Laptop for programming in college

[Rodrigo Angelelli]

Hello there!

I am looking for a any recommendations for laptop models under 500$. The 400-450 range would be the best. I am currently getting a bachelors degree in physics, with focus on Computational physics and programming, so I will be running some heavy simulations, that´s why my priority would be some decent RAM and an SSD if possible. I don´t really care for a GPU since I already have a gaming computer. 

I was leaning for the Surface GO, but for some reason it sells for almost 1000$ here in Brazil. My best option right now would be the Acer Aspire A5 with both 128GB ssd and 1TB HD and and 8th gen i5. Any recommendations for a poor graduate?

[5x5]

The Surface Go and Aspire are both horrible options. Avoid.

 

Look at an entry level business device. HP ProBook or Dell Vostro with a quad core minimum

 

[Rodrigo Angelelli]

41 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

The Surface Go and Aspire are both horrible options. Avoid.

 

Look at an entry level business device. HP ProBook or Dell Vostro with a quad core minimum

 

Can you explain why they are bad options? I was really leaning to the Aspire, it seemed like a fine laptop to me, and a bit cheaper than the Dell Vostro

And on the same range price, the Acer has an i5 8th gen while the Vostro has an i3 7th with half the RAM the Acer has.

[5x5]

39 minutes ago, Rodrigo Angelelli said:

Can you explain why they are bad options? I was really leaning to the Aspire, it seemed like a fine laptop to me, and a bit cheaper than the Dell Vostro

And on the same range price, the Acer has an i5 8th gen while the Vostro has an i3 7th with half the RAM the Acer has.

The reason is the Aspire has very poor build quality, cheap caps and fetts on the PCB, poor cooling, a horrid display, poor battery life and is a very unreliable and failure-pronw device. Meanwhile, business class devices are usually liquid resistant, sand/dirt resistant, can withstand shocks and drops without damage, have superior electrical components on the board and quiet and efficient cooling. There should be a ProBook 450 with an i5 quad core in your price range. It's very hard to beat.

[panzersharkcat]

I don’t know what the prices are in Brazil but if you’re willing to tinker, a T440p can be upgraded to perform as well as any new machine. Here is an excellent guide on how to do that. I was able to get one configured to be as fast as an i7-8550U and with a FHD display for about $450-500 USD.