Recommendation for a Laptop Suitable for Uni and Gaming (Budget $1k to $3k)

Hi gang,

I've been asked to find a uni laptop for my brother-in-law that can also handle some light gaming. The amount of options available these days is overwhelming and I'm super out of the loop.I was hoping i could get a steer in the right direction.

I need to give a few options, from budget-centric choices (around $1,000) then mid-tier up as high as $3,000 max.

Being that it would be for uni it needs to have a half-decent battery life and be fairly light.. let's say 2.5kg or less.
Preferable that it's more subtle in design and not overly "gamer aggressive" and fat.
Screen size preferably 15" but could do 14".
Minimum of 16gb ram
min 500gb hard drive, though 1tb preferred

Things i don't have clarity on would be the likes of should i be sticking with an i7 processor (or AMD equivalent), or will an i5 cut it? I don't want it to be too slow and i want it to be able to last a couple of years.
Games played would likely be team games like rainbow 6 and rocket league, but the option to play better stuff might be nice as well. I was thinking a 20 series card would be more than enough? Or should i be looking at a 3060 model? Conversely, could I go cheaper with a 16 series card?

A few options I've looked at so far include:
Razer blade
ROG Zephyrus
MSI Stealth
Predator Triton (though the battery life isn't the best, apparently)
TUF Dash 15

I'm happy for you to throw a few suggestions to me, as I need to give a short list with pros/cons of each option.

Comments

  • +2

    Have a look at https://www.metabox.com.au/ - you can do custom builds for what you want.

    I have 1 and bought a few for family + work, and they are great!

  • +1

    I got one of the ASUS TUF 505DT and upgraded to 16gb ram - pretty good for some casual gaming and med school studies.
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/497582

  • +2

    I've got the Zephyrus G14, and I love it so far. However, the one I have is the 2020 version (without the camera, which can be a bit of the pain if you do a lot of zoom calls), but the newer 2022 one has a webcam.

  • +1

    Dell G15? Intel i7 12700H, RTX 3060, 16GB (2x8) DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, 400 nit 2560x1440 240Hz display, RGB Keyboard

    Type in your student email here for two codes, use the second one for an extra 7% off the already discounted price.

    That's just one option, choose what suits the required needs and budget.

    • What sort of battery life are you seeing?

      • +1

        I've ordered one but I don't have it yet sorry.

        To add to my first reply, make sure you use Cashrewards.

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