Laptop for Uni! recomendations?

[Bossfei]

Hi guys, im currently looking at this fujitsu laptop with dedicated graphics
but, at this price i could afford a lenovo y500 $2k, samsung chronos series 7 $2k or asus n56 @ $1600
the sacrifice i will make here is gaming performance to portability.
Care to input which shld i get?

Specs of the fujitsu laptop :
-Intel i7-3540 3.0GHz
-Screen13.3"
-Nvidia geforce gt640m le 2gb dedicated graphics
-8gb DDR3 1600MHZ
-750 HDD
-1.6KG
-$2.2 w/gst
h ttp://i39.tinypic.com/65wie8.jpg

also if you have got any recommendations pls share!

Screen size : >13"
Graphics card : decent for casual gaming and programming

 

[watzup_ken]

Personally, I will skip Fujitsu. What's your budget anyway?

 

[Bossfei]

Huh may I ask why skip fujitsu? My budget lies in the range of 1.52k - 2.2k

 

[watzup_ken]

Personally, I think specs to price, they tend to be more expensive. Based on the updated specs of the Fujitsu laptop you are looking at, it seems to be the case. For that price, I think Lenovo can easily offer a much better machine at a lower price with its Y500. Its not as portable, but I think it is not too bulky as well for a 15 inch laptop.

For FPS gaming, I think depending on the settings you run the games, you will need to get something reasonably fast, especially on the GPU side. I recommend no less than a GT 650/ 750 class of graphics with GDDR5.

 

[Bossfei]

Thanks alot man! What are your views between amd radeon hd 8870m 2gb & nvidia geforce gt650m x2?

Btw im comparing lenovo y500 (2.7kg) and samsung chronos 7 np770Z5E series (2.4kg) which both are ard the same price of $2ksgd

Or shld I settle for asus n56vx which has a sata harddrive and nvodia gt650 @ $1600

 

[watzup_ken]

The GT 650M in SLI will do better than the AMD 8870M , if it works. Haha. In short, SLI is dependent on driver to work properly. But I think in terms of driver stability, I prefer Nvidia over AMD, especially so in the mobile space. At least at this point in time, I still think so.

Considering I have seen the Y500 and own an older gen 15 inch Chronos 7, I think both have their pros and cons.

For Y500, it is more upgradeable since its got 2x ram slots and an mSATA slot if I am not wrong. Its also more versatile since if you can install the extra graphics when you are gonna game. It is also fairly slim for a dual graphic solution laptop. I don't own this, so I am not able to comment on the thermals, but I do worry about the dual graphic solution in a 15 inch chassis. Haha.

For Chronos 7, I think the main thing is the slim form factor and the cool alum look. The specs are good for a slim laptop, though my only disapproval is the 1TB 5400 rpm drive in there, considering that there is no option to install say an mSATA drive in there. Upgrade is very limited due to space constraint, and that includes a single changeable ram slot. The other 4GB ram is soldered onto the mobo. Thermals wise, on my older Chronos 7 with a GT 640, there is minimal throttling, though the temps can easily exceed 80 to 85 degs on both my GPU and CPU.

At sub 2K bucks, both are good choices. But I think you should see and try them personally. Out of these 2, if your priority is mobility, I think Samsung Chronos 7 should fit the bill. Just my opinion.

 

[Bossfei]

Alright! Thanks for enlightening me! About ssd vs hdd do you think it will affect gaming processing wise?

 

[watzup_ken]

Alright! Thanks for enlightening me! About ssd vs hdd do you think it will affect gaming processing wise?

It will only affect the games' loading speed. Games won't run faster on SSD.

 

[terryhoho]

2K Can look at thinkpad. 3 year onsite warranty

 

[squeeish]

Macbook Air 13".

You won't have time to game properly if you're serious about uni. You need the lightness and portability if you're carrying it around in campus.

 

[Gribber]

Macbook Air 13".

You won't have time to game properly if you're serious about uni. You need the lightness and portability if you're carrying it around in campus.

i... lol-ed to this.

 

[watzup_ken]

You won't have time to game properly if you're serious about uni.

Good to advice, but choice is with TS no?

I think laptops are a longer term investment since unlike desktops, you can't upgrade most of the parts once you made the purchase. If you really want a versatile rig, I think one should choose properly.

My opinion on Macs, they look cool, and the Macbook Air is really nice to have on the go, same as some light Ultrabooks. But it should be accompanied either by a fast desktop/ laptop at home for my case at least. Cause when it comes to games or doing some video editting, its not gonna be up to the task. But this really depends on the user.