[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

2. Would it be a good idea to buy laptop with dedicated nvidia graphics ?

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

My wife is an artist. She does a lot of video editing work. That's why I was leaning towards entry level gaming laptop (HP Victus) with nvidia graphics.

Gaming laptops offer lot of bang for the buck when compared to business/work laptops. That's because in the latter, the manufacturer focusses more on portability (weight savings) and battery life. Meanwhile, gaming laptops are bulky but will have better cooling system and hence longer life (typically). And when you compare price & spec sheet of a gaming laptop vs business/work laptop, you are getting the GPU for free!

For gaming, the GPU handles 80% to 90% of the workload. For video editing, the workload split between CPU & GPU is probably 50/50. So for your use case, you have to assign equal weightage to CPU/GPU.

[wheelspinner]

Originally Posted by EnthDriver

Coming to the second option, I have shortlisted the M3 MacBook air with 16GB RAM and 256GB as I am (kind of) fed up with windows and its inconsistencies. So I decided that macOS would be a fresh breath of air in terms of UI and overall experience.

That arrives me to the question, which of these would be ideal for my use case?

You will have a tough time repairing Macbooks. So that's a hard pass. In my experience, the battery will degrade very fast with daily use like that of a student doing projects in a library or cafe and outdoor activity without the power connected. The battery is very expensive to replace from Apple.

Unlike other laptops, the core advantage in Macs is the display and battery life. But once they are past their prime, they are very costly to maintain. But, Macs are good for developers, the ecosystem is simple. It is Unix based more or less. So you will get a hang of using terminal for doing development and writing scripts to automate stuff. Unlike Windows, MacOS is well optimised and never feels slow.

If you have an iPhone, it is a match made in heaven. It is seamless to switch between them. You can even use the iPhone main camera as a web cam and transfer browsing tabs to Safari at one go. It is nice.

Coming to ThinkPads, if you were born in my age you could have witnessed the sheer ruggedness and durability of their build quality. Nowadays, they are made out of poor quality material and won't survive rough use. They also removed that red tracker ball from the ThinkPad keyboard which used to be so nice.

[rejaneeshsr]

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations on a laptop for my college teaching hall. The primary use will be:
1. PPT presentations and other MS Office tasks
2. Controlling an audio-video-camera system
3. Hosting large Zoom conferences (with screen sharing on continuously)
4. Video playback

Budget: ₹55,000 – ₹65,000

(No MacBook please)

Would appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!

[dicor]

Originally Posted by EnthDriver

Hello BHPians,

My use case: I am first year student pursuing electrical engineering. I use my laptop primarily for browsing, reading PDFs, listening to music, coding, presentations, dual-booting fedora and for SolidWorks (CAD).


Coming to the second option, I have shortlisted the M3 MacBook air with 16GB RAM and 256GB as I am (kind of) fed up with windows and its inconsistencies. So I decided that macOS would be a fresh breath of air in terms of UI and overall experience.

That arrives me to the question, which of these would be ideal for my use case?

As you did not mention a budget, so I will try to find the best value-for-money laptop for you.

Apart from design software like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Catia, you did not mention it, but I think you have an unspoken requirement as well. Gaming!!! (I am an engineer too and I know how things work in engineering college life.) If you are a team-bhpian, you will love Forza Horizon as well, so I will include system requirements for Forza Horizon 4 along with SolidWorks.

So, you need an 8-core processor, 16 GB of RAM (avoid onboard RAM) so that we can upgrade them later, a 512 GB TLC SSD, 4 GB graphics card. Avoid onboard RAMs as we cannot upgrade them later, and prefer TLC SSDs rather than QLC, and look for service center availability in your town. Dell and HP are good for small towns as well but Asus, Lenovo, and MSI are good for only big metro cities as service is an issue in smaller towns. Avoid brands like MSI and Acer.

A decent gaming laptop would meet these requirements.

Asus ROG or Lenovo LOQ series are great choices under a budget of ₹80,000. Try to get 13th-gen Intel i5 HX or i7H processors or Ryzen 7 processors to keep your system future-proof.

Here are the top picks:

ASUS TUF Gaming A15, AMD Ryzen 7 7435Hs, 15.6-Inch, FHD 144Hz, 16GB RAM/512GB SSD/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050/Windows 11/48WHR/Graphite Black/2.3 Kg, FA506NCR-HN054W 63000/-, but honestly, it's too decorated for my taste. https://amzn.to/4hMPSWG

Dell G15-5530 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i5-13450HX Processor, 16GB DDR5, 512GB,NVIDIA RTX 3050, 6GB GDDR6, 15.6" (39.62 cm) FHD 120Hz 250 nits, Backlit KB Orange, Windows 11 + MSO'21, Dark Shadow, 2.65 kg 75000 - Better Processor https://amzn.to/4gw2Cjp

Lenovo Smartchoice LOQ 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12450HX /39.6 cm/ 144Hz 300Nits FHD Gaming Laptop (16GB/512GB SSD/Win 11/ RTX 3050 6GB Graphics/100% sRGB/MSO 21/3 Mon Game Pass/Grey/2.4 Kg), 83GS003UIN 72000– Better screen https://amzn.to/4aOJlbR

Alternatively, you can build your PC on the Lenovo official website as well. The good thing is that they offer customization and also provide 3 years of complementary warranty and 1-year accidental damage coverage at no extra charge.

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

As a recent convert to Macbooks, I can confidently say that ease of use is a breeze! I mean like everything Apple, this just works. No lag, no drama, no slowing up.

I don't think Fedora works on M3 and for Solidworks you might have to install Parallels Desktop.

MacBooks are no nonsense and long-lasting products. There are couple of things needs to understand before one buy MacBook. We can't play games which are built for PS, Xbox, Windows. Everything including accessories, apps, warranty and parts are super expensive.

Originally Posted by rejaneeshsr

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations on a laptop for my college teaching hall. The primary use will be:
1. PPT presentations and other MS Office tasks
2. Controlling an audio-video-camera system
3. Hosting large Zoom conferences (with screen sharing on continuously)
4. Video playback

Budget: ₹55,000 – ₹65,000

(No MacBook please)

Would appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!

I do not think you need to spend a bomb on these. Everything you've mentioned can be handled with a U series or Ryzen 5 processor. But to be future-proof, you can take an i5 12th gen processor.

ASUS Vivobook 15, Intel Core i5-1235U 12th Gen, 15.6" (39.62 cm) FHD, Thin and Light Laptop (8GB RAM/512GB SSD/Windows 11 Home/Office 2021/Backlit Keyboard/Quiet Blue/1.7 kg), X1504ZA-NJ521WS
https://amzn.to/4gzvneY

HP 15s Intel Core i5 12th Gen (16GB DDR4 RAM/ 512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD/Windows 11 / MS Office'2021 / FHD 15.6" (39.6 cm) + Backlit Keyboard/Silver / 1.69 kg/Dual Speakers)fq5330TU / Laptop
https://amzn.to/4jIymoe

Low budget but fit for your requirements: Lenovo V14 G3 (2024), Intel Core i3 12th Gen 1215U - (16GB/512GB SSD/Intel UHD Graphics/Windows 11) Thin and Light Business Laptop/14.0" FHD Display/Iron Grey/1.57 kg/MS Office 2021
https://amzn.to/4aRLdjU

[ThunderMurukku]

Originally Posted by EnthDriver

I am here to seek advice as I have started the hunt to replace my current HP 14s because of its ageing and the specs of this laptop won't be enough for my upcoming use cases.

From understanding your needs, you're better off with a Windows-based gaming laptop to have a smooth AutoCAD experience. Stay away from macbooks, they're great for general productivity and coding but not work which need heavy GPU power (Also add to the fact that having Apple products are an expensive affair, something I assume a student like you would like to avoid). I'm daily driving a macbook air (which has impressive hardware for the price) for the past one month, and let me tell you, macos has it's own set of shenanigans. Windows is much more accommodating of customizing it to suit your workflow.

Since you also mentioned dual-booting fedora, linux distros usually run better on non-apple hardware. Overall, even if you dont like windows, I think that your needs are better met with a windows-based gaming laptop.

Only if my macbook had great support for windows to run on it bare-metal, I would switch the OS to it in an instant. Macbooks + Windows are a match made in heaven.

[Rshrey22]

Originally Posted by EnthDriver

I am here to seek advice as I have started the hunt to replace my current HP 14s because of its ageing and the specs of this laptop won't be enough for my upcoming use cases.

Get a used HP Elitebook 840 g7 with an i7 and touchscreen. They are available for 30-40k range depending on condition. Upgrade SSD and RAM (8k investment) and spare 35k for an Android tablet with a good stylus like Xiaomi Pad 7. And you just got the ultimate combo to get your way through the college.

[wheelspinner]

Originally Posted by rejaneeshsr

I’m looking for recommendations on a laptop for my college teaching hall. The primary use will be:

I suggest going RAM heavy, 8 GB at minimum and, 16 GB ideally. If you do a lot of things with the browser like streaming Zoom classes live, it will consume a lot of memory. Make sure you have enough RAM. You can pick any mid range or even the entry level processors as you are not doing anything heavy on the processing side like Graphics or video editing. But for future proofing you can consider taking one with entry level Graphics card. Finally, take a good display. Vivobooks have decent, but you can pick the OLED if you feel it matters to you.

ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 is good for your use case. Decent quality. Not the best. But that's the case with all notebooks in this segment. Even IdeaPad isn't that reliable/durable.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by rejaneeshsr

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations on a laptop for my college teaching hall. The primary use will be:
1. PPT presentations and other MS Office tasks
2. Controlling an audio-video-camera system
3. Hosting large Zoom conferences (with screen sharing on continuously)
4. Video playback

Budget: ₹55,000 – ₹65,000

(No MacBook please)

Would appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!

Here is a laptop that would fulfil all your requirements under 60k

ASUS VIVOBOOK 16X for Creator
It comes with 12TH gen i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 with Office and Adobe Creative Cloud, 4GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Graphics and best of all doesn't look like a gaming laptop
https://www.flipkart.com/asus-vivobo...cIvQZd001PiEGM

If you want the specs of the Asus for Less
INFINIX GT BOOK
https://www.flipkart.com/infinix-gt-...cIyAPP001wG4Ji

If you want something with a touchscreen and a stylus
LENOVO IDEAPAD FLEX 5
https://www.flipkart.com/lenovo-idea...cIxuph0011RCGa

[dazdandconfuzd]

As an engineering graduate who--like many students--made the classic mistake of buying a gaming laptop for college, I highly recommend just getting a Lenovo ThinkPad, even if it's slightly old. They last for YEARS.
My gaming laptop (Asus Zephyrus G14) started showing issues before the one-year mark. Frustrated, I saved up and bought a used ThinkPad T480s--a nearly seven-year-old laptop--because I was fed up with Windows 11 and the constant issues my Asus had. I'm writing this reply on that very ThinkPad. These things are built to last, unlike most mainstream gaming laptops (which are built to a price).
Unless youreallyneed the extra horsepower (or plan on gaming), just get a ThinkPad. The new T and P series ThinkPads are expensive but worth it. If the new ones are out of budget, a used ThinkPad is a fantastic alternative--just like the one I'm using right now.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by EnthDriver

Hello BHPians,

I am here to seek advice…I am first year student pursuing electrical engineering. I use my laptop primarily for browsing, reading PDFs, listening to music, coding, presentations, dual-booting fedora and for SolidWorks (CAD).

Leaving the specifics aside, the most important thing is to talk to seniors at your university, who have presumably used the programs you will be using and taken the courses you will be taking. Something running “slower” might be tolerable but something not running at all can involve making late night trips to the computer lab before submissions. Ask me how I know.

In recent years it is more than just macOS incompatibility as a lot of primitive software does not run on the new ARM-based processors particularly. There are programs that I have had to use for coursework that worked on my older x86 Mac but not my new one (gtkwave for example, which I assume an electrical student might also need at some point). Even the VMs that can emulate other processors are usually far slower than those that use your native architecture.

Personally as a CS student the Mac experience has been just okay. For starters parallel compute support for the integrated GPUs on the ARM-based chips using Apple Metal is a good bit inferior to CUDA or ROCm on a dedicated NVIDIA/AMD GPU.

Oh, and I once flunked an open-laptop midterm because apparently the GNU tools that ship with Mac comply with a slightly different standard for C/C++ than my professor used (ISO vs ANSI) which in my case led to the whole question not compiling at all (and all questions were based on whether the program compiles or not).

OTOH, I haven’t charged my laptop since Friday, I think

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

The laptop is not meant for WFH. It is a going to be personal laptop for home use.

I am familiar with the usual i5/i7 and R5/R7 processors. I am seeing some laptops with Intel Ultra and AMD Ryzen Pro processors. What are these processors targeted at ?

Processors and technical specifications aside, do check which laptops are good to 'use'. I have seen some good specification laptops with great looks (ultra processors/ big memory, sleek design) having exceptionally bad speakers (and audio software) and hopeless display quality and not so great keyboard layout and touchpad sensitivity. This is often overlooked and one realizes it only after getting the laptop and starting to use it. Focus more on hardware and software quality than processor specs. My office laptop is a lenovo with top of the line processor, but there is no Dolby software preinstalled, which makes audio quality other than calls very poor.

I got a Dell G15 laptop having two year old processor two months back, and very happy with my purchase. It is a gaming laptop essentially, but since I am not into latest games, it is a good companion in the bedroom for late night keyboard wars The speakers are loud, the display is crisp and has full sRGB color coverage, this makes a huge difference when watching movies or viewing/sorting your icloud photos. This paired with Dolby support can make your simple headphones sound great. Yes, it is heavy, big and not so aesthetically pleasing, but it really doesn't matter once you have opened it up.

These ultra/pro processors are usually targeted at content creators as image/sound processing gets intensive when making videos in 4k or 8k, but for normal usage, frankly, they are an overkill. If you are into it, it makes more sense to get a Mac as they have it all sorted, plus you get the best display and sound quality (Only, one can forget about running games on it!)

[Aroy]

With RAM prices at a reasonable level (8GB = 4k or less), there is no reason to get a laptop with less than 16GB RAM, 32GB will be even better in long run, as applications are slowly increasing the RAM requirements.

Similarly SSD are also decreasing in price, so at least 512GB SSD or better still 1TB SSD.

[rohan_iitr]

Thanks for all the inputs and suggestions.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

The way things are these days you will find more value if you simply cough up some extra cash and buy a 15inch MacBook Air

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Probably you should seriously look at Mac Mini (60k).

Originally Posted by bijims

Ideally, Macbooks are the best for your use case,

Since the laptop would be reimbursed by my employer, Apple is not being considered.

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Gaming laptops offer lot of bang for the buck when compared to business/work laptops.

Originally Posted by wheelspinner

You will have a tough time repairing Macbooks.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Processors and technical specifications aside, do check which laptops are good to 'use'.

I am leaning towards entry level gaming laptop (HP Victus) as it seems to be offering bang for buck and acceptable looks.

I have seen few reviews and they are mostly positive. Need to see it in person, though.

Unfortunately, Victus is out of stock currently. Need to have a plan B.

[Mr_Slowly]

Originally Posted by EnthDriver

Hello BHPians,

I am here to seek advice as I have started the hunt to replace my current HP 14s because of its ageing and the specs of this laptop won't be enough for my upcoming use cases.

My use case: I am first year student pursuing electrical engineering. I use my laptop primarily for browsing, reading PDFs, listening to music, coding, presentations, dual-booting fedora and for SolidWorks (CAD).

I have shortlisted following laptops:
The first one, Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 6 (AMD) with Ryzen 5 7530U, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD

Why ThinkPad?

Because they are robust machines and they last for years and they have their own special appeal.

Coming to the second option, I have shortlisted the M3 MacBook air with 16GB RAM and 256GB as I am (kind of) fed up with windows and its inconsistencies. So I decided that macOS would be a fresh breath of air in terms of UI and overall experience.

That arrives me to the question, which of these would be ideal for my use case?

The options to which you have narrowed down are good.

But I would recommend you to go for Ryzen 7 at least because I have seen my friend's Ryzen 5 (older gen though) struggle at times. For that reason, I would highly recommend you to go for model with Intel processors (i5 or i7). As a ThinkPad user, I will be happy to report that the machine is robust and built to last(I'm using L14 currently).
But since you are considering MacBook Air, I would recommend you to go for the same just because of the sheer raw power which I think windows laptops just won't be able to match. Also, The build of MacBooks is also great and it won't be a compromise at all.

My recommendation would be to go for MacBook, eyes closed. I would suggest you to buy an external SSD with MacBook if you go with 256 Gigs of memory.

Regards

[rohan_iitr]

I have narrowed down to HP Victus. Which of the following configurations would be better ? (AMD vs Intel)

https://www.hp.com/in-en/shop/victus...x-a94bwpa.html
AMD Ryzen™ 7 processor
Windows 11 Home
39.6 cm (15.6) diagonal FHD display, 144 Hz refresh rate
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4050
16 GB DDR5-5600 MHz RAM
1 TB SSD Hard drive

https://www.hp.com/in-en/shop/victus...x-9y0z1pa.html
13th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor
Windows 11 Home
39.6 cm (15.6) diagonal, FHD, 144 Hz refresh rate, 9 ms response time display
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4050 6GB
16 GB DDR4 RAM
1TB SSD Solid State Drive