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Going back to school, need a laptop. What’s the 411

BreakOut

BreakOut

Member
Just like the title says, I’m going back to college after 16 years and now almost everything is done online. I have not owned a computer since windows XP. Maybe 12-14 years ago. I’m looking at laptops and thinking I might as well form out a bit more to get a dedicated graphics card. So I can run some games while I’m at it.
But I don’t know shit about anything. Reading reviews is so ridiculous because you’ve got a 1 star saying it’s doesn’t run anything and a 5 star saying it’s Jesus made plastic.
If I’m looking in the $750-$999 range, what is the graphics card I should be focused on?
I can upgrade ram and ssd later on so I can save a bit of money for now. But the GPU is what I want to make sure is correct right?
I see a lot of GTX and RTX.
I’m looking for a card that can play shit at 60fps all day. (Mileage may vary per game I understand) but I’m not looking for crazy.

TLDR; Need a laptop for school, gonna get a decent GPU because I might as well. Under $1000 doesn’t need to move mountains.
 
Soodanim

Soodanim

Member
Regarding GPUs themselves, laptop variants (ending in m, or at least they used to) are always different in performance when compared to their desktop namesakes, and I imagine it's less easy to find benchmarks.

GTX was the name for all modern NVidia GPUs until RTX replaced it, signifying the change to Ray Tracing. That's essentially all that means, although obviously (usually) means better. The GTX 1080 was replaced by the RTX 2080. NVidia GPUs use the XXYY numbering system, with higher being better. The 40 series for desktops is currently being released, for reference.
 
Trazyn the Infinite

Trazyn the Infinite

Member
I would say just get a tablet. iPad with a Pencil works wonderfully and will do basically anything you need for the vast majority of school needs. Also has games on that too.

Or just go for a MacBook. You can get a gen or two older one for pretty cheap and just run BootCamp if you really want to play windows exclusive games on the go. Agani, will do basically everything you ever need a laptop to do in school. Plus macs tend to be the industry standard for any design work.
 
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Yoboman

Yoboman

Member
back to school college GIF by Rodney Dangerfield
 
supernova8

supernova8

Banned

This youtube channel is pretty good for all things laptop.

The thing you need to be aware of is the TDP (basically power draw) of the GPU.

Even if a laptop GPU is named like its desktop counterpart, there are often different variants of the same one. For instance, an 80W RTX 3060 will run much worse than say a 110W RTX 3060 (just numbers I picked out of my ass, but it's the same thing).

Similarly, you may have an under-powered RTX 3070 in one laptop that barely beats a well-fed (in terms of power) 3060 in a different laptop. In other words, you should check out JarrodsTech (as linked above) because he will probably do a better job of explaining that stuff.

Anyway for about $999....


You're basically looking at an RTX 3050 Ti for around 999, or maybe a 3060 depending on the model, whereas if you spent like $100 extra you can scrape a 3070 (but watch out for dodgy TDP, as explained above).

RTX 3050 Ti even will be fine for like 1080p medium/high settings at high-ish framerates (depending on the title of course).

Also if it's for school and you're going to be carrying it around, you probably want something that's max 15.6inch screen (preferably smaller) and is lightweight so that it's not annoying. You can always get yourself an external monitor like $150 to play games on a big screen when you're at home.
 
BlackTron

BlackTron

Member
I was poking around looking at laptops the other day and you can definitely get a 3060 for about $1000 now, this is what I would do.

Check sales and refurbished/open box stuff. When you spot something that seems ok, google the model and do some research first to make sure there's nothing glaring about it.

Asus TUF, Dell G15, Legion 5, or even just some generic MSI or Asus, lots of options that are pretty good, it comes down to what's available at what price and small preferences.

Dell has an open box/refurb section on their site where I saw 3060 G15 variants that are over $1500 for $1000, straight from Dell. I like everything about it except the screen response time is 22ms, but with deals like that out there, I would not settle for less than a 3060 right now, just gotta wait for the right one and decide what small details matter more to you.
 
CrustyBritches

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
For under $1K you’ll be looking at RTX 3060, 6-core Intel or AMD, 16GB DDR4, and 512GB-1TB SSD.

Screen probably won’t be the greatest, but it will be good enough for on the go and you can connect to a TV or monitor at home. My TUF Dash has developed some backlight bleed/glow. I think that’s a thing with IPS displays.

Whatever you do, don’t buy one with a quad-core. I have a TUF Dash 3060 and it has 4-core and I end up CPU-limited in a lot of games.

Aside from that, the GPU tdp will either be around 80-85W or 100-135W. Obviously the same chip with higher power limits will run faster.

BestBuy has a Gigabyte 3060 with either 11400H or 5600H 6-core/12-thread CPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD new for $899 as an example of an affordable 3060 laptop.

I would find a 6-core CPU+ 3060 model and research concerning backlight bleed/glow and warranty covering it, and also look into the GPU tdp. Finding them for ~$1K shouldn’t be an issue.
 
CeeJay

CeeJay

Member
All good advice so far. To add to that I would say that also consider the physical size/weight before buying anything. It might seem like killing two birds with one stone to get something for school and also for gaming but you are going to have to have lean into one or the other to some degree.

If you want something with a DGPU then that automatically requires more cooling and more bulk in the laptop chassis which also increases weight significantly. For a gaming laptop I think that something at least 15 inch or larger works nicely, i am not even sure if you can get something with a DGPU in a smaller chassis in anywhere near your price range. Laptops with DGPUs run hot and loud and have a significantly shorter battery running time although for purely CPU workload you can disable the DGPU and just run with the onboard graphics that it will probably have as well.

If you want to edge more towards school work then something more tablet style or something like a Lenovo Yoga is better suited, they are way lighter for similar CPU compute are smaller and have a touchscreen/pen interface as well as keyboard. The battery run time is going to be better and it will run cooler/quieter. A lot more comfortable and practical to work on in an education environment. Don't disregard the weight of your bag thinking that you will be ok and also consider the notebooks and stationery that you might not have to carry if you can write notes directly onto the screen (and convert into text if required). Going with this kind of device rules out DGPU for your price range but will still have onboard graphics that will be able to run quite a lot of games although probably not anything too modern at a decent framerate. Older stuff or indies will run perfectly well though, depends on the types of games you are expecting to play on it.

I suppose the question that you have to ask yourself is whether the education or the gaming requirements are most important and let that guide your choice.

Edit: Forgot to mention the power supply you get with gaming laptops. As they require more grunt to feed the GPU the power supplies are big and heavy and due to the reduced battery life mentioned above is going to mean that power brick is coming along with you everywhere and you are going to not want to stray too far from a power outlet for too long.
 
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T-Cake

T-Cake

Member
I remember back in my uni days taking a computer with me and it barely got used for anything other than studies. Playing games on it? Nope, not required as I was living the high life in the bars/pubs/clubs instead of gaming. So I'd look at M2 Macbook myself.
 
L

LazyParrot

Member
Do not get a gaming laptop for school. Nearly everyone I know who did it ended up regretting it, especially the "I don't usually game on PC, but since I'm getting one anyway I might as well go for it" crowd. Unless you're 100% sure you'll be doing a lot of gaming on that thing it probably won't be worth the added cost, bulk, weight and reduced battery life.
 
Fbh

Fbh

Member
As others have said, a 3060 is probably the best you can get in that price range.

Just be aware that depending on what you'll be using the computer for, a gaming laptop might not be the best option. You'll usually be trading stuff like battery life and form factor for the sake of gaming performance, specially if you go with the cheaper models and not the fancy $1500+ ones.
 
LordCBH

LordCBH

Member
Just know that if you’re getting a laptop that can game, you’ll want to sit near a wall outlet in your classes. Even doing every day tasks these things have next to no battery life. Especially the $700-$900 ones cause the battery and build quality are the first things they skimp on to cut costs. (Looking at you, Dell, eith your plasticy abomination of a G series laptop. Worst build quality I’ve ever seen come through my store.)
 
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Ev1L AuRoN

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
I owned a "gaming laptop" for a while and really regretted. It's heavy, battery life sucks, and the power brick is another nightmare to deal with, performance leave a lot to be desire compared to a desktop. Guess I'm not the target audience. I would advise getting a lightweight laptop that can recharge off a USB type C, depending on the field you took it, even a Chromebook. If you like gaming, buy a Series S or build a desktop to go along with it. A RTX 3060 mobile is a glorified 2060 desktop class performance.
 
Topher

Topher

Gold Member
BreakOut said:
Just like the title says, I’m going back to college after 16 years and now almost everything is done online. I have not owned a computer since windows XP. Maybe 12-14 years ago. I’m looking at laptops and thinking I might as well form out a bit more to get a dedicated graphics card. So I can run some games while I’m at it.
But I don’t know shit about anything. Reading reviews is so ridiculous because you’ve got a 1 star saying it’s doesn’t run anything and a 5 star saying it’s Jesus made plastic.
If I’m looking in the $750-$999 range, what is the graphics card I should be focused on?
I can upgrade ram and ssd later on so I can save a bit of money for now. But the GPU is what I want to make sure is correct right?
I see a lot of GTX and RTX.
I’m looking for a card that can play shit at 60fps all day. (Mileage may vary per game I understand) but I’m not looking for crazy.

TLDR; Need a laptop for school, gonna get a decent GPU because I might as well. Under $1000 doesn’t need to move mountains.
Click to expand...

You may or may not be able to upgrade RAM and SSD later. In a lot of cases you cannot. In my experience, a sub $1000 gaming laptop really isn't worth it as they are cheaply made to be able to add in the GPU and they are bulky. I'd say get a non-gaming computer. You'll get a better quality laptop.
 
ReBurn

ReBurn

Gold Member
If you're going to be taking it to classes in a classroom setting I wouldn't get a gaming laptop. You're going to want something that doesn't weigh 10 lbs and won't have a dead battery in two hours.

If you're going to be doing your classes online then it won't matter as much since you can keep it plugged in. In that case you'll probably end up with a mobile 3060 like others have said. But build quality is likely going to be an issue. You'll probably be dealing with slower RAM that you can't upgrade at that price point. So be sure to ask questions about what you can and can't upgrade.
 
El Muerto

El Muerto

Member
Buy a refurb Acer Nitro from the Acer Ebay store. Comes with a 2 year warranty. A RTX3050 will play just about everything at 1080p/60fps max settings with raytracing off. Has 2 ram slots, nvme, and spot for a 2.5"hdd. Gaming laptops will have higher watthours than a regular laptop like a pavilion. Power usage will vary on what tasks you are doing but for schoolwork the battery will last much longer. But gaming laptops can be heavier.
 
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BreakOut

BreakOut

Member
Lots of good info. I appreciate you guys. Gonna browse through some sites and check out recommendations and see what I can come up with. Battery being an issue is something I never even considered. I’ll look at that too, is there a setting on a laptop like a “low power” mode on a phone?
 
BreakOut

BreakOut

Member
Trazyn the Infinite said:
I would say just get a tablet. iPad with a Pencil works wonderfully and will do basically anything you need for the vast majority of school needs. Also has games on that too.

Or just go for a MacBook. You can get a gen or two older one for pretty cheap and just run BootCamp if you really want to play windows exclusive games on the go. Agani, will do basically everything you ever need a laptop to do in school. Plus macs tend to be the industry standard for any design work.
Click to expand...
This was the original plan. But I’ve heard boot camp doesn’t work on the newer Apple chips. (I don’t know if that’s true) I was also warned by the counselor and some students that the schools I guess.. sign up for counselor and submit stuff website (the hub or whatever) doesn’t do well with Apple products.
That’s the main reason I’m getting one. I’d of totally used my phone to do everything and just used the schools computer lab when I needed too.
 
daveonezero

daveonezero

Banned
KellyNole said:
I agree with people saying don't get a gaming laptop. The battery in those things is usually not the best and they are bulkier. A MacBook with all-day battery life will be a better bet.
Click to expand...
Unless it is a Ryder 3 Asus Zephyrus or something but you need to spend $1600.
 
nocsi

nocsi

Member
UltimaKilo said:
In school and need something that gets the job done, will be cheap and last you years? Get an M2 MacBook like people have said above.
Click to expand...
Definitely. School is also for socializing, so it'd be better to get a mac. If you're so desperate to play games, Macs will run a lot of emulators at full speed now
 
supernova8

supernova8

Banned
LordCBH said:
Just know that if you’re getting a laptop that can game, you’ll want to sit near a wall outlet in your classes. Even doing every day tasks these things have next to no battery life. Especially the $700-$900 ones cause the battery and build quality are the first things they skimp on to cut costs. (Looking at you, Dell, eith your plasticy abomination of a G series laptop. Worst build quality I’ve ever seen come through my store.)
Click to expand...

Yeah trying to get a refurb Zephyrus G14 or something (for a little bit over $1000 maybe) would be ideal since that apparently has decent battery life (for a gaming laptop).

Those big lunky ASUS TUF laptop will probably run out of battery super quick.
 
D1STORT1ON

D1STORT1ON

Neo Member
One thing I don’t see mentioned while scanning through the comments is that you probably should first look at what your college says is needed for your major. Certain majors will require specific software and will also list minimum required specs. Once you know that, you can probably start to narrow things down a bit more.
 
BreakOut

BreakOut

Member
I’ll keep you all posted. I’ll definitely put up Amazon links before I make the buy and get some opinions and information. It’s just a community college, going into the nursing program there. So the laptop really is meant for using their website.
I really think windows is the way to go for me. Compatibility aside, I think it’s more comfortable. (Love my iPhone though) Typing up papers, making notes and doing research on anything. These are it as far as I know. Once I’ve finished the course requirements and enter fully into the nursing program specifically I may need a certain piece of software, but for now I think it’s very open.
 
BreakOut

BreakOut

Member
Another question, putting gaming completely to the side for a second, is 8 GB of DDR4 on a laptop sufficient? If I needed to have multiple tabs open and be running zoom while uploading a document or some thing?
 
MachRc

MachRc

Member
yes,


grab the new surface lappop 5, or wait til the surface laptop 4 drops in price.
Pretty much the standard of laptops, go to best buy and get a feel for them as the bigger ones are better for typing than the smaller form factor ones.
 
Ozzy Onya A2Z

Ozzy Onya A2Z

Member
As a side option...

Phones have some pretty amazing capabilities and form factors these days. If you're using a Samsung smartphone look at some of the newer models using Samsung DEX. Basically, buy a foldout keyboard/mouse, an Office 365 sub or similar and you're good to go for most things school or work. Connect a controller, such as Xbox bluetooth, and you're good to go. The newer phones/Samsung also let you connect multiple bluetooth devices, so you can have earbuds/headphones, a controller and your mouse/KB combo going. At any stage/location you can easily setup a monitor, docking station etc and when you're at school or on the go you have everything in your pocket or backpack etc.

The reason I post this is its tiny! Fully featured, powerful, portable and not super expensive depending on which model of phone you go with. You get internet anywhere, connect to whatever services you wish, have your email in once place, all your files at home, travelling or at school etc. It's actually a pretty decent option, I use this often when I day travel and don't want check-in baggage or a hefty load to carry etc.

 
ReBurn

ReBurn

Gold Member
MachRc said:
yes,


grab the new surface lappop 5, or wait til the surface laptop 4 drops in price.
Pretty much the standard of laptops, go to best buy and get a feel for them as the bigger ones are better for typing than the smaller form factor ones.
Click to expand...
I have a 15" surface book 2 with a 1060 that I used to game on. It was a laptop that I could use to game, but it wasn't a gaming laptop. Some of the surface devices are pretty good at games but CPU and memory bandwidth could throttle them.
 
RoboFu

RoboFu

One of the green rats
MacBook Air m2 would fit very well for school. I use one as a meeting / note taking laptop. It’s way better than the surface I had before it.
 
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Rubik8

Rubik8

Member
D1STORT1ON said:
One thing I don’t see mentioned while scanning through the comments is that you probably should first look at what your college says is needed for your major. Certain majors will require specific software and will also list minimum required specs. Once you know that, you can probably start to narrow things down a bit more.
Click to expand...
On college tour trips with my daughter I was asking about the computer requirements for engineering. I was shocked to learn that over 50% of kids were using Macs. 20 something years ago when I was studying engineering, it was PC or nothing.
 
thicc_girls_are_teh_best

thicc_girls_are_teh_best

Member
Brand-wise stick with Lenovo, Asus or Dell in general but if you're considering something higher-priced ($1,000+), you can throw some HP and Acer options in there. Maybe even a Microsoft Surface though from what I've seen you are paying a premium for those compared to the high-end of other non-Apple brands for essentially the same or in some cases lesser specs.

Also get one that supports Thunderbolt 4.0 in case you want to have the best way to expand with eGPUs. On that note I'd also recommend only laptops that are quad-core and dual-threaded and up, but if you can get one with 8C/16T that'd be the best balance (also gives you more eGPU options because those will primarily be CPU-limited).

I'm not planning on a laptop upgrade for a couple more years so can't recommend any specific models, just some tips to keep in mind for whenever you're hunting for one. Oh, and make sure it has an internal SSD; any with an internal HDD is an automatic skip, obviously. A microSD card port that lets a card be flush with the laptop when inserted would also be good to go for. Make sure it supports Wifi 6 or Wifi 6E, if it has an ethernet port that's a bonus. Proper HDMI Out, and personal preference I would go for one with some type of steel/aluminum chassis at least in part and has really good colorspace and at least 1440p resolution on the monitor.

If you can get one with multiple USB ports that would be good too, otherwise you'll need a splitter like what I had to do for mine (SIIG makes solid quality ones at a cheap price, but the ports are 2.0 speed. That should be perfectly fine though for pretty much any I/O device).

I know your post is mostly focused on the GPU but I feel that doesn't mean much if there are other areas of the laptop lacking due to it. Like if you have a capable 3050 or 3060 in there it won't matter much if the screen has ghosting or blurring issues, or low color space so things end up looking washed out or muted. Or if the internal speakers are shit. Stuff like that. But for your price range I think you might be able to find a solid enough laptop with one of those GPUs (make sure the laptop has a mux switch option in the BIOS between the iGPU and dedicated GPU, and power profile options for the dedicated GPU to make sure it can perform at the advertised speed; some laptops advertise the GPU power as one thing but gate the TDP meaning in practice it'll never perform at that level) in it and meeting some of the other tips I was mentioning above.

AlteredForms said:
P.S.

Don't buy a HP.
Click to expand...

Their Spectre line of laptops get very good reviews but those are their high-end products, not surprising. On the cheaper side yeah, def avoid HP. I've had technical issues with their laptops and desktops in the past that just seemed to never get resolved with tweaks and updates.
 
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L

Lasha

Member
I would just buy something like an Acer aspire 3 for work and save up for an actual PC. Battery life is a major drawback for gaming laptops. They also tend to be noisy as fuck unless you mess with the fan curves. I have a gaming laptop that I functionally use as a PC when I am away for more than a month. Otherwise I do all of my work on a cheap 500$ Acer.
 
Yoboman

Yoboman

Member
AlteredForms said:
Why do you have to do him like that for? From the opening post it appears as though BreakOut BreakOut is in his 40s and a career change is definitely on the table. I wish him all the best with what he plans to study and hope it works out.

P.S.

Don't buy a HP.
Click to expand...
Well I haven't heard someone say 411 for about 20 years
 
flying_sq

flying_sq

Member
I bought a gaming laptop a couple years ago, has a 10series i7, and a 2070 in it. It's my first gaming laptop, and I like it when I go on trips, but be aware, it is heavy, even in power saving modes you won't get much battery life. One little thing I didn't realize, if you are not plugged in, it drastically cuts performance on the GPU. I would go from 80-90 FPS in MW19 to maybe 15-20. The heat, loud fans, and low battery life made me decide to get a second device to use on a day to day basis. I was deciding between a macbook air, and a Samsung tablet. Almost pulled the trigger on the macbook air, but then got a screaming deal on an S8+ with a keyboard for $350. If anything get a decent laptop, then save up for an external gpu holder and get a desktop card.
 
KO7

KO7

Member
I’m in my early 40s and went back to school starting last year. Went with a refurbished MacBook Air M1 and super happy with it (I’m in the apple “ecosystem” and don’t game on my laptop though). I mostly use it for note taking, PDF textbook reading, and PowerPoint referencing.

When not using it for school, it does the job for YouTube, web browsing, spotifying. The battery life is beastly (for my usage), temps never run hot, and it’s fairly light to haul around.

Good luck!
 
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Sensates

Sensates

Member
The Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED has RTX3050 and above, OLED screen, slim, light weight, doesn't look too gaudy and around 1k USD.
 
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