Laptop For College! Computer Science Major!

[cooledwhip]

Hello! I am starting college this upcoming year and I will be majoring in computer science, (probably switching to cybersecurity, but I will stay within the CS realm) and I need a laptop for school. I currently have a very powerful and nice desktop I built 4 years ago. 980 TI build, but I am not taking that to my university. I made the decision, the one I never thought I would make, to purchase a laptop. Haha. I want something reliable, fast, and durable. I will be carrying this with me a lot and it will be bumped around in backpacks a lot. I have no idea what to look for in a laptop. Please help, thanks!

[Techicolors]

budget?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Worth looking into. And not just because I have one (also using for CS). Be prepared to immediately upgrade it with a M.2 SATA SSD if you're not going to grab one preconfigured. Also has two memory slots for expansion later down the road when 8GB is not enough. Even I don't find 8GB enough from time to time as I hit the page file. 

 

[AnonymousGuy]

There needs to be a sticky that says "for college buy literally the cheapest laptop you can find".  You won't *ever* be doing anything that's resource intensive at an undergraduate level.  Your top priority should be battery life and small size (13" or less).

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 minute ago, AnonymousGuy said:

There needs to be a sticky that says "for college buy literally the cheapest laptop you can find".  You won't *ever* be doing anything that's resource intensive at an undergraduate level.  Your top priority should be battery life and small size (13" or less).

Well... you should be getting something like at least a Core i3, if not Core i5 is the sweet spot. Unless you're doing an Arts degree where we're just going to be writing papers, a Pentium is going to be a pain to live with. Try running MATLAB on that without tearing your hair out. 

[TLCH723]

What does your college recommend?

For cyber security, you probably going to use a lot of VMs for pentest. So my recommendation is a hexcore,  32 GB RAM and 15 inches

[cooledwhip]

Not sure how to reply to everyone on here. Budget is $800-1K. I'd like to stay cheaper obviously, but I have no idea on buying laptops and their specs, I don't know if $800 is a good or bad budget. I never end up well with buying a laptop. They almost always have issues or are shit. I was on mobile and couldn't type everything I wanted to, but I would like it to have an SSD, storage isn't important I'll be buying external HDD's. I want an i5, good battery life, I need at least 16 gb of ram. I am looking at the pamphlet my college gave me in terms of computer science major laptop requirements, they say that they recommend a medium to high end range laptop so it will be able to run the programs needed 4 years from now when I'm a senior. I really don't want to cheap out on a laptop. It looks like we will be using Office, so my guess is that we will use programs and not online stuff. ALSO, since I am considering switching to cybersecurity I will be running more intensive programs. Thanks,

[cooledwhip]

Just now, TLCH723 said:

What does your college recommend?

For cyber security, you probably going to use a lot of VMs for pentest. So my recommendation is a hexcore,  32 GB RAM and 15 inches

I just posted what the college recommends. I think I will go medium to high end. Will an I5 be enough for VM's? Will 16gb be enough for VM's? I have 16 on my desktop and can run 1 VM fine.

[cooledwhip]

4 hours ago, Techicolors said:

budget?

$800-1000

 

3 hours ago, AnonymousGuy said:

There needs to be a sticky that says "for college buy literally the cheapest laptop you can find".  You won't *ever* be doing anything that's resource intensive at an undergraduate level.  Your top priority should be battery life and small size (13" or less).

I also was considering switching to cybersecurity so I will be using programs; it won't all be online. AND I still would like a nice laptop since I won't have my desktop in college. 

 

3 hours ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Well... you should be getting something like at least a Core i3, if not Core i5 is the sweet spot. Unless you're doing an Arts degree where we're just going to be writing papers, a Pentium is going to be a pain to live with. Try running MATLAB on that without tearing your hair out. 

Yeah I def want some power in the laptop. Not looking for a shitty lenovo or chromebook. Looking at i5/16gb ram. Not sure if I need more if doing cybersecurity

[genexis_x]

Preferred weight (kg or pounds) and battery life (hours)?

 

Also, where are you from?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 hour ago, cooledwhip said:

$800-1000

 

I also was considering switching to cybersecurity so I will be using programs; it won't all be online. AND I still would like a nice laptop since I won't have my desktop in college. 

 

Yeah I def want some power in the laptop. Not looking for a shitty lenovo or chromebook. Looking at i5/16gb ram. Not sure if I need more if doing cybersecurity

That Vivobook 15 + an additional 8GB stick of RAM + a SSD will still be under 800 for the whole lot.

[TLCH723]

1 hour ago, cooledwhip said:

I just posted what the college recommends. I think I will go medium to high end. Will an I5 be enough for VM's? Will 16gb be enough for VM's? I have 16 on my desktop and can run 1 VM fine.

For beginning, sure. Once you get until your senior year, maybe not

[cooledwhip]

53 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Preferred weight (kg or pounds) and battery life (hours)?

 

Also, where are you from?

I need good battery life. They say that there are no outlets in classrooms (little to none). Weight I would prefer a light laptop, because I am walking around. 

 

I am in the US, more specifically in Chicago, a big city.

24 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

That Vivobook 15 + an additional 8GB stick of RAM + a SSD will still be under 800 for the whole lot.

Thanks I'll check out some reviews of it. DDR3 or 4? Is the SSD an actual drive or is it M.2?

[cooledwhip]

12 minutes ago, TLCH723 said:

For beginning, sure. Once you get until your senior year, maybe not

Hm. What would you recommend for a 4 year laptop then? How long should a good laptop last for?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

16 minutes ago, cooledwhip said:

Thanks I'll check out some reviews of it. DDR3 or 4? Is the SSD an actual drive or is it M.2?

It uses DDR4 as it's a Kaby Lake R chip. The SSD is M.2 SATA so you'll be able to have both a M.2 SSD for boot and retain a 2.5" HDD for mass storage. For battery life, I get around 7 hours from a 100% full charge. Right now I'm getting 5-6 as I'm running it in a balanced mode between battery life and battery health so it charges up to 80%. 

[cooledwhip]

14 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

It uses DDR4 as it's a Kaby Lake R chip. The SSD is M.2 SATA so you'll be able to have both a M.2 SSD for boot and retain a 2.5" HDD for mass storage. For battery life, I get around 7 hours from a 100% full charge. Right now I'm getting 5-6 as I'm running it in a balanced mode between battery life and battery health so it charges up to 80%. 

Ok Thanks I will look into it. I'm really not familiar with that chip or M.2 at all. Can this run intense programs?

[genexis_x]

Vivobooks are mediocre in general, you can get better laptop with similar price

 

Preferred display size? Do you need a good quality display?

[cooledwhip]

5 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Vivobooks are mediocre in general, you can get better laptop with similar price

 

Preferred display size? Do you need a good quality display?

I just want a good laptop. AT LEAST i5, 16gb ram, SSD. What defines good quality? Just 1080p is fine. I would prefer something that isn't bottom line but I don't need the super high budget anti eye strain stuff at 4K

[genexis_x]

Acer Swift 3 (SF314-54/54G or SF315-52/52G) with RAM upgrade

[TLCH723]

15 hours ago, cooledwhip said:

Hm. What would you recommend for a 4 year laptop then? How long should a good laptop last for?

I would suggest talk to the senior at your college and see what they recommend. Also, your college may provide lab space and such so you dont need a powerful computer if you are willing to work in the lab.

 

I still suggest a hex core and a 15 inch. Just make sure you can upgrade RAM later

[cooledwhip]

On 8/7/2018 at 10:47 PM, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

It uses DDR4 as it's a Kaby Lake R chip. The SSD is M.2 SATA so you'll be able to have both a M.2 SSD for boot and retain a 2.5" HDD for mass storage. For battery life, I get around 7 hours from a 100% full charge. Right now I'm getting 5-6 as I'm running it in a balanced mode between battery life and battery health so it charges up to 80%. 

 

On 8/7/2018 at 4:52 PM, Techicolors said:

budget?

 

On 8/7/2018 at 4:54 PM, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Worth looking into. And not just because I have one (also using for CS). Be prepared to immediately upgrade it with a M.2 SATA SSD if you're not going to grab one preconfigured. Also has two memory slots for expansion later down the road when 8GB is not enough. Even I don't find 8GB enough from time to time as I hit the page file. 

 

 

On 8/7/2018 at 4:57 PM, AnonymousGuy said:

There needs to be a sticky that says "for college buy literally the cheapest laptop you can find".  You won't *ever* be doing anything that's resource intensive at an undergraduate level.  Your top priority should be battery life and small size (13" or less).

 

On 8/7/2018 at 8:54 PM, TLCH723 said:

What does your college recommend?

For cyber security, you probably going to use a lot of VMs for pentest. So my recommendation is a hexcore,  32 GB RAM and 15 inches

 

On 8/7/2018 at 9:36 PM, ZM Fong said:

Preferred weight (kg or pounds) and battery life (hours)?

 

Also, where are you from?

 

On 8/8/2018 at 4:32 PM, MelAmel939393 said:

HI, every college student needs a laptop, but with so many choices at so many different prices, it can be homework in itself to find out which one to get. Start by reviewing our recommendations for the best laptop for your college major, and then check with your specific school to make sure its configuration meets the minimum requirements. Of course, we love all of our picks, so if you see one outside of your major, it's still a great machine.

If you're undecided on your major or your school doesn't have any particular recommended specs, consider a laptop that's easy to carry around in a backpack, lasts 8 hours or more on a charge and has a high-res (1080p or greater) screen for easy multitasking. We also have a detailed list of laptop buying tips for students.

GUYS. I went to bestbuy and they had the 2017 Razer Blade 15 inch floor model on sale so I bought it. It is the floor model so it's not brand new. It's a 1060 I think, i7 and 16gb ram. I have 14 days to return it so I want to test it all out and stuff to make sure it works. Can I get some help please? Thanks,

[FadedComplex]

On 2018-08-07 at 5:41 PM, cooledwhip said:

Hello! I am starting college this upcoming year and I will be majoring in computer science, (probably switching to cybersecurity, but I will stay within the CS realm) and I need a laptop for school. I currently have a very powerful and nice desktop I built 4 years ago. 980 TI build, but I am not taking that to my university. I made the decision, the one I never thought I would make, to purchase a laptop. Haha. I want something reliable, fast, and durable. I will be carrying this with me a lot and it will be bumped around in backpacks a lot. I have no idea what to look for in a laptop. Please help, thanks!

Would recommend a laptop with more than 4 cores and a decent gpu 2gb 1050 or mx150.

[TLCH723]

4 hours ago, cooledwhip said:

GUYS. I went to bestbuy and they had the 2017 Razer Blade 15 inch floor model on sale so I bought it. It is the floor model so it's not brand new. It's a 1060 I think, i7 and 16gb ram. I have 14 days to return it so I want to test it all out and stuff to make sure it works. Can I get some help please? Thanks,

Just return it. Razer is bad at QC and QA. Unless you got it dirt cheap

[genexis_x]

6 hours ago, cooledwhip said:

Razer Blade

But why

[cooledwhip]

3 hours ago, TLCH723 said:

Just return it. Razer is bad at QC and QA. Unless you got it dirt cheap

 

1 hour ago, ZM Fong said:

But why

Damn it really!! Fuck. I really thought I lucked out. 

 

What's wrong with them? 

I need an i7, 15 inch, 16gb ram, good battery life, and not super heavy laptop. Those are the only requirements. What would you recommend? I'm on a time crunch