[HELP] Notebook for poly

[Quazabeans]

Hi! I am currently looking for a notebook for poly but I don't really know anything about notebooks. So, I would like to ask for some recommendations and advice for notebooks. I have a shortlist of notebooks I can use and prefer. I also will play games like CSGO and TF2 occasionally too.
Tp student here and roadshow starts on 25th

Shortlist:
ASUS
UX303 G6P (NVIDIA GeForce 940M 2GB DDR3, 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR3 RAM (4GB on board +4GB); max 12GB, $1700+)
UX305 G6P (Intel HD Graphics 520, 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR3 RAM, $1630+)

Lenovo
Yoga 700 (NVIDIA GeForce 940M 2GB DDR3, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, $1649)
Ideapad 500S (NVIDIA GeForce 940M 2GB DDR3, 500GB + (8GB) SSHD, 8GB RAM, $1399)

Dell
Vostro 14" 5459 (NVIDIA GeForce 930M 4GB DDR3, 1TB SATA 5400RPM HDD, 8GB 1600 MHz, $1390+)
Ultrabook XPS13 ( Intel (R) Iris Graphics 540, 256GB SSD,8GB 1600 MHz, $1955)

I also have 4 questions too.
1. Is NVIDIA generally better than Intel?
2. Can I plug in USB2.0 thumbdrive into USB 3.0 ports?
3. What is the difference between HDD and SSD?
4. Are ASUS and Lenovo keyboards spill-resistant?

Thanks in advance!

 

[HyperBaka]

I was also asking for advise in another thread for uni. In the end i went with the asus x550 which is available in ur poly roadshow. Most value for money among those, only 1.3k for gtx 950, full hd, i7 6700, includes ssd. Only downside is heavier @ 2.4kg. If weight is an issue, i would go with ux303 though +400$ more.

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Transferring files / bootup time. Go with ssd.
4. For that im not sure.

 

[Quazabeans]

I was also asking for advise in another thread for uni. In the end i went with the asus x550 which is available in ur poly roadshow. Most value for money among those, only 1.3k for gtx 950, full hd, i7 6700, includes ssd. Only downside is heavier @ 2.4kg. If weight is an issue, i would go with ux303 though +400$ more.

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Transferring files / bootup time. Go with ssd.
4. For that im not sure.

Actually, I would go for asus x550 but its weight makes me does not want to include it in the shortlist. Then, I would go for ux303.
Anyways, thanks for ur advice and also answering those questions.
Cheers!

 

[Intrinion]

1. Is NVIDIA generally better than Intel?
It's always nice to have dedicated graphical memory - never know when you need it - uni applications such as Revit and Cad do require a dedicated graphics and a fairly good processor


2. Can I plug in USB2.0 thumbdrive into USB 3.0 ports?
Will run at 2.0 Speeds.
If the laptop that you are intending to get comes with USB C, that you will require an adapter.


3. What is the difference between HDD and SSD?
Mechanical Spinning Disks (HDD) - cheaper, higher capacity, slower.
Flash based memory (SSD) - faster, lower memory capacity, expensive.

4. Are ASUS and Lenovo keyboards spill-resistant
Lenovo Yes,
Asus not that I know of.

You can get a keyboard protector should you want a certain level of key protection.