Looking for a good programming laptop under $700

[eiri]

I am going to use the laptop for programming Java (maybe VB.net and PL/SQL as well) and Android (Android Studio & Xamarin).

My instructor on Android programming advised on an i5 or higher processor, at least 8GB memory and 256GB SSD storage.

I'm not a gamer but I'll probably install Battle Realms and Sims 3 for my sister (if possible).

For brands, Asus or Dell but I'm open for suggestions on other brands with good service.

I would also want to know if it's better to buy full specs or buy a budget laptop then upgrade it.

My budget is really $700 but I am willing to go $800 as max.

Any advice are welcome and feel free to tell me if I'm asking for too much.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jaguarskx]

Here's a $688 laptop with a quad core i5-6300HQ, 12GB, 256GB SSD and the GTX 950m. The GTX 950m be overkill for those old games; the integrated Intel HD 530 will be more than enough for them.

https/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-700-GeForce-80RU00FEUS/dp/B01FJFN872/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1490462398&sr=1-4&keywords=i5-6300hq+ssd


Same laptop but with a 1TB hard drive rather than a 256GB SSD for $616. SSDs allows programs to load faster, but does not affect the processor performance.

https/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-Notebook-Computer-i5-6300HQ/dp/B01MRTG0JF/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1490462671&sr=1-1&keywords=i5-6300hq