What would be a reasonable laptop budget for a student who doesn't play games?

[mdsimmons1118]

I am an adult college student getting ready to replace my laptop with a new one for school.
I originally spent $350 on my old one in 2014 and now my budget would be around $700 but my parents are telling me that is a ridiculous amount to pay for a laptop. I need an opinion of whether or not this is actually a reasonable budget.
I am looking for one with as new i5 or i7 CPU possible, at least 8 GB memory, SSD 256 GB or larger, I don't necessarily need a dedicated video card but would be nice. and I'm looking for one that's portable with good battery life.
To me, a $700 budget seems about right for these specs doesn't it? If not, what would be a reasonable amount to spend? Keep in mind that I'm buying it with my own money set aside for it so my budget should not be influenced by my parent's available funds.
Please let me know what you think and possible suggestions. Thanks.

 

[nicecoolguy25]

My mom and dad also say that, they say that PCs are worse then laptops xD but anyways this is my recommendation:

https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i7-8550U-GeForce-E5-576G-81GD/dp/B075FLJ87G/

 

[darkbreeze]

If you're not gaming you don't need a dedicated video card. Modern integrated graphics are pretty damn good. If you're doing graphics intensive studies, then that's a different story but you made no mention of content creation or CAD so I'm assuming that's not the case. If it is, I'll gladly revise my position but there is little you'd need dedicated graphics for aside from gaming.

If you are doing CAD or high end content creation using things like Photoshop and Lightroom, or Illustrator, something along those lines, at a high level, you probably need a workstation graphics package anyhow.

This:

https/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Quad-core-Processor-Wireless-AC-Bluetooth/dp/B07FCCNN6X/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1533710437&sr=1-5&keywords=8th+gen+intel+laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_twelve_browse-bin%3A9521908011


Or this:

https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-A515-15-6-inch-Widescreen/dp/B07G1W73KT/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1533710680&sr=1-3&keywords=8th+gen+intel+laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_twelve_browse-bin%3A9521908011

Are probably right about where you need to be. I don't think your parents are well informed as to the current prices of laptops.

Unless you are doing something that really requires a higher end configuration, I also fail to see a need for an i7. These 8th gen i5s whip the pants off of i7s from two generations ago.

 

[mdsimmons1118]

My mom and dad also say that, they say that PCs are worse then laptops xD but anyways this is my recommendation:

https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i7-8550U-GeForce-E5-576G-81GD/dp/B075FLJ87G/

Actually the i5 model doesn't seem to bad either and it is a little less. The new 8th gen i5 CPUs perform much better than previous so the i5 model would make enough sense to me.

 

[mdsimmons1118]

If you're not gaming you don't need a dedicated video card. Modern integrated graphics are pretty damn good. If you're doing graphics intensive studies, then that's a different story but you made no mention of content creation or CAD so I'm assuming that's not the case. If it is, I'll gladly revise my position but there is little you'd need dedicated graphics for aside from gaming.

If you are doing CAD or high end content creation using things like Photoshop and Lightroom, or Illustrator, something along those lines, at a high level, you probably need a workstation graphics package anyhow.

This:

https/www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Quad-core-Processor-Wireless-AC-Bluetooth/dp/B07FCCNN6X/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1533710437&sr=1-5&keywords=8th+gen+intel+laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_twelve_browse-bin%3A9521908011


Or this:

https/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-A515-15-6-inch-Widescreen/dp/B07G1W73KT/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1533710680&sr=1-3&keywords=8th+gen+intel+laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_twelve_browse-bin%3A9521908011

Are probably right about where you need to be. I don't think your parents are well informed as to the current prices of laptops.

Unless you are doing something that really requires a higher end configuration, I also fail to see a need for an i7. These 8th gen i5s whip the pants off of i7s from two generations ago.

Yes seems about what I'm looking for so $600 would be a good budget then? I do use programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects but may not on my laptop since I will mostly use it for school. I already have a desktop for these which has i5-6400 CPU, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics which should handle these better anyway.

 

[cryoburner]

It might depend on what sort of college work you intend to do on it. If it's just mostly basic computer use, then you probably won't need an i7 or a dedicated graphics card.

Other things to consider are battery life and the system's size and weight. In some cases, it might be worth trading performance and screen size for better run time. And more compact dimensions might potentially be preferred if you are hauling the device around a lot.

So, the price is difficult to say definitively, though it might be possible to find a capable system for not much more than $500, depending on your needs. That could be a bulkier system with a relatively large screen and decent performance, but mediocre battery life, or a maybe a lightweight 2-in-1 with a small screen and keyboard, and limited performance, but good portability and battery life.

 

[darkbreeze]

What, EXACTLY, will you be doing on your laptop? What applications will you be running? What sorts of projects will you be working on?

Will there be any HEAVY multitasking?

Personally, I think that unit is the max you actually need for what I think you are doing, AND you might be able to get away with a significantly less expensive unit by dropping back a generation on the CPU or dropping to an i3, which again, is very capable compared to years past. Just depends on what you will actually be doing.

Size and weight, as mentioned, ARE a consideration. What size screen can you be happy with? 14? 15? 17"?

Battery life is less of an issue IMO. There are literally places to plug in your laptop practically everywhere on a campus, and off, so if you can't be bothered to plug the unit in every once in a while then ...............