Which laptop for school

[EightTales]

hi guys, i'll be starting uni very soon and so i'm in the market for a laptop, especially with the up coming PC show. i'll be studying a design-related programme which requires autocad and revit as well as BIM (Building Information Modelling).

i understand that the bare minimum for ram to run autocad revit and BIM will be 8GB, and having i7 is an added advantage.

i've been looking at a few particular laptops, namely the Asus UX302, Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, Lenovo X1. however they each have their own problems like un-upgradable ram, bad battery life, wifi connection keeps dropping, etc.

the thing is, i will probably be using autocad revit and BIM for 1 year at the most so i don't think shelling out $2000+ will make good financial sense.

after looking at the various brands, i've gotten really confused as to what is good and what is not.

below are my requirements:

i7
8GB ram (preferably upradeable)
< 14" screen
4 - 5 hours battery life
< $2200

thanks a lot for your help guys

 

[Unknownx]

All the models you listed are using ULV processor
Most likely using i7-4500U which about the same as regular i5-4200M
FYI i5-4200U and i7-4500U only different in clock speed but both are dual core
If you really want a quad core laptop, find those with i7-4xxxHQ/MQ (current model start with 4)
If you spot a laptop with i7-3xxxQM or 2xxxQM in IT Show, it's just the older version of i7 quad core

For now I only can think of Aftershock XG13 V2 and MSI GE40 2OC which suits your requirements
But take note both laptop weight around exactly 2kg
XG13 V2 costs $1835 (IT Show price) and GE40 costs $1699
XG13 V2 better in graphics card, wireless card, upgrade option, screen resolution and sales service
GE40 is just cheaper and thinner

 

[mchewy]

How about Dell Inspiron 14/15 5000 series? Based on the pricing at the SG Tech Show, it's S$999 for the i7-4510U model. 8GB, 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD, discreet graphics card. Newly launched.

Thinking of getting it too.

 

[Unknownx]

How about Dell Inspiron 14/15 5000 series? Based on the pricing at the SG Tech Show, it's S$999 for the i7-4510U model. 8GB, 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD, discreet graphics card. Newly launched.

Thinking of getting it too.

What are your usage first?
If you're not going to use any CPU intensive programs/games
ULV processor is just fine

 

[xtramadness]

Don't forget the weight, especially if u need to travel!

I can tell u 302 batteryis great, and wifi doesn't drop.

BUT, if u are on even tighter budget, look at ux32lN. Much cheaper, better specs but less a touch screen weight 1.45kg.

If you think you will betravelling with it over an hour plus... Lighter the better. For me, travel or school, 1.5kg and below is the ideal answer. 1.5000000000000001kg? Scratch it off even the consider list

Autocad lt works great though, for the 3D or the restof software I'm not sure

Btw, my specs is with i7, 10gb ram and ssd.

 

[socketer]

i got a simple u330p for school.... figured that i prefer the portability over processing speed...

 

[socketer]

How about Dell Inspiron 14/15 5000 series? Based on the pricing at the SG Tech Show, it's S$999 for the i7-4510U model. 8GB, 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD, discreet graphics card. Newly launched.

Thinking of getting it too.

Quite heavy... I was looking at this also..

 

[EightTales]

Thanks for the advice guys, shall head down to the show later to take a look. Hope I won't come out empty handed!