Budget laptop your thoughts

[Lucifierce]

Hey guys this is my second post about this topic but this time I have found a laptop myself and would like to have your opinions. The laptop I have in mind falls in my budget for a price of $300 USD. Here are the specs:
ASUS X540MA-DM197T

Processor: Intel Pentium Silver N5000 @1.1 GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR4 @2400 MHz (2x2 probably)
HDD: 500GB 
Screen: 15.6" (1366x768) 
Graphics: (Integrated) Intel UHD Graphics 605
No SSD.

Here is the link: https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ASUS-Laptop-X540MA/specifications/

So I need this laptop mostly for college purposes as in Word, PowerPoint, e-mail and the rare movie nights. 
Oh and I would love to know if I could run Rainbow Six Siege on this XD .

Thanks a lot everyone, 
Alex, (Lucifierce).

EDIT: Just so you guys know, this laptop costs as much as my mom's MONTHLY pay cheque and she is buying me this laptop. So yeah saving money not an option. 

Edited October 16, 2018 by Lucifierce

[Zando_]

Highly doubt Siege would even run at all on that. Windows by itself can eat over 2GB RAM, and your CPU wouldn't even be breaking the 3GHz barrier at max turbo, and has a lower iGPU so I don't see how you'd be able to run much. Could always try it though...

 

As for college work it *should* be fine, but if you can afford it try and get something with 8GB RAM. That an an SSD make it much more usable, 4GB is pretty limiting. 

 

EDIT: definitely try and get something with an SSD or at least 7200rpm drive, a 5400rpm drive and 4GB RAM with Windows 10 will be extremely slow in basically anything. Usually the bottleneck in low-spec or older laptops is the RAM and disk (case in point, my 2012 MacBook Pro that crawled with a 5400rpm drive and 4GB RAM, but stomps with an SSD and 16GB RAM). Upgrade those and they're much faster. 

[markr54632]

Omg please dont. You might maybe be able to surf the web on it. It will run open office okay, but lag on Microsoft office. I tried to make a Pentium 4405u work with 8gb of ram and a ssd. Completely not usable.

 

If your on a tight budget buy a used business laptop.

[Lucifierce]

6 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Highly doubt Siege would even run at all on that. Windows by itself can eat over 2GB RAM, and your CPU wouldn't even be breaking the 3GHz barrier at max turbo, and has a lower iGPU so I don't see how you'd be able to run much. Could always try it though...

 

As for college work it *should* be fine, but if you can afford it try and get something with 8GB RAM. That an an SSD make it much more usable, 4GB is pretty limiting. 

 

EDIT: definitely try and get something with an SSD or at least 7200rpm drive, a 5400rpm drive and 4GB RAM with Windows 10 will be extremely slow in basically anything. Usually the bottleneck in low-spec or older laptops is the RAM and disk (case in point, my 2012 MacBook Pro that crawled with a 5400rpm drive and 4GB RAM, but stomps with an SSD and 16GB RAM). Upgrade those and they're much faster. 

I was just joking about the R6S thing. This is the base model and there is no updated version but maybe I can upgrade it with an extra of 4GB of RAM and an SSD as the higher end model of the same laptop comes with them pre-installed (plus a 1080p screen), but I will see how it will run first and if I can I may upgrade the internals. What do you say?

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, Lucifierce said:

I was just joking about the R6S thing. This is the base model and there is no updated version but maybe I can upgrade it with an extra of 4GB of RAM and an SSD as the higher end model of the same laptop comes with them pre-installed (plus a 1080p screen), but I will see how it will run first and if I can I may upgrade the internals. What do you say?

I can tell you now it'll run terribly, like I said my 2012 MacBook pro with a 5400rpm drive and 4GB RAM absolutely crawled, and it was running macOS and has a better CPU so it'll run smoother than windows on the same specs. You definitely want an SSD and at least 8GB RAM, though be aware most newer laptops want you to totally dissect the computer to change out anything. Lots hold together with little plastic clips and such that are easy to break, so it's a massive pain to open them, and you'd destroy the laptop if you don't have the right tools. 

[Lucifierce]

7 minutes ago, markr54632 said:

Omg please dont. You might maybe be able to surf the web on it. It will run open office okay, but lag on Microsoft office. I tried to make a Pentium 4405u work with 8gb of ram and a ssd. Completely not usable.

 

If your on a tight budget buy a used business laptop.

Well the N5000 isn't the 4405U as seen here, http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Pentium-4405U-vs-Intel-Pentium-Silver-N5000/m54474vsm499477 . Maybe the difference is minimal but the only other CPU within my price range is the N3350 Celeron and the i3-6006U, both of which get stomped by the N5000. Used is not an option unfortunately.

[Lucifierce]

1 minute ago, Zando Bob said:

I can tell you now it'll run terribly, like I said my 2012 MacBook pro with a 5400rpm drive and 4GB RAM absolutely crawled, and it was running macOS and has a better CPU so it'll run smoother than windows on the same specs. You definitely want an SSD and at least 8GB RAM, though be aware most newer laptops want you to totally dissect the computer to change out anything. Lots hold together with little plastic clips and such that are easy to break, so it's a massive pain to open them, and you'd destroy the laptop if you don't have the right tools. 

I had an internship at a computer repair shop, I have seen them open and work on laptops, it is a nightmare. Unfortunately, this is THE best choice for my budget, the only notebooks with preinstalled SSDs are the small Mediacom FlexBook 13 with an even more abysmal N3350 Dual Core Celeron and it only has 32GB of space on it. 

[Zando_]

Just now, Lucifierce said:

I had an internship at a computer repair shop, I have seen them open and work on laptops, it is a nightmare. Unfortunately, this is THE best choice for my budget, the only notebooks with preinstalled SSDs are the small Mediacom FlexBook 13 with an even more abysmal N3350 Dual Core Celeron and it only has 32GB of space on it. 

Can't find any old Dell or Thinkpad laptops on eBay? Lots of those have decent screens, are built well and easy to upgrade, and most will have an i5 or so. 

[TheFlyingSquirrel]

18 minutes ago, markr54632 said:

Omg please dont. You might maybe be able to surf the web on it. It will run open office okay, but lag on Microsoft office. I tried to make a Pentium 4405u work with 8gb of ram and a ssd. Completely not usable.

 

If your on a tight budget buy a used business laptop.

@Lucifierce Examples x1 carbon, used it at work lightning quick, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-i7-3667U-240GB-SSD-8GB-Ram-Windows-8-Pro-Laptop-Touch/182806827987?hash=item2a9022d3d3:g:i3gAAOSwd~RZSjk5:rk:4:pf:0

 

x240 still very good, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-X240-Touchscreen-Core-i5-4300U-8GB-180GB-SSD-Webcam-Laptop/372451619116?hash=item56b7d8b12c:g:eWoAAOSw4a1bV0Cp:rk:4:pf:0

 

You can get both in the US, the latter falls into your budget and is miles ahead of the one you posted.

[Lucifierce]

4 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Can't find any old Dell or Thinkpad laptops on eBay? Lots of those have decent screens, are built well and easy to upgrade, and most will have an i5 or so. 

Uuuuh well beyond the fact that I live in Macedonia (FYROM) and there is a very bad used market in my country ordering electronics from e-bay is gonna burn me a lot of money in shipping. So I think going new is the only option. 

Edit: Maybe the shipping will be free but I still have to pay an arm and a leg at customs.

Edited October 16, 2018 by Lucifierce

[Lucifierce]

5 minutes ago, TheFlyingSquirrel said:

@Lucifierce Examples x1 carbon, used it at work lightning quick, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-i7-3667U-240GB-SSD-8GB-Ram-Windows-8-Pro-Laptop-Touch/182806827987?hash=item2a9022d3d3:g:i3gAAOSwd~RZSjk5:rk:4:pf:0

 

x240 still very good, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-X240-Touchscreen-Core-i5-4300U-8GB-180GB-SSD-Webcam-Laptop/372451619116?hash=item56b7d8b12c:g:eWoAAOSw4a1bV0Cp:rk:4:pf:0

The x1 is good but as I said in another reply, I would pay an arm and a leg at customs.
as for the x240 it doesn't ship to where I live (Macedonia (FYROM)).

[markr54632]

17 minutes ago, Lucifierce said:

Uuuuh well beyond the fact that I live in Macedonia (FYROM) and there is a very bad used market in my country ordering electronics from e-bay is gonna burn me a lot of money in shipping. So I think going new is the only option. 

Edit: Maybe the shipping will be free but I still have to pay an arm and a leg at customs.

The difference in the pentium processors performance is negligible at best. The laptop you are linking is literally going to make your life at school harder. I cant count how many times a study group had to move on without me because it would crash or be compiling code for 10 minutes. This is with a study group using 2nd and 3rd gen i3 laptops.

 

If new is your only option then you dont have enough to buy a laptop. Use a library pc and save more money. See if there is a rental program at your uni. See if you can get a student discount.

[Lucifierce]

4 minutes ago, markr54632 said:

The difference in the pentium processors performance is negligible at best. The laptop you are linking is literally going to make your life at school harder. I cant count how many times a study group had to move on without me because it would crash or be compiling code for 10 minutes. This is with a study group using 2nd and 3rd gen i3 laptops.

 

If new is your only option then you dont have enough to buy a laptop. Use a library pc and save more money. See if there is a rental program at your uni. See if you can get a student discount.

I need an at home thing and no amount of discount is going to help my broke ass buy a better laptop. Because if it did I wouldn't buy a laptop I would custom build my own PC. 

[markr54632]

This model has soldered ram, so you cannot upgrade it later btw. You could add an ssd, but it won't help much.

 

 

Seems like you are pretty dead set on that laptop model and dont really want advice lol. Good luck with school and I genuinely hope it works out for you.

[Lucifierce]

12 minutes ago, markr54632 said:

This model has soldered ram, so you cannot upgrade it later btw. You could add an ssd, but it won't help much.

 

 

Seems like you are pretty dead set on that laptop model and dont really want advice lol. Good luck with school and I genuinely hope it works out for you.

Thanks man. It’s not that I do not want advice it is just that the advice I get is either to have more money or live in another country things that are out of my control. When I make my own pay cheque and when I buy my own gaming rig I post here again. (That could be in 5/6 years though )

[TheFlyingSquirrel]

5 minutes ago, Lucifierce said:

Thanks man. It’s not that I do not want advice it is just that the advice I get is either to have more money or live in another country things that are out of my control. When I make my own pay cheque and when I buy my own gaming rig I post here again. (That could be in 5/6 years though )

What about buy off a fellow student?

[Lucifierce]

1 hour ago, TheFlyingSquirrel said:

What about buy off a fellow student?

Haven’t thought about that. I may just ask around