Suggest Laptop for General Use - Budget $2,000

Ldyingofdiabetes on 10/08/2023 - 10:17
Last edited 10/08/2023 - 10:52 by 1 other user

Looking for a general use laptop. Budget up to $2000.

Requirements:

  • Run lightweight games like Fortnight and Dota 2 (Doesn't have to be on max settings)
  • Do 4k video editing and photo editing (Davinci resolve, photoshop)
  • Because of the above a decent screen would be nice (Otherwise the photos will probably come out looking awful)
  • I think 14" is the perfect screen size but happy to go down to 13" or up to 16"
  • Run Linux without any hassles from both a USB and a VM
  • Ideally have good battery life as I often live on the road so the longer battery life the better

There was a post here for the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i (14" Gen 8) 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD for $1,386.99 and I tried to buy it. My card wasn't working so I stupidly left it a day to try again the next and then they ran out of the 32GB. That one seemed like a perfect match. The price has since gone up and they still don't have 32GB RAM.

I currently have a second hand refurbished MacBook but I cannot stand Mac OS after using it for a few months and the M1 chips are so incompatible it's been next to impossible to get Linux running. The framework laptops look good but I would have to wait too long (I ideally want it as soon as possible but also waiting on a good deal).

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • jv on 10/08/2023 - 10:23

    Suggest Laptop for General Use

    A refurb

    • bargaino on 10/08/2023 - 10:35

      For $2k, you could get a very nice ex-corporate laptop, upgrade to 32GB and SSD. And have cash left for a dedicated basic gaming PC with big screen at home.

      A single device trying to be everything will be a serious compromise.

      • dyingofdiabetes on 10/08/2023 - 12:30

        I need a laptop I don't have space or enough electricity to run a computer and screen. Trust me, if I could I would be using a PC.

    • dyingofdiabetes on 10/08/2023 - 12:30

      I've been looking at some of them but with the sales happening lately some of the refurbs are more expensive than brand new on sale.

  • geekcohen on 10/08/2023 - 10:34
    +6

    Looking for a general use laptop

    Okay

    • Run lightweight games like fortnight and dota 2

    Wouldn't say that is general use

    • Do 4k video editing and photo editing (Davinci resolve, photoshop)

    Also not general use

    • I think 14" is the perfect screen size but happy to go down to 13 or up to 16

    Yeah, okay.

    • Run linux without any hassles from both a usb and a VM

    Definitely not your run of the mill general use scenario

    • Ideally have good battery life as I often live on the road so the longer battery life the better

    For gaming and 4K video editing? Going to chew through a lot of batter.

    There was a post here for the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i (14" Gen 8) 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD for $1,386.99

    That was probably inbuilt graphics. For Gaming and 4K Video editing, you would want a dedicated graphics card.

    Consider a MetaBox for your scenario. But might not fit your budget. I got a machine done (which is arriving today) for $2,300. Not used for Gaming, but a lot of design work and business use:

    Metabox Alpha-S NP50RNJS
    Intel Core i9-13900H 14-Core (24M Cache up to 5.4 GHz)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6 VRAM (95W TGP)
    95 Watt TGP (Total Graphics Power)
    Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut - Ultra High Performance Thermal Dissipation
    Built-in Ultra Sharp 2.0 MP FHD Camera with TNR Technology
    15.6" FHD 1920 x 1080 IPS-Grade Edge-to-Edge Matte 144Hz LED
    64GB DDR4 3200MHZ (2 x 32GB)
    1TB - PCIe 4.0 - PNY CS2241 NVMe M.2 SSD
    No Secondary M.2 SSD Drive - Optional Upgrade
    Intel AX201 Dual Band WIFI & Bluetooth 5.1 (up to 2.4 Gbps)
    No Optical Disc Drive - Optional Upgrade
    No Operating System Selected - Install Your Own Operating System
    1 Year Platinum + 1 Year Extended Premium Care Protection
    Standard Metabox Design

    • DiscountForThee on 10/08/2023 - 11:18
      +5

      Yeah lol I had the same reaction

      General use

      Intensive, specialised tasks that may require decent-serious hardware

      I would say that "general" usage involves tasks such as checking emails and browsing OzBargain, updating a resume, and some youtube when the phone is low on battery

      • zonra on 10/08/2023 - 19:50
        +2

        Glad it wasn’t just me.
        I was ready to type ‘Macbook Air’ for basic general use.
        You know? Web browsing and stuff, till I saw 4K video editting and linux.

    • dyingofdiabetes on 10/08/2023 - 12:29
      +1

      English isn't my first language so I sometimes don't express myself properly. Maybe all-round use was a better term closer to what I was thinking. Something that does lots of things well enough. My macbook is doing great in terms of battery life, I can 4k edit for pretty much a day at the moment, it was why I originally went for this but yes I understand that beyond macbook it's not going to be very realistic. I haven't heard of them so I'll check them out, thanks for the tip!

  • bejahi on 10/08/2023 - 13:31

    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-pro-series/yoga-pro-7i-gen-8-(14-inch-intel)/82y7cto1wwau1
    Lovely screen.

    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/yoga-7-gen-8-(14-inch-amd)/82ym0047au
    Also lovely screen

    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/yoga-9i-gen-8-(14-inch-intel)/83b1004vau
    Slightly different form factor, even brighter, excellent screen

    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadt/thinkpad-t14-gen-3-(14-inch-amd)/21cf003kau
    Built like a tank, great keyboard

    • dyingofdiabetes on 11/08/2023 - 00:18

      That first one is the same one that I was going to purchase for $1386 except it has less ram and less hdd. That's why I can't bring myself to get it (Paying more for less). As for the rest I don't know if 16gb is going to be enough to run VMs? But I do regularly check Lenovo and have considered these, especially the t14.

      • bejahi on 11/08/2023 - 08:23

        Fair enough. Sometimes comparison is the thief of joy. Yep it's a couple hundred more, but it's still a great deal on a laptop that might fit the bill very nicely.

        The SSD upgrades are cheap btw (about 50 bucks). RAM similar but sometimes not offered depending on model.

        Good luck with it mate!

      • geekcohen on 11/08/2023 - 08:38

        As for the rest I don't know if 16gb is going to be enough to run VMs?

        For what you are wanting to do, I would suggest 32GB Minimum.

        But I do regularly check Lenovo and have considered these, especially the t14.

        I would stay clear of Lenovo! I have had 3 separate models have WiFi issues and requiring WiFi card replacements.

        • dyingofdiabetes on 11/08/2023 - 09:32

          I've heard both good and bad about them. But this is what makes it so hard for me, name any laptop brand and I can give you many stories from people I know who told me not to buy them because they had issues, acer, lenovo, dell, toshiba, etc. Makes it hard for me to feel safe with any purchase. It was another reason I got the macbook, and honestly if it wasn't running macos on apple silicon everything else about it is amazing.

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