>$1500 Laptop for College/Gaming?

SpencerMLB

Estimable
Apr 24, 2014
2
0
4,510
I need help buying a laptop, and I was wondering if you guys can help me choose one. I'm going to use the form from Reddit to help you choose one.

**LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE**

* Country of purchase: USA

* Budget range: less than $1500

* Purpose (netbook, ultraportable, mainstream, gaming, desktop replacement, etc.): Ultraportable, thin, lightweight, college work ( Notes, presentations, projects, etc ), video/photo editing, programming, and some gaming

* Screen size preference: 15" is fine

* OS preference (Windows/ Mac/ Linux): I dont care

* Gaming requirements (example games and desired fps/settings): EVE Online, Path of Exile on playable settings

* Performance requirements (video, CAD, etc.): Sony Vegas/Photoshop work, good GPU for games, has good presentation/notes programs, and is good for programming

* Method of computer support (office supplier, college bookstore, self support): self support

* Brand preferences and reasons (already owned accessories, familiarity, business
compatibility): I've had bad experiences with HP and Dell

* Any particular style that you like (examples are great): I like the lightweight, thinness of the New Razer Blade

* Which of the following qualities would you prefer? (Choose one, the other, or balanced)

* Long battery life -vs- Low weight: Balanced

* Build quality -vs- Low price: Build Quality

* Low noise/heat -vs- High performance: Balanced

**Would you pay a premium for something that has:**

* High resolution screen: Yes

* A great keyboard: Yes

* A great touchpad/mouse buttons: Yes

* Great audio: No

**List any features that are critical:** (e.g. Optical drive, USB 3.0, SD card slot, ethernet port, HDMI port, bluetooth, VGA port, removable battery, glossy screen, matte screen, etc.)
 
Solution
The N550JK from Asus is a good balance of all that you're asking for. The 850M graphics in it are not intended for extreme gaming, but casual gaming it will handle with ease and some modern games it can still run well on medium settings (the performance varies from game to game).

Asus, Aorus/Gigabyte, and MSI do make some good ultra-portable systems, but bear in mind that, as others have stated, heat is always a concern in laptops, especially in smaller systems where air is not as easily circulated. This is why a lot of CPUs in Ultrabooks are ultra low voltage.

Steve Simons

Estimable
May 31, 2014
27
0
4,610
Heat is the problem with gaming laptops. Heat severely reduces the life of the system. It is very hard and expensive to get the load low enough for this to not happen unless you greatly increase size and weight of the system. My recommendation is to buy a cheap laptop for every day use and get a good gaming desktop for gaming. In the end you'll be happier and the price will be about the same.
 
The N550JK from Asus is a good balance of all that you're asking for. The 850M graphics in it are not intended for extreme gaming, but casual gaming it will handle with ease and some modern games it can still run well on medium settings (the performance varies from game to game).

Asus, Aorus/Gigabyte, and MSI do make some good ultra-portable systems, but bear in mind that, as others have stated, heat is always a concern in laptops, especially in smaller systems where air is not as easily circulated. This is why a lot of CPUs in Ultrabooks are ultra low voltage.
 
Solution