Laptop For College(Computer Science)

[G.Ashwinkumar]

Guys i'm now going to enter college(writing board exams now). And i want to ask you two questions,

1.Should i buy a laptop now or buy one after finishing the first year. I have this doubt because few of my friends recommended me to wait saying i wouldn't need a laptop for most of the first year and by the time i finish the first year i'll know which one to buy(And its gets a bit cheaper) and have a newer one. Others say its better to buy one now use it for four years then get a good one later and move on. So should i buy a lappy now or after a year?

2.Should i go for a 30-40k laptop now and again upgrade after 2nd or mid 3rd year to another 30-40k one then or buy something in the 50-60k region now and use it for the entire college life(4 years). Which would be better? I'm asking this because the 30-40k laptop which i get in maybe mid 3rd year or at the end of 2nd year would equally perform with the 60k one i get now.
(Which ones would you recommend Flipkart or Amazon(Indian Version plz no Amazon.com Links plz) or retail is also ok or if abroad need international warranty)
Note: I have a Windows 8.1 x64 license so even if it comes with DOS its ok for me.
Specs: Would prefer SSD(even if its 64 or 128 gigs over HHD)
13 inch screen and 1080p atleast(Higher better!)
Weight no problem(I mean it)
Battery atleast 4-5 hours otherwise its practically useless for me.
Ram bare minimum 4 gigs but would prefer a 8 gig one.
Softwares to run (Maya, Maybe one or two VM's, Unreal Engine 4,Photoshop,Visual Studio few other code related stuff)

Did i miss anything?

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Will you be playing any games, recent or future titles? If yes, neither of your budgets is enough. Also, performance and battery life don't go together. And no, a 30-40k future laptop may not perform the same as a 60k laptop now. It may perform same as the current 30-40k laptops. All depends upto the inflation, taxes, OEM's greediness, etc.

 

[G.Ashwinkumar]

Will you be playing any games, recent or future titles? If yes, neither of your budgets is enough.

An answer to my question would have better. Will i play games yes maybe but would i purchase a lappy to just play games no. Hope you understand, i'll be happy with whatever i'll be able to play with my lappy. And even if i want to play games then i still think i would be able to play games at both the budget. Definitely not all settings maxed out with AA turned on but still the 60k region should easily play recent games with maybe 40-50 fps as for i know! If i'm wrong prove it.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

An answer to my question would have better. Will i play games yes maybe but would i purchase a lappy to just play games no. Hope you understand, i'll be happy with whatever i'll be able to play with my lappy. And even if i want to play games then i still think i would be able to play games at both the budget. Definitely not all settings maxed out with AA turned on but still the 60k region should easily play recent games with maybe 40-50 fps as for i know! If i'm wrong prove it.

Sadly, 840M is the best GPU you can get for laptops under 60k
*www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-840M.105681.0.html

Recent games are playable at 1366*768, med-high settings. In 2 years, to get playable framerates, you'll have to come down to 1280*720 med settings or even worse.

 

[G.Ashwinkumar]

Ok leave the gaming thing please.Any particular suggestions? Lappy models, versions those kind of things(India)? Any particular laptop recommendations. I just looked at the new Mac lineup. Now don't get mad at me. You can get cheaper and better ones from others. But that's the problem. I don't know why but here in India the competition is not doing good. The other Lappy miss something. And are overpriced compared to the US prices. So maybe a macbook pro with student discount? I know I can't game but man osx doesn't have so many and I really don't care. Plus the battery life 10+ hrs? No one else is nearby.. What's your take?

And as far as graphics goes I think the Nvidia 840M overpowers the Intel 6100 iris series!

Update 1: just read a few other threads and saw your xotic recommendation. I actually have an aunt in us and she'll return to India in a few months so that's actually a good option for me. But can she directly buy it and bring it along with her or what about taxes and other stuff? Is it worth the hassle? What about warranty? And yes please leave the gaming thingy! I think I made my requirements clear..

Update 2:I now got more confused on which one to buy after seeing a few more products. The new Dell xps 13 and the Surface Pro 3.Ths former though can't munch in too much of graphic performance still looks good while the latter fills in my tablet requirements as well with a docker I could get a neat keyboard and is ultra portable.. Help me choose one guys! The more I search the more I get confused. And also I'll be happy to buy a lappy from usa(aunt has gone there and she might return in 2 months) if there is international warranty.. Also as I'm a student I could grab any student rebate if available.. Help me.

 

[$hadow]

If she brings the laptop as her personal computer which is allowed one per person there will be no customs.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

We are allowed to carry one laptop free of duty as a personal luggage without it being inside the box it came with. No customs, no shipping charges, no taxes at all.

And Force 16GC is worth it, costs 51k only (direct price conversion)

 

[kkn13]

frankly mac is overrated and overpriced
the 10 hours battery life is not true
3 of my friends have macbook airs and 1 pro and within 2-3 months,battery life etc diminishes to 4 hours
rather get an ultrabook or something

also dont worry ,people here will exaggerate and discourage you saying 'gaming laptops cant game,will not play games after 2+ years'
all that is total bs im sorry to say
my 7520 is nearly 2-3 years old now and it still plays newer games like a charm on high settings

most members here have alot of unjustified hate towards laptops and tablets and Apple,most people havent even tried out these things properly

Just avoid ULV cpu unless you dont want it for games and youll be ok

 

[$hadow]

I simply love Mac coz of it's battery life. Even after using many laptops I am yet to hit that 9hr+ mark on a laptop.

 

[kkn13]

I simply love Mac coz of it's battery life. Even after using many laptops I am yet to hit that 9hr+ mark on a laptop.

sadly the battery life advantage isnt true in Mac
my friend gets normal battery life on Air

iPad Battery life is certainly the best amongst all tablets but not for Macs

 

[Minion]

Ok leave the gaming thing please.Any particular suggestions? Lappy models, versions those kind of things(India)? Any particular laptop recommendations. I just looked at the new Mac lineup. Now don't get mad at me. You can get cheaper and better ones from others. But that's the problem. I don't know why but here in India the competition is not doing good. The other Lappy miss something. And are overpriced compared to the US prices. So maybe a macbook pro with student discount? I know I can't game but man osx doesn't have so many and I really don't care. Plus the battery life 10+ hrs? No one else is nearby.. What's your take?

Don't get Mac since you are a student and sometime you need to use windows only softwares.and since you are going to run maya,photo shop your prority should be good display.

 

[G.Ashwinkumar]

If she brings the laptop as her personal computer which is allowed one per person there will be no customs.

Thanks for the info. You're sure about it? And another doubt instead of a laptop can she bring a pc(all components). Note: Just asking for information purpose not gonna buy a pc.

We are allowed to carry one laptop free of duty as a personal luggage without it being inside the box it came with. No customs, no shipping charges, no taxes at all.

And Force 16GC is worth it, costs 51k only (direct price conversion)

It seems it's priced good. But what about warranty? Just in case I screw up something where do I go for help? Also it has a 5400rpm drive by default should i swap it? And also should i go for a processor upgrade(i7-4800MQ) in it? (most programs are processor dependent not that much on graphic card and they really live higher clock speeds).

frankly mac is overrated and overpriced
the 10 hours battery life is not true
3 of my friends have macbook airs and 1 pro and within 2-3 months,battery life etc diminishes to 4 hours
rather get an ultrabook or something

also dont worry ,people here will exaggerate and discourage you saying 'gaming laptops cant game,will not play games after 2+ years'
all that is total bs im sorry to say
my 7520 is nearly 2-3 years old now and it still plays newer games like a charm on high settings

most members here have alot of unjustified hate towards laptops and tablets and Apple,most people havent even tried out these things properly

Just avoid ULV cpu unless you dont want it for games and youll be ok

I know which members you mean! And I do know that I'm still gaming with a retired graphic card. The Nvidia 8400 Gs. It's totally out of the game but I just over clocked it heavily and awesome natural cooling system (ripped of the case) and am still able to play battlefield 3 and the folks at low to medium settings(A turned off) ! Still playable! But I do here from many that macbook have good battery life. Maybe you're friends haven't calibrated it or something like that? Maybe a faulty piece? And still 4 hours aint that bad considering many offer only that with a brand new lappy.
Get an ultra book or something well which one any recommendations? Why not a ULV processor? It does save a lot of battery right? Maybe when I game (rarely) put the lappy in performance mode?

I simply love Mac coz of it's battery life. Even after using many laptops I am yet to hit that 9hr+ mark on a laptop.

So you recommend me to get a Mac? Which version do you think would suite me?

sadly the battery life advantage isnt true in Mac
my friend gets normal battery life on Air

iPad Battery life is certainly the best amongst all tablets but not for Macs

OK so I'm getting mixed opinions in this? But what about other things? Which one would you recommend me to buy?

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Don't get Mac since you are a student and sometime you need to use windows only softwares.and since you are going to run maya,photo shop your prority should be good display.

Well can't I run on specific softwares in a VM? I already have a 8.1 key so it shouldn't be a problem. Yeah a good display would be nice but not definitely a 4k at the price range. But the problem is everyone would like to get a piece of hardware that's good in everything. Good display, speed, power for the cheapest possible price tag why wouldn't one right? So can you recommend me any particular laptops?

 

[$hadow]

Well I got my Gpu and PS4 with out any customs. Just remember one thing you have to bring the product in unpacked mode.

- - - Updated - - -

sadly the battery life advantage isnt true in Mac
my friend gets normal battery life on Air

iPad Battery life is certainly the best amongst all tablets but not for Macs

Might be some difference in his usage scenario. Every one in my family is easily able to touch 6 hrs of normal or office use.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

It seems it's priced good. But what about warranty? Just in case I screw up something where do I go for help? Also it has a 5400rpm drive by default should i swap it? And also should i go for a processor upgrade(i7-4800MQ) in it? (most programs are processor dependent not that much on graphic card and they really live higher clock speeds).

If you want the best config in this budget, you'll have to sacrifice the warranty. And people always assume they're gonna break a thing or two but it rarely happens. Most people require ASS because of manufacturing defects only. No point in HDD upgrade, rather add a 128 GB ssd to it. You'll get best of both worlds, speed and storage space. You decide about the processor but I think it'll hardly matter.

Forget ULV processors. They'll be crap for the performance you are aiming for.

 

[Minion]

Well can't I run on specific softwares in a VM? I already have a 8.1 key so it shouldn't be a problem. Yeah a good display would be nice but not definitely a 4k at the price range. But the problem is everyone would like to get a piece of hardware that's good in everything. Good display, speed, power for the cheapest possible price tag why wouldn't one right? So can you recommend me any particular laptops?

You will not get same performance in VMs. I would suggest
Idea Pad Flex 2-14 FHD (Grey)(59-429729)
Lenovo Flex 2-14 | Ideapad Laptop | Lenovo India | The DO Store

I know this is not the most powerful laptop within your budget but it has a 1080p IPS display , backlit keyboard,lighter at 1.9Kg and has a NVidia 820M graphics which will handle Maya and Photoshop and some occasional games.

and if you want the most powerful laptop within your budget then you have to go with zotic PC that saiyan has suggested but sadly you have to compromise on warranty.

 

[mitraark]

Some things I want to say:

* Laptop use : 5% studies, 95% not-studies

* Don't go for lightweight, go for basic sturdy model, college = brutal use of laptop

* Good GPU preferred, no not for Maya or AutoCAD, you'll definitely be playing games at some point in college.

* Import laptop - HNOOOOOOO !!!!! You're almost surely going to need RMA while in college, go for a brand with more than decent after sales service, opt for extended warranty, it'll be worth it.

 

[$hadow]

Yes, Op has to prioritize what he wants. And along that there are laptops which International warranty.
But I can vouch for the above mentioned 3 points

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Some things I want to say:

* Laptop use : 5% studies, 95% not-studies

* Don't go for lightweight, go for basic sturdy model, college = brutal use of laptop

* Good GPU preferred, no not for Maya or AutoCAD, you'll definitely be playing games at some point in college.

* Import laptop - HNOOOOOOO !!!!! You're almost surely going to need RMA while in college, go for a brand with more than decent after sales service, opt for extended warranty, it'll be worth it.

My friends haven't required RMA in last 4 years even though they bought low end laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo

If build quality is good, it'll do fine even for >5 years without needing service. You should be worried about manufacturing defects which show up during initial stages only which can be avoided if the laptop is thoroughly tested. This rarely happens for laptops sold in India in that budget.

 

[mitraark]

I am using a Lenovo laptop since 2009, it has survived 4 years of inhuman usage in college, 24x7 running at 70 C... no problems yet.

College students have many problems, it's more likely than unlikely that youér laptop will face some kind of accident, better be safe and invest in extended warranty.

 

[$hadow]

Unless you drop the laptop, I don't think you need RMA.