I plan on majoring in engineering next year. Do I go for a jack-of-all-trades laptop, or two specialized computers?
I've done a lot of research, but I'm still unsure of what I need, and I don't know what months or time periods are the best for laptop shopping.
Option 1:
Max budget: Around $1000
Screen size: 14" or 15"
Country: US
Brand loyalty: None
Refurbished/redistributed: I prefer refurbished as long as it comes from a reputable retailer such as Newegg. Not if it's from Craigslist or the savings are too low to justify it.
Primary uses: College and light gaming, and I will be carrying it places to places and using it on a desk.
Game preference: I usually prefer strategy games. Team Fortress 2 and Black Mesa are the current games I'm playing, though I'm interested in the upcoming Total War Rome 2.
Also, I might restart on playing SimCity 4 Deluxe. SC4 is very light on GPU (doesn't support Anti-Aliasing, and even has the option to set the CPU to render the graphics) and uses only one processor core, but I've seen it stutter on an i5-3570k clocked to 4.4 GHz when running very large cities.
Games' graphic setting preference: Low-medium
Battery life: Not sure since I have no idea how often would I get to recharge the laptop while on campus.
Preview: I don't mind buying it online without seeing it first-hand.
OS preference: Although I like Windows 7, I'm uncertain about Windows 8. I'm hoping that it would be fixed enough for me to use by the time I purchase the laptop.
Screen resolution: 1366x768 to 1920x1080
Screen type: Matte (anti-glare), unless if there's a glossy screen that's also resistant against glares
Laptop style: Indifferent. Something that wouldn't attract attention and make it a theft magnet?
Purchase time: Mid-late summer before fall college semester starts, or if there's a major sale in late spring.
Expected lifetime: I prefer if it lasts for at least four years.
Hard drives: At least 320GB 5400RPM hard drive. I'll install a 2.5" SSD myself by using the DVD enclosure and putting the DVD drive in an external case.
DVD drive: I prefer an internal one (so there would be guaranteed extra room for a 2.5" SSD) unless if the laptop has two 2.5" drive bays.
Additional optional hardware (not deal-breaker if missing): Support for msata, because that means I don't have to remove the DVD drive from the laptop. I also prefer if the laptop can be undervolted.
Experience: I reinstalled Windows a few times, know some command prompt functions, partially disassembled laptops, did minor cooling mods on two of them, attempted to undervolt my current laptop without success, OC'ed my current laptop's GPU and later updated the laptop's BIOS, and often visit Tom's Hardware and Anandtech websites.
Option 2:
Cheap laptop (Max budget of around $300):
Screen size: 13" to 15"
Country: US
Brand loyalty: None
Refurbished/redistributed: I prefer refurbished as long as it comes from a reputable retailer such as Newegg. Not if it's from Craigslist or the savings are too low to justify it.
Primary uses: College, and I will be carrying it places to places and using it on a desk. No gaming.
Battery life: Not sure since I have no idea how often would I get to recharge the laptop while on campus.
Preview: I don't mind buying it online without seeing it first-hand.
OS preference: Although I like Windows 7, I'm uncertain about Windows 8. I'm hoping that it would be fixed enough for me to use by the time I purchase the laptop.
Screen resolution: 1366x768 to 1920x1080
Screen type: Matte (anti-glare), unless if there's a glossy screen that's also resistant against glares.
Laptop style: Indifferent. Something that wouldn't attract attention and make it a theft magnet?
Purchase time: Mid-late summer before fall college semester starts, or if there's a major sale in late spring.
Expected lifetime: I prefer if it lasts for at least four years.
Hard drives: At least 320GB 5400RPM hard drive.
DVD drive: Optional
Desktop: $700 Micro-ATX
I've done a lot of research, but I'm still unsure of what I need, and I don't know what months or time periods are the best for laptop shopping.
Option 1:
Max budget: Around $1000
Screen size: 14" or 15"
Country: US
Brand loyalty: None
Refurbished/redistributed: I prefer refurbished as long as it comes from a reputable retailer such as Newegg. Not if it's from Craigslist or the savings are too low to justify it.
Primary uses: College and light gaming, and I will be carrying it places to places and using it on a desk.
Game preference: I usually prefer strategy games. Team Fortress 2 and Black Mesa are the current games I'm playing, though I'm interested in the upcoming Total War Rome 2.
Also, I might restart on playing SimCity 4 Deluxe. SC4 is very light on GPU (doesn't support Anti-Aliasing, and even has the option to set the CPU to render the graphics) and uses only one processor core, but I've seen it stutter on an i5-3570k clocked to 4.4 GHz when running very large cities.
Games' graphic setting preference: Low-medium
Battery life: Not sure since I have no idea how often would I get to recharge the laptop while on campus.
Preview: I don't mind buying it online without seeing it first-hand.
OS preference: Although I like Windows 7, I'm uncertain about Windows 8. I'm hoping that it would be fixed enough for me to use by the time I purchase the laptop.
Screen resolution: 1366x768 to 1920x1080
Screen type: Matte (anti-glare), unless if there's a glossy screen that's also resistant against glares
Laptop style: Indifferent. Something that wouldn't attract attention and make it a theft magnet?
Purchase time: Mid-late summer before fall college semester starts, or if there's a major sale in late spring.
Expected lifetime: I prefer if it lasts for at least four years.
Hard drives: At least 320GB 5400RPM hard drive. I'll install a 2.5" SSD myself by using the DVD enclosure and putting the DVD drive in an external case.
DVD drive: I prefer an internal one (so there would be guaranteed extra room for a 2.5" SSD) unless if the laptop has two 2.5" drive bays.
Additional optional hardware (not deal-breaker if missing): Support for msata, because that means I don't have to remove the DVD drive from the laptop. I also prefer if the laptop can be undervolted.
Experience: I reinstalled Windows a few times, know some command prompt functions, partially disassembled laptops, did minor cooling mods on two of them, attempted to undervolt my current laptop without success, OC'ed my current laptop's GPU and later updated the laptop's BIOS, and often visit Tom's Hardware and Anandtech websites.
Option 2:
Cheap laptop (Max budget of around $300):
Screen size: 13" to 15"
Country: US
Brand loyalty: None
Refurbished/redistributed: I prefer refurbished as long as it comes from a reputable retailer such as Newegg. Not if it's from Craigslist or the savings are too low to justify it.
Primary uses: College, and I will be carrying it places to places and using it on a desk. No gaming.
Battery life: Not sure since I have no idea how often would I get to recharge the laptop while on campus.
Preview: I don't mind buying it online without seeing it first-hand.
OS preference: Although I like Windows 7, I'm uncertain about Windows 8. I'm hoping that it would be fixed enough for me to use by the time I purchase the laptop.
Screen resolution: 1366x768 to 1920x1080
Screen type: Matte (anti-glare), unless if there's a glossy screen that's also resistant against glares.
Laptop style: Indifferent. Something that wouldn't attract attention and make it a theft magnet?
Purchase time: Mid-late summer before fall college semester starts, or if there's a major sale in late spring.
Expected lifetime: I prefer if it lasts for at least four years.
Hard drives: At least 320GB 5400RPM hard drive.
DVD drive: Optional
Desktop: $700 Micro-ATX
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