Programming Laptop for Uni Budget $800~

Eevee on 25/05/2019 - 14:32

I'm looking for a laptop for programming in Uni, but there are just so many options to choose from I'm just really lost on what to go for.

My budget is around $800 and I'm after the following qualities:
-Lightweight
-Long battery life
-Decent enough for programming, no need for heavy graphics cards for any sort of gaming

I'm only going to use this for around 2 years or so whilst I'm studying as most of the time I prefer to use my desktop at home.

Are there any suggestions? I've done a lot of research and there's much to choose from:
-Thinkpad E495 (current deal here https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/459011)
-Acer Swift 3
-Dell Inspiron 15 options
-Acer Aspire
-Asus Vivobook

I've also seen the Xiaomi Noteobok Air being recommended from polls but I can't find any that are under $1k.

Can anyone help me narrow down options? Feels like I could go for anything at this point.

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • AdamFury on 25/05/2019 - 15:13

    Don't buy the Xiaomi Air. I bought the latest model about midway through last year. Thermal issues everywhere. Luckily GeekBuying honoured my PayPal claim and accepted a return and refund. I ended up getting a Dell XPS 13.

    The XPS would be over your budget but I can recommend as someone who is studying IT, it definitely seems as though there is a pretty big curve towards using Dell machines.

    • kyori on 09/06/2019 - 04:59

      how long the battery life like?

  • Fishdog on 25/05/2019 - 15:53

    If you are fine with refurbished/used, I'd look into getting an older generation Thinkpad X1 Carbon (anything but the second generation), or one of the older T series laptop, preferably the S variants, as they all have excellent keyboards and are built like tanks, as they are business class laptops.

    If you want new tho, the Thinkpad E480 is a good option, as there is almost no difference between last generation and the current one (E490 series). Exact same updated chassis, same quad core CPU, little performance increase. To further that, the Ryzen laptops tend to not have the best battery life, so go for this E480 if you dont want a refurbished model. Shopback also has 14% cashback to boot, so that comes to $721 all said and done. I would buy a larger SSD after the fact if you need more storage, and backlit keyboard is $50 extra. Good luck!

    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/…

  • pjetson on 25/05/2019 - 19:54

    Dell Factory Outlet?

    https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet

  • Mibo on 27/05/2019 - 21:40

    Also, see if you can get devices cheaper with UniDays discounts.
    Edit: It might not be but it's good to check.

  • tonykakkar on 13/05/2020 - 03:41

    If anyone is still looking for a programming laptop then at this time 8GB RAM is the minimum requirement and SSD drives are preferred more. You can check this reviews and minimum system requirement needed for a developing https://www.thecrazybuyers.com/best-laptop-for-programming-a…

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