Budget laptop

[kdp]

I am in need of a new computer before I go to college next year. I plan on studying IT, networking, computer engineering, ect...and some 3D modeling. My 2008 Toshiba satellite will not suffice. Once upon a time (a few months ago) I was going to build a desktop PC for gaming from an AMD Fx-8130, R9 270, gigabyte MoBo, 16GB ram, and 1TB Hard drive, the whole build was around $580 USD. For obvious reasons I need a laptop instead....I would like similar specs in a laptop (8-16 ram, intel i5/amd fx, decent graphics for my college courses and maybe GTAV) this build just need to get me through 4 years, then I'll build a performance desktop. I'm not very familiar with building laptops, I've only built desktops. So, I need some idea/parts or even a pre-built laptop. I would prefer a budget b as close to $550 as possible but I know laptops can run higher than desktops so anything below $700 is good.

[Mohenjo]

I am in need of a new computer before I go to college next year. I plan on studying IT, networking, computer engineering, ect...and some 3D modeling. My 2008 Toshiba satellite will not suffice. Once upon a time (a few months ago) I was going to build a desktop PC for gaming from an AMD Fx-8130, R9 270, gigabyte MoBo, 16GB ram, and 1TB Hard drive, the whole build was around $580 USD. For obvious reasons I need a laptop instead....I would like similar specs in a laptop (8-16 ram, intel i5/amd fx, decent graphics for my college courses and maybe GTAV) this build just need to get me through 4 years, then I'll build a performance desktop. I'm not very familiar with building laptops, I've only built desktops. So, I need some idea/parts or even a pre-built laptop. I would prefer a budget b as close to $550 as possible but I know laptops can run higher than desktops so anything below $700 is good.

this is probably your best bet 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232793&cm_re=940m-_-34-232-793-_-Product

[Streetguru]

I am in need of a new computer before I go to college next year. I plan on studying IT, networking, computer engineering, ect...and some 3D modeling. My 2008 Toshiba satellite will not suffice.

You aren't going to get too much in that price range that's going to last a long time

 

but here 500 dollar acer with a 1080p display, an i5 and a 940m

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315131&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-All+Laptops+%2f+Notebooks-_-N82E16834315131&gclid=CI2Sh_GL-sgCFQaOaQodQBMOKA&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

 

I'd suggest you simply build a desktop PC with part of the budget and just snag one of the 100 dollar windows 8 tablets for on the go

 

You can get something fairly solid for around 400 bucks, just a bit limited in the RAM but that's easily upgradable

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Mn6x3C

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Mn6x3C/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.89 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-DS2H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($46.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Mushkin Essentials 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($18.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($34.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 2GB PCS+ Video Card  ($164.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.49 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $405.33

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 15:14 EST-0500

[kdp]

For anyone who has taken a fairly modern IT course: would I be okay to use a i5 or FX build desktop and a tablet/galaxy note for college? Or do I need a laptop?

[kdp]

For anyone who has taken a fairly modern IT course: would I be okay to use a i5 or FX build desktop and a tablet/galaxy note for college? Or do I need a laptop?

[Streetguru]

For anyone who has taken a fairly modern IT course: would I be okay to use a i5 or FX build desktop and a tablet/galaxy note for college? Or do I need a laptop?

The desktop is going to be the better option if you're into gaming, otherwise i'd just get like a portability focused laptop with a large battery life

[kp33]

The desktop is going to be the better option if you're into gaming, otherwise i'd just get like a portability focused laptop with a large battery life

Well there's also the possibility that I'll be doing cad work/modeling so I'll need to be able to render graphics like gaming. Also I'll most likely need to run virtual machines which can be stressful to a pc.

[Streetguru]

Well there's also the possibility that I'll be doing cad work/modeling so I'll need to be able to render graphics like gaming. Also I'll most likely need to run virtual machines which can be stressful to a pc.

You're probably going to want the desktop then, maybe even an AM3+ 8 core, that build's just missing a case though

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GWDYxr

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GWDYxr/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($124.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard  ($63.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($33.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($34.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card  ($189.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $492.84

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 17:02 EST-0500