What to take to uni

[Private_Parts87]

I'm starting uni this September studying mechitronics (robotics) and I'm in need of a computer. My budget is 600-700 pounds and I was wondering weather to get:

1.A powefull laptop such as lenovo y50 or and msi

2.A powefull desktop and a rubbish laptop to take to lectures

Problems being that during holidays I don't want to lug a desktop home to play my games so a laptop would be easier but the laptop wouldn't run games as well as a desktop.

Any way enough from me, what are your guys thoughts, thanks very much

[ZetZet]

From my experience taking pc's to lectures is useless most of the time so option 2. I would get HP stream or something like that for lectures.

[BananaNinja]

at uni I had a powerful desktop and an okay laptop to play games during lectures and go to friends house for lan

[thekeemo]

a total budget of 700 wont get both a laptop and desktop and a laptop is more important so laptop

[KamiKatze]

I tried it with option 1 until i realized that its pointless. Get a simple laptop maybe upgrade it with a SSD down the road, and get a proper desktop for gaming.

[Jamdude]

As said above, taking a laptop to a lecture is worthless most of the time, just take a pen and paper.  Go for the desktop and if you really need a laptop then most Universities lease laptops out to students for free.

[Private_Parts87]

a total budget of 700 wont get both a laptop and desktop and a laptop is more important so laptop

So just a laptop you think?

[Private_Parts87]

As said above, taking a laptop to a lecture is worthless most of the time, just take a pen and paper.  Go for the desktop and if you really need a laptop then most Universities lease laptops out to students for free.

Would it not be useful for a course with lots of projects and building?

[xAdventx]

Was wondering if someone could elaborate further on why laptop would not necessarily be most useful for taking notes at a lecture?

[Private_Parts87]

Was wondering if someone could elaborate further on why laptop would not necessarily be most useful for taking notes at a lecture?

I was thinking the same, cheers

[Private_Parts87]

I tried it with option 1 until i realized that its pointless. Get a simple laptop maybe upgrade it with a SSD down the road, and get a proper desktop for gaming.

Whys it pointless?

[KamiKatze]

Whys it pointless?

 

Its jsut not an enjoyable gaming platform. And it's not pleasent to work on a 15" laptop, no matter what resolution or what peripherals you attach. A complete Desktop is so much more comfortable.

 

I'd use a laptop for presentations and work in the Uni only.

 

On the other hand if you study mechitronics you might need a laptop with a better GPU. So getting a proper laptop right off the bat is probably not a bad solution. It's just not comparable to a proper PC imo.

[Private_Parts87]

Its jsut not an enjoyable gaming platform. And it's not pleasent to work on a 15" laptop, no matter what resolution or what peripherals you attach. A complete Desktop is so much more comfortable.

 

I'd use a laptop for presentations and work in the Uni only.

 

On the other hand if you study mechitronics you might need a laptop with a better GPU. So getting a proper laptop right off the bat is probably not a bad solution. It's just not comparable to a proper PC imo.

Okay good points! Is it possible to do with a budget of 600-700 pounds?

[KamiKatze]

Okay good points! Is it possible to do with a budget of 600-700 pounds?

 

Both laptop and PC? Probably not. If you already ahve the peripherals maybe if you buy some stuff used.

 

You can buy a used, refurbished laptops with an i5 and 1 year warranty for around 200 quid, which leaves ~400 for the PC. Which isn't much either. The smart thing to do is probably to get a Proper budget laptop with an i5 for around 400 quid and save up for a PC afterwards.

[Private_Parts87]

Both laptop and PC? Probably not. If you already ahve the peripherals maybe if you buy some stuff used.

 

You can buy a used, refurbished laptops with an i5 and 1 year warranty for around 200 quid, which leaves ~400 for the PC. Which isn't much either. The smart thing to do is probably to get a Proper budget laptop with an i5 for around 400 quid and save up for a PC afterwards.

Okay that sounds like a good idea then. So you don't think it's at all worth getting something like the lenovo y50?

[thekeemo]

So just a laptop you think?

Yes, im assuming your mostly going to be doing cad which really isnt all that intensive. and portability is great for moving around.

[KemoKa]

I recently got a gaming laptop for a similar purpose. I can't afford to lug around my desktop all over the place, so I got a gaming laptop for when I'm on the road. It's actually a really good way to go imho, and gaming laptops are getting ever closer to desktops in price to performance. They're not there yet, obviously, but they're certainly not doing bad. in the end you have to make a choice between portability and power.

or you could make a build in a Lian-Li T100 and have a nice gaming machine the size of a decent-sized lunchbox.

[Private_Parts87]

Yes, im assuming your mostly going to be doing cad which really isnt all that intensive. and portability is great for moving around.

  

I recently got a gaming laptop for a similar purpose. I can't afford to lug around my desktop all over the place, so I got a gaming laptop for when I'm on the road. It's actually a really good way to go imho, and gaming laptops are getting ever closer to desktops in price to performance. They're not there yet, obviously, but they're certainly not doing bad. in the end you have to make a choice between portability and power.

or you could make a build in a Lian-Li T100 and have a nice gaming machine the size of a decent-sized lunchbox.

Both great points, I was thinking the same as you two. @KemoKa what laptop did you get?

[KamiKatze]

Okay that sounds like a good idea then. So you don't think it's at all worth getting something like the lenovo y50?

 

Depends on if you need good performance for CAD programs and alike. The Y50 has some "unnecessary" features like a SSD. It just adds to the price and you're better off upgrading a lower tier laptop with your own SSD alter on. You also don't need an i7, they just suck up all the battery and usually put out a lot of heat which ramps up the fan which is loud (unwanted in library surroundings for instance).

 

I'd look for somethin with:

 

Intel core i5

8 GB RAM

HDD 500GB-1TB

Either use integrated graphics or something with a Nvidia X30M or X40M

1080P screen

 

For 500 pounds or less. This will play simple games and do some CAD tasks but not break the bank.

[Private_Parts87]

Depends on if you need good performance for CAD programs and alike. The Y50 has some "unnecessary" features like a SSD. It just adds to the price and you're better off upgrading a lower tier laptop with your own SSD alter on. You also don't need an i7, they just suck up all the battery and usually put out a lot of heat which ramps up the fan which is loud (unwanted in library surroundings for instance).

 

I'd look for somethin with:

 

Intel core i5

8 GB RAM

HDD 500GB-1TB

Either use integrated graphics or something with a Nvidia X30M or X40M

1080P screen

 

For 500 pounds or less. This will play simple games and do some CAD tasks but not break the bank.

Hmm youre right about that, what games would it be able to run? And what's the step up with an i7 from i5 do you think it's a pointless step up?

[KemoKa]

  

Both great points, I was thinking the same as you two. @KemoKa what laptop did you get?

I got the Gigabyte P35W v2 with an 870M. It was on sale, and it was really on sale. It's not on sale anymore, and I'm thanking my lucky stars for getting it when I did. There are lower-spec options, of course. And Asus and MSI do some laptops that are just as good in terms of build quality. Mine is a bit on the... toasty side. I can see its future as my Blender machine and my space heater when I'm a poor college student. I would have gone with a GS60 had it been as cheap, but there has been no other case I have seen of an 870M laptop going for $1150. It's pretty crazy. You could probably get yourself a laptop with a GTX 860M for 700 quid if you had a look. Might not be the most solid thing in the world, but hey, any gaming laptop will be better build quality than a consumer-grade laptop (unless it's an Alienware.)

 

if you do go with an 860M laptop, make sure that it's a GTX 860M and not just an 860M. I hear those are a thing and they're horrible.

[KamiKatze]

Hmm youre right about that, what games would it be able to run? And what's the step up with an i7 from i5 do you think it's a pointless step up?

 

Gaming-wise you will be bound to low graphics in triple-A titles and easy games like CS:GO, Skyrim without graphical Mods - at least if you want to stay in the 30-60 FPS range. The point is: it will probably run everything, just not with high fidelity.

 

Edit: Stuff like Battlefield 4 online will probably be a pain in the ass

 

The argument between the mobile i5 and i7 is the same as between the desktop i3 and i5. The mobile i7 has 4 physical cores which can help a lot in e.g. strategy games and heavy multitasking. So if you plan on using your laptop rather as a desktop replacement, the i7 makes sense, especially if the cooling of that particular laptop is good and quiet.

The step up to an i7 is not pointless, but it will increase cost and decrease batery life. It's a bit of a toss up.

[KemoKa]

Hmm youre right about that, what games would it be able to run? And what's the step up with an i7 from i5 do you think it's a pointless step up?

Getting an i7 gets you hyperthreading. That's about it. all it helps with is heavily multithreaded workloads. thermal output isn't really a problem if the thermal profile is done correctly (mine apparently wasn't).

Actually that gives me an idea. if you can find an MSI GE40 floating around, that laptop I think would be perfect for what you need it to do. It's a bit small though.

[XplosiveNoctua99]

Powerful desktop and powerful laptop

[Cheese4395]

So I'm currently a college student. I'm going into electrical engineering so not mechatronics but I know of what it is.

Currently, I have a cheap laptop that I've had since high school that has an i5 it's a 17" laptop and it sucks for college. Any heavy laptop will blow when you have to carry it around. Be forewarned.

I also have a gaming desktop I spent about 1k dollars on it. I don't know the conversion sorry. It is my goto. Whenever I need to do something intensive I boot it up and go boom done. A laptop will never give you the speed of a desktop. I really like having it. Also you can give up gaming for a few days when you visit your folks.

Lastly I'm currently going into my third year and I'm in the market for an ultra book. Why? Because 6-8 pounds is heavy and hard to carry around all day. Also I will have a lot more presentations and reports that need to be completed with a group and need a portable workstation that isn't for gaming.

So that's my situation what do I suggest for you? Grab a laptop for now. Make that your daily driver. Then obtain internships/jobs over the summer, use that money to buy a nice desktop. Good luck at University. Best wishes.