Help selecting a Laptop

[Mtrx]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm a Electrical Engineering student and I'm about to get my first job, but I need a new laptop for it. My old Asus N53SM 15.6" is getting old and slow (more then 3 years with her). I'm looking for a new laptop for office, AutoCAD, Matlab, Simulink, some light gaming, listening to music and watching movies. This is what I'm looking for:

 

-Lightweight (The 6 pounds, 2.72 Kg, of my actual laptop is killing my back on the long walks I have to do)

-Powerful (to handle all the programs mentioned before with ease)

-Medium size (I don't want a laptop bigger than 15.6")

-Durable (I want a Laptop that last, I have almost 3 years with this one and I know I can spend another year, but I really need a change)

-That fit my budget (I only have US$ 800, If i convince my parents to lend me money I would get another US$ 800 for a total of US$ 1600, but I really don't want to spend more than US$ 1200)

 

P.S: I've been looking at some laptops like

 

Lenovo Y50: http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Laptop-59425944-Black/dp/B00K6ZIMPE/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1406058496&sr=1-10&keywords=lenovo

 

Asus X550LN-DB71: http://www.amazon.com/Asus-X550LN-DB71-ASUS-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00JI9OHXU/ref=psdc1_t1_B00KN96V3S_B00JI9OHXU

 

Asus N550JK-DS71T: http://www.amazon.com/N550JK-DS71T-Full-HD-Touchscreen-Laptop-Aluminum-Body/dp/B00IAA5BSS/ref=sr_1_13?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1406057994&sr=1-13&keywords=asus

 

COULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME FIND MORE OPTIONS  AND HELP ME SELECT THE BEST ONE?

 

Thanks in advance, cheers from Dominican Republic.

 

[GoodBytes]

You have selected some nice system here.

I don't know if you really need a dedicated GPU or not for your softwares.

If not really, then perhaps you might want to have a look at the Surface Pro 3. I am a student in Computer science and I have the Pro 2, the older model (which you might be as well interested, as I am sure you can find it cheaper). The reason why I am suggesting it, is because of the digitize pen.

I don't know about you, but for in in class with a laptop, it was a headache every-time the prof was showing a math formula or do a diagram or something. Here I can have all my notes together. The pen is fantastic, it tracks when the pen hovers the screen, it has a thin point like a real pen, and detects pressure sensitivity. With OneNote, it is truly wonders.

At the same time, it is pretty powerful with Core i5-U4300, dual channel 8GB of RAM DDR3 1600MHz (max speed the CPU supports), fast SSD.

The only downside the Pro 3 has really, is due to the thinnest of the device, it has a limited cooling solution. While really good, it is sadly not good enough to allow the system to be pushed at it's max for long periods of time. But in bursts it is fine. The Pro 2 is more powerful in that front due to the larger size device which allows 2 fans, larger, and larger heatsink, despite the same specs. But the kick-stand only has 2 positions, power plug is not at good as the much improved Pro 3 model, pen needs a calibration based on how you hold your hand (Wacom technology limitation). The Pro 3 uses N-Trig, which doesn't really need this, and smaller battery means reduce battery life a bit. Still good however.

So yes, all in all, it is slower than system you mentioned. That is a fact, but it MIGHT be more useful in school in regards to note taking. I mentioned this, just offer you an alternative, if you have not taught about it. That is all.

[JDS]

Asus G550JK?

[fatmandandan]

Hello, 

 

I have not used AutoCad and am not familiar with it's system requirements, but I have used solidworks which is pretty similar. I am currently running it on a asus n550jv with a 850m gpu and intel core i7 4700hq, and it will run smoothly on small parts, but as an assembly or part gets larger and more complicated, it almost becomes impossible to work with it in detailed line viewing mode. If your old laptop has served you well, and you are mostly dealing with small parts and assemblies, then I think that the lenovo or the g550jk will serve you well, but If you have been having lag issues, then you might want to consider a laptop with a certified workstation Gpu. In reality gaming graphics cards should offer more performance for a lower price, but the nvidia drivers and the Autodesk support may offer more performance. Of course take this all with a grain of salt, you do need a discrete gpu if you intend to use autocad for anything more than drawing a circle, but you may not need a workstation gpu. This subject is highly debated online, and I poked around a bit but was unable to find any recent comparison results. 

 

Hope this helps you in your decision

[androidpcguy]

Check out the Dell XPS 12 with the i7. I bought it for $1100 from amazon.