Reddit mentions of Asus Vivobook S15 S512 Thin and Light 15.6” FHD, Intel Core I5-8265U CPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB PCIe Nvme SSD, NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Windows 10 Home, S512FL-PB52, Silver-Metal

Taking some GIS courses as an undergrad, likely ArcGis and QGIS, looking to spend up to $750. Is this the best I can do at this price point? I don't need anything sexy, aiming for best power/price ratio. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated as I'm pretty clueless.

• 8gb RAM
  
• 256 ssd
  
• 3.9 Ghz
  
• NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VD71SSG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Algo así
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QXLFLXT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_nKlPDbHBYWNX5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X237H54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_tDlPDbBCTENY5



O bastante más barata esta y le pones 8gb más de RAM vos
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VD71SSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_eFlPDbCJY7P9W

https://www.amazon.com/Vivobook-I5-8265U-GeForce-S512FL-PB52-Silver-Metal/dp/B07VD71SSG/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=mx250&qid=1567420640&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Slightly over $700 but can run games and has a processer good enough for basic doings.

When buying second hand, aim for laptops that aren't too unbelievably cheap (e.g a $1200 MacBook Pro for $500) and use sites like Amazon or eBay.

A newer generation i5. Faster than the older i7s (in most cases) or aim for older i7s with the suffix -h or -k

I am not sure about its battery life but how about this Asus Vivobook S15 S512 because it comes with everything you need, 8 GB of ram for smooth multitasking (upgradeable to 16 like you wanted), Good SSD storage of 256 GB for faster boot up and loading, lightweight like you wanted at 4 lbs, MX250 GPU that should be able to handle the games you mentioned on medium to high settings with very good FPs, and it is within your budget.

Minecraft is not that demanding so a laptop with integrated graphics can be used to play that game. But if you prefer a dedicated GPU and something that is light then the 15.6" Asus Vivobook S15 S512 for $732 and weights 4lbs might be a fit. It has a quad core i7-8265u and nVidia mx250 dedicated GPU. I recommend reading some of the reviews..

https://www.amazon.com/Vivobook-I5-8265U-GeForce-S512FL-PB52-Silver-Metal/dp/B07VD71SSG/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?keywords=mx150+laptop&pd_rd_i=B07VD71SSG&pd_rd_r=b163b2ed-c435-4b7e-9550-0af005ede3cf&pd_rd_w=MGx6l&pd_rd_wg=gGpPs&pf_rd_p=a6d018ad-f20b-46c9-8920-433972c7d9b7&pf_rd_r=23EKYBQ2RT4DQBZK70NP&qid=1569884875&s=electronics

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Be aware that you are paying a premium for the light weight. For example, the 2018 model Acer Nitro 5 has a more powerful i5-8300H CPU and a much more powerful GTX 1050 Ti and sells for $679. However, it is pretty heavy at 5.75lbs and the battery only lasts about 3.5 to 4 hours with casual usage. Not sure how good the battery is for the Asus above so read some of the reviews

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Nitro-AN515-Laptop-i5-8300H/dp/B07C715KNT/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=acer+nitro+5&qid=1569887180&s=electronics&sr=1-3

Hi, I think a low-end dedicated graphics card is just right for your use. So, the ASUS Vivobook S512FL is a good option for you. i7 processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD storage, and an MX250 2 GB Graphics card. It is very light and can run the titles you listed.