Laptop for school

Jerakl · May 28, 2014

So next year at my school they are implementing a BYOD program. Now for the people that don't already have something that would register for the program, they have to buy chromebooks from the school. I've convinced my parents to buy me a laptop that will last a while rather then that awful excuse for a laptop.

So, what will it be used for you may ask?

-Schoolwork

-Word processing

-Light graphical work

-Other

-Light Gaming

(On spare or whenever else)

So, I would most likely look for something with a graphics card, however an APU would work as well.

So uh yeah, preferably a budget of ~700$. Mind you this is just for suggestions to my parents, I will be using it for grade 11, 12, maybe even into uni.

Thanks for any help!

EDIT: Sorry if this is in the wrong section!

Uber Hamburgler · May 28, 2014

Check out the HP Envy lineup, as of recommending something for my brother about 2 months ago for the same uses, those were the best. He ended up spending about $720 for his, which I think had an i7 quad core (not all i7s are quad cores in laptops) and a GeForce GT 730M.

Look at these two links:

(Intel and NVIDIA) (AMD) (AMD, partially pre-upgraded)

Both will probably require you to customization them to get what you want, specifically a 1080p screen, SSD cache, etc. The also have touchscreen versions if you check HP's website, but if you're like me, using a touchscreen on a laptop is a pain.

If you decide on the AMD one, becuase mobile Kaveri hasen't launched yet you won't be able to take advantage of dual graphics with the GCN GPUs that they offer; because of this the GeForce GT 740M they offer is slightly better than the AMD counterpart in most cases, and the GT 730M is almost the same in performance, but more battery friendly. If you end up being able to wait for Kaveri mobile to be released then the AMD with dual graphics will blow away the Intel/NVIDIA options graphically, although the Intel options will still blow away the AMD options in raw CPU performance.

As someone that has used the AMD version without the dedicated graphics card (upgraded to the A10), I can say that if "light gaming" means occasionally playing Battlefield 3 or Bioshock Infinite on low settings, just the APU won't do, you will want the Intel + GT 740M, but it will do fine for LoL, DOTA, or Guild Wars 2.

Jerakl · May 28, 2014

Check out the HP Envy lineup, as of recommending something for my brother about 2 months ago for the same uses, those were the best. He ended up spending about $720 for his, which I think had an i7 quad core (not all i7s are quad cores in laptops) and a GeForce GT 730M.

Look at these two links:

(Intel and NVIDIA) (AMD) (AMD, partially pre-upgraded)

Both will probably require you to customization them to get what you want, specifically a 1080p screen, SSD cache, etc. The also have touchscreen versions if you check HP's website, but if you're like me, using a touchscreen on a laptop is a pain.

If you decide on the AMD one, becuase mobile Kaveri hasen't launched yet you won't be able to take advantage of dual graphics with the GCN GPUs that they offer; because of this the GeForce GT 740M they offer is slightly better than the AMD counterpart in most cases, and the GT 730M is almost the same in performance, but more battery friendly. If you end up being able to wait for Kaveri mobile to be released then the AMD with dual graphics will blow away the Intel/NVIDIA options graphically, although the Intel options will still blow away the AMD options in raw CPU performance.

As someone that has used the AMD version without the dedicated graphics card (upgraded to the A10), I can say that if "light gaming" means occasionally playing Battlefield 3 or Bioshock Infinite on low settings, just the APU won't do, you will want the Intel + GT 740M, but it will do fine for LoL, DOTA, or Guild Wars 2.

Thank!

Oh no, I wouldn't be playing big title games, mostly minecraft and BOUT Evo. Maybe some light steam games and MMORPGs.

Uber Hamburgler · May 28, 2014

Thank!

Oh no, I wouldn't be playing big title games, mostly minecraft and BOUT Evo. Maybe some light steam games and MMORPGs.

Then you should be fine with just the APU, but I definitely recommend upgrading to the A10 APU, 1080p screen, and hybrid hard drive.

Warcony · May 29, 2014

I suggest you take a look at the Surface Pro 3, though it isn't out yet it looks to be a damn good option for students!

Uber Hamburgler · May 30, 2014

I thought about recommending the Surface Pro 3, but for a 128 GB one, which I would consider the bare minimum for a primary use PC it costs $1k, which is way above his price point. Then for the one that would actually be recommendable, the i5, 256 GB, 8GB RAM one, it is $1300. Then it is another $120 on top of both of those for the keyboard. It is a great device and I am personally looking into selling my laptop and Venue 8 Pro to get one, but all said and done, it costs twice as much as the laptop I recommended.