option. I found it in my budget but I need second opinions. 

[Theguywhobea]

If you're gonna be doing cybersecurity I'd make sure whatever device you go with that it plays nice with Linux. I know the XPS series of laptops are some favorites among security experts, so maybe check out an XPS 13 or something.