Laptop for studying and playing

[Granregon]

Hi everyone,
my name is Michael, I'm 19 and I'm an Italian student.

I'm writing this post because I'm looking for a laptop for simple tasks like researches but also more complex like programming, and, in free time, playing basic games like Minecraft (without particular graphics).

So i need a good CPU and possibly a SSD, but I can add it whenever i want in future. I think I'll dual boot it with Windows and Linux.

I already have a computer gaming but I need a laptop during the week which I'm away from home for attending course at University (College).

I don't estimated a budget but anyway I don't want spend too much.
I think I will buy it in the Black Friday or even in the Cyber Monday.

I gave you more information I can therefore I hope someone can help me choosing a laptop, or at least making a specification list with what i should look for in order to suit my needs.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Mr Kagouris]

Look for Lenovo Yoga laptops. They have touch displays and can be found in various configurations (including ones with a dGPU).

 

[Max1s]

I would recommend you don't bother looking for one with an SSD. Just buy a laptop that has a fast CPU and suits your needs, then just buy an SSD and possibly more memory and install them yourself.

 

[jaguarskx]

Here is a pretty decent 15.6" Acer laptop with a Core i3-7100u (2.4GHz) GPU and Intel HD 620 graphics core for $350. It also has a 1080p screen and a backlit keyboard. The i3-7100u should be good enough for everyday tasks and for compiling programs. Based on the specs and architecture improvements Intel has made over the years, it should be at least as powerful as my the Core i5-2410m in my Lenovo IdeaPad Y470. I don't do programming, but I have done a bit of video encoding with it and it does a pretty job at it.

https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i3-7100U-Windows-E5-575-33BM/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477435029&sr=1-1&keywords=acer+i3-7100u


It does not have a SSD and only 1 stick of 4GB DDR4 RAM, but SSDs are fairly inexpensive and adding another 4GB DDR4 stick of RAM is definitely inexpensive. Several reviews (written and video) indicates that the actual battery life based on average usage ranges between 7 - 8 hours which is actually pretty good. I am thinking about buying it to replace my IdeaPad Y470 (which developed a couple of problems since 2011) as a secondary laptop, but I will wait to see if there will be a Black Friday sale on it. I definitely will bump the RAM up to at least 8GB and I am really thinking about installing a 2TB SDD, if I decide to purchase. Based on research, there is space for a m.2 SSD stick, but there is actually no interface for it nor is there even a screw to hold one in place... so that means it can only use 2.5" SSDs. But a decent 512GB SSD can be purchased for as low as $150; not the fastest SSD, but definitely faster than a HDD.

https/www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-512GB-SKC400S37-512G/dp/B019SDO87U/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477436024&sr=1-4&keywords=2.5%22+512gb+SSD


Here's a link to Minecraft being played on a Dell Inspiron 15-5567 which also has an i3-7100u, but only a 1366x768 resolution screen. I actually impressed that Fallout 4 is even "playable" with such a laptop.

https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYVKZbv6m9E