Member Avatar for codingNewB

Hello

My name is Brad. I am starting my first upper grade year for software engineering and I don't know what kind of laptop to buy. I am a partial gamer and want something that will still be effective for school. I was thinking about an MSI or an Asus, with no more than a 16 inch screen, because they seemed to get good ratings. I was thinking of something with an i7 core processor and a descent graffics card with atleast 2 x 320gb hard drives. Also any suggestion on where to buy with good prices and good customer service? I have been looking on Tiger Direct and New Egg (downfall is both websites don't allow custom build). I also was looking on Xotic PC which does allow custom building but are about $100 - $200 more. Please help!!

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 278 Views
  • 5 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by rotchobrand

Dani AI

Generated

Practical, long‑lived guidance for a student who wants both software engineering work and some gaming: prioritize what affects daily productivity (fast storage and enough RAM for IDEs, compiles, virtual machines and many browser tabs) and then layer in the gaming needs (a capable GPU and good sustained cooling). SSDs make the single biggest difference in perceived system snappiness compared with spinning drives. (arstechnica.com) Crucial’s memory guidance is a useful baseline when choosing how much RAM to target for development workflows. (crucial.com)

For gaming, a discrete GPU still matters if the goal is modern titles at decent settings; integrated graphics are improving but are a compromise for high‑detail play. (pcworld.com) Thermal design is the other major practical factor: thin, high‑power notebooks can hit thermal limits that reduce sustained CPU/GPU clocks and therefore real‑world frame rates and compile times. Look for independent thermal/sustained‑load tests rather than just peak clock specs. (tomshardware.com)

Longevity and total cost of ownership come from serviceability and upgrade paths. Laptops with accessible M.2/2.5" bays and removable RAM (or clear manufacturer upgrade guides) make later upgrades affordable; repairability scores and published service manuals are good proxies for that. iFixit’s repairability guidance explains why this matters when choosing a model that will be used through several school years. (ifixit.com)

Short, actionable checklist (final purchase screen):

  • Primary drive: NVMe/SSD for OS and tools; secondary storage for media if needed.
  • RAM: plan for enough headroom for IDEs/VMs (start higher if budget allows).
  • GPU: discrete if modern gaming is a priority; otherwise favor CPU/SSD/RAM for development.
  • Cooling and sustained‑load reviews: prefer models with good thermal test results.
  • Serviceability and warranty: verify user‑replaceable storage/RAM and return/warranty terms.

Echoing , off‑the‑shelf machines often give the best value; as is weighing cooling vs looks, give more weight to thermal/reliability data than marketing claims; and while ’s point about performance is valid, balance that against battery/weight if portability is important.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for chrishea

I got my Asus laptop (2.1 ghz dual core 64 bit with Win 7, 4 gig memory 500 gb drive, 16" screen) for under $600. That's a pretty good price for a pretty good machine. You can certainly pay more for less. It isn't made to be a high performance machine (and I don't do much gaming) but it runs very well (especially compared to my previous HP running Vista). If you can find something off the shelf then you have a much better chance of getting a deal. You might still be better off buying something adequate and then replacing the video card (if it's possible). Desktops are pretty easy to customize. Laptops aren't really intended for that even though it may be possible on some machines.

commented: good information +0
Member Avatar for codingNewB

I got my Asus laptop (2.1 ghz dual core 64 bit with Win 7, 4 gig memory 500 gb drive, 16" screen) for under $600. That's a pretty good price for a pretty good machine. You can certainly pay more for less. It isn't made to be a high performance machine (and I don't do much gaming) but it runs very well (especially compared to my previous HP running Vista). If you can find something off the shelf then you have a much better chance of getting a deal. You might still be better off buying something adequate and then replacing the video card (if it's possible). Desktops are pretty easy to customize. Laptops aren't really intended for that even though it may be possible on some machines.

Thanks, appreciate the insight. I will probably end up eating atleast another $500 - $800 for something that can hold its own with the new games out there. Been looking into MSI and it seems that there 660 series keeps very cool under high performance (around 60-70 degrees from what I read). And the Asus, Which I'm digging the stealth look, runs really hot (around 90 degrees at high performance). But I was reading a blog stating that Asus was in the process of fixing the issue. So I might just wait to see how the Asus performs with its new ventiliation. They are both great machines and seem to perform about the same.

Edited by codingNewB because: n/a
Member Avatar for rotchobrand

Finding laptops with the price range of $100-200 is a hard one, but if I will choose for performance vs. practicality, I will select the performance, since performance of the laptop affects everything, so if performance is good despite that its heavy in the pocket but its still worth it at the end.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.