Reddit mentions of Asus Vivobook K570ZD Casual Gaming Laptop, 15.6” Full HD IPS Level, AMD Quad Core Ryzen 5 2500U CPU, GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit KB, Windows 10 – K570ZD-ES51

Hi, I think a low-end dedicated graphics card would go a long way for your use. The Acer Vivobook K570ZD is probably your best shot, since it has a GTX 1050 graphics card that can run light games in the near future just fine.

I would not buy the HP laptop for the following reasons:

1. It only has a 1366x768 resolution screen. The lower the resolution, the less information you can see on the screen at once. Try setting the resolution on your laptop's screen or desktop monitor to 1366x768 to see what it looks like. Note that setting the resolution below the native (max) resolution will make text look a little blurry. I generally a 1080p screen (1920x1080).
   
2. The laptop relies on the Intel UHD 620 graphics core. While it can be used to play some non-graphically demanding games (like some old games from before 2012) or some indie games; it is generally not recommend for games that can be rather demanding like Fornite or Overwatch. They are not very demanding games at all compared to something like the Witcher 3, but they are not games ideal for the Intel UHD 620 especially Fornite.
   
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   The following Acer Aspire E15 E5-576G-5762 laptop for $560 represents the best bang for the buck when it comes to gaming performance. It is the least expensive laptop with the nVidia mx150 which is more powerful than the integrated Vega 8 graphics core in the Ryzen 5 2500u APU which is in the Dell Inspirion 15 5000 laptop. However, it is a heavier laptop at 5.27lbs and it comes with a smaller 256GB SSD.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=mx150+laptop&qid=1563814234&s=gateway&sr=8-3
   
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   The ASUS Vivobook K570ZD for $640 represents the least expensive laptop with the nvidia GTX 1050 which is definitely more powerful than nVidia mx150 in the Acer laptop. It is paired with the 1st generation Ryzen 5 2500u APU. It only has a 256GB SSD, and it weighs in at 4.32lbs according to the specs listed on Amazon. Be aware that the battery is usually the heaviest component in a laptop. Laptops typically sacrifice battery life in exchange for being lighter. Never trust what the brand name advertises for battery life. That is usually extremely optimistic; in this case Asus advertises 9 hours. The rule of thumb is cut what is advertised in half when doing things that are not CPU and / or graphically intensive. If playing games, then cut that in half again (if not more). Read user reviews to get a better idea though.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=gtx+1050+laptop&qid=1563818215&s=gateway&sr=8-3
   
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   Acer Nitro 5 (2017 version) with Intel i5-7300HQ and GTX 1050 Ti. This is absolutely the most powerful gaming laptop for less than $700; it's $698. The GTX 1050 Ti is probably about 25% more powerful than the GTX 1050. It only has a 256GB SSD.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Gaming-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-AN515-51-55WL/dp/B074Q54GSR/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=gtx+1050+laptop&qid=1563818575&s=gateway&sr=8-10
   
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   I purchased the 2018 version as a gift which has the newer Intel i5-8300H which is slightly more powerful thant the i5-7300HQ, but still has the GTX 1050 Ti. I can tell you that battery life is short at 3.5 hours with average usage. I assume the i5-7300HQ can get hot similar to the i5-8300H CPU. I recommend downloading a program called ThrottleStop to undervolt the CPU. Google for instructions on how to use ThrottleStop. Out of the box the i5-8300H hit 95c when I was stressing the CPU, using ThrottleStop helped reduce that to about 86c. That's considered "warm". You can leave it as is, but if you want lower temps, then the thermal paste would need to be replaced with something good like Artic MX-4 (or the more expensive but highly praised Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut). Doing so decreased the max temp to something like 77c from what I recall (as stated it was purchased to be given as a gift). However, doing so does void the warranty so if you do not want to risk loosing the warranty, then do not replace the thermal paste until after the warranty has ended.

If you want to stay at the bottom of your budget, check this Acer Aspire E 15. It’s one of the best option in this price range. It delivers many features for such a low budget, entry-level hardware. The laptop is equipped with all different kind of ports, which makes it usable both as multimedia center and great office tool.

It’s 8th generation i5 processor makes multitasking easy even when multiple tabs are open on your Chrome browser, the processor is paired with 8GB of RAM, MX150 graphics card for medium gaming and 256GB SSD.

The keyboard has nice, springy feeling to it and makes typing comfortable. The battery is one of the bestselling features and holds juice for approximately 8 hours.

More details

If your budget flexible enough check this Asus Vivobook K570ZD. It’s lightweight laptop (only 4.2 lbs – 1.9 kg) and it has Ryzen 5 2500U processor, GTX 1050 dedicated graphics card, 15.6″ Full HD display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD.

Build quality is excellent with no creaking or unintended gaps between materials. The rough faux brushed aluminum surfaces help in hiding fingerprints and scratches. The lower cooling requirements mean a lighter and more portable system without sacrificing gaming performance or uncomfortably high core temperatures. I think the Ryzen 5 2500U and GTX 1050 pairing is a good combo.

More details

After going over everything you brought up I poked around to see what the... drop off is for laptops and it seems there are some pretty significant differences between 500-600.

With that in mind going a bit higher (gdamn slippery slope I started off about to buy a $300 laptop from best buy lol) I found...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MKLLVFZ/

I mean opening up another price bracket may add a lot of options but I just saw that in that range dedicated vid cards started poping up more often. I assume in this one in particular the Ryzen 5 processor is the weak point.

I would usually got for some with a gtx 1050 or 1050ti. If you're into having a cheaper laptop, a mx150 would do you justice. Here are some links:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=gtx+1050+laptop&qid=1556887479&s=gateway&sr=8-7

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=gtx+1050+laptop&qid=1556887705&s=gateway&sr=8-7

For right now, if you're willing to wait a little bit you could get some great deals on 1050 laptops for 500ish. At the moment there doesn't seem to be any shocking deals. In regards to the two laptops you have there, I would say you can't go wrong with them actually. I would go with the acer laptop I linked because an mx150 is much much stronger. Also, mx150 is slowing being replaced by mx250, maybe something good will pop up as well.

In that budget range and based on what you are looking for, this ASUS Vivobook K570ZD with the 1050 graphics card and quad core Ryzen 5 processor would do a great job for you and sits right within your budget range.

Looks like you paid $700 for that, and that's not a gaming laptop. The MX150 is a GT1030- a pretty awful card. That chassis' cooling system is likely inadequate to allow the CPU to turbo much at all, which would explain why it performs so poorly.

Based on your needs, I'd recommend something like this - https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=1050+gaming+laptop&qid=1557708587&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Ryzen CPU saves money, allowing for a GTX 1050, with the same 8GB/256GB config for $100 less.

If you want to go as cheap as possible your only option would be the ASUS Vivobook K570ZD . You would have to add more RAM and storage yourself to meet your ideal requirements.

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· 15.6” Full HD IPS Level,

· AMD Quad Core Ryzen 5 2500U CPU,

· GeForce GTX 1050,

· 8GB DDR4,

· 256GB SSD,

· Fingerprint Reader, Backlit KB, Windows 10 – K570ZD-ES51

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|Good|Bad|
|:-|:-|
|Good specs for the price|Poor WiFi module|
|Great GPU for the price||
|Easy to upgrade||

Its a decent laptop and in a laptop you can only upgrade the rams and the harddisk to a certain extent that is but if you want check these out and benchmark the gpu and cpu of each one and compare the results and personally im against max q gpu


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https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1562613807&sr=1-12&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

__ https://www.excaliberpc.com/700335/asus-tuf-fx505dt-eb73-15.6-120hz.html
__ https://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-Gaming-Windows-15-cx0020nr/dp/B07CGLQFRK/ref=mp_s_a_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1562614494&sr=1-19&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&dpPl=1&dpID=41CIfhI3KQL&ref=plSrch
__ https://www.excaliberpc.com/703012/open-box-msi-gp73-leopard-609.html

what's the difference between that and https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

It really depends on the price range. Personally I think the second one is better for school, but I was playing around with its upgrades and it can become costly fast.

For either, be sure to get one with an SSD, it is practically a must. I saw the second has an option to add Intel Optane to the storage, and that could be a cheaper solution, but it isn't a perfect substitute.

Same with a dedicated graphics card if you plan to game (the second has a MX150 option which should be fine for gaming on a laptop).

With it being a school laptop, take the size of the screen into consideration. Most backpacks can't hold a 17" laptop and the difference is marginal at best in the work use.

Here's some other laptops to consider as well, albeit sacrificing the touch screen:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_50.gDbRTKFA89 - might want to add a 2.5" HDD for storage

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.1.gDbHDEQ47T - the optical drive takes up room that could be used for more ports

Both should have great battery life, and can game moderately well.

Thoughts on this one for school and light gaming use? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mnnqDbKJFKH7V

What's the difference between this laptop and this one? https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2DXDT6U8LUC45&keywords=asus+vivobook+k570zd&qid=1566250170&s=gateway&sprefix=asus+vivobook+k%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-3

Without more info (prefer portability or battery life?; desired screen size?), I'm going to recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivobook-GeForce-Fingerprint-Backlit/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_38?keywords=gaming+laptop&qid=1564864906&s=gateway&sr=8-38

Check this one

I mean anything with a 1050 or more should be fine even integrated graphics on the new ryzen laptops is good enough

Acer Nitro 5 - 15.6in Laptop AMD Ryzen 5 2500U 2GHz 8GB Ram 1TB HDD Windows 10 Home (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NGQ3NPV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_w5plDb14C9PZ8

ASUS Vivobook K570ZD Casual Gaming Laptop, 15.6" Full HD IPS Level, AMD Quad Core Ryzen 5 2500U CPU, GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit KB, Windows 10 - K570ZD-ES51 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKLLVFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_75plDb53TMAZZ

Here's a few options