Help Me Find a New Laptop - Budget $1000

Ljmal4580 on 06/04/2016 - 21:39
Last edited 06/04/2016 - 21:48 by 1 other user

Hi all,

Would hugely appreciate some help here. I am donating my MacBook Pro to my girlfriend as I spilled milk over her Mac air and flooded it beyond repair.. I am looking at switching sides and getting a windows device (Have had a mac for the past 7 years).

I am looking for a laptop with the following;
-Preferably i7 processor.
-Good graphics card
-Preferably thin

Looking to see what I can get for around $1000. Willing to stretch budget for right device.

Needs to be taken to uni and able to run architecture, engineering based programs.

Thanks all in advance! Find me a bargain!

• 

  sweefu on 06/04/2016 - 22:40

  I recently bought a dell latitude e7450 from the dell outlet.
  i7
  8gb ram
  geforce 840m graphics card
  I paid $1100, build quality is excellent.

• 

  cDNA on 07/04/2016 - 00:39

  You're not gonna get a thin laptop with a good graphics card. Your budget is way too tiny.

  Try for Dell Inspiron 15.6" or Lenovo E560 or HP Envy

• 

  klaw81 on 09/04/2016 - 13:12

  +1

  I guess it depends on what you call "thin" and "good GPU" but your shopping list:
  -Preferably i7 processor.
  -Good graphics card
  -Preferably thin
  Is more like $1500-1700 worth if you want to buy new.

  Since you're used to Mac prices, that's peanuts, right? :-)
  Here's one to get you started: http://www.dell.com/au/p/inspiron-15-7559-laptop/pd
  Or here's another option: http://www.metabox.com.au/store/b183/Metabox-Alpha-N550RC-La…

• 

  bloobat on 30/04/2016 - 17:44

  Jbhifi are currently offering 400 dollars off this Dell Inspiron so it's $1498: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/dell/del…

  It comes with a 6th gen i7 (latest gen) 8gb of ddr3 and a 4gb 960 gpu so a very powerful spec for the money and you could easily add another 8gb stick of memory to give yourself 16gb ram.

  Downsides are apparently screen isn't fantastic although it is full HD and also it's a plastic build so doesn't look very high end though design is still nice. It's also not light but still portable.

  Like others have said your going to struggle at the 1000 dollar mark

• 

  Diji1 on 01/05/2016 - 11:02

  http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeF…

  I'm currently looking at this although I'm looking for the best bang for buck mobile gaming performance strictly.

  Intel i5-6300HQ 2.3 GHz Quad-Core (6M Cache, Turbo up to 3.2 GHz)
  NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
  8 GB DDR3L / 256 GB Solid-State Drive
  15.6-Inch FHD IPS, Wide-Angle, Anti Glare Screen.

  In the Dell Inspiron 7559 family I think this is an "Amazon exclusive" as far as I can see because no one else has the model with 256GB and 1080p IPS for $799USD as far as I can see. I'm making sure I can use shipping forwarders to send it as there is no shipping outside USA and Amazon has some "we cant do international shipping due to rules" message.

  I think this laptop with a 1TB 5400 system disk is a bad buy because you will wait for everything to load at excruciatingly slow speeds. For example I have read that Adobe Photoshop takes 51 seconds. So if I got the i7-6700 version I would budget to add an SSD (which is very simple, 1 phillips head screwdriver to remove 1 panel).

  If IPS display is important to you (if you don't know I would say yes you want that for visual image quality) ensure you are getting an IPS display as I have seen many models 7559 series models that don't mention this as a feature.

  From you perspective the main sacrifice your making with the 7559 model is looks and build quality: it's plastic and it looks it and it warps and bends a bit. It's thin for a gaming laptop but definitely not thin compared to an ultrabook and also it's quite heavy which makes it a PITA to lug around University.

  I have seen the i7 1TB version twice on Dell AU in refurbished condition (ie. as new with full Dell warranty) for 899 and 929 AUD delivered but you gotta be quick as they go fast.

  Honestly from what you say I would consider the weight aspect of this carefully if you intend on lugging it around university a lot - I think lighter options could well be a better choice.