Looking for Laptop for Uni, Light Gaming, and Photoshop

LGallantFox on 16/07/2015 - 18:50

My current laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad E320) has lasted me six years but I'm really starting to feel the age (BSOD, frequently overheats when gaming etc). So I'm looking for a replacement. I really like to draw, I go to uni, I game casually and socially.

Min specs:
128GB SSD + USB3.0 (for ext. hard drive, although I could deal with 1TB HDD)
4GB RAM
13-15" screen (portability)
5-10 hours battery life
dedicated graphics

I would very much like an active digitiser on the pen, although that drastically cuts options down pretty much to the Surface Pro 3. Otherwise I could just wire it up to a graphics tablet. Ideally under $1000, but I know the SP3 is a bit above, so…. hard limit of $1300? And good build quality, I'm willing to pay more for a machine that will last a while.
Currently considering Dell XPS13, Surface pro 3, something Lenovo again? (they had really excellent support - I punched my laptop, and they fixed it under warranty).

Computing

Comments

  • the frost on 16/07/2015 - 20:41

    I think the Surface Pro 3 is probably an excellent choice. Seems to really hit what you're after. Not much else to say as you already seem to know your stuff. (Except maybe a SP4 may be announced at the Windows 10 launch event on 29/7, but possibly not.)

  • enzioFirenze on 16/07/2015 - 21:43

    I don't think SP3 is suitable for gaming, I've seen some throttling issues so might not be the best in that aspect but otherwise it's the best choice IMHO. Stylus takes you a long way in taking notes!

  • scrimshaw on 16/07/2015 - 23:03

    The Lenovo E320 was released in the second half of 2011. Your laptop should only be 4 years old, assuming you bought it in July of 2011.

    • GallantFox on 17/07/2015 - 15:07

      pft, maybe I can't count. I was pretty sure I bought it before starting uni……. meh

  • thedriver on 17/07/2015 - 11:50
    +1

    You mentioned screen size, but not resolution. Most 14" are 1366768 or 1600900. I personally think 1920*1080 is ideal though. Do you care? Lower res better for gaming frame rates, but higher res might be prefered for Photoshop and general use.

    Surface Pro 3 is great, but very high res screen for it's small size. Works best when attached to a separate monitor. Great portability too, but you'd also want to get keyboard which adds to the cost. And the 128GB version is $1400 without keyboard.

    This looks like it might suit you perfectly:
    $899.00
    ThinkPad E450 i7 5500U
    8GB RAM
    128GB SSD
    14.0" 1920 x 1080
    AMD Radeon R7 M260 (2GB)

    Or buy the model below, buy a separate 256GB SSD for ~$130, a USB3 2.5" HDD enclosure and use the 1TB disk drive that comes in the laptop for your external drive (it's only 5400rpm though).
    $799.00
    ThinkPad E450 i5 5200U
    8GB RAM
    1TB HDD 5400RPM
    14.0" 1920 x 1080
    AMD Radeon R7 M260 (2GB)

    Also consider a used (but near new) Dell or Lenovo. Even consider one without an SSD and buy a separate SSD - there's great deals on SSD on OzB and they're very easy to change.

    With Dell or Lenovo (and probably some other companies too) you can transfer the warranty into your name. They even offer low cost warranty extensions. Make sure you get the warranty details from the current owner and check them with the laptop company first before handing over your money though.

    Some options:
    http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/haymarket/laptops/dell-inspir…
    http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/maroubra/laptops/dell-xps-13-…
    http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/baulkham-hills/computer-acces…

    • GallantFox on 17/07/2015 - 15:07

      hahahaha, I found the exact same thing last night. Thanks man

    • rodinthink on 18/07/2015 - 00:02

      and you end up posting 100++ vote bargain

  • LitaEvencort on 17/07/2015 - 23:39
    +1

    I think you should look into the ASUS or ACER collection. From my personal experience, ASUS usually has really good specs for graphics. Because you're going for casual gaming, drawing, just really low activity things, you should opt for an i5 instead of an i7.
    Personally, I would go with the ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71 15.6-INCH but that's because I do a bit of heavier gaming and graphic design.
    ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71 15.6-INCH
    2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ (Haswell)
    16GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L RAM
    1TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M GPU (2GB GDDR5)
    15.6" Full HD Antiglare TN Display
    1920 x 1080 Native Resolution
    SuperMulti DVD Burner
    802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
    ROG AudioWizard
    Windows 8.1

    If you're looking for something a little less gaming based try:
    Acer VN7-591G
    Windows 8.1
    Intel Core i7-4720HQ Quad-core 2.60 GHz
    15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 IPS
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M with 4 GB Dedicated Memory
    8 GB, DDR3 SDRAM
    1 TB HDD

    For something less slow:
    Lenovo Flex 2 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (59418271) Black
    $613.99
    Touchscreen
    1920 x 1080p
    Storage 1024 GB (All HDs and SSDs combined)
    Ram 6 GB
    CPU Intel Core i5
    GPU Intel HD 4400

    Lenovo Y50 59418222 16-Inch Gaming Laptop (2.8 GHz Intel Core i5-4200H Processor, 8 GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1)
    Intel Core i5-4200H 2.8 GHz Processor
    8 GB DDR3 RAM
    1 TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive, 8 GB Solid-State Drive
    15.6-Inch Screen; NVIDIA GTX-860M 2GB Graphics
    Windows 8.1, 4-hour battery life

    *The rpm on this laptop is a little slower than most powerful laptops today. The more powerful ones run at 7200rpm, this one is only 5400 but its okay, because your laptop should be catered for your own personal use and this laptop is actually alright for a little gaming and education.

    • KSM1107 on 29/07/2015 - 12:05
      +1

      Where did you get the ASUS ROG GL551JW-DS71?

    • teehee on 31/07/2015 - 05:01

      That list was good but no links/prices to compare?

  • iridiumstem on 17/07/2015 - 23:48

    How about getting a Windows tablet with an active stylus and getting a conventional clamshell laptop for games? Just throwing another option there.

  • cashmoney on 20/07/2015 - 23:40

    I'm looking for a new laptop as well. What's the difference between the Lenovo Thinkpad E450 and E550? It's similar price and i know that the E450 is lighter and smaller screen. I noticed that people being mentioning about the the E450 model not the E550. Also, wouldn't the E550 better than the E450 since it's a newer version? Thanks!

    • [Deactivated] on 30/07/2015 - 13:37
      +1

      If portability is your concern, go for the E450. Also, E450 seems to have more discount 42% (on i7) compared to E550. Will be better if you can check out different screen sizes in your local computer store. That will give you a fair idea which screen size you want to go for.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join