xDayan Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Hey guys, I've decided to go to college, and I am in need of a new laptop... My budget $1500 max with accidental damage protection for a min of 2 years (want 3 if possible) Willing to spend a little more if I can get one with a dedicated gpu, as it would be nice to play some games but not required the accidental damage is more important. Also want good battery life, or at least like 5 hours while browsing the web/ watching movies, also would like it to be not too heavy Here is a laptop I have found that's well within my budget, but haven't had any luck finding reviews on it. http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-7548-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC#overrides=dncwq5223s:33~CCADP4;29~Q4O4P The second one...its $1,147.99 before tax (has 4 years accidental damage for that price) Anyways thanks in advance! -xDayan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinaryData Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Hey guys, I've decided to go to college, and I am in need of a new laptop... My budget $1500 max with accidental damage protection for a min of 2 years (want 3 if possible) Willing to spend a little more if I can get one with a dedicated gpu, as it would be nice to play some games but not required the accidental damage is more important. Also want good battery life, or at least like 5 hours while browsing the web/ watching movies, also would like it to be not too heavy Here is a laptop I have found that's well within my budget, but haven't had any luck finding reviews on it. http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-7548-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC#overrides=dncwq5223s:33~CCADP4;29~Q4O4P The second one...its $1,147.99 before tax (has 4 years accidental damage for that price) Anyways thanks in advance! -xDayan I think you're expecting too much. 4k? Really? That isn't needed for any educational purpose. I was once like you, wanting a laptop that could serve as my educational & addiction device, I mean gaming. But I've come to the realization that if I can game on it, then I will. I lack self-discipline, not saying you do. Honestly, I dislike Dells and HPs. I've found that they can be absolute junk, even the Dell Techs I work with in the Data Center, hate Dell laptops. Acer Aspire E5-771-74E7 - This is the laptop I'll be buying. I don't know why you need 3 years accidental, do you plan on playing hot potato with your laptop? I'm incredibly careful with my electronics, simply because I don't want to have to replace it. I shop on NewEgg and Amazon to see the variety of offerings; ASUS ROG GL551 Gaming Laptop - I changed this one a fair bit. Better graphics, SSD with a backup of 1TB drive. With 2 year Accidental, you're looking at around 1200$ - 1300$. I still have my Alienware, from before Dell's acquisition. It runs like a champ, and it's over 5 years old. I've dropped it once, and I carried it every where. Literally, every where. Church, school, work, I'd even carry it in my backpack when I rode my bike. The Acer will be used for educational purposes, and EVE Online (Updating Skills Only), and that's it. I'll program, use photoshop, etc.. Nick H. 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JHBrown Subscriber¹ Posted April 17, 2015 Subscriber¹ Share Posted April 17, 2015 With a healthy budget like that, I'd recommend picking up a Sager laptop with a GTX 960/970. You can even configure one with a GTX 950 if you will only be doing light gaming in between study sessions and classes. Checkout LPCDigital or XoticPC. http://www.xoticpc.com http://www.lpc-digital.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xDayan Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 I think you're expecting too much. 4k? Really? That isn't needed for any educational purpose. I was once like you, wanting a laptop that could serve as my educational & addiction device, I mean gaming. But I've come to the realization that if I can game on it, then I will. I lack self-discipline, not saying you do. Honestly, I dislike Dells and HPs. I've found that they can be absolute junk, even the Dell Techs I work with in the Data Center, hate Dell laptops. Acer Aspire E5-771-74E7 - This is the laptop I'll be buying. I don't know why you need 3 years accidental, do you plan on playing hot potato with your laptop? I'm incredibly careful with my electronics, simply because I don't want to have to replace it. I shop on NewEgg and Amazon to see the variety of offerings; ASUS ROG GL551 Gaming Laptop - I changed this one a fair bit. Better graphics, SSD with a backup of 1TB drive. With 2 year Accidental, you're looking at around 1200$ - 1300$. I still have my Alienware, from before Dell's acquisition. It runs like a champ, and it's over 5 years old. I've dropped it once, and I carried it every where. Literally, every where. Church, school, work, I'd even carry it in my backpack when I rode my bike. The Acer will be used for educational purposes, and EVE Online (Updating Skills Only), and that's it. I'll program, use photoshop, etc.. I wasn't going for the 4k one just the 1920x1080 Scaling at 4k sucks atm, and well battery life is more important then pixels atm (to a point) That Asus looks really nice for that price I'll have to consider that, the real reason I went with dell was, I had them as a kid and the warranty was unmatchable for the time, I had a xps1530 and they basically replaced it 3 times in the 4 year period I had it. For $1377.99 with 2 years ADP that might be the one. I'll have to debate whether 200 bucks is worth 2 less years of ADP, just for alittle more gaming But yeah the real reason I want accidental damage is I don't want to have to buy another laptop until I'm either done with college or almost done, as I currently have the funds but most likely wont in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinaryData Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I wasn't going for the 4k one just the 1920x1080 Scaling at 4k sucks atm, and well battery life is more important then pixels atm (to a point) That Asus looks really nice for that price I'll have to consider that, the real reason I went with dell was, I had them as a kid and the warranty was unmatchable for the time, I had a xps1530 and they basically replaced it 3 times in the 4 year period I had it. For $1377.99 with 2 years ADP that might be the one. I'll have to debate whether 200 bucks is worth 2 less years of ADP, just for alittle more gaming But yeah the real reason I want accidental damage is I don't want to have to buy another laptop until I'm either done with college or almost done, as I currently have the funds but most likely wont in the future. I feel you, I'm paranoid about my electronics. I do my best to keep liquids away and especially food. But I will say that no matter how cautious, it is nice to have a back up plan. I would suggest talking with the company about potentially purchasing more time, if you need it. If you don't mind me asking, how long are you in school for? I'll have my Masters within the next 3 years (Before I'm 30 [God I feel weird saying that]). My laptop will be used for recording my campus classes. I'm taking 6 in total, English, Math, Interpersonal Communications, and 3 Online ones. While working 40 - 50 hours. Then there is the girlfriend thing, ahh man, damn life sucks! I want more than 24 hours in a day. Anyways, I'll be more than happy to keep looking for laptops. Check NewEgg, or TigerDirect out, they have some pretty gnarly deals. I bought my mom's laptop for 700$ (OP was over 900$). NewEgg screwed an order up and gave me a discount of 10% off any electronic (Only 1). I do like that ROG Laptop, but in the end, I don't need gaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xDayan Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 I feel you, I'm paranoid about my electronics. I do my best to keep liquids away and especially food. But I will say that no matter how cautious, it is nice to have a back up plan. I would suggest talking with the company about potentially purchasing more time, if you need it. If you don't mind me asking, how long are you in school for? I'll have my Masters within the next 3 years (Before I'm 30 [God I feel weird saying that]). My laptop will be used for recording my campus classes. I'm taking 6 in total, English, Math, Interpersonal Communications, and 3 Online ones. While working 40 - 50 hours. Then there is the girlfriend thing, ahh man, damn life sucks! I want more than 24 hours in a day. Anyways, I'll be more than happy to keep looking for laptops. Check NewEgg, or TigerDirect out, they have some pretty gnarly deals. I bought my mom's laptop for 700$ (OP was over 900$). NewEgg screwed an order up and gave me a discount of 10% off any electronic (Only 1). I do like that ROG Laptop, but in the end, I don't need gaming. First year of college going for my Associates in BA that can transfer to a 4 year uni, only taking the 12 credit hours this quarter as I don't want to overwhelm my self as I haven't been to school in like 7 1/2 years, once I get a full grasp on going to school again I'd like to take a few more classes at a time and just get it over with as I do want my bachelors before I'm 28, depending on how I can budget my expenses I might be able to not have to work while going to school or very little as I should have about 4k left over from grants I qualify for (Will be considerably less once I transfer to a university) Debating whether I want to take out the subsidized loans and put the money in savings in case something happens that I need the money for, but I have to see if I can stick to my budget this summer before I fully commit either way, as no point in taking out the money if I'm just going to blow it on random bs lol. How does using the mic on the laptop work out for recording your classes is it decently clear? I was talking with someone who was using their phone to record it, and he said it worked out well for him. But man I wouldn't want to work 40 - 50 hours a week and go to class, I would be to distracted from work to study, then again I'm not sure I want to get my masters either I've been avoiding college because I could I could get by without going, but sometimes that piece of paper means the world of difference even if you have a lot of experience in a field. Oh and this is the first year I can get the pell grant and thats helps alot... Anyways enjoy needing 30 hours in your 24 hour day =P Edit: I noticed your in WA you going to UDub, or WSU, or a smaller university, I'm going to SPSCC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iogbrideau Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I'd go with the ROG. This is what I did when I went back to college back in 2010, and never regretted it. Never needed the 2 year accidental warranty that came with it either. And working with all Dells at work, I have learned to hate them quite a lot. They have a pretty high failure rate (mostly Precision desktops and Latitude laptops, the precision laptops are the only models that we haven't put many on warranty yet). Can't upgrade Dells like you want either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted April 17, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 17, 2015 Oh yeah I have problems upgrading my dell latitudes e6430's that came with 4GB of memory and a 500GB Hdd. It wouldn't accept 16GB of memory or a 256GB Samsung Pro I put on it....I actually had to use a screwdriver and put them in...how dare they not go in via osmosis or unpack themselves and perform the install without user interaction. The also have this pesky issue with not being able to dock themselves or plug themselves into the wall...I mean really, shouldn't they do this by now? On a serious note, what are you having problems with upgrading on a latitude. I have never had an issue upgrading anything in the e series line when it comes to drives or memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iogbrideau Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 That's not what I meant. It's to do mostly with their desktops, like the T3600 saying the power supply can't power the computer when you use 2 sticks of 8GB instead of 4 sticks of 4GB, as an example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted April 17, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 17, 2015 I have experience with older precision workstations. Read post #1. http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN285280/EN According to this, the recommended configuration for 16 gb is 4x4, not 8x2. Going outside of this config seems to deem the workstation useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iogbrideau Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I agree that the recommended config should be followed, but Dell representative didn't even tell my colleague (who didn't research enough apparently) anything about that when he ordered the ram. Workstations still run without issues, you just have to press F1 on startup. Edit: just remembered the last workstation we upgraded we used the recommended config and it still has the power supply issue, 4 sticks of 4GB with the recommended spec, ordered directly from Dell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spy beef Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 MacBook Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted April 17, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 17, 2015 this is what cruical says: Notes about your system: The 425W Power Supply, 90 Percent Efficiency is not compatible with DDR3 RDIMM Memory. The power supply will need to be upgraded if DDR3 RDIMM memory is needed. http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Dell/precision-workstation-t3600 purchase unbuffered not rdimm.. precisions are just that they need a precise config to be able to function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iogbrideau Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 this is what cruical says: http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Dell/precision-workstation-t3600 purchase unbuffered not rdimm.. precisions are just that they need a precise config to be able to function. Yeah I had found something along those lines. None of the Dell techs we talked to were able to give us an answer and you found this this fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc302 Veteran Posted April 17, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 17, 2015 I go to crucial for my memory needs...they seem to be the most compatible and the least amount of failures as well as having good information for different hardware. Brandon H 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aergan Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Inspiron are Dell's more entry level Hey guys, I've decided to go to college, and I am in need of a new laptop... My budget $1500 max with accidental damage protection for a min of 2 years (want 3 if possible) Willing to spend a little more if I can get one with a dedicated gpu, as it would be nice to play some games but not required the accidental damage is more important. Also want good battery life, or at least like 5 hours while browsing the web/ watching movies, also would like it to be not too heavy Here is a laptop I have found that's well within my budget, but haven't had any luck finding reviews on it. http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-7548-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC#overrides=dncwq5223s:33~CCADP4;29~Q4O4P The second one...its $1,147.99 before tax (has 4 years accidental damage for that price) Anyways thanks in advance! -xDayan Inspiron are more of an entry level but I would not bother with touch screen on a laptop (unless you're actually looking for a tablet / convertible device instead). If you want the warranty and a dedicated mobile class GPU, then have a look at the XPS series. They start at your maximum budget but you can often find 10-20% off codes for Dell via just browsing their site, joining their VIP club or a simple Google search. Mine retailed at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typu Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 i would buy a macbook air for that. can be even a model from last year. less bucks spent, good value in return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconian Guppy Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 +1 for asus laptops. +1 for asus laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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