School and Casual Gaming Computer Help

LKanari on 25/03/2021 - 10:59

Wondering if anyone with knowledge can help me out. My child is in year nine and just about needs a new laptop for school. He does play minecraft and bedwars too. These recommendations have been presented

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/53361/asus-tuf-fx505dt-r…

https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/laptops-&-notebooks/gami…

The 15.6 inch with full keypad and colours are preferred. I was hoping to spend less but still want a good and reliable machine. If anyone has ideas I’d appreciate the help. Thanks.

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • oscargamer on 25/03/2021 - 11:04
    +2

    Only read the makes of the options. Asus is the way to go.

    What are the 'must have' specs?
    What's your preferred budget?

    • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 11:33

      Thanks. He’s using a 6 year old asus zenbook and it’s been good. Hoping to spend under 1k but want reliability as we’re not near a major centre. Specs for the school are
      Core i 3
      4gb ram
      128gb ssd
      Compatible with 5ghz wifi
      Internal speakers
      Audio and usb ports
      Windows 10 or higher
      7-8 hours battery

      • oscargamer on 25/03/2021 - 12:22
        +3

        The main thing in that list is battery life..

        Check out the Asus website and that can help

        Also Dell website - Do a live chat for battery life. Lots under $1000. Maybe Inspiron 15 3505 for $899 (check battery life)

        https://www.amazon.com.au/ASUS-M413-LED-Backlit-Bluetooth-Fi…

        https://www.amazon.com.au/ASUS-VivoBook-R7-3700U-Fingerprint…

        • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 13:14

          Thanks again. 7-8 hours is way more school work than they’re doing on it so I’m not too concerned if under that. I probably should have written it but do local mobs like jb and office work present good value?

      • Hellcrusher3304 on 25/03/2021 - 13:01
        +3

        Gaming laptops have poor battery life and is heavy.

        I used to bring a ROG strix laptop to uni everyday. When new, the battery lasted around 4hrs, after 1 year it lasts only 2hrs. Got sick of carrying a brick everyday and sometimes even had to bring the charger which is another 1kg or so. Now I just bring a surface go for uni and use my gaming desktop at home.

        Given the required specs are pretty low (besides the battery part), I would just buy a decent battery laptop that's lightweight, and buy a budget prebuild gaming PC from TechFast or something. You get much better bang for your buck and save your son's back from carrying a brick everyday.

        • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 13:14

          Thanks that’s good advice. I’ll take it onboard

          • jv on 25/03/2021 - 13:19
            +4

            @Kanari: You also don't want them to have the temptation of games on their laptop when at school. Keep the 2 separate.

            • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 13:20

              @jv: Yeah true that’s good advice too. I might just do that.

  • Quantumcat on 25/03/2021 - 11:05
    +1

    What does the school say are the specs they require?

    • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 11:34

      Thanks. Specs for the school are
      Core i 3
      4gb ram
      128gb ssd
      Compatible with 5ghz wifi
      Internal speakers
      Audio and usb ports
      Windows 10 or higher
      7-8 hours battery

  • YeemaiI on 25/03/2021 - 11:07
    +2

    I'd say that those laptops are overkill for Minecraft, not to mention school work.

    • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 11:36

      Yeah thanks. I’d probably agree without knowing much about what is good enough. Still wanting something to last a few years so don’t want to go too cheapo either.

      • YeemaiI on 25/03/2021 - 13:26
        +1

        Yeah, definitely fair enough. In that case, if you're looking to keep there for the next few years, Asus laptops in general aren't a bad choice.

  • Twix on 25/03/2021 - 11:09
    +1

    Here are some differences.

    Asus = 2.20kg, Wi-Fi 6 and 2 year warranty.

    Acer = 2.3kg, Wi-Fi 5, Ethernet and 1 year warranty.

    • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 11:37
      +1

      Thanks. Asus we have has been great.

  • scrimshaw on 25/03/2021 - 12:56
    +2

    Couple more options in the $1k range that might be suitable.

    Asus VivoBook S15 D533IA Ryzen 5 4500U, no discrete GPU.
    1.8kg weight. Note the display is a little dim on this model, 250 nits, but it's probably fine if used indoors.

    Can be bought for $1026.13 on eBay with eBay Plus

    Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506LI (i5-10300H/GTX1650TI). This is basically the newer version of the FX505DT you linked. And it costs less too.
    $1,159 shipped

    Asus VivoBook Flip 14 TM420 14" FHD Touch AMD Ryzen 4300 (no discrete GPU, comes with a Stylus)
    $1,099 shipped
    Cheaper from eBay for $899 with coupon PHCA10
    This is a convertible laptop and can be used in tablet mode.

    Then there's also the MSI GF65 Thin laptop for $1299 which comes with a GTX 1660 Ti and 6-core high performance variant of Core i7. It is faster than the ASUS TUF Gaming I linked, for a little more. Obviously it will be overkill for minecraft and the battery life might not be so great, which makes it unsuitable for a bring-to-school laptop. I'd stick with the TUF.
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/610275

    • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 14:12

      Thanks for that. More food for thought. Appreciate it

  • seraphim2017 on 25/03/2021 - 16:01

    https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-aspire-5-15-6-inch-r5-4…

    or the almost identical intel equivalent for a dollar less (current offer next week or so).

    I went Ryzen as it comes with a single 8gb meaning upgradable to 2 SSD's and dual channel 16gb ram. Intel one has 2 x 4gb meaning upgrading single slot (some ram is soldered to motherboard) results in losing dual channel. Not gaming focused but capable of minecraft, Grand Theft Auto on low settings, battery life and weight stellar in comparison to a gaming laptop, and decent build for the price point. They'll want something faster far before it wear out, and screen is bright enough for classroom use. Similar to a dell Inspiron 15 5000 series, so low to mid spec.

    • Kanari on 25/03/2021 - 16:53

      Thanks seraphim2017. Another option with a great price.

      • oscargamer on 25/03/2021 - 22:33

        Acer are not a quality laptop maker. Not even close.

        • seraphim2017 on 29/03/2021 - 21:26

          I'm using that laptop now and it's not a premium model. The swift was much more premium in feel, more like the vivobook or spectre, the Aspire is their seeming entry level consumer laptop.

          But OP is looking for a school laptop, not something that says look at me. This is as well put together as any other mainstream brand I've used and is a significant saving for the spec and functionality over a Dell XPS or Lenovo X1 which of course is much nicer but is also 2 to 3 times the cost.

          As a day to day laptop, this one has a reasonable spec and screen, it feels reasonably well put together, backlit keyboard which is extremely useful in lectures etc to type on, and is nice to type on. Battery life is good, and it's lightweight and doesn't flex as the back is aluminium which seems to be more rigid than a plastic cover. Is upgradable and if the label worries the OP's child, they can buy an apple sticker for a dollar!

          Acer, as most, build to various price points. This is a lower price point but is as good as the competition at this price. At $2000, buy an XPS. But you won't find an XPS for $700, you'll get a 3000 series inspiron with lower spec.

          More sensible would be a well cared for 1 or 2 generation old X1 carbon or XPS, if premium build trumps up to date internals.

  • vihand on 26/03/2021 - 12:25

    I just bought my son(same year 9) a new Asus Strix G15. I think it can last for 2-3 years with games. Personally, I would not waste money on low end one as I found out it will not last long. If you want a light weight one, you can have a look at the Asus Zephyrus G14 or new Zephyrus G15 which will have enough battery juicy and gaming power. Also check the price in US, you will find some surprises.

    US Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QV7KMQZ/ref=ox_sc_saved…

    https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/laptops-&-notebooks/gami…

    • Kanari on 26/03/2021 - 13:43

      Thanks vihand will check them out too.

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