Looking for a good laptop for school.

[TheKurtster]

I'm looking for something to use in my Computer Systems Technicians course for the foreseeable future. So something that can handle VM's, Networking, etc...

I also plan to do some light Photoshop and Premiere editing on the go. Rarely do I plan to game on it. Maybe some light Minecraft between classes, IF that.

I want something that is thin and light. I don't want to be carrying around a 2 inch, 7 pound behemoth. I would much rather nothing more than 4.5 pounds and no more than an inch thick.

I really don't want to spend more than CAD$2,000 but persuasion is a thing that does exist. 

The only laptop I've seen so far on the market that I've liked, so far, is the Dell XPS 15. I really like that it has a Quad-Core i7, 16GB RAM and an PCIe NVMe SSD. The 4K screen is just a super nice bonus.

If any of you have any suggestions or have an XPS 15 and could give your thoughts on it, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[VAkena]

1 minute ago, TheKurtster said:

 

The only laptop I've seen so far on the market that I've liked, so far, is the Dell XPS 15. I really like that it has a Quad-Core i7, 16GB RAM and an PCIe NVMe SSD. The 4K screen is just a super nice bonus.

I actually agree with your assessment of the Dell XPS 15, the specs match what you want to go for as well. My only criticism would be the 4K screen draining battery life - it doesn't matter if you're gonna be carrying your charger with you all the time (I personally don't with mine).

[TheKurtster]

1 minute ago, VAkena said:

I actually agree with your assessment of the Dell XPS 15, the specs match what you want to go for as well. My only criticism would be the 4K screen draining battery life - it doesn't matter if you're gonna be carrying your charger with you all the time (I personally don't with mine).

Carrying the charger would be absolutely no problem, as it'll get stuffed in my bag with everything else, and I'll probably never be more than a full charge away from an outlet anyways.

[VAkena]

Just now, TheKurtster said:

Carrying the charger would be absolutely no problem, as it'll get stuffed in my bag with everything else, and I'll probably never be more than a full charge away from an outlet anyways.

If that's the case, the Dell XPS 15 gets a HUGE recommedation from me!

[spellmanuk]

i have the baby brother the xps 13 and my GF has the xps 15 so ive used it on occasion and it is a awesome choice i would defiantly go for that but like VAkena the only down fall with the xps is the 4k can be a bit draining especially at high brightness however you can still get a solid 6-10 hours out of it and the charger is not much bigger than an iPad charger so not much a big deal to take it to class with you 

[TheKurtster]

Just now, VAkena said:

If that's the case, the Dell XPS 15 gets a HUGE recommedation from me!

There's only one thing I'm worried about when it comes to the XPS 15. I've heard many horror stories. It could be that r/Dell became a dumping ground for peoples problems and they're not as large as I might think they are but some people find that Dell has some QA and QC problems (especially this guy).

[TheKurtster]

1 minute ago, peej said:

i have the baby brother the xps 13 and my GF has the xps 15 so ive used it on occasion and it is a awesome choice i would defiantly go for that but like VAkena the only down fall with the xps is the 4k can be a bit draining especially at high brightness however you can still get a solid 6-10 hours out of it and the charger is not much bigger than an iPad charger so not much a big deal to take it to class with you 

I'm not at all concerned about power. Carrying the adapter is not an issue and I could even go for the 1080p screen (although I would like a notebook with a touchscreen) to save even more power.

[spellmanuk]

Just now, TheKurtster said:

I'm not at all concerned about power. Carrying the adapter is not an issue and I could even go for the 1080p screen (although I would like a notebook with a touchscreen) to save even more power.

i would deffo go for the touchscreen it can be invauable in somecases i have found also like you said there are a couple of QC probablems but if you look at how many people actually have them i doubt there is more then 10% of owners with these problems like i said my GF has the 15 and shes had absolutely no problems with QC it probably the best built laptop shes ever had and id say the same for my 13 its on par with the macbook when they get it right  

[TheKurtster]

4 minutes ago, peej said:

i would deffo go for the touchscreen it can be invauable in somecases i have found also like you said there are a couple of QC probablems but if you look at how many people actually have them i doubt there is more then 10% of owners with these problems like i said my GF has the 15 and shes had absolutely no problems with QC it probably the best built laptop shes ever had and id say the same for my 13 its on par with the macbook when they get it right  

What you and I have probably seen is a select few machines that come with issues. It could very well be subjective issues. I know that the MS Store also has Signature Editions of the XPS 15 and I have heard they go through a round of MS QC on top of whatever Dell does. Something that could be helpful for peace of mind.

[Pendragon]

I would say get a T460p. You're a student so you get discounts (Canadian used/refurb market sucks). I've had a XPS15 FHD and I liked the thing. Just didn't have a numberpad so I returned it. If you want your computer to look nice, XPS15 is the way to go. Just be warned that with 4k that computer has like 3.5-4 hours of battery. 

 

Once you enjoy a full day experience of like 10 hour battery and knowing you wont need your charger, you cant go back.