(Sorry for the super long post, I fail 
)
Hello, I've been looking for a laptop that fits my needs without much success. Wondering if I'm not looking in the right place, or have too many requirements or what. Maybe someone can help or tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks very much! I've filled out the laptop buying FAQ, hope this helps.
By the way I'm going into a four year Computer Science major in the fall; that's what the laptop is primarily for.
1. What is your budget?
$750 or less would be nice if possible, but could spend up to $1000. I want a laptop well-built enough to survive several years of college, so I'd rather spend more for one that will last, than buy a cheaper one that will break on me within a year or two.
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Needs to be fairly portable for taking to classes, so probably 15" screen? Also, it should fit into the laptop pocket of my book bag (pocket dimensions are 16" by 13.5").
3. What screen resolution do you want?
Doesn't matter
4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable, for carrying in my book bag all day. Preferably in the 4-5lb range, or 5.5lbs at most.
5. How much battery life do you need?
4-5 hours is probably fine. If necessary I can recharge it while doing homework/research in the library between classes.
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)?
Definitely Sims 3 (some mix of medium/high settings), maybe Sims 4 when it's released. Nothing else that's demanding.
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
I'll be a computer science major, but don't know yet what programs I'll need to run for that, except for Visual Studio. School recommends at least 6GB ram for comp sci majors though, that's all I know.
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Doesn't matter, as long as I can install some programs. I have an external hard drive for file storage.
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
http
/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216743
http/www.amazon.com/Acer-V5-552PG-X809-15-6-inch-Touchscreen-Champagne/dp/B00DKFFLH4/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1403328544&sr=1-7
Here are two possibilities I found, though not ideal or I would have decided already.
The Acer doesn't have a DVD drive. I can do without that if need be, but I think I've read that the Acer brand is built cheap compared to others, so I'm concerned it might not last well with everyday use?
The Toshiba looks really nice, but fairly pricey and I couldn't find many reviews for it.
Wondering if there are other options I've missed before I settle for one. (Literally I've searched all through Best Buy, Newegg and Amazon, and these are the only two I've found so far that came close to what I wanted.)
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
Ideally it should last 4 years, so I can get through college without replacing it.
11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Included DVDRW drive would be nice, but portability is more important. If I need to I can get an external DVD writer.
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.
Sims3 doesn't run as well on Intel graphics, and it's hard enough as it is to run the game fully patched with most expansions and some mods, especially on a laptop. So I'm looking for non-Intel graphics. Guess the options are AMD Radeon or Nvidia
13. What country do you live in?
USA
14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
- CPU speed: 2ghz or more. 2.4+ ghz would be best ( for Sims 3 minimum requirements; I don't think it can take advantage of multithreading).
- Need at least 6GB RAM. Or I guess one 4GB stick would be OK as long as there's another slot I can easily access to add a second stick.
- Touch screen for Windows 8 (& for testing programs and stuff).
- backlit keyboard would be helpful for homework late at night, but it's not a requirement.
Thanks for any help! Much appreciated, I've been hunting and hunting and haven't found anything completely satisfactory. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, or just don't know where to look.
I filled out the FAQ form, but I also have a more compact list of requirements that I wrote down for myself. Might be easier to read, so I'll copy/paste it down here in case it's useful for a quick reference.
Laptop notes:
Price under $999
CPU at least 2 GhZ, preferably 2.4+ GhZ
RAM expandable to at least 8GB; at least 4GB already installed. 6/8GB preferred
Non-Intel graphics
Windows 8/8.1 (Windows 7 OK but not preferred)
Touch screen
backlit keyboard (Can probably do without this, but would be nice for homework)
Dvd drive? not required, would be nice though
weight: less than 5.5lbs, preferably under 5lbs
dimensions less than 16 by 13 by 1.5 (to fit school bag)
)Hello, I've been looking for a laptop that fits my needs without much success. Wondering if I'm not looking in the right place, or have too many requirements or what. Maybe someone can help or tell me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks very much! I've filled out the laptop buying FAQ, hope this helps.
By the way I'm going into a four year Computer Science major in the fall; that's what the laptop is primarily for.
1. What is your budget?
$750 or less would be nice if possible, but could spend up to $1000. I want a laptop well-built enough to survive several years of college, so I'd rather spend more for one that will last, than buy a cheaper one that will break on me within a year or two.
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Needs to be fairly portable for taking to classes, so probably 15" screen? Also, it should fit into the laptop pocket of my book bag (pocket dimensions are 16" by 13.5").
3. What screen resolution do you want?
Doesn't matter
4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable, for carrying in my book bag all day. Preferably in the 4-5lb range, or 5.5lbs at most.
5. How much battery life do you need?
4-5 hours is probably fine. If necessary I can recharge it while doing homework/research in the library between classes.
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)?
Definitely Sims 3 (some mix of medium/high settings), maybe Sims 4 when it's released. Nothing else that's demanding.
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
I'll be a computer science major, but don't know yet what programs I'll need to run for that, except for Visual Studio. School recommends at least 6GB ram for comp sci majors though, that's all I know.
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Doesn't matter, as long as I can install some programs. I have an external hard drive for file storage.
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
http
/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216743http
/www.amazon.com/Acer-V5-552PG-X809-15-6-inch-Touchscreen-Champagne/dp/B00DKFFLH4/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1403328544&sr=1-7Here are two possibilities I found, though not ideal or I would have decided already.
The Acer doesn't have a DVD drive. I can do without that if need be, but I think I've read that the Acer brand is built cheap compared to others, so I'm concerned it might not last well with everyday use?
The Toshiba looks really nice, but fairly pricey and I couldn't find many reviews for it.
Wondering if there are other options I've missed before I settle for one. (Literally I've searched all through Best Buy, Newegg and Amazon, and these are the only two I've found so far that came close to what I wanted.)
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
Ideally it should last 4 years, so I can get through college without replacing it.
11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Included DVDRW drive would be nice, but portability is more important. If I need to I can get an external DVD writer.
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.
Sims3 doesn't run as well on Intel graphics, and it's hard enough as it is to run the game fully patched with most expansions and some mods, especially on a laptop. So I'm looking for non-Intel graphics. Guess the options are AMD Radeon or Nvidia
13. What country do you live in?
USA
14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
- CPU speed: 2ghz or more. 2.4+ ghz would be best ( for Sims 3 minimum requirements; I don't think it can take advantage of multithreading).
- Need at least 6GB RAM. Or I guess one 4GB stick would be OK as long as there's another slot I can easily access to add a second stick.
- Touch screen for Windows 8 (& for testing programs and stuff).
- backlit keyboard would be helpful for homework late at night, but it's not a requirement.
Thanks for any help! Much appreciated, I've been hunting and hunting and haven't found anything completely satisfactory. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, or just don't know where to look.
I filled out the FAQ form, but I also have a more compact list of requirements that I wrote down for myself. Might be easier to read, so I'll copy/paste it down here in case it's useful for a quick reference.
Laptop notes:
Price under $999
CPU at least 2 GhZ, preferably 2.4+ GhZ
RAM expandable to at least 8GB; at least 4GB already installed. 6/8GB preferred
Non-Intel graphics
Windows 8/8.1 (Windows 7 OK but not preferred)
Touch screen
backlit keyboard (Can probably do without this, but would be nice for homework)
Dvd drive? not required, would be nice though
weight: less than 5.5lbs, preferably under 5lbs
dimensions less than 16 by 13 by 1.5 (to fit school bag)
Also how is the HP brand for long lasting products? I have a HP desktop and like it, but of course it sits around on my desk all day and doesn't get any wear and tear. ;D So I don't know if a laptop will hold up well or not. Of course I guess it depends on the price, whether it is build with cheap components. 
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