Another "what to get" laptop thread...

[Dubesta11]

I doubt I will be able to wait to July to get a laptop, but I would be purchasing one around June. I don't know what my budget is, so I would like to have 3 choices. A sub $1000, $1000-$1500, and ~$2000 laptop choices. What do you guys recommend for a college environment? I would like to focus on school (so battery and portability) but it must be able to handle semi-heavy programs (I have a good desktop for major apps), and some gaming potential (Nothing too heavy, around the Minecraft/CS:GO 80FPS level). It must have an SSD or be capable of housing one. 

 

Thanks! (USD)

[megaant4]

Sub $1000 - http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50/

 

$1000 - $1500 - Surface Pro 3

 

$1500 - $2000 -  http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade

[Aniallation]

Sub $1000 - http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50/

It's not exactly the best time to suggest a Y50, they are releasing a refreshed model with a 960M and a much needed IPS display soon

[Dubesta11]

Sub $1000 - http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y50/

 

$1000 - $1500 - Surface Pro 3

 

$1500 - $2000 -  http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade

 

I would like to stay away from Lenovo for now, and that is an old model with many well known problems. 

 

Does the Surface Pro 3 get hot? As far as I recall, it heavily throttles when playing minecraft at 1440p.

 

Ha, over 2k for only 128GB of storage. Crazy what people will buy.

[Dubesta11]

It's not exactly the best time to suggest a Y50, they are releasing a refreshed model with a 960M and a much needed IPS display soon

 

Do you have any idea when that might come out? I might be interested, it has great specs for the price.

[megaant4]

I would like to stay away from Lenovo for now, and that is an old model with many well known problems. 

 

Does the Surface Pro 3 get hot? As far as I recall, it heavily throttles when playing minecraft at 1440p.

 

Ha, over 2k for only 128GB of storage. Crazy what people will buy.

 

I have a Surface Pro 3 and yeah it's one of the issues.. The fan is really shit so it throttles.. There is a little USB fan that you can buy though and that fixes the problem.

It's really good at editing video and productivity though

[Aniallation]

Do you have any idea when that might come out? I might be interested, it has great specs for the price.

Soon™

 

It's already available in some countries. 

[Dubesta11]

I have a Surface Pro 3 and yeah it's one of the issues.. The fan is really shit so it throttles.. There is a little USB fan that you can buy though and that fixes the problem.

It's really good at editing video and productivity though

 

But can it run things like CS:GO on an external 1080p monitor? So what is the experiance really like, because I would love to get one. And what do you mean by a usb fan?

[megaant4]

But can it run things like CS:GO on an external 1080p monitor? So what is the experiance really like, because I would love to get one. And what do you mean by a usb fan?

 

Ill install CS:Go and let you know :') 

They are really good I got mine as I am doing Senior Visual Art and all my assessment will be digital. I've edit video and audio a few times and performs really well. I enjoy the form factor and the abilities to turn it from a tablet to a laptop. By USB fan I mean one that fits into the USB port and points towards the back of the surface to cool it.

[Aniallation]

But can it run things like CS:GO on an external 1080p monitor? So what is the experiance really like, because I would love to get one. And what do you mean by a usb fan?

Not great. I have a laptop with an i5-4300U and Intel HD 4400 graphics, same as the mid-range i5 Surface Pro 3. CS:GO will only run smoothly at 720p medium settings, but even then there are FPS drops to about 40 and it is noticeable in games like CS:GO. For solid 60FPS you'll have to run at 720p lowest settings. 1080p would most likely not fare well, even with the highest-end i7+HD5000 version of the Surface Pro 3.

[Dubesta11]

Not great. I have a laptop with an i5-4300U and Intel HD 4400 graphics, same as the mid-range i5 Surface Pro 3. CS:GO will only run smoothly at 720p medium settings, but even then there are FPS drops to about 40 and it is noticeable in games like CS:GO. For solid 60FPS you'll have to run at 720p lowest settings. 1080p would most likely not fare well, even with the highest-end i7+HD5000 version of the Surface Pro 3.

 

That's what I was afraid of, the portability would be great but the lack of gaming would kill me, even for a decide pointed at college. Probably just stick with a 13-15 inch laptop for now, or wait to see if the new CPU's will come out before. 

 

Linus NEEDS to review more laptops

[Aniallation]

That's what I was afraid of, the portability would be great but the lack of gaming would kill me, even for a decide pointed at college. Probably just stick with a 13-15 inch laptop for now, or wait to see if the new CPU's will come out before. 

How about the new Lenovo Y40-80? (Broadwell)

 

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/y-series/y40-80/