Best laptop for University/College

fould12

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
5
0
10,510
EDIT:
1. What is your budget?
$3000.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
13" or more.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
1920x1080 or better.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?

Portable.

5. How much battery life do you need?
5-8 hours.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
Latest games with medium settings.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Video editing, 3d modelling, music production, programming.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
500-1028 GB.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
Any website that can ship to Canada (BC).

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
4-5 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
DVD ROM/Writer (Bluray preferred).

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
No preferences, only want a reliable brand.

13. What country do you live in?
Canada.

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
Original Post:
I'm graduating this year, and planning to go to university in September, and since I'll need to move to a different city, I don't want to bring my old desktop PC with me. I'm going to take a 2 year course, and then 2 additional years of training, and I would like to have a laptop that would last me that long (by then I should have a job to buy a new PC tower).

What I would prefer is a laptop that will be able to perform for 4-5 years, being able to run the latest software at medium to high settings, such as 3d modelling software, advanced programming IDEs, emulators such as dolphin and VMware, games like EVE online and Watch Dogs, and pretty much any upcoming games.

For me, durability is most important, since I don't want to replace it in 2-3 years because of over-taxing. Also, I'm fine with only being able to run games on medium settings, as long as it can run upcoming games and other software smoothly.

Finally, my budget is anything under $3000 (including taxes and shipping and handling). If there is anyone who went to university/college in the last 5 or so years, I would like to know what you chose for a computer, how well you managed with it, and how often you used it. Since I don't know what university is like, I don't know how often I will be able to use my PC, or whether or not I will only be able to use it at home, in which case I would be fine getting a desktop.
 

fould12

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
5
0
10,510
What about this one:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152548&cm_re=MSI_laptop-_-34-152-548-_-Product
It has more RAM, a better processor, and a better graphics card, although I'm not sure about the battery life or life-span. Does anyone know the battery life and life-span of this laptop? Or, if there is anything wrong with it?
Also, I'm not looking for a cheap laptop with the features I want, I'm looking for the best quality laptop with the features I want within my budget.
 

fould12

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
5
0
10,510


Would it run hotter doing the same tasks as a less powerful laptop? And would I not be able to carry it around to classes because it's too heavy, or the professors wouldn't like something that big?
I'm fine with carrying around something heavy and/or bulky, I've been carrying around a 12 Ib backpack in high-school an entire school-year, and it hardly bothered me.
 

fould12

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
5
0
10,510


I think I would be able to handle the weight, and from what I've heard of the university I'm going to (UNBC), the amount of people in each class is usually small. Again, I have no idea what university is like, but I think the MSI GT70 is the good choice for me.