Looking for new laptop for university

[I Josh I]

Hello!

I am currently looking for a new laptop for university, and wondering if I could get some thoughts on whats the best laptop for that environment.

 

Here are some answers to some common questions people may have;

 What is your budget? $1000-1500 CAD or $750-1120 USD (Though may be willing to increase depending on the laptop)

 What is the size  that you are considering? 14 inch and higher

What screen resolution do you want? 1920 x 1080

Do you want to play games with your laptop? No gaming.

What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop?  Programming and math related stuff.

How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500 GB - 1TB

What country do you live in? Canada

I appreciate any and all thoughts!

Thanks!

[Lord Vile]

Default answer is MacBook but depends on if it’s right for the programs you’re using 

[Donut417]

3 hours ago, I Josh I said:

I appreciate any and all thoughts!

Do you have any OS requirements? Are you open to all OS's? 

 

I don't think programing has really strict requirements. Now @Lord Vile thru out the Macbook. I will tell you this. I have a MacBook Pro 2020 with the 10th gen i5. Its a lot of money for what it is. Dont get me wrong, Im happy with my purchase. Because I dont have to deal with Microsofts crap on this machine (not a big fan of Windows 10). On the other side of it the US government generously gave me $1200 as a "Stimulus Check", well I choose to use that "Stimulus Check" to stimulate the economy by buying a MacBook Pro, I did my country a great service (LOL). You can defiantly get more computer for less if you dont do a Mac. Another machine I was looking at was laptops by System 76 with Ubuntu installed. 

 

At the very least I would make this suggestion. Look for a ultrabook. You want something light and thin, that's easy to carry around. This is coming from a previous college student. Battery life is another important thing if you're going to be using it a lot at school without power outlets available. Is this going to be your only machine? If so, you might want to get something with a HDMI port or some kinda of video out. This way when you at home/dorm room you can connect to an external display, just because multiple displays are great for multi tasking and in some cases they are defiantly useful when writing a research paper. 

[I Josh I]

46 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Do you have any OS requirements? Are you open to all OS's? 

 

I don't think programing has really strict requirements. Now @Lord Vile thru out the Macbook. I will tell you this. I have a MacBook Pro 2020 with the 10th gen i5. Its a lot of money for what it is. Dont get me wrong, Im happy with my purchase. Because I dont have to deal with Microsofts crap on this machine (not a big fan of Windows 10). On the other side of it the US government generously gave me $1200 as a "Stimulus Check", well I choose to use that "Stimulus Check" to stimulate the economy by buying a MacBook Pro, I did my country a great service (LOL). You can defiantly get more computer for less if you dont do a Mac. Another machine I was looking at was laptops by System 76 with Ubuntu installed. 

 

At the very least I would make this suggestion. Look for a ultrabook. You want something light and thin, that's easy to carry around. This is coming from a previous college student. Battery life is another important thing if you're going to be using it a lot at school without power outlets available. Is this going to be your only machine? If so, you might want to get something with a HDMI port or some kinda of video out. This way when you at home/dorm room you can connect to an external display, just because multiple displays are great for multi tasking and in some cases they are defiantly useful when writing a research paper. 

Don't really have any OS requirements.

 

I mean I have never owned an apple laptop, but both my siblings have had them and they are, in my opinion great laptops. I did look at the new mac-books but as you said, they are quite a bit of money for what they are and plus it would be nice to have some ports and not have to buy an adapter to plug in your phone or something, in my opinion. They are solidly built and battery life is quite good (at least the older versions did), but I feel like getting windows or something else would be more worth.

 

Yeah I am currently browsing ultrabooks to see whats out there, lot of a options. I mean at the moment I guess light and thin is kind of negated by the fact that, at least for me, my courses are going to be online, but I guess once they resume than light and thin would be nice. The laptop isn't going to be my only or main machine, I have a desktop but want something mobile to work on stuff.

 

I was looking at some gaming laptops, not that I would game on it (that's why I have my desktop) but they seem like they have pretty good specs for the price.

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-tuf-15-6-gaming-laptop-black-amd-ryzen-5-3550h-512gb-ssd-8gb-ram-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650/14497496

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-rog-strix-g15-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-10300h-512gb-ssd-8gb-ram-geforce-gtx-1650-ti/14583635

 

Thanks for your insight!

[Donut417]

2 minutes ago, I Josh I said:

was looking at some gaming laptops, not that I would game on it (that's why I have my desktop) but they seem like they have pretty good specs for the price.

Talking to a guy who had a gaming laptop that he lugged to school 2 days a week. I mean if you stay at online only, and only take it every once in a while then OK. But Im telling you if you plan on going several days a week to actual physical class, your not going to want to lug those around. Save your back the pain. 

 

Personally after using my Mac. I would say look for something less powerful but has a better battery life. Its nice not having to be plugged in all the time. Gaming laptops are not known to have good battery life. I have the 13" MacBook Pro and I have to say that's a nice size. Id stick to 13-14" models. Because at the end of the day you have a desktop that can do the heavy lifting and has the bigger screen when you need it. 

[SeraphicWings]

6 hours ago, I Josh I said:

Hello!

I am currently looking for a new laptop for university, and wondering if I could get some thoughts on whats the best laptop for that environment.

 

Here are some answers to some common questions people may have;

 What is your budget? $1000-1500 CAD or $750-1120 USD (Though may be willing to increase depending on the laptop)

 What is the size  that you are considering? 14 inch and higher

What screen resolution do you want? 1920 x 1080

Do you want to play games with your laptop? No gaming.

What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop?  Programming and math related stuff.

How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500 GB - 1TB

What country do you live in? Canada

I appreciate any and all thoughts!

Thanks!

I'm going to be that single guy who recommend the Macbook Air 2020 here, but I have reason to stand behind it

1. It's lightweight, this is of most importance to students, not only laptop but you have other things like books, notebooks, etc. to carry. The more weight you save, the better your back health will be. At the end of the day you will appreciate all light laptops in this world

2. I don't know what language or type of programming you are doing, but from my perspective as an HTML / JavaScript student, the Air is absolutely perfect for it, even a base i3 can do the job well, but if you do C++, Python,... that requires more power for compiling, that's a different story and I would recommend looking else where.

3. MacOS, as you won't have to deal with the bullshit Microsoft put you through each and every revision of Windows 10. At home, I can deal with it on my PC rig, but not on the run and DEFINITELY not on a working / studying machine.

4. It has a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio - this is very important, as you get more vertical space for coding. Also MacOS text rendering is flawless, everything look sharp and smooth.

5. As a student, if you have access to university mail, you get $100 discount from Apple, use it to upgrade or buy accessories you needed

 

But of course, if your budget allow, you can always swing for a Macbook Pro 13 inch

[Lord Vile]

6 hours ago, SeraphicWings said:

I'm going to be that single guy who recommend the Macbook Air 2020 here, but I have reason to stand behind it

1. It's lightweight, this is of most importance to students, not only laptop but you have other things like books, notebooks, etc. to carry. The more weight you save, the better your back health will be. At the end of the day you will appreciate all light laptops in this world

2. I don't know what language or type of programming you are doing, but from my perspective as an HTML / JavaScript student, the Air is absolutely perfect for it, even a base i3 can do the job well, but if you do C++, Python,... that requires more power for compiling, that's a different story and I would recommend looking else where.

3. MacOS, as you won't have to deal with the bullshit Microsoft put you through each and every revision of Windows 10. At home, I can deal with it on my PC rig, but not on the run and DEFINITELY not on a working / studying machine.

4. It has a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio - this is very important, as you get more vertical space for coding. Also MacOS text rendering is flawless, everything look sharp and smooth.

5. As a student, if you have access to university mail, you get $100 discount from Apple, use it to upgrade or buy accessories you needed

 

But of course, if your budget allow, you can always swing for a Macbook Pro 13 inch

I had a MacBook Air 2018 and it was great, fiancée has it now since I upgraded to a Pro 16” last year 

[I Josh I]

15 hours ago, SeraphicWings said:

I'm going to be that single guy who recommend the Macbook Air 2020 here, but I have reason to stand behind it

1. It's lightweight, this is of most importance to students, not only laptop but you have other things like books, notebooks, etc. to carry. The more weight you save, the better your back health will be. At the end of the day you will appreciate all light laptops in this world

2. I don't know what language or type of programming you are doing, but from my perspective as an HTML / JavaScript student, the Air is absolutely perfect for it, even a base i3 can do the job well, but if you do C++, Python,... that requires more power for compiling, that's a different story and I would recommend looking else where.

3. MacOS, as you won't have to deal with the bullshit Microsoft put you through each and every revision of Windows 10. At home, I can deal with it on my PC rig, but not on the run and DEFINITELY not on a working / studying machine.

4. It has a 2560 x 1600 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio - this is very important, as you get more vertical space for coding. Also MacOS text rendering is flawless, everything look sharp and smooth.

5. As a student, if you have access to university mail, you get $100 discount from Apple, use it to upgrade or buy accessories you needed

 

But of course, if your budget allow, you can always swing for a Macbook Pro 13 inch

I totally get where you are coming from. I have never owned a Macbook before but both my siblings have had them and they are great quality laptops!

 

For me, I don't mind the Macbook air, but I would like something a bit bigger for screen size. So than you look to the Macbook pro 13 inch which starts at $1,700 CAD and goes up from there. And for me, I can't see myself spending $1700 for a laptop, especially when I do have my own desktop for big projects and other heavy loads. I mean if someone gave me a Macbook I  would be more than happy to take it ha, but to drop that amount of money on something that I could get something similar (in terms of specs) from Microsoft for less, is just something that I don't see is worth while.

And I've been a windows guy myself since the beginning, so learning a new OS (even though it may not be difficult to learn) is still another downside for me on getting a Mac.

 

Just my two cents

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Lord Vile]

4 minutes ago, I Josh I said:

I totally get where you are coming from. I have never owned a Macbook before but both my siblings have had them and they are great quality laptops!

 

For me, I don't mind the Macbook air, but I would like something a bit bigger for screen size. So than you look to the Macbook pro 13 inch which starts at $1,700 CAD and goes up from there. And for me, I can't see myself spending $1700 for a laptop, especially when I do have my own desktop for big projects and other heavy loads. I mean if someone gave me a Macbook I  would be more than happy to take it ha, but to drop that amount of money on something that I could get something similar (in terms of specs) from Microsoft for less, is just something that I don't see is worth while.

And I've been a windows guy myself since the beginning, so learning a new OS (even though it may not be difficult to learn) is still another downside for me on getting a Mac.

 

Just my two cents

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

Doesn’t Apple do a student discount? 

[ToolMan]

Hi, even though this laptop is a little over budget, I suggest this one. My friend got one, and its great! Its a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series 2 in 1 Black edition. Starts at $1350 USD. 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/2-in-1-laptops/inspiron-15-7000-2-in-1-laptop-black/spd/inspiron-15-7591-2-in-1-laptop/n27591ebqys

Here are the specs:

• 4 Core 10th gen i7
• Nvidia MX250 Graphics
• 16bg of ram
• 512gb ssd storage
• 1080p 15" touchscreen with stylus included
• 68 Whr battery

Hope this helps!

[panzersharkcat]

At that budget, I don't think you'd be able to get a decent configuration of the new Ryzen-based ThinkPads. Maybe a refurbished X1 Carbon, if you prefer light weight, or an HP Envy x360 with a Ryzen 7 4700U. It's decently light and will still outrun any Intel-based 15W CPU.

[I Josh I]

1 hour ago, panzersharkcat said:

At that budget, I don't think you'd be able to get a decent configuration of the new Ryzen-based ThinkPads. Maybe a refurbished X1 Carbon, if you prefer light weight, or an HP Envy x360 with a Ryzen 7 4700U. It's decently light and will still outrun any Intel-based 15W CPU.

I will take a look thanks!

[I Josh I]

7 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

Doesn’t Apple do a student discount? 

I think they do, but I am not%100 sure. I will see if they do.

[I Josh I]

Thanks for all of you're replies and insight! I think I have enough information too make a decision!