Reddit mentions of ASUS ZenBook UX430UN UltraBook Laptop: 14" Matte NanoEdge FHD (1920x1080), 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA MX150 Graphics, Backlit Keyboard, FingerPrint Reader, Windows 10

The Asus Zenbooks are also worth looking into. This one may suit your needs:

ASUS ZenBook UX430UN UltraBook Laptop: 14" Matte NanoEdge FHD (1920x1080), 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA MX150 Graphics, Backlit Keyboard, FingerPrint Reader, Windows 10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BXRBK1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_53iKBbM97NYKC

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenBook-UX430UN-UltraBook-Laptop/dp/B077BXRBK1/

Hey,

How about the ASUS Zenbook UX430UN? It has:

• i7-8550U 4-core processor
  
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
  
• 512 GB SSD storage
  
  
• 1080p 14" display
  
  
• MX150 2 GB graphics card
  
  
• Weight of 2.8lbs and battery life up to 9 hours
  
  This laptop runs Windows 10 Home. This laptop has decently large storage for an SSD + great specs to back it up. The laptop is extremely light. It will be great for general use, and CS:GO won't be an issue at all.

For photo editting in this price range I would advise you to check one of those laptops

laptop name | ASUS ZenBook UX430UN | Lenovo Yoga 720 | Eluktronics Mech-15 G2
--- |---- |---- |----
CPU | Quad core 8th Gen I7-8550U | Quad core 7th Gen I7-7700HQ | Hexa core 8th Gen I7-8750H
GPU | MX 150 | GTX 1050 | GTX 1060
Screen "| 14"" FHD IPS" "| 15.6"" 4K Multi-Touch IPS" "| 15.6"" FHD IPS"
Ram | 16 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB
SSD | 512 GB | 512 GB | 250 GB
HDD | 0 | 0 | 0
Weight | 2.76 Lbs. | 4.41 Lbs. | 4.5 Lbs.
Battery life | 8.5 Hrs. | 6 Hrs. | 3 Hrs.
Price | 1150~1250$ | 1300~1400$ | 1150~1250$
Pros | Very light . | light . | light .
Pros | The Mx 150 should be enough for CAD work and light to medeum gaming. | The GTX 1050 should be enough for CAD work and good gaming exprince . | The GTX 1060 should be enough for CAD work and good gaming exprince .
Pros | Great battery life . | A great UHD screen with perfect for photo and video editing . | A great mechanical keyboard.

would recommend this [ASUS ZenBook UX430UN] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BXRBK1/tag=bkadamos_alltest-20) because it comes with everything you need, 8th generation, i7 quad core CPU which is one of the best in the market and great for your usage, 16GB of ram for smooth multitasking, good SSD storage of 512GB for faster boot up and loading, 14 inch Full HD anti-glare screen which is a must have for this price range, high build quality, GeForce MX150 GPU that should be able to handle games on low to medium settings with very good FPs, USB 3.0 port, long battery life, lightweight, and it’s within your budget.

Hi,

Based on your requirements I have made this noteb search

You can see and change the search parameters using the "Refine results" button in the upper-left part of the search results page. You can also click on the laptops for more information.

If you want a 2in1 maybe this one is a option: Asus ZenBook Flip UX461UN - has a dedicated GPU and great battery life - you can find the configuration I gave you on amazon for 1150$

I would suggest that you check out the ASUS ZenBook UX430UN UltraBook Laptop as its below budget, light weight and powerful enough to run WoW on ultra settings and still get good fps

• 14" Matte NanoEdge FHD (1920x1080),
  
• 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U,
  
• 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM,
  
• NVIDIA MX150 Graphics,
  
• Backlit Keyboard, FingerPrint Reader, Windows 10
  
• 2.76 lbs
  
  This ultrabook is ideal for gaming and multitasking with its quad core cpu

This ASUS ZenBook UX430UN UltraBook Laptop would definitely meet your requirements and get the job you have to do , done. It has a powerful 8th gen i7 processor, fast 512 GB SSD, large 16 GB RAM and even an MX 150 dedicated graphics card. It is very light weighted and thin as well as it has a decent metal chassis. It does have a backlit keyboard and even a fingerprint reader that you will love.

I would go with this version of Asus Zenbook

It has:

• 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U 1.80 GHz (Turbo 4.0 GHz, 4 Cores 8 Threads, 8 MB SmartCache, 15W)
  
• 512 GB SATA M.2 Solid State Drive | 16 GB LPDDR3 RAM | NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
  
• 14″ NanoEdge anti-glare LED-backlit with 178˚ wide-view technology; FHD (1920x1080) with wide 100% sRGB color gamut | 7.18mm-thin bezel | ASUS Eye Care Technology for up to 30% blue-light reduction
  
• 802.11 Wireless-AC + Bluetooth 4.1 | Backlit Keyboard | FingerPrint Reader | HD WebCam & Mic
  
• Windows 10 Home 64-bit - Dark Gray
  
  More details

Personally I would neither sell my PC nor buy a MacBook Pro. Due to the following:

• Firstly, programming doesn't actually require crazy computing power. In general you want 8GB RAM and an SSD, this will cover your general needs. Any non-5W CPU will do. There are specific tasks in which you want MORE power but those aren't the case when learning and you will definitely KNOW when.
  
• Now, while programming doesn't require much in terms of specs it's at the same time true that all current MacBooks Pros are kindaaaa outdated and not even remotely worth their price. Cheapest version with a quad core CPU, 16GB RAM and a 256GB RAM costs $2200. Now, here's a business class Asus notebook that will beat it. $1167. Half the price for superior specs (twice the SSD capacity and also a surprisingly decent GPU). This leaves your wallet with over $1000.
  
• You want something at least a bit similar to what your university will be using. This generally means Windows, sometimes Linux. I doubt any school is expecting you to run MacOS. Sure - you can. There are tools for emulation and whatnot. But this won't be supported and if you run into any problems then you are on your own to fix them. Which will turn really "fun" if your college taught GUIs in C# for instance which does not really work outside Windows.
  
• Programming on notebook is not that great. Specs can be fine (any ultrabook with a new 8250u/8550u CPU will be sufficient for even professional workloads in most fields) but you are still using a small screen. Whereas with a PC you can do it at your leisure with 2 20+" screens which helps a lot when looking for documentation etc. Notebooks are great to take with you to school and so on but not that great in terms of sheer productivity.
  
  As for a different version of C++ - what will work differently compared to Windows are all system calls. Eg. trying to display a window, how networking and threading works etc. This doesn't mean "worse" but it means "different". It will be fairly similar to Linux in this regard.
  
  Which is also what I would suggest - if you want to practice a non-windows environment then just install VirtualBox and give a try to Ubuntu or Debian there. Going out of your way to buy a Macbook Pro without a real reasoning to it feels weird. It might hinder you in your class, you are spending visibly more cash and you are not looking at Mac specific fields (eg. iOS/MacOS development) where you would need one anyway.

Had the UX430-UN for a couple of weeks and I love it! I ran into an issue with blue screens of death in the beginning (see my post on r/tech support). But that was from not having updated some drivers before installing all my software but afterwards, everything was smooth sailing.

The laptop looks amazing, is very light, runs programs quickly, and every game I've thrown at it runs well with medium settings and 60FPS limits at worst (Fortnite and Rocket League for example).

Two complaints, the fan will run loudly if I start doing anything demanding so I'm gaming exclusively with a cooling pad. That was to be expected with such a powerful GPU in a 13.3" frame. Also, there's a coil whine that shows up every once in a while but doesn't happen enough to annoy me.

I can answer any questions you have about it!

Dell XPS 15. Accomplishes all of that in spades.

The ASUS Zenbook UX550 VE and VD will do it well too.

Go slightly smaller at 13" and there are a lot of options there too. The HP Envy 13-ad006ng packs the new quad core 15w CPUs and an Nvidia MX150 GPU in a very thin and light package with a very nice design and excellent display. The MX150 isn't nearly as powerful as the GTX 1050 but it is overkill for The Sims series so your friend will be very happy with that. Like many newer laptops, this one features the tiny bezels that give you a larger screen in a smaller frame. It's like having a 14" display in a 13" frame. It has a very nice design and good build quality, though not as nice as the XPS or MacBook Pro, it is still much better than a typical HP or Lenovo model.

The Acer Swift 3 SF314-52 is a 14" budget multimedia laptop. It has the same CPU family and graphics chip of the HP Envy above, with a nice albeit less sophisticated design. It has an IPS display panel, but not as good as the Envy's. These little factors make it a bit cheaper, starting at $650. https://www.ultrabookreview.com/16888-acer-swift-3-sf314-52-review/

ASUS's Zenbook series are MacBook Air/Pro clones and feature extremely similar, very beautiful aluminum unobidy designs. If you want MacBook style build quality without the price or OS, this is a good place to start. The UX430UN is a 14" with the new low power quad core 8th Gen CPUs like the others on this list and features the same MX150 GPU to tear through The Sims. It's going to be stronger, more rigid than the HP and Acer above, matched by the XPS 15 which has a unobidy and carbon fiber body, as well as a lot more power that your friend won't need. The Zenbook is $1,299 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenBook-UX430UN-UltraBook-Laptop/dp/B077BXRBK1

These should get you started. Good luck.

since you plan on doing some gaming i figured you would like something with its very own dedicated gpu. take a look at this ASUS ZenBook UX430UN. it comes with a:

• 14" Matte NanoEdge FHD (1920x1080) display
  
• 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U
  
• 512GB SSD
  
• 16GB RAM
  
• NVIDIA MX150 Graphics, Backlit Keyboard, FingerPrint Reader Windows 10

For your usage you would need [Quad core] processor and [MX 150] GPU.I would recommend [[asus zenbook 14]](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BXRBK1/) as it comes with: -

CPU: i7-8550U

GPU: MX 150

RAM: 16 GB

Display: FHD 14 IPS - matte screen

Storage: 512 SSD

Long battery life

It is a great choice because of its great heat management system and high build quality, along with its specifications makes it the best option for your usage and it is within your budget.

13-14'' Ultrabook with dGPU... that's rare. Razer blade and SB2 13 all exceeds your budget.

Now we got Asus Zenbook UX430UN with MX150, but it is not available in Canada.

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenBook-UX430UN-UltraBook-Laptop/dp/B077BXRBK1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517713445&sr=8-1&keywords=ux430un

There's also Lenovo Ideapad 720s. It has a version with i7 and MX150 but only have 8gb ram and 256gb ssd; you should buy a 16gb stick and replace it as there is only one RAM slot. The price after that should be similar with importing the zenbook from the states. But you get a 8gb ram stick to invest in. Maybe it will become the new currency after this bitcoin hype.

https://www3.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-700-series/Ideapad-720S-14/p/88IP70S0833?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2NXTBRDoARIsAJRIvLy4tdV7WRnpWq5RoPldagWEzqk_32nMKnUMv-fDIQ2fegCfw_u4oSEaAubzEALw_wcB&cid=ca:sem|se|google|353475057248|Lenovo+720s+14inch|IIP_NX_Lenovo_IdeaPad+700+Series|230410058&s_kwcid=AL!3736!3!248746910142!b!!g!!lenovo%20%2B720s%2014%20inch&ef_id=Wh9U6gAAAL3yMkZi:20180204030708:s

Also you can try Acer Switch 7 Black Edition, it's a really cool tablet.