Laptop search

[Tonee]

Okay so I figured that if I were to ask anywhere for help, this would be nice.

 

So this fall I am attending college with a major in computer science. My school requires me to get a laptop, which I expected, for my major and I'm pretty torn. 

 

This is what they say is the minimum requirements are: https://gyazo.com/514cd47df03e43d6545d6a99c0936207

 

What I was thinking was the Spectre x360, but with only the nividia 940mx vs what the XPS 15 can offer with a 1050, I don't know which would be better.

 

I do not know exactly what I will need to use this for program wise, but I still have my i7, 1080 rig I'm bringing with me to my dorm.

 

Thanks in advance!

[vanished]

You'll definitely want a nice display (you'll be staring at it a lot, it should be nice, plus you will want lots of screen realestate for the IDE and resolution to make reading the code easy), keyboard (you'll be typing a lot), CPU (for compiling code), and SSD (plethora of reasons, should be obvious), each for their own reasons.  a GPU is something I don't suspect you'll need for anything other than gaming though, so you have to make that call.

[Max_Settings]

Yeah I'd go with the XPS 15

[Tonee]

2 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

You'll definitely want a nice display (you'll be staring at it a lot, it should be nice, plus you will want lots of screen realestate for the IDE and resolution to make reading the code easy), keyboard (you'll be typing a lot), CPU (for compiling code), and SSD (plethora of reasons, should be obvious), each for their own reasons.  a GPU is something I don't suspect you'll need for anything other than gaming though, so you have to make that call.

See that's what I was thinking as well. My friend who got the XPS is an mechanical engineering major and figured he'd need stronger graphics for CAD programs. I figured computer science wouldn't be nearly as taxing.

[vanished]

1 minute ago, Tonee said:

See that's what I was thinking as well. My friend who got the XPS is an mechanical engineering major and figured he'd need stronger graphics for CAD programs. I figured computer science wouldn't be nearly as taxing.

he's probably right but your program will be different.  I can't imagine you doing any intense rendering in a normal CS degree.  Maybe if you were specializing in game making and doing a joint program in digital art or something but not for "normal" stuff.

[Tonee]

9 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

he's probably right but your program will be different.  I can't imagine you doing any intense rendering in a normal CS degree.  Maybe if you were specializing in game making and doing a joint program in digital art or something but not for "normal" stuff.

I shot an email over to someone in my department at my school. I'll await a reply, but if she says I won't need anything too taxing then I'm going to go with the Spectre.

 

Thanks for your input!

[Guest lilbman]

17 minutes ago, Tonee said:

I shot an email over to someone in my department at my school. I'll await a reply, but if she says I won't need anything too taxing then I'm going to go with the Spectre.

 

Thanks for your input!

I'm going to give it to you straight.

 

Don't get the Spectre.  The 940MX is not good at all, even for the time it was released.  That dual core isn't exactly breaking any records either.

 

I can imagine that you don't have a rich uncle/parents to pay for your schooling, which means you'll have to pay for it yourself.  If this is the case, then I'd get the XPS 15 even though it costs more.  It is far more powerful overall and will last you longer in terms of future-proofing, meaning you don't have to worry about having to buy a new machine, which means that money that you would have spent on a new machine will go to eating something else besides ramen bricks.

[Tonee]

1 minute ago, lilbman said:

I'm going to give it to you straight.

 

Don't get the Spectre.  The 940MX is not good at all, even for the time it was released.  That dual core isn't exactly breaking any records either.

 

I can imagine that you don't have a rich uncle/parents to pay for your schooling, which means you'll have to pay for it yourself.  If this is the case, then I'd get the XPS 15 even though it costs more.  It is far more powerful overall and will last you longer in terms of future-proofing, meaning you don't have to worry about having to buy a new machine, which means that money that you would have spent on a new machine will go to eating something else besides ramen bricks.

haha the price isn't at all what matters but if its really not going to be any good then there's no point in getting it. Are there any other laptops other than the XPS 15 that I might want to consider? I wasn't limiting myself to these two, they were just my top two choices with my current knowledge.

[19_blackie_73]

1 minute ago, Tonee said:

haha the price isn't at all what matters but if its really not going to be any good then there's no point in getting it. Are there any other laptops other than the XPS 15 that I might want to consider? I wasn't limiting myself to these two, they were just my top two choices with my current knowledge.

ThinkPad are always a good choice too. Dunno atm what fits your bracket because I'm on the go but look at them

[Guest lilbman]

Just now, Tonee said:

haha the price isn't at all what matters but if its really not going to be any good then there's no point in getting it. Are there any other laptops other than the XPS 15 that I might want to consider? I wasn't limiting myself to these two, they were just my top two choices with my current knowledge.

Gigabyte Aero 15 for more gaming-oriented stuff, and it also gets good battery and has an optional great 4K panel.  There is also the Lenovo Yoga 720 15" with a 7700HQ and an option 1050 2GB.  It's a 2 in 1 but with the XPS 15 internals.

[Tonee]

Just now, lilbman said:

Gigabyte Aero 15 for more gaming-oriented stuff, and it also gets good battery and has an optional great 4K panel.  There is also the Lenovo Yoga 720 15" with a 7700HQ and an option 1050 2GB.  It's a 2 in 1 but with the XPS 15 internals.

i definitely don't need anything for gaming, all I need is something fast and reliable for what I need it for with good battery and a good feel

[Guest lilbman]

1 minute ago, Tonee said:

i definitely don't need anything for gaming, all I need is something fast and reliable for what I need it for with good battery and a good feel

I'd get the XPS 15.  Its the poster child for good laptops.

[Tonee]

1 minute ago, lilbman said:

I'd get the XPS 15.  Its the poster child for good laptops.

okay, thanks a lot

[vanished]

1 hour ago, lilbman said:

I'm going to give it to you straight.

 

Don't get the Spectre.  The 940MX is not good at all, even for the time it was released.  That dual core isn't exactly breaking any records either.

 

I can imagine that you don't have a rich uncle/parents to pay for your schooling, which means you'll have to pay for it yourself.  If this is the case, then I'd get the XPS 15 even though it costs more.  It is far more powerful overall and will last you longer in terms of future-proofing, meaning you don't have to worry about having to buy a new machine, which means that money that you would have spent on a new machine will go to eating something else besides ramen bricks.

 

1 hour ago, Tonee said:

I shot an email over to someone in my department at my school. I'll await a reply, but if she says I won't need anything too taxing then I'm going to go with the Spectre.

 

Thanks for your input!

To be clear, I'm not necessarily recommending the HP here, I'm just saying that in your search for something to fit your needs, you should not be prioritizing the GPU.

That said I wholeheartedly agree you should pay a little more now for something that will last 4+ years rather than cheaping out and having to upgrade in 2 either because it physically broke or technically can't keep up.

[Guest lilbman]

19 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

To be clear, I'm not necessarily recommending the HP here, I'm just saying that in your search for something to fit your needs, you should not be prioritizing the GPU.

That said I wholeheartedly agree you should pay a little more now for something that will last 4+ years rather than cheaping out and having to upgrade in 2 either because it physically broke or technically can't keep up.

I think that we should prioritize performance to a point because 3-4-5 years down the road, which one will serve him better? The 940MX or the 1050? The 7500U or the 7700HQ?  I believe that a good screen, keyboard, and battery life are also very important, but you can always add an external keyboard, an external monitor, and a battery bank, but what you cannot add down the road is a heftier processor and GPU.

[vanished]

Just now, lilbman said:

I think that we should prioritize performance to a point because 3-4-5 years down the road, which one will serve him better? The 940MX or the 1050? The 7500U or the 7700HQ?  I believe that a good screen, keyboard, and battery life are also very important, but you can always add an external keyboard, an external monitor, and a battery bank, but what you cannot add down the road is a heftier processor and GPU.

I mentioned what I think is important in my first post and it's many of the same things you listed

2 hours ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

You'll definitely want a nice display (you'll be staring at it a lot, it should be nice, plus you will want lots of screen realestate for the IDE and resolution to make reading the code easy), keyboard (you'll be typing a lot), CPU (for compiling code), and SSD (plethora of reasons, should be obvious), each for their own reasons.  a GPU is something I don't suspect you'll need for anything other than gaming though, so you have to make that call.

 

[joelarm1998]

Let me suggest something a bit different. The Lenovo T470 has a very wide range of specs, great expandability, and some interesting extra features. The keyboard is best is class which would be great for programming. 

[ClaudioBravo]

3 hours ago, Tonee said:

Okay so I figured that if I were to ask anywhere for help, this would be nice.

 

So this fall I am attending college with a major in computer science. My school requires me to get a laptop, which I expected, for my major and I'm pretty torn. 

 

This is what they say is the minimum requirements are: https://gyazo.com/514cd47df03e43d6545d6a99c0936207

 

What I was thinking was the Spectre x360, but with only the nividia 940mx vs what the XPS 15 can offer with a 1050, I don't know which would be better.

 

I do not know exactly what I will need to use this for program wise, but I still have my i7, 1080 rig I'm bringing with me to my dorm.

 

Thanks in advance!

You don't need either of these, stop looking st consumer stuff and look at business grade. You're doing engineering work, a spectre can barely handle 4K playback, and the Dell XPS is also a dumb idea, get a business grade ASUS/DELL with swapable batteries just in case.

[Dackzy]

3 hours ago, ClaudioBravo said:

You don't need either of these, stop looking st consumer stuff and look at business grade. You're doing engineering work, a spectre can barely handle 4K playback, and the Dell XPS is also a dumb idea, get a business grade ASUS/DELL with swapable batteries just in case.

Asus business grade laptops are a fucking joke compared to anything Dell, HP, and Lenovo has. An XPS 15 is in many ways just the dell precision 5k series, the main differences is that they make the precision with more "care" and the new 5520 has a quadro that is about equal to a 960m, since the M1200 is on par with a M2000M, which were the quadro version of the 960m. I do not recommend getting an XPS 15 if you are on the go all the time, but that is purely because of the thin bezel so it won't hold up if you drop it or something like that.

 

OP I suggest you look into a P51 or a Precision 7520, they are both 15.6" laptops that are built very well, though their gaming performance is not very good since the best Quadro you can get in them are only about equal to a GTX 965m. Sadly we don't have any reviews of the new 7520, but we have reviews of the P51 and they are damn fine and it is built like a tank even though it "only" weighs about 2.65kg and you can expect 7-8 hour battery life from it.

 

If you don't need a Quadro for your programs then TBH just get the XPS 15 and be a bit careful when handling it, it will have the superior GPU and it is going to be a bit more neat to carry around, but if you want a laptop you can basically bring to hell and back then look into the two suggestions I gave you.

[AncientNerd]

8 hours ago, Tonee said:

Okay so I figured that if I were to ask anywhere for help, this would be nice.

 

So this fall I am attending college with a major in computer science. My school requires me to get a laptop, which I expected, for my major and I'm pretty torn. 

 

This is what they say is the minimum requirements are: https://gyazo.com/514cd47df03e43d6545d6a99c0936207

 

What I was thinking was the Spectre x360, but with only the nividia 940mx vs what the XPS 15 can offer with a 1050, I don't know which would be better.

 

I do not know exactly what I will need to use this for program wise, but I still have my i7, 1080 rig I'm bringing with me to my dorm.

 

Thanks in advance!

I personally like Dell, however your spec sheet says to have a 256GB SSD or larger. You would need to upgrade the SSD or add an SSD on any standard off the shelf Dell laptop to meet that so looking at other options. I defer to others as my experience with ASUS and HP laptops has been iffy at best, but it was a few years ago.