Hi. I've been reading the forums for quite a while now and finally decided to post. I'm interested in buying a new laptop because my mother needs a laptop so I'm planning to give her mine and use the chance to upgrade.
I will mainly use it for university. I finish my in less than 6 months but I still haven't decided if I should pursue a higher degree, which will mean at least 1.5 more years. I will be running programs such as AutoCAD, Revit, Energy Pro and it will used as gaming/multimedia laptop when not doing college work.
I've already decided to go for an Intel CPU(i7 or i5) and a GeForce GPU(preferably with Optimus, but it's probably hard to find a laptop without it). I also want to somewhat future-proof my purchase and have decided to get no less than 8 gb of RAM. A 15.6' screen is preferable, but is not the deciding factor. Optical drive is not necessary, but would be a bonus. I don't often use it, but there are times when it's needed. Price range is around 800 Euro/1100 USD.
My three main dilemmas are:
-Dual core vs Quad core? I tend to multitask a lot and have many different programs opened at once, plus multiple tabs on my browser. Could a Haswell dual core hold up to an Ivy Bridge quad? I realise that Haswells tend to drain less battery power, but battery performance is among the last of my primary needs. Is the quad core worth the bigger price/generally lower battery lifetime?
-1920x1080 resolution vs 1600x900/1366x768. Right now I have a laptop with 1366x768 resolution and I'm used to it, but I've seen laptops with Full HD on display and the amount of working space is amazing. But I've also heard people complain about readability and that daily internet browsing is a pain in the eyes (pun intended). I am not planning to buy an external monitor because available space on my desk is already very limited. Is Full HD worth it on a 15.6' screen?
-Lastly, SSD or HDD? My storage needs aren't very big, and a 256 GB SSD would probably suffice, but at least where I live not many laptops in my price range are offered with such a large one. They're usually paired with a HDD and are up to 64 GB, which wouldn't be too bad, but it's rare to find such a set up combined with good GPU/CPU/RAM parameters. Would it be a good idea to invest in an SSD and replace the HDD if there's only 1 drive bay?
I also want to squeeze at least 3.5-4 hours of working with MS Office and Autocad while at university, because a power socket is not always readily available there. The rest of the time the laptop will be used at home, where power is always available.
I've already looked at specimens like these(the pages are in Lithuanian, but I'm pretty sure that specifications can still be understood):
Dell. I actually bought this one, but it was faulty and I returned it for a refund, didn't have time to hassle with replacements. I've posted a thread on Dell's official forums asking for help with the issues, but over three weeks there have been no replies. I also read multiple instances of the Intel/AMD switchable graphics not working correctly, and that's why I'd prefer an nVidia card.
Dell
Asus. Not really sold on the external subwoofer, but other than that, the laptop looks very solid. However, it's a bit on the high end of my preferred price interval. But I'm willing to invest more to buy something good. Also there might be discounts after the Christmas hype dies down.
Asus
Acer. What worries me is the 6 GB of RAM and the dual core processor(although it's the same as the Dell's above). Other than that, looks very good. My current one is an Acer, and it has served me pretty well, although build quality leaves a bit to be desired.
Acer
I have had a chance to feel the Dell when it was shipped to me and I've touched the Asus in the store. I liked the feel of them both, and build quality was decent. Also looked at Lenovo Y500 series, but concerned about the rather short battery life.
I apologise for the long post, but I really put a lot of thought into my purchases so that they serve me long and well. I hope to find help in this forum. If needed, I can fill out the questionnaire, but I think I've provided enough info.
I will mainly use it for university. I finish my in less than 6 months but I still haven't decided if I should pursue a higher degree, which will mean at least 1.5 more years. I will be running programs such as AutoCAD, Revit, Energy Pro and it will used as gaming/multimedia laptop when not doing college work.
I've already decided to go for an Intel CPU(i7 or i5) and a GeForce GPU(preferably with Optimus, but it's probably hard to find a laptop without it). I also want to somewhat future-proof my purchase and have decided to get no less than 8 gb of RAM. A 15.6' screen is preferable, but is not the deciding factor. Optical drive is not necessary, but would be a bonus. I don't often use it, but there are times when it's needed. Price range is around 800 Euro/1100 USD.
My three main dilemmas are:
-Dual core vs Quad core? I tend to multitask a lot and have many different programs opened at once, plus multiple tabs on my browser. Could a Haswell dual core hold up to an Ivy Bridge quad? I realise that Haswells tend to drain less battery power, but battery performance is among the last of my primary needs. Is the quad core worth the bigger price/generally lower battery lifetime?
-1920x1080 resolution vs 1600x900/1366x768. Right now I have a laptop with 1366x768 resolution and I'm used to it, but I've seen laptops with Full HD on display and the amount of working space is amazing. But I've also heard people complain about readability and that daily internet browsing is a pain in the eyes (pun intended). I am not planning to buy an external monitor because available space on my desk is already very limited. Is Full HD worth it on a 15.6' screen?
-Lastly, SSD or HDD? My storage needs aren't very big, and a 256 GB SSD would probably suffice, but at least where I live not many laptops in my price range are offered with such a large one. They're usually paired with a HDD and are up to 64 GB, which wouldn't be too bad, but it's rare to find such a set up combined with good GPU/CPU/RAM parameters. Would it be a good idea to invest in an SSD and replace the HDD if there's only 1 drive bay?
I also want to squeeze at least 3.5-4 hours of working with MS Office and Autocad while at university, because a power socket is not always readily available there. The rest of the time the laptop will be used at home, where power is always available.
I've already looked at specimens like these(the pages are in Lithuanian, but I'm pretty sure that specifications can still be understood):
Dell. I actually bought this one, but it was faulty and I returned it for a refund, didn't have time to hassle with replacements. I've posted a thread on Dell's official forums asking for help with the issues, but over three weeks there have been no replies. I also read multiple instances of the Intel/AMD switchable graphics not working correctly, and that's why I'd prefer an nVidia card.
Dell
Asus. Not really sold on the external subwoofer, but other than that, the laptop looks very solid. However, it's a bit on the high end of my preferred price interval. But I'm willing to invest more to buy something good. Also there might be discounts after the Christmas hype dies down.
Asus
Acer. What worries me is the 6 GB of RAM and the dual core processor(although it's the same as the Dell's above). Other than that, looks very good. My current one is an Acer, and it has served me pretty well, although build quality leaves a bit to be desired.
Acer
I have had a chance to feel the Dell when it was shipped to me and I've touched the Asus in the store. I liked the feel of them both, and build quality was decent. Also looked at Lenovo Y500 series, but concerned about the rather short battery life.
I apologise for the long post, but I really put a lot of thought into my purchases so that they serve me long and well. I hope to find help in this forum. If needed, I can fill out the questionnaire, but I think I've provided enough info.
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