Budget gaming/workstation laptop for a student

[variantxoxo]

Hello 

 

My old laptop recently started to randomly shut down and I decided that it's the best moment to think about an upgrade (6 years have been a long time anyway).

I game a bit (mainly CS:GO, maybe a bit of League and few other casual titles) and study at Technical University so made my mind with a budget of around 1000USD (considering Polish prices would be 800$ worth of stuff in US). I checked nearby stores, read a few reviews and finally came up with three considerably powerfull and cheap laptops. All of them with 1080p displays, 8 gigs of RAM, i7-6700HQ and GTX960M 4GB GDDR5.

 

First one is, since Linus recommended this one strongly, Dell 7559. I love it for the desing - I don't fancy all those shiny, colourful and illuminated gaming laptops.

 

Second one is ASUS ROG GL552VW with it's USB type-C port, DVD drive but a weaker display (I've read that ASUS equipped those with IPS panel at the beginning but due to some technical difficulties changed it for an old TN :/)

 

Third one is the cheapest (and for me, the ugliest) here - Lenovo Y700 with glossy display, decent speakers and enjoyable keyboard.

 

Shall I pay attention to better screen (or is really the ASUS so bad after all), more comfortable keyboard, quiet fans?

I can't afford much more than this but I am still sure, that it will be more than enough for my light gaming and programming/3D CAD applications.

Which one should I choose as a daily driver?

Pros and cons, oppinions and reccomendations would be highly appreciated

 

Have a nice day,

Łukasz

[GSTARR]

I personally always prefer Dell for build quality

[variantxoxo]

That's why I put Dell here Unfortunately I've read about some WiFi problems hurting it's overall grade. It is a tough choice since at this price point I will always have to give up something :< I only wonder what to give up first

[don_svetlio]

6 minutes ago, variantxoxo said:

That's why I put Dell here Unfortunately I've read about some WiFi problems hurting it's overall grade. It is a tough choice since at this price point I will always have to give up something :< I only wonder what to give up first

The 7559 is a low-end budget solution. Build-wise, the metal GL552 (grey version) and Y700 both outclass it by a LOT. If you can afford it, Y700 or HP Omen 2016 - those are 2 the best options for you.

[variantxoxo]

Funny thing is, where I live it's impossible to get both Omen and the metal version of GL552. Only mid tier HP notebook available is the Pavillion gaming with it's 950m and when it comes to ASUS, the only version on Polish market is the black, plastic one All three laptops - Lenovo, DELL and ASUS cost almost the same, differing about 50 bucks or so. My concern about Lenovo is the glossy screen and overall "gaming" design. ASUS'es weakest point are the viewing angles and DELL is just plain looking, moderately equipped budget, plastic machine :c

[don_svetlio]

7 minutes ago, variantxoxo said:

Funny thing is, where I live it's impossible to get both Omen and the metal version of GL552. Only mid tier HP notebook available is the Pavillion gaming with it's 950m and when it comes to ASUS, the only version on Polish market is the black, plastic one All three laptops - Lenovo, DELL and ASUS cost almost the same, differing about 50 bucks or so. My concern about Lenovo is the glossy screen and overall "gaming" design. ASUS'es weakest point are the viewing angles and DELL is just plain looking, moderately equipped budget, plastic machine :c

Y700 is the best option.

[variantxoxo]

I am at work now and since I have a lot of spare time I found two more laptops fitting the price:

MSI GL62 6QF and MSI GE62 Apache

What do you think?

[don_svetlio]

30 minutes ago, variantxoxo said:

I am at work now and since I have a lot of spare time I found two more laptops fitting the price:

MSI GL62 6QF and MSI GE62 Apache

What do you think?

They run hotter and MUCH louder than the Y700 - they're also mostly plastic and the plastic is not great. Warranty is poor since you can't open to clean or upgrade them as that voids it. Battery life is 1-2 hours at most. Y700 gets 5 hours. I would not recommend MSI's low end garbage.