TL;DR
I want a mildly compact laptop with no larger than a 15.6 inch display, 4th or preferably 5th gen i7 CPU for multitasking, no less than an nVidia 960m GPU, the ability to expand storage and memory if needed, decent build quality able to withstand everyday usage, and around $1,500. Recommendations?
Preferred Brands: Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Lenovo
Brands I'm avoiding: Acer, Alienware, HP, boutique built brands (Cyberpower, iBuypower, etc.)
I am a freshman college student needing a laptop.
Screen: I need it to be compact as I will be carrying it around to classes every day, so no 17+ inch displays, 15.6 inch IPS is the sweet spot.
CPU: I am a Chrome taboholic, and love running multiple programs at once, also I am going to be majoring in Computer Science so I would like to have an i7, no Core-Ms.
GPU: I do light to medium gaming, Cities: Skylines, Terraria, Chivalry, and a few FPS titles, so a personal requirement is a discrete graphics card, preferably in the GTX 900 family.
Memory: 8 Gb or greater of RAM is definitely a must in gaming for me. Even better if expandable.
Storage: I would like at least a Tb and if at all possible expandable drive options(M.2, 2.5 inch, etc.)
Having built my own rig a little while ago, I come from a PC enthusiast point of view and would like to be able to tinker with the internals. If I can buy a cheaper laptop and upgrade the internals later while not missing out on a processor or graphics chip, that would be ideal. And of course I always appreciate good craftsmanship and premium materials...metal casing, nice keyboard and mouse pad, a plethora of ports, decent battery life, but I know at my price point things come at a cost and can make sacrifices.
Feel free to ask any questions and recommendations are certainly welcome!
I want a mildly compact laptop with no larger than a 15.6 inch display, 4th or preferably 5th gen i7 CPU for multitasking, no less than an nVidia 960m GPU, the ability to expand storage and memory if needed, decent build quality able to withstand everyday usage, and around $1,500. Recommendations?
Preferred Brands: Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Lenovo
Brands I'm avoiding: Acer, Alienware, HP, boutique built brands (Cyberpower, iBuypower, etc.)
I am a freshman college student needing a laptop.
Screen: I need it to be compact as I will be carrying it around to classes every day, so no 17+ inch displays, 15.6 inch IPS is the sweet spot.
CPU: I am a Chrome taboholic, and love running multiple programs at once, also I am going to be majoring in Computer Science so I would like to have an i7, no Core-Ms.
GPU: I do light to medium gaming, Cities: Skylines, Terraria, Chivalry, and a few FPS titles, so a personal requirement is a discrete graphics card, preferably in the GTX 900 family.
Memory: 8 Gb or greater of RAM is definitely a must in gaming for me. Even better if expandable.
Storage: I would like at least a Tb and if at all possible expandable drive options(M.2, 2.5 inch, etc.)
Having built my own rig a little while ago, I come from a PC enthusiast point of view and would like to be able to tinker with the internals. If I can buy a cheaper laptop and upgrade the internals later while not missing out on a processor or graphics chip, that would be ideal. And of course I always appreciate good craftsmanship and premium materials...metal casing, nice keyboard and mouse pad, a plethora of ports, decent battery life, but I know at my price point things come at a cost and can make sacrifices.
Feel free to ask any questions and recommendations are certainly welcome!