engineering laptop Computer Engineering Student needing laptop for college and games

[MoputBeatz]

Budget: $2100, USA
Use: basic college work and likely some simulation stuff idk I couldn't find much online but I am pretty sure as an engineering student I might run some CPU/GPU intensive stuff(correct me if I am wrong), gaming.  I prob won't have a lot of time to game but I want the best experience possible when I have the time at least.  

16GB RAM and hopefully a 1TB NVME.  Is it worth going for 256GB and then buying your own 1TB NVME to save money or is it cheaper to choose the 1TB SSD already pre-installed(assuming that the laptop is upgradeable in that area)?

IMPORTANT: must be a thin and light or at least as close as possible
A high refresh rate would be nice
nice screen(above 1080p) if possible
at least 13.3 inch screen but I prefer 15-17 inch screen
idc about RGB lights and stuff

I like Razer but I heard that they aren't worth it, is is true?

I need this computer by September of this year so if you know of any laptops that will be released later this year give me a heads up so I can check them out later on.  This post is just to start a discussion so I have some ideas in my head as to what performance specs my computer should have.  I know a bit about computers but I just want some expert opinions. Thank you

 

[Enderman]

I've found that laptop NVME drives are usually some bad performing crap, not anywhere near the NVME speeds of a good standalone NVME drive.

I replaced my NVME SSD in my XPS 9500 to a 970 evo and now I get 2000-3000 MBps reads and writes when before I got 1000MBps reads and like 200MBps writes, which is horrible compared to even a sata SSD.

[AnirbanG007]

14 minutes ago, MoputBeatz said:

Budget: $2100, USA
Use: basic college work and likely some simulation stuff idk I couldn't find much online but I am pretty sure as an engineering student I might run some CPU/GPU intensive stuff(correct me if I am wrong), gaming.  I prob won't have a lot of time to game but I want the best experience possible when I have the time at least.  

16GB RAM and hopefully a 1TB NVME.  Is it worth going for 256GB and then buying your own 1TB NVME to save money or is it cheaper to choose the 1TB SSD already pre-installed(assuming that the laptop is upgradeable in that area)?

IMPORTANT: must be a thin and light or at least as close as possible
A high refresh rate would be nice
nice screen(above 1080p) if possible
at least 13.3 inch screen but I prefer 15-17 inch screen
idc about RGB lights and stuff

I like Razer but I heard that they aren't worth it, is is true?

I need this computer by September of this year so if you know of any laptops that will be released later this year give me a heads up so I can check them out later on.  This post is just to start a discussion so I have some ideas in my head as to what performance specs my computer should have.  I know a bit about computers but I just want some expert opinions. Thank you

 

You could try the Asus Zephyrus G15 with the ryzen 4800HS. It's 4.6 lbs, so not too heavy. And as said by @Enderman, you should also swap out the nvme drive in there. Something like a wd sn550 if you're looking for a budget option, or something like a samsung 970 evo plus, for better performance.

[SupaKomputa]

20 minutes ago, Enderman said:

I've found that laptop NVME drives are usually some bad performing crap

Well it depends, some laptop already has OEM samsung card like PM981a which has 2000+ writes. And it's pretty popular to see one in gaming laptops.

 

Priority for gaming laptop : AMD Ryzen 4th or 5th gen, runs cooler than intel counterparts.

Smaller SSD or Memory no problem, you can add / replace one.

Bonus : an empty HDD bay, this is rare nowadays, replaced with an extra m.2 slot, in which forced you to buy another expensive m.2 drive instead a cheap huge 2TB internal HDD.

[maxx2012]

Honestly you might want to consider where you'll be spending most of your time using the laptop. I cant comment on Computer Engineering specifically but on my experience from buying a "gaming laptop" for UNI. One of the main problems i ran into and you might run to is that gaming laptops tend to be *very* heavy and have a low battery life.

 

RIght now in due to Corona classes are mostly (?) online so it shouldnt matter much, but if yours arent you should take into account how long you'll be having to carry your laptop around from class to class and if theres going to be any places to keep it charged.

 

One thing you can consider is buying a mid high tier gaming laptop, ie not so top end that its expensive, then buying a cheaper used and refurbished Thinkpad and using that for classes. Saving the gaming laptop and high intensity work for when you're going to a library or a place where you'll be staying put for a long time.