Which laptop to buy? (See below)

[stratoFortress]

Hello guys!

Christmas is coming and I need a new notebook for university. I live in Hungary, so the available models and price may (and will) differ from what you recommend, but that's ok.

I only know what to put into a gaming rig/desktop PC, but know almost nothing about mobile devices - I mean which brand has the best price/value/perf. ratio, reliability, etc.


What I'm looking for:
- At least dual core (i3/i5 or any AMD equivalent)
- 6+ GB RAM
- 500GB HDD is just completely fine - if possible -> SSD
- Long battery life
- Light(ish)
- 15.6" is ok, but what can I find below? (e.g. 13" - or is it too small?)
- GOOD COOLING


Sorry, I just can't write a short thread, regardless how hard I try 😀

If you'd like to know anything else, please let me know in the comments!

Your help is appreciated! Have a nice day!

 

[dudeman509]

Do you have a desire to have discrete graphics or is Intel HD ok?

 

[stratoFortress]

Do you have a desire to have discrete graphics or is Intel HD ok?

As long as it plays videos (let's say 1080p) without any problems, it'd be just fine. I don't want to play on it to be honest (my current laptop didn't thank me those gaming sessions...)

 

[GreyCatz]

Hello guys!

Christmas is coming and I need a new notebook for university. I live in Hungary, so the available models and price may (and will) differ from what you recommend, but that's ok.

I only know what to put into a gaming rig/desktop PC, but know almost nothing about mobile devices - I mean which brand has the best price/value/perf. ratio, reliability, etc.


What I'm looking for:
- At least dual core (i3/i5 or any AMD equivalent)
- 6+ GB RAM
- 500GB HDD is just completely fine - if possible -> SSD
- Long battery life
- Light(ish)
- 15.6" is ok, but what can I find below? (e.g. 13" - or is it too small?)
- GOOD COOLING


Sorry, I just can't write a short thread, regardless how hard I try 😀

If you'd like to know anything else, please let me know in the comments!

Your help is appreciated! Have a nice day! [/quotemsg

You didn't specify a price range, or a display range, but here are 4 laptops to whet your appetite:

Medion Erazer P6661 15.6" at €629 from Amazon DE:
https/www.amazon.de/P6661-Prozessor-Arbeitsspeicher-Festplatte-Betriebssystem/dp/B01GYZXSC6/ref=sr_1_48?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1479673145&sr=1-48
This is something of a treat, and it doesn't have an OS! But if you can find your way around Linux (free), this Medion has a lot going for it, except storage which at 128GBs is a bit cheap, and battery life is listed at 4.5 hours. A dual-core Skylake i5 and a 4GB GTX 950M serve to restore some balance.

Acer Aspire 15.6 at $700/€660 from NewEgg (US):
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315712
This Acer steps it up considerably with its dual-core Kaby Lake i7 and a 2GB GTX 940MX. 256GBs of SSD storage and 8 hours of battery life.

Dell Inspiron 15.6" at $600/€566 from BestBuy (US):
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-2-in-1-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-gray/5216702.p?skuId=5216702
Dual-core Skylake i5, Intel HD 520, a 256GB SSD. This Dell is designed for productivity and may come closest to your college life-style. The flip design will offer increased practicality in crowded lecture halls.

Lenovo Yoga 700 14" at £420/€489 from Amazon (UK):
https/www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Convertible-Laptop-256GB-Windows/dp/B01G5CA1UK/ref=sr_1_15?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1479674401&sr=1-15
This is the flashy entrant, a flip design like the Dell and with largely identical specifications, but less expensive. 7 hours of battery life. More details at:
http/www.lambda-tek.com/Lenovo-80QD008FUK~sh/B3440453&viewSpec=y#product-view

I don't know all the rules and options for international or intra-European shipment, as far as I can tell Amazon DE and UK will ship to Hungary, unless otherwise indicated. NewEgg ships to a handful of European countries, but not Hungary, and BestBuy only ships inside Continental USA.

Best of luck,
GreyCatz.

 

[grimakis]

3 words - Razer Blade Stealth.

 

[stratoFortress]

Hello guys!

Christmas is coming and I need a new notebook for university. I live in Hungary, so the available models and price may (and will) differ from what you recommend, but that's ok.

I only know what to put into a gaming rig/desktop PC, but know almost nothing about mobile devices - I mean which brand has the best price/value/perf. ratio, reliability, etc.


What I'm looking for:
- At least dual core (i3/i5 or any AMD equivalent)
- 6+ GB RAM
- 500GB HDD is just completely fine - if possible -> SSD
- Long battery life
- Light(ish)
- 15.6" is ok, but what can I find below? (e.g. 13" - or is it too small?)
- GOOD COOLING


Sorry, I just can't write a short thread, regardless how hard I try 😀

If you'd like to know anything else, please let me know in the comments!

Your help is appreciated! Have a nice day! [/quotemsg

You didn't specify a price range, or a display range, but here are 4 laptops to whet your appetite:

Medion Erazer P6661 15.6" at €629 from Amazon DE:
https/www.amazon.de/P6661-Prozessor-Arbeitsspeicher-Festplatte-Betriebssystem/dp/B01GYZXSC6/ref=sr_1_48?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1479673145&sr=1-48
This is something of a treat, and it doesn't have an OS! But if you can find your way around Linux (free), this Medion has a lot going for it, except storage which at 128GBs is a bit cheap, and battery life is listed at 4.5 hours. A dual-core Skylake i5 and a 4GB GTX 950M serve to restore some balance.

Acer Aspire 15.6 at $700/€660 from NewEgg (US):
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315712
This Acer steps it up considerably with its dual-core Kaby Lake i7 and a 2GB GTX 940MX. 256GBs of SSD storage and 8 hours of battery life.

Dell Inspiron 15.6" at $600/€566 from BestBuy (US):
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-2-in-1-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-gray/5216702.p?skuId=5216702
Dual-core Skylake i5, Intel HD 520, a 256GB SSD. This Dell is designed for productivity and may come closest to your college life-style. The flip design will offer increased practicality in crowded lecture halls.

Lenovo Yoga 700 14" at £420/€489 from Amazon (UK):
https/www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Convertible-Laptop-256GB-Windows/dp/B01G5CA1UK/ref=sr_1_15?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1479674401&sr=1-15
This is the flashy entrant, a flip design like the Dell and with largely identical specifications, but less expensive. 7 hours of battery life. More details at:
http/www.lambda-tek.com/Lenovo-80QD008FUK~sh/B3440453&viewSpec=y#product-view

I don't know all the rules and options for international or intra-European shipment, as far as I can tell Amazon DE and UK will ship to Hungary, unless otherwise indicated. NewEgg ships to a handful of European countries, but not Hungary, and BestBuy only ships inside Continental USA.

Best of luck,
GreyCatz.

Thank you cery much, sir!

I couldn't find these products in my country, so I had to look for others.

I found these two - they just fit in my budget, which I haven't mentioned....sorry for that 😀


Lenovo Thinkpad 500
- 15.6" 1920x1080
- 8GB DDR4 Dual Channel 2000+ MHz
- 256GB SSD
- Keyboard backlight (I guess it's called something like that)
- i5 7200U 2.5Ghz (2 cores, 4 threads)
- Nvidia Geforce GT 940MX 4GB DDR5?
- 2 cell battery - [strike]Is that enough?[/strike]



Acer Travelmate TMP236-M-5906
- 13.3" 1920x1080 (!)
- 8GB DDR3 Dual Channel
- 256GB SSD
- i5 5200U 2.2Ghz (2 cores, 4 threads)
- Intel HD5500
- 4 cell battery


Both are for the same price and I don't know which one should I choose. Can you recommend one over another? Even for cooling or reliability?

 

[dudeman509]

I would look up battery life estimates for the Lenovo; if that is good enough for your liking, that would be my choice. I'd much rather have a light 15" than a 13", but that's just me.

My work computer is similar to your Acer there (HP, i7-5600u) and I love it. Very capable of anything I throw at it, runs cool, and incredibly long battery life. The newer gen architecture on the Lenovo should be even better.

 

[GreyCatz]

Are you sure it's a ThinkPad? It sounds more like an Ideapad 510, like this one:
http/shop.lenovo.com/hu/hu/laptops/ideapad/500-series/510-15-inch/

5 hours of battery life and 2.2kg. And is it new or used/refurbished? The reason I ask is that the Acer seems ridiculously underpowered - if they are both new and cost the same.

Let me put it this way: If you can get a dual-core Kaby Lake i5 with 4GBs of GTX 940 VRAM in a 15.6" frame for the same price as a dual-core Broadwell i5 with an integrated HD 5500 in a 13.3" frame, then I strongly recommend that you get the Lenovo.

My own Lenovo Y50 is not that different from the Ideapad 510 and my experience is that overheating is going to be an issue with the Lenovo, mainly because it uses a more powerful graphics engine. It won't burn you, but you will feel the heat from the underside. Reliability is above average for this segment.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[stratoFortress]

I would look up battery life estimates for the Lenovo; if that is good enough for your liking, that would be my choice. I'd much rather have a light 15" than a 13", but that's just me.

My work computer is similar to your Acer there (HP, i7-5600u) and I love it. Very capable of anything I throw at it, runs cool, and incredibly long battery life. The newer gen architecture on the Lenovo should be even better.

Thank you for the fast response! Today I tried the Lenovo out and it looked, felt cool 😀 As you've said, my only concerns are battery life (it has a 39Wh 2-cell battery :S) and cooling.....

But since both models go for the same price (the Travelmate is even a bit more expensive) I'd chose the Lenovo, but don't want to suck with the battery, just like with my current laptop.

 

[stratoFortress]

Are you sure it's a ThinkPad? It sounds more like an Ideapad 510, like this one:
http/shop.lenovo.com/hu/hu/laptops/ideapad/500-series/510-15-inch/

5 hours of battery life and 2.2kg. And is it new or used/refurbished? The reason I ask is that the Acer seems ridiculously underpowered - if they are both new and cost the same.

Let me put it this way: If you can get a dual-core Kaby Lake i5 with 4GBs of GTX 940 VRAM in a 15.6" frame for the same price as a dual-core Broadwell i5 with an integrated HD 5500 in a 13.3" frame, then I strongly recommend that you get the Lenovo.

My own Lenovo Y50 is not that different from the Ideapad 510 and my experience is that overheating is going to be an issue with the Lenovo, mainly because it uses a more powerful graphics engine. It won't burn you, but you will feel the heat from the underside. Reliability is above average for this segment.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

You were right, again, sir!

It would be a brand new product of course.

It is indeed an Ideapad 510 and not a Thinkpad 500 😀

I checked a couple sites, made some rough calculations, but couldn't really find any usable info about battery life. But what you've posted seems about right at normal use - and I guess it will not get hot during this time, only when playing.

Thank you very-very much!!!

Have a nice day!

 

[Pooja_7]

Even I am considering to buy this laptop but the battery backup is bothering me a lot, I read on some forum that it lasted for merely 1 hr 51 min with some video streaming and surfing at max it will last for 2.5 hrs. I don't think it will last more than that. Of course depends on what work you intend to do. I was going to buy it for rendering and similar works so kind of hesitating to get this one. Which one did you end up buying?

 

[stratoFortress]

Hello!

Thanks for your help!
In the end I chose the HP 15 ay108nh packing an i5 7200U, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Radeon M340 4GB DDR3 and a 15.6" display at 1080p. The battery is removable, lasts waaaaaay more, than 3 hours during intensive web surfing and having multiple tabs open on Google Chrome (!!!) while it's at Balanced and 25% brightness on the screen, oh and Power Saving is turned off

Couldn't be happier! I got 3 years of warranty instead of 2 years which would have come with the Lenovo, much better building quality and the fan is almost inaudible.

If you need anything (tests, info, etc) let me know 😉

Cheers,
strato