Reddit mentions of ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey

Costs 10 more bucks on amazon and comes with a 512 Gigabyte SSD

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

A more budget friendly option to look into is something like the Acer V15 Nitro for $915. It has an all black aluminum build that isn't too gaudy looking. It also has pretty decent specs with a quad core i7-6700HQ processor, 960M graphics card, 8gb of ram and a 1TB HDD. The ram and storage are also upgradable. It's 960M will work fine for most games on the market (and excel with light games like Overwatch), but more graphic intensive games will have to have settings turned down. It also isn't too heavy, has a full 1080p IPS display, and an okay battery life.

If you don't think you'll need a quad core but still want a bit of gaming potential (fine for light / moderate games), the ASUS K501 would work fine. It only has a dual core processor though, which may struggle with more CPU intensive games. It has a pretty sleek appearance though, and it's much lighter than most gaming laptops at 4.4 pounds.

On more powerful machines, you could look into the Gigabyte P55W for $1250. It also has a mostly black aluminum exterior with a few white highlights. It is more powerful with a quad core i7-6700HQ processor, 16gb of ram, 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD, and a GTX 1060 graphics card. You could easily play any game on the market with this, and only will top intensity games have to be played with reduced settings.

And if you want something at the top of your budget, maybe look into the Clevo Prostar for $1600. It is also pretty sleek when the RGB backlit on the keyboard is turned off. It has similar specs to the gigabyte but with a GTX 1070 graphics card which is ~50% more powerful than the 1060. It's not completely necessary, but if you're really looking for a machine with a ton of power and you can spare the money, it may be worth looking into.

Think about this; vanilla was released in 2004. Hardware since then has evolved drastically, to the point where it's very hard to find hardware from 2004. Even the worst hardware, as long as it's modern, would run vanilla just fine, even with integrated graphics.

Do you need that for school? Its price tag is beyond a ripoff.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1481783440&sr=1-4&keywords=gaming+laptop

cheaper, better, it'll run current gen. If you need the drawing portion, I recommend just buying an art tablet with it. My only problem with it personally, the only company I've come to trust is Asus. Had bad experiences with MSI and HP, dell is kinda iffy. Now if you are really willing to spend in the 1000$ area, I recommend buying a laptop from Origin PC. Not cheap, but the equivalent to a desktop.

https://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/

or if the extra 600 is too much (back to the 1k you were planning to spend)

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1481784540&sr=1-6&keywords=gaming+laptop

Tablets: (don't let wacom fuck you on prices, they're assholes, their shits made in China yet they still charge out the ass because their brand is well known, you can get another better Chinese tablet for a quart of the price. Doesn't seem to be an escape from buying Chinese tablets unfortunately, I have yet to find a US manufacturer).

https://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Pro-Graphic-Carrying/dp/B00ZWRSQ4I/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1481784853&sr=8-10&keywords=art+tablet

https://www.amazon.com/Ugee-M708-Design-Graphics-Drawing/dp/B00VUHQECU/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1481784964&sr=8-17&keywords=art+tablet

Well I wouldn't go with T460, or ThinkPad X1 (although I should add that to my list, thanks for pointing that out), the Dell XPS 15 is a very good option for your usage (older version or the newer one), but I would recommend this ASUS K501UW- because it comes with dual core I7 which is more than enough for your usage, 960M which is not super powerful but more than powerful enough for your usage, 512GB of SSD is a great plus and rare for this price, with full keyboard, Full HD screen which is a must have for this price range, it is also light weight at 4.4 lbs.

This, but minus 1TB of storage and prioritize the SSD.

SSDs are the single best upgrade for loading times (which in CS can get quite long with lots of mods and assets), and general "snappiness" of the machine.

1TB is over-kill for most, and if you run low on storage for photos etc you can easily buy an external HDD or NAS for not very much money at all.

A 256GB SSD will do the job just fine for Cities Skylines, a couple of other games, and some documents, but 500GB is more comfortable if you want to install other large games. More than that is un-necessary unless you want to store a large number of videos too.

Something like this would be ideal for $900.

Or this for a little less money for $800. It will perform a little worse for CS (slightly worse CPU), a little better in most other games (better graphics card), and has less storage, but is cheaper.

And at $700, this is the cheapest I'd probably bother with, as you start to lose a little too much performance when you drop significantly below this level.

If the above is too expensive, though, dropping the SSD can get you this which is a bit of a compromise but should still run CS well enough and is hard to argue with at $525

Edit: Although I'll add that I'm not American and just grabbed these for example purposes: you may be able to find better deals for comparable specifications.

I would say go for the Asus K501UX or wait for the Asus K501UW to come back in stock. The only serious difference here is the SSD size.

Both are 4.4 lbs, have 15.6" IPS displays, up to 8 hours of battery life with regular use, and Nvidia GTX 950M dedicated graphics. You could replace the SSD easily enough if you chose to as well and put something bigger in there. This is plenty of performance for your gaming and video editing. I wouldn't worry about getting a full TDP processor unless you knew you were going to work on really long and complicated projects, and then you would need to sacrifice your weight requirement or add more to your budget.

The ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD would be perfect for light gaming and programming (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD),Also the dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK is another laptop to look at, 15.6 Inch FHD display Laptop (6th Generation Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD + 8 GB SSD) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M is idea and the MSI GL62 6QF-893 gaming laptop which will do a fantastic job for you running those games and even more demanding ones. This laptop has a powerful quad core i7 sky lake processor, 12 GB RAM which is awesome, a decent GTX 960 dedicated graphics card and of course, a great storage with a 1 TB HDD and a 128 GB SSD which is awesome and will give you some much needed speed.

you could also consider this very decent asus as well. it has a great lightweight built, good battery life, powerfull Intel Core i7cpu, GTX 960M gpu, 8GB DDR4 and a graet 512GB SSD. if you are willing to push your budget a bit you could get this great ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH74

Sorry, didn't see the laptop part. Basically you're just not going to get the same performance out of a laptop but if portability is a factor...

Laptops that should be capable of ESO: (But not nearly as good performance as the price equivalent desktop builds)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16834154241

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834217068&cm_re=Toshiba_Satellite-_-34-217-068-_-Product

https://www.amazon.com/GL752VW-DH71-17-3-inch-GTX960M-Graphic-Windows/dp/B015ZG9964/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459200827&sr=1-1&keywords=ASUS%2BROG&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1475238239&sr=1-1&keywords=gtx+960m+ssd+laptop

https://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-Notebook-i7-6700HQ-7200rpm-Production/dp/B01H417IFM/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1475238239&sr=1-2&keywords=gtx+960m+ssd+laptop

What's your budget? That will be a pretty big deciding factor in the type of computer you buy. Considering you like games, you'll probably be looking for a PC rather than a Mac (shouldn't be a detriment to your schooling, and will save you a lot of money).

ASUS makes some solid gaming laptops that I would recommend.

Definitely the Dell inspiron i7559

Keep in mind that build quality is not exactly spectacular on this. It's made from non-quality plastic but has good reviews across the board.

If you want something with a bit better build quality and a bit lesser weight, you can take a look at Asus K501UW

Budget? Country? Currency? How high do you want the settings?


If the budget stretches to $870 USD, and you want essentially ultra graphics, consider the following:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/

Quad-core processor, GPU equivalent to a desktop 750 ti (which does work at ultra detail), 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD storage (much faster than a regular HDD), 1080p monitor, good WiFi, etc.

For usual college stuff, this is good, and even plenty. If you're doing engineering, this will be quite suitable for doing CAD drawings too, just not to the level of an assembly that has tons of parts, as well as connections.

As for typing and browsing, this should do pretty well, and it should have a long battery life.

For gaming, I can't say much about the GPU. It's not a gaming GPU. It's gonna run CS:GO and most MOBAs fluently. Most games from 2012 and below should run smoothly at higher details as well. As for more current games, you can run them quite well at 720p and medium-low details.

As /u/juken7 said, you really need at least 960M if you want to game well.

This one should be more suited for gaming, but I won't bet much on it as it has a dual core CPU still. But, it strikes a decent balance between being frugal for daily use (That dual core is really good for daily typing tasks out of the mains), and having enough power for gaming (960M is quite decently fast)

The ASUS K501UW-AB78 would be great for you.

This could be a good option. No SSD at the $800 mark, but that's a pretty easy upgrade later if you want.

If the ssd is a must and you're okay with a slightly inferior processor and gpu, this could work.

Consider getting this ASUS K501UW-AB78 which would not only allow you to do your light photoshopping and 3D modelling, but will run those games you mentioned pretty well. It has a nice i7 processor, 8 GB RAM, a fast 512 GB SSD and of course, the gtx 960 dedicated graphics.

• for nVidia 10-series card, you will need 1200+ Example
  
• for nVidia 960M, you can get one below 900 Example 1 Example 2

This may be the most generous giveaway i've seen on this subreddit, or on reddit in general.

Welp, here goes.

Obviously, thank you for doing OP, you filthy rich rich person.

With that out of the way, this is a laptop that will even play the Witcher 3 at medium, along with other games on high as long as they're not too intensive, like rocket league and skyrim (Assuming you're talking about the 2011 version, since I don't know about the 2016 HD Remaster)

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

What's your budget like?

As for specs, the main thing you need to watch out for is the graphics card, which the minimum requirement for Stormblood is gtx 750. To explain this number, 7 is the generation and 50 is the level of power. And higher generations means more power, so a 1060 would be more powerful than a 960, for example.

Looking at budget laptops (like this one), it seems the 960m is fairly popular among them. The 'm' means it's a lesser version for laptops, and it turns out 960m is right on par with the 750, so you meet minimum requirements for Stormblood, barely.

Personally, if I were going for the "best bang for your buck" I really like this one, all really nice specs. 1060 is a solid card for FFXIV, especially when paired with G-Sync (complicated tech, but it makes your frames per second nice and smooth without vertical tearing). The SSD means short load times, that CPU is fantastic for laptops, so no concern there. If you're willing to spend more to make it more "Future Proof", the 1070 option isn't bad either.

So yeah, depends on your budget. Hopefully I explained what you need to look for well enough.

http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-y700-series/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y700-15ISK/p/80NV00W6US
16G ram DDR4, i7(6th) 6700HQ, SSD, for $1200. You did not mention a price range. I have the old version that I got about 6 months ago with an AMD graphics so this will be even better. I have no problems running EU4 as well as some of the recent TWs. The drawbacks would be smaller battery life compared to other laptops and it runs a bit hot sometimes.
Others:
https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8 (cheaper)

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-2512BLK-Generation-GeForce/dp/B015PYZ0J6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1495655509&sr=1-1&keywords=dell+inspiron+i7559-2512 (cheaper but with HDD, no SSD)

Also check out r/suggestalaptop

If you're in the market for a new laptop, /r/suggestalaptop is a great place to ask for help. You can also take a look at the Quick Picks to see if one of those fits your needs.

Seeing as you linked a laptop for $900, here is a much better laptop for roughly the same price, with a GTX 960M, 512GB SSD, 1080p 15 inch screen, it will completely destroy Mass Effect 3 and run it on ultra at 60fps easily.

If you want something cheaper or better, I suggest filling out a form and posting, the /r/suggestalaptop guys are very helpful. Best of luck finding a laptop!

Thanks for your help, btw.

This is my laptop: https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

It says gaming, but I don't know enough to be confident.

Hi Ryuk :)

I did some searching and found this at the top of your budget. Seems to meet most of your requirements. I also believe you can upgrade the RAM. 8 GB seems like it could be a bit low for what you're doing?

Have you thought of a small, Mini-ITX sized PC build with a separate monitor? A lot of the much smaller cases are easier to bring along. :)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT49XN8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This looks just about what I was looking for, thanks. Do you know if this is likely to go on sale or anything like that in the next couple of months?

Also considering this since I've found ASUS laptops to be generally more reliable, what do you think?

Hi, first off, I want to thank you so much for doing this giveaway! It's incredibly generous and I appreciate it. I was going to just ask for a copy of Battlefield One for my PS4 but I decided to take a long shot here.

Ever since I was younger, I PC gamed. I started with Star Wars Galaxies, possibly the greatest MMORPG I've played to this date. I have amazing memories of waking up in the middle of the night so that I could participate in our Padawan battles and making macros so my pet would farm levels while I slept. After SWG, I moved on to Toon Town to see what that was all about. I never really did play it too much because I was not too into the style of the game and the noises that the COGs made was extremely annoying. But, after about 3 years of computer gaming, I found the free trial for a very well know game, World of Warcraft. To say I loved WoW, is a complete and utter understatement. I played for days on end, grinding levels back when it was still somewhat difficult to hit level cap. Man, the day I got my first mount was possibly the happiest day of my life. See, the reason I was so attracted to gaming, specifically MMORPGs, is just because they gave me a new life where I could make friends who didn't see the stuff I went through. As a child, I spent a lot of time in foster care due to my mother's drug and alcohol addictions. I had childhood depression, which also made things worse, since my coping mechanism was eating. It seemed small children don't like little chubsters. So, gaming became one of my greatest passions and still is to this day. Sadly though, I have not been able to get a new gaming computer in a very long time because I am in college currently and the very little money that I don't need for other things would never add up to a decent computer.

The laptop I am asking for isn't top of the line or anything, just mid-range, because I don't need it for anything too graphically intensive. I want to recapture the awe I had with WoW as a child and I think this machine would most definitely be good for that. Thank you for the giveaway and chance at making a dream come true! The link is at the bottom, I have no idea how to make a hyperlink on mobile.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT49XN8/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1478090547&sr=8-12&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=gaming+laptop

Portable, lightweight, responsive, good battery-life, realiable (because of the SSD): Asus K501UW i7/8gb/512gb SSD/960M a lot of people dont like the panel on this one.

If you wanted better performance for video edits, cad work etc this Dell is solid, but you trade off the SSD for a mechanical HDD but you do get a quad-core cpu. For school and travel, the ssd is the safer bet :)

I know what you said your budget was but if you want a computer that will last you should invest a little bit more in one of these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT49XN8#Ask

thank you so much for the reply and info. after reading all about it i've decided to get get this one. just 1 more question. if i bought this one and upgraded to add another DDR4 SDRam 8 gig. would that be acceptable? there are just more reviews on it so i would think it be better.
ASUS K501UW-AB78

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT49XN8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiknixx-20&camp=1789

I'd recommend this one. I bought this about 8 months ago and it's got great specs for the price. I bought another 8 GB Ram stick to upgrade it to 16 GB of RAM. You can also add in another HD if you want to dual boot with linux, which I also ended up doing (i'm a coder).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT49XN8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

K501UW-AB78

It's marketted as a gaming laptop, and it's honestly a bit overkill just for web development but it's a great price for the quality of that thing. I've been able to game on it without any problems and edit video smoothly too.

This one also has a full number pad which was a huge selling factor for me when I was shopping too.

• Edit: I should add that it's not mentioned anywhere but the power brick if massive, and I haven't tested how long my battery lasts but if I had to guess it's probably not the longest lasting one out there

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT49XN8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1487507061&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=gaming+laptop+under+1000&dpPl=1&dpID=416Gy2BkVqL&ref=plSrch

How about this one?

I have looked at that one. I guess do you think there is that big of a difference between that one and this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT49XN8/ref=psdcmw_13896615011_t2_B01N12YZ7B

There are slight differences. Will 16gb ram be that noticeable vs 8? I have seen that 16 is better with i7 but is it worth it?

Yes, just bought one that's close to that with minimal upgrades. You can get one used for less, and upgrade the RAM and add a drive. But there are some similar models around that price.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT49XN8

This is similar to the K501UW-AB78. The only difference is that this model doesn't seem to have newer cooling technology. The AB78 has a half TB SSD. This is a legit link, but beware if it as an open-box product.

As for a site showcasing ASUS machines, it seems that ASUS is marketing the latest in their line up. Amazon has a concise view.

By the way, I just purchased the AB-78 and it is awesome for its price point. The SSD is blazing fast and it has the same specs as the laptop you linked(besides storage).

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT49XN8/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ah, didn't know that gap in graphics would a difference as to ultra settings or not.
Thanks, the MSI is still top contender especially because of the 12 GB.
The light weight and SSD of this one is attractive too though: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT49XN8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=techneeqcom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01DT49XN8&linkId=3e3eba081d94d8f2c2eda144208be3be

I'm an incoming CS freshman and after doing a lot of research I bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT49XN8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the 512 gb ssd is really useful and the keyboard types nicely. Its also pretty light and thin, no complaints yet.

Like others have said, you're better off just building a desktop for gaming. If you really do need a laptop, then I would suggest something cheap like chromebook.

If you really do insist on getting a laptop, this one is a nice one under 1000. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT49XN8/ref=gp_aw_ybh_a_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AJQB23GCBJ5S1N6DDXFH

Unfortunately it does not meet a 500 dollar budget. You might not find any decent ones that can run Runescape well for 500 dollars.

Look for a laptop that runs a SSD. NXT client is shit using a hard drive.

price isn't too important, and I don't think I'm gonna need a 950m because that'll make my battery life a lot worse, 4.5 hours is a little too short for me definitely looking for like 6+

that list brought this guy to my eye:

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAJQYFXGBZ6MDO67HQ%26tag%3Dshopineer-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB01DT49XN8

Write that in the text post above.

Suggestions, honestly go for #3 straight away!!! because that is a fucking steal, last time someone posted a similar deal they all got sold before the guy could get advice on it, if it doesn't work you can return it doubt anyone else will find you something better! :

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Yeah a couple of weeks ago this laptop:

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479176497&sr=1-3&keywords=asus+gaming

Was discounted to ~650... it was an amazing deal and it lasted a while. I didn't have the money though...

You know what, let me try my luck anyhow. Imma shamelessly ask for one of these, since I move around enough for a full PC to be a liability.

Congrats on making it big, and thanks for the giveaway, mate!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8

Uw

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

Ux

https://www.amazon.com/K501UX-15-6-inch-Gaming-Processor-Windows/dp/B0146DD02G

Ok nice, I'll probably settle on the i7 instead of the i5. I have just one more question, would you recommend the Inspiron or one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXCBXQO/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 ; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
?

This is the laptop I got.
ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_.WHKzb5TFT350

Thanks. Would that one have any significant benefits over this?

If you want a fairly light gaming laptop, what about the [ASUS K501UW] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-K501UW-15-6-inch-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B01DT49XN8/)?

Intel Core i7-6500U, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD

> Asus K501UW-AB78 $869

lucky americans. Its 1400 here in canada. Proof: https://www.amazon.ca/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480294361&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+K501UW-AB78

For turn speed, you want a strong CPU. Basically any modern laptop GPU will cut it, but you might want a 960m or above. Take a look at this.

Is this a good laptop? It's 8 gigs of RAM, but everything else seems solid. And it's lighter.

Ok here you go. I just pulled up the first Asus laptop on Amazon.

850 dollars.

i7 four core up to 3.1 GHz

8 GB of ddr4 ram

500 gb ssd

2gb graphics card

15.6 inch monitor

Headphone jack

New MacBook

2800 dollars

i7 2.7 GHz

16gb of ddr4 ram

500gb ssd

2gb graphics card (ddr5?)

15 inch monitor

No USB or headphone jack

The MacBook had more ram, but for about 150 dollars you could upgrade the asus to 32gb of ram. You can't change the MacBook. You're stuck at 16.

So for about 1/4 of the price I can get the same exact laptop.

ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4qCezb5GS97WV


You have to scroll down to the second laptop. The first one isn't as expense at 2300 but the specs are actually much worse. Both are more expensive by two or three times and either have crappier specs or just equal the Asus. Lol.
https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch

Something like this would be good.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_6anlzb88YZ8T0

The jump from 600 to 800 is a lot, you get a lot more for your money. You'd get better frame rates, less lag and it last you a couple of years.

Oo that tool sounds really helpful thanks! Ima definitely check it out


How does this laptop look? It's in my price range and I think the specs look good.

Depends on what you need. If you do end up going for a gaming laptop, go for a slim form factor one (max 15 inch screen). I have an ASUS K501UW-AB78, which packs a good amount of raw power into a pretty portable size. (I'm assuming budget isn't an issue since you're mentioning Macs and gaming laptops).

If you're looking for portability, I'd definitely go with a Macbook Air. You can't beat the Air on portability.

Yeah /u/LonerIM2 - I'm actually driving myself completely nuts over this!!! I am freaking out because I have to go overseas for 5 months, in a week, and I need to have this laptop shipped to me, have time to set it up and load all my info on there from my brother's external HD, and to make sure there aren't any problems before I go!!!
I am really hoping to buy one between today and tomorrow latest!

Yes, I am used to TN screens.

1. Do you think that the TN screen on the ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) is really that horrible that it overrides every other feature of this laptop for my case, which are otherwise perfect?
   
   Pros:
   
   

• i7
  
• Nice size SSD
  
• Lightweight at 4.4lbs
  
• Sleek design
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
• non-IPS display which is heavily criticized in the reviews (check it out) and the thing people on forums seem to shy away from
  
• Dual core
  
  
  
  2. What do you think of this HP Pavilion Notebook, Intel Core I5-6300Hq, 12GB RAM, 1TB HHD (15-bc020nr) in my context?
  
  Pros:
  
  
• 12GB RAM
  
• 1TB of storage, non-SSD but 7200 RPM
  
• Lightweight at 4.8lbs
  
• Nice IPS display
  
  Cons:
  
  
• i5 (don't think this is important)
  
• No reviews on Amazon
  
  3. Then there's this Dell Inspiron i7559-5012GRY 15.6" UHD (3840x2160) 4k Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Quad Core i7-6700HQ, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD + 8 GB SSD) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
  
  Pros:
  
  
• i7
  
• 1TB storage + 8GB SSD Hybrid
  
• Lightweight at 4.6lbs (unconfirmed)
  
• Amazon page claims that this has a "5.6-inch 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) Truelife LED-Backlit Touch IPS" display, but haven't been able to confirm by googling around (maybe someone can confirm this)
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Seems that weight is actually 5.6lbs according to other sites (I'm looking for something lighter)
  
• Very mixed reviews
  
  Would be great if others, like /u/shopineer and /u/Explosivious could weigh in on this too.
  
  Guys please help me so I can buy something already - I'm going f'n nuts here!!!

I'm also a grad student looking for a similar laptop at a similar price and these were suggested to me:

• Yoga 720
  
• ASUS K501UW-AB78
  
• Inspiron 15 7000
  
  Most of these are under 5 lbs and should meet your budget, but some are larger than 15".

How about a Asus K501UW-AB78 ?
*Only $819

• 4.4 lbs, 0.8" thick
  
• i7-6500u
  
• gtx 960m
  
• 8gb ram and 512 gb SSD
  
  Also it has an IPS screen

Thanks. I am not too concerned about the weight. before Eluktronics, I also was looking at the Lenovo Y700 (https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-i7-6700HQ-GeForce-Windows-80NV00W4US/dp/B01LNOECNW/ref=pd_ybh_a_38?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XBSXCZFYFRJM3EX3GSSQ)
and
the ASUS K501UW-AB78
(https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=pd_ybh_a_32?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XBSXCZFYFRJM3EX3GSSQ).

I'm not sure if these are available to you, but check them out. They're both a bit heavier than the ones you listed, but are a little more powerful. They both have a dedicated graphics card, and have room to be upgradable with extra hard drives and more RAM.

Dell 7559

ASUS K501UW-AB78

I have never been a fan of MAC especially when it comes to gaming. Most of the people I know who have bought MAC end up doing a parallel install of Windows anyways.

For your requirements, even this laptop would suffice. (assuming that you need a gaming laptop)

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Gaming-GeForce-VX5-591G-75RM/dp/B01N12YZ7B/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493220949&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=gaming+laptop&psc=1

An even cheaper option would be

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1493221078&sr=1-10&keywords=gaming+laptop

Unfortunately, they are gaming laptops so battery life would suck big time. So if you want battery life + gaming, then I would recommend
ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW-US71. According to reviews it can give you 7 hours battery time for normal work like browsing (not gaming). Caveat: it is expensive.

Okay as soon as I posted this, a buddy of mine sent me a link to what I think is the laptop I mentioned in the original post.

https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-i7-6700HQ-Touchscreen-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B01NAIJ0UJ/ref=pd_sbs_147_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01NAIJ0UJ&pd_rd_r=FQN2PV82XTY46SBCBYTT&pd_rd_w=4BV9G&pd_rd_wg=DyNf3&psc=1&refRID=FQN2PV82XTY46SBCBYTT

If you guys can find anything better I'd still appreciate it. This one has a 4k screen that I personally think is a waste. And I feel like I can save some money going with a regular ssd rather than nvme?

I also realize less than 3lbs is a little unrealistic.

Edit: Here is the one 100%
https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Yeah, you'll want a dedicated GPU for gaming. It will help a ton.

What about this?

The Hard drive on the Dell isn't an 8 gb ssd. It is a hybrid drive with an 8GB cache. If you want to replace the drive you will have to get a sata ssd which will be more than 50 dollars extra for a capacity that can hold more than one game.

Essentially, the MSI will have slightly less gaming performance and much better storage configuration.

The Dell will give you a better battery life and slow overall disk activity. Ideally you could find a Dell with the same cpu ram and gpu with the hard drive combo of the MSI.

Might I suggest this ASUS. I don't know about the battery life but it splits the difference between your two above options for a much lower cost.

ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LEV3xbP1JQVCJ

Try this [one](http://www.ASUS.com/ K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_KlV3xbRBEC46H)

The problem with a budget of $900 is that it is at the edge of being 960m price, without crossing into 970m prices.
If you want to stick with that, my favorite is:

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

I'm not sure if you're going to be able to play the games you want at the settings you want with a 960m; you can see some benchmarks here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-960M.138006.0.html

Right now, it might be worth jumping for the higher end one. The 1060 and 1070 gpus are different from the 900 series because they closed the pc-laptop gpu gap to about 10-15% (the 900 series was much weaker on laptops than desktops). That means that there's a pretty huge jump in power.

960m vs 1060 benchmarks:

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-960M-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060/m27242vs3639

Last month I pulled the trigger on the i7559 that was an i5 w/ 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD and FHD. I love it. I originally looked at the 256GB SSD but thought that might be on the small side since the wife and I take a lot of pics.
But I noticed that Amazon is asking $889.99 now. They're high. I paid $729 at the time.

There was another similar laptop that was on my radar. I originally saw this Asus at $799, but the price rose and haven't seen it drop since.

Edit: Hmm.. something's different regarding that Asus. It might have been an i5 when i saw it at $799. I can't see why it would have been an i7 with the rest of those specs at $799. If it was, I was an idiot not to buy it immediatey.

what you guys think about this two?

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-NVIDIA-Windows-E5-575G-76YK/dp/B01F1Z78GM/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1469128390&sr=1-3&keywords=1080p%206500u&refinements=p_36%3A2421887011

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467082455&sr=8-1&keywords=k501%20960m

Looks like my best options are Asus K501, Lenovo T460, and Asus UX306UA from the recommendations here.

If I'm not mistaken, would the K501 be the better gaming build, the 305UA the better workstation, and the T460 is a middle ground between gaming and work?

I know very little about hardware specs, so narrowing down a selection can be tough.

EDIT: What would you recommend that's close to the T460 in build quality, but can also handle games like Overwatch and Fallout 4? I'd like to compare the two options.

With a big SSD instead of the HDD : https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR3, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9oIxxb7RFXGH8


It's 4.4 pounds and has really good battery life. This will probably be the lightest gaming laptop under 1000 dollars.


If you can move your budget up to 1150, then you can get a 14 inch laptop with a 970m, the gigabyte p34wv5 that weights only 3.8 pounds. On Amazon it's listed as 1300 dollars, but they give a 120 dollar coupon for it and a 50 dollar mail in rebate.

Just going to drop a couple links, I'm on mobile:

Dell $800
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/
This is the one my friend has. Lightweight, and great bang for your buck, which is what he was going for. Possibly the best option for its price.

ASUS $870
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/
I personally like this one better, but obviously it's a small bit more. You're basically paying the extra $70 for three things: the sleek design, the touchpad (the best I've used on any laptop), and the SSD. Half the storage, but a slight overall performance boost with the SSD, and it's more reliable.

I put these $800 ones in the mid-range category. They are good computers, and you'll certainly be able to game on them. If you want to spend higher that's fine, but you may want that money for other stuff when you get to college.

To jump to the low-end, this is a great deal:

ASUS $200
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015ZD6ZX2/
Solid laptop if you decide to just get something for schoolwork. Solid state memory, 2GHz processor (fine for lightweight programming, online homework, word processing, definitely not for games :P), reported about 7 hours of battery.

I'd recommend this model by ASUS:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834234023&ignorebbr=1

The ASUS K501UW-NB72 isn't a red and black "MLG" looking rig, but looks a bit more professional with a grey color scheme w/black highlights.

The specs for the pricepoint of $850 (during today's sale on Newegg), shipping included, are pretty nice.

Some specs:

• Decent Sized SSD (128GB) and a good amount of room on the HDD (750GB) for storing the OS, games, & other files
  
  
• Pretty good processing & memory specs for the price point (Intel 6500U, 2.5GHz Skylake series, NVidia 960M, 1.1GHz & 2GB VRAM, & 8GB of DDR4 RAM) as well as some room to add more memory (though the stock RAM is soldered)
  
  
• From what all the reviews I've read say, it handles modern games well. Stuff like Fallout 4 can run on mid-lower settings, but do alright.
  
  
• Cooling is a little bit of a shaky one on this model. The reviews said the rubber grommets are very low. Here's a laptop cooling pad from Newegg that would suit it for ~$11 w/ a coupon code (0624SEMSEM106).
  
  The specs on this are nearly identical to its twin model on amazon, same CPU, GPU, & RAM. It just has a hard drive added on in lieu of a bigger SSD. A little under 1 TB of storage on this one vs. 516 GB in the one on Amazon (which is $10 more currently). The Amazon reviews on the model are a bit more kind than the 3 on Newegg, but besides the storage they are identical.
  
  Hope this helps :\^)

People at /r/SuggestALaptop say this is a good pick. It would run Dota 2 and CSGO. There might be better laptops for a 1000$, although this one will do the work.

How big do you need the screen. Something like this would work well for you. It's midsized, not too small, not too massive. It's got an Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD. That's a full on gaming pc for $870. Like i would take that laptop, and i'm a gamer. That will handle literally anything you throw at it. That's a more powerful computer than a lot of desktops. It's overkill, futureproofed and still under budget. ASUS is a good manufacturer too

Thanks for this suggestion! I'm doing some more searching and came across this:
https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8?ie=UTF8&ascsubtag=8c0a8a362c0d11e6945bf214db9c87bc0INT&linkCode=sl1&linkId=f1482a524c3744296dd1ddb01872e10c&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=pcve-20&tag=slickdeals

It doesn't have a quad core though, but overall decent price and good specs.

Hi, I guess I have a follow-up question. So I think I've narrowed down my choices down to two potential laptops:

Dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK

ASUS K501UW-AB78

Both are around the same price, so that's not the issue.

The Dell has a better processor (i7 6700HQ), the same graphics card (gtx960m) but with more VRAM (4GB instead of 2GB), and has 8 GB DDR3L SDRAM.

The Asus has a worse processor (i7 6500U), the same graphics card with half the VRAM, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, and has a 512 GB SSD.

Would I notice a performance difference between the two CPUs when I game? Likewise, would having 4 GB of VRAM on a graphics card be noticeably better than 2 GB?

I really wish I could find a laptop that was around this price range that had just as much storage space on the SSD as the Asus laptop. All the other laptops I've seen that have SSDs around this price either only have 256 GB or it's 128 GB + HDD or something.

If you could provide your input, it'd be well appreciated.

> I need it to be portable, so lighter laptops would be better.

Try to find a laptop which doesn't weigh more than 5 lbs.

> At least 15"

Forget a 17.3 inch one. Stick to 15.6 inch.

> I would like if I could play all of these games at 60 fps minimum on medium.

A 960M or 950M will do the job.

As for suggestions, take a look at these:

• Dell XPS 15 9550 (the models for $1599 or more)
  
• HP Omen
  
• Asus K501UW-AB78

Photo editing isnt too intensive, unless you are working with 8k pictures or higher.
I would go with something like this as that dedicated GPU will give Photoshop and the like a good boost.

Here are two far better options than the one recommended to you:

• The ASUS K501UW-AB78 1
  
  
• The Dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK
  
  Both of those two laptops have a better graphics card as well as processor than the one recommended to you. This means that they are two far better gaming laptops and overall more powerful options for you.
  
  If you really want to max out those games you mentioned and get great frame rates, then the Dell would be a better option, thanks for it's very powerful quad core processor that will make a big difference in playing especially GTA V which can be very processor intensive at section of the game. This Dell laptop also has an outstanding battery life of over 10 hours , which is simply awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B015PYYDMQ

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

I'm really considering this one, but it'll take a couple weeks to ship. It's a new model.

I've had my eye on this one for a few days. ASUS K501UW-AB78 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gHwZxbQGRD87X

With a budget of $2000 you arent going to have the slightest problem finding an i7 with a 960m at least.

Heres the lowest model id recommend you with your budget. This is gonna play thing on medium-high 30-50's FPS ASUS K501UW-AB78 15.6-inch Full-HD Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i7, GTX 960M, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD) Glacier Grey


And heres mid range for your price
This is personally the one id buy if i had $2000. This will handle everything perfectly well on high-ultra, and leave you some money for software, etc
MSI VR Ready GS43VR Phantom Pro-006 14" Ultra Portable Gaming Laptop GTX 1060 i7-6700HQ 16GB 128GB M.2 SATA + 1TB Windows 10

I'm looking for a linux laptop for school too (Dev Bootcamp) Basically same thing you're asking for.

I just found this.

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8

Yeah I've been looking at that Dell one actually. The only things I was worried about were battery life and I don't know much about hybrid hard drives. The other laptops I have been looking at are this one and this one. I've been leaning more towards the latter because it's lighter and looks like it has better battery life. Any thoughts?