Help choosing a laptop

[icryeverytime]

Hi
I am planing to buy a laptop and my budget is $1500 at max

• I would be using at at work and home
  • I would be using it a lot of spreadsheet and word processing at work
  • I do a lot of browsing and streaming (movies, youtube and etc)
  • I play light titles like Dota2, CS:GO, Overwatch and LOL
• I think i would be happy with 12 to 15.6 inch size laptop
• For processor i think i would be happy with 2 core i5 and above
• For ram 8GB is the minimum
• For storage 256GB as a minimum should be fine
• The display should be good for the price, would be happy with non touch 1080 panel with good viewing angles and color gamete not a sucker for touch or 4kish stuff as that would be a waste
• The battery life of 6-7 hours with normal (non heavy use) should do as a minimum
• Touch pad should be above average but dutiable (i tend to use a mouse but that is not feasible every where)
• For the graphics i am not sure of what to look for but i do know that the high end cards would definitely be a waste
• THE BUILD QUALITY AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST CRITERIA AS I PLAN TO USE THE SAID LAPTOP FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS (a little future proofing like thunderbolt 3 might be welcomed)

I had been looking far and wide for laptops that might be good for me and i came across the following:

1. Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 (http://xiaomi-mi.com/notebooks/xiaomi-mi-notebook-air-133-silver/) I was really impressed by this laptop every thing just seemed to have fall in to my checklist but the reviews that i watched complained that it ran really hot and the outside china cost seems to be alot higher then the msrp
2. Dell 7559 good specs, i was impressed but then i saw people all over complaining about its build quality and the battery life appears to be short
3. XPS 15 seems good but too many model/configs, too many bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal and i am not sure about the model/pricing (the Kaby Lake model is set to release in nov so not sure about buying one now)
4. XPS 13 seems good but too many model/configs Kaby Lake seems to be able to run light games but got no idea about avg fps they offer and i have read a fair share or bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal in this one as well
5. New Razer Blade Stealth (Kaby Lake) (http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-stealth) seems good but its feels expensive and i am not sure how well i would be able to play light game titles, not sure about battery and availability seems to be an issue.

please help me make a decision what among the above are a good pic and why and am i wrong about any fears that i mentioned; if you think there is another laptop out there that i should have a look at please mention that as well. (I also came across lenovo air pro but there was not much information available about it)(Not looking for a brand to boast to my friends so would appreciate savving as much of my budget as possible)
 

[Starelementpoke]

2 minutes ago, asaad said:

Hi
I am planing to buy a laptop and my budget is $1500 at max

• I would be using at at work and home
  • I would be using it a lot of spreadsheet and word processing at work
  • I do a lot of browsing and streaming (movies, youtube and etc)
  • I play light titles like Dota2, CS:GO, Overwatch and LOL
• I think i would be happy with 12 to 15.6 inch size laptop
• For processor i think i would be happy with 2 core i5 and above
• For ram 8GB is the minimum
• For storage 256GB as a minimum should be fine
• The battery life of 6-7 hours with normal (non heavy use) should do as a minimum
• Touch pad should be above average but dutiable (i tend to use a mouse but that is not feasible every where)
• For the graphics i am not sure of what to look for but i do know that the high end cards would definitely be a waste
• THE BUILD QUALITY AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST CRITERIA AS I PLAN TO USE THE SAID LAPTOP FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS (a little future proofing like thunderbolt 3 might be welcomed)

I had been looking far and wide for laptops that might be good for me and i came across the following:

1. Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 (http://xiaomi-mi.com/notebooks/xiaomi-mi-notebook-air-133-silver/) I was really impressed by this laptop every thing just seemed to have fall in to my checklist but the reviews that i watched complained that it ran really hot and the outside china cost seems to be alot higher then the msrp
2. Dell 7559 good specs, i was impressed but then i saw people all over complaining about its build quality and the battery life appears to be short
3. XPS 15 seems good but too many model/configs, too many bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal and i am not sure about the model/pricing (the Kaby Lake model is set to release in nov so not sure about buying one now)
4. XPS 13 seems good but too many model/configs Kaby Lake seems to be able to run light games but got no idea about avg fps they offer and i have read a fair share or bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal in this one as well
5. New Razer Blade Stealth (Kaby Lake) (http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-stealth) seems good but its feels expensive and i am not sure how well i would be able to play light game titles, not sure about battery and availability seems to be an issue.

please help me make a decision what among the above are a good pic and why and am i wrong about any fears that i mentioned; if you think there is another laptop out there that i should have a look at please mention that as well. (I also came across lenovo air pro but there was not much information available about it)(Not looking for a brand to boast to my friends so would appreciate savving as much of my budget as possible)
 

There was a Razer Blade with a 1060 in it, maybe look into that? If not, I think the Dell 9559 is pretty good.

[HalfOfALifeLeft]

7 minutes ago, asaad said:

Hi
I am planing to buy a laptop and my budget is $1500 at max

• I would be using at at work and home
  • I would be using it a lot of spreadsheet and word processing at work
  • I do a lot of browsing and streaming (movies, youtube and etc)
  • I play light titles like Dota2, CS:GO, Overwatch and LOL
• I think i would be happy with 12 to 15.6 inch size laptop
• For processor i think i would be happy with 2 core i5 and above
• For ram 8GB is the minimum
• For storage 256GB as a minimum should be fine
• The display should be good for the price, would be happy with non touch 1080 panel with good viewing angles and color gamete not a sucker for touch or 4kish stuff as that would be a waste
• The battery life of 6-7 hours with normal (non heavy use) should do as a minimum
• Touch pad should be above average but dutiable (i tend to use a mouse but that is not feasible every where)
• For the graphics i am not sure of what to look for but i do know that the high end cards would definitely be a waste
• THE BUILD QUALITY AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST CRITERIA AS I PLAN TO USE THE SAID LAPTOP FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS (a little future proofing like thunderbolt 3 might be welcomed)

I had been looking far and wide for laptops that might be good for me and i came across the following:

1. Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 (http://xiaomi-mi.com/notebooks/xiaomi-mi-notebook-air-133-silver/) I was really impressed by this laptop every thing just seemed to have fall in to my checklist but the reviews that i watched complained that it ran really hot and the outside china cost seems to be alot higher then the msrp
2. Dell 7559 good specs, i was impressed but then i saw people all over complaining about its build quality and the battery life appears to be short
3. XPS 15 seems good but too many model/configs, too many bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal and i am not sure about the model/pricing (the Kaby Lake model is set to release in nov so not sure about buying one now)
4. XPS 13 seems good but too many model/configs Kaby Lake seems to be able to run light games but got no idea about avg fps they offer and i have read a fair share or bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal in this one as well
5. New Razer Blade Stealth (Kaby Lake) (http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-stealth) seems good but its feels expensive and i am not sure how well i would be able to play light game titles, not sure about battery and availability seems to be an issue.

please help me make a decision what among the above are a good pic and why and am i wrong about any fears that i mentioned; if you think there is another laptop out there that i should have a look at please mention that as well. (I also came across lenovo air pro but there was not much information available about it)(Not looking for a brand to boast to my friends so would appreciate savving as much of my budget as possible)
 

the Inspiron 7559 is an amazing laptop, thats what I currently have. I do not see any issues with build quality. Also the model I own has the 960M 4GB, 16GB RAM, and a HDD+SSD combo. The only thing that I will say against it is that 3 USB ports is NOT ENOUGH. If you get the 7559 get a USB Hub! Also battery life is good from what I have seen but I keep mine plugged in most of the time.

[JSD10]

Just BTW a touch screen is super useful. everyone doubts it but trust me, its worth paying extra for.

[The Belgian Waffle]

My workflow will be different than yours, but I will explain to you my reasoning behind my choice (Apple MacBook Air 13.3"): 
I am a College student => The less I have to carry things, the better. 
I already own a "gaming laptop" => No need for an expensive GTX laptop that has crappy battery life

Build quality is a must => My laptop fell while I wasn't looking and it only got a few scratches here and there by falling from almost a meter. 

Trackpad is a must => I'm sorry to say that, but Windows is still behind in term of trackpads. The user experience is just better with Apple products, even tho Windows is catching up with their native built-in drivers. 

Battery life => The more powerful your laptop is, the less it will last. I use it the whole day (I mean 10 hours a day and without reducing too much the brightness I can come home without charging it throughout the day)

I won't advice you any laptops because i don't like it, but try to use this as a way to pick your own (I'm obviously open to answer to your questions  )

Hope this helps !

Edit : just saw someone talking about touchscreen. Just a question to you : why would I lift my arm in order to press something on the screen, if I can just do it with a trackpad and a keyboard that are way closer and require me less effort to do? 

[icryeverytime]

10 minutes ago, Starelementpoke said:

There was a Razer Blade with a 1060 in it, maybe look into that? If not, I think the Dell 9559 is pretty good.

that is expensive and way above my budget and yah i kind of like the xps 15 i5 model what do you think about its 1080p display?

6 minutes ago, HalfOfALifeLeft said:

the Inspiron 7559 is an amazing laptop, thats what I currently have. I do not see any issues with build quality. Also the model I own has the 960M 4GB, 16GB RAM, and a HDD+SSD combo. The only thing that I will say against it is that 3 USB ports is NOT ENOUGH. If you get the 7559 get a USB Hub! Also battery life is good from what I have seen but I keep mine plugged in most of the time.

7559 seems pretty good to me too but i kept reading here and there that the lcd and keyboard isnt good and the build quality is bad, seems like i would have to visit a dell store or something and see for my self. how much battery life do you get off the wall while not gaming? what did it cost you? and what hub would you advice to get with it

2 minutes ago, JSD10 said:

Just BTW a touch screen is super useful. everyone doubts it but trust me, its worth paying extra for.

i know but having to pay for one for the cost of battery life and or no discrete gpu along with the fact it would cost extra, i would want to save when i dont really need it . Needs to be satisfied first before moving on to wants while remaining in the budget is what i am currently aiming for (too much economics i am impressed with myself )

[icryeverytime]

13 minutes ago, The Belgian Waffle said:

My workflow will be different than yours, but I will explain to you my reasoning behind my choice (Apple MacBook Air 13.3"): 
I am a College student => The less I have to carry things, the better. 
I already own a "gaming laptop" => No need for an expensive GTX laptop that has crappy battery life

Build quality is a must => My laptop fell while I wasn't looking and it only got a few scratches here and there by falling from almost a meter. 

Trackpad is a must => I'm sorry to say that, but Windows is still behind in term of trackpads. The user experience is just better with Apple products, even tho Windows is catching up with their native built-in drivers. 

Battery life => The more powerful your laptop is, the less it will last. I use it the whole day (I mean 10 hours a day and without reducing too much the brightness I can come home without charging it throughout the day)

I won't advice you any laptops because i don't like it, but try to use this as a way to pick your own (I'm obviously open to answer to your questions  )

Hope this helps !

i like the Apple MacBook Air my brother owns one an i really like it, the track pad is great, the battery is awesome is perfect for office/browsing and streaming tasks (but wont perform with even dota2 or csgo in gaming envoirnment) which was why i was looking around apple products and even waited for mac book pro which is expensive sad on ports and not meant for my use case, i think i dont have enough for a separate gaming machine (if i build one the pc parts here in pakistan are costly and i would have to pay $600 to $700 for a $400 a low spec gaming pc) if worst comes to shove i might just ditch the light gaming idea

[The Belgian Waffle]

1 minute ago, asaad said:

i Apple MacBook Air my brother owns one an i really like it the track pad is great, the battery is awesome is perfect for office/browsing and streaming tasks (but wont perform with even dota2 or csgo in gaming envoirnment) which was why i was looking around apple products and even waited for mac book pro which is expensive sad on ports and not meant for my use case i think i dont have enough for a separate gaming machine (if i build one the pc parts here is pakistan are costly and i would have to pay $600 to $700 for a $400 a low spec gaming pc) if worst comes to shove i might just ditch the light gaming idea

Prices are inflated in Europe too, don't worry  
I wouldn't consider getting the new MacBook Pro, I don't think it is a good compromise. What you could do, is get a refurbished MacBook Air-like Laptop (or even the MacBook Air). With the new MacBook Pro, people are going to sell their highly overpriced Apple products for an affordable price. You could then get that one or any windows based machine like the ASUS UXsomething and build a budget gaming PC that you will be able to upgrade in the future  

[Pendragon]

39 minutes ago, JSD10 said:

Just BTW a touch screen is super useful. everyone doubts it but trust me, its worth paying extra for.

Debatable. I've tried. It's not for me. But if it works great for you, then that's great. I'm just saying its not for everyone.

 

47 minutes ago, Starelementpoke said:

There was a Razer Blade with a 1060 in it

I think he mentioned build quality and temperatures so no. 

 

28 minutes ago, The Belgian Waffle said:

just saw someone talking about touchscreen. Just a question to you : why would I lift my arm in order to press something on the screen, if I can just do it with a trackpad and a keyboard that are way closer and require me less effort to do? 

basically this. 

 

55 minutes ago, asaad said:

i watched complained that it ran really hot and the outside china cost seems to be alot higher then the msrp

not really. it's fine. just repaste it. Cost is your issue. If you can find one for the right price you should get it. The only real issue is the soldered 8gb ram. 

 

1 hour ago, asaad said:

too many bad reviews about non touch 1080 penal

?????????? the 1080p panel is perfectly fine. I've owned one. Only thing against it is for some reason higher latency than other panels. so other ips panels are around 30ms gtg, i've seen the xps15 have latency up to 50-60ms gtg. It's unnoticable in day to day and even in games unless it's CSGO or games that require low latency and max refresh rate. 

 

everything else you mentioned is pretty meh for gaming. Only 15in laptop that gets good battery life (6 hours +) with a reason GPU are the XPS15 series and the AW15 series. 

[ErrystioT]

Dell Inspiron 15 7559 I'd say is your best bet. I think that's the cheapest offering with i7-6700HQ and a GTX 960M 4GB right now. Even if you decided to add more RAM or add an SSD (let's say 128GB) in that empty M.2 slot, it won't reach $1000 as of today. The battery actually packs a punch of 6-cell 74Wh battery which can actually get you around 5hrs of normal usage (non-gaming)