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Forums - PC Discussion - Need some help for choosing Laptop for college.

Hi guys long time no see. I've been busy preparing for college so I rarely visit this site. Sorry for that

 

So I want to purchase laptop for my college and so far I have 2 ooptions. The first one is the older ASUS X550VX with i7 6700HQ and GTX 950M. The second one is the newer one (also ASUS) X550IU with AMD FX 9830P and mobile RX 460. Both have 1 TB storage and I think X550VX only support up to 2133 MHz RAM while X550IU supports 2400 MHz RAM.

 

Apparently the X550VX has a stronger CPU but weaker GPU w hile the X550IU is the opposite. Also I've seen some issues with GPU switching in X550IU. So which one should I choose for gaming and a little video editing? 



A handheld gamer only (for now).

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Personally I would pick the first one as you will likely be relying on your CPU when doing your day to day tasks.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-6700HQ+%40+2.60GHz
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-9830P&id=2911

Is it at all possible to get a machine with a SSD in it?



What kind of college work do you need for a laptop? The first one is quite unbalanced with it's powerful CPU, but lackluster GPU, the second one has an ok CPU and GPU. Not having an SSD in a laptop now is a bit of downer.



No SSD in a laptop with otherwise high-end hardware should be criminal in 2017.

OT: Out of these two, the i7-based one is the better option, if you are willing to compromise a little bit in games. Your everyday work will mostly be CPU-based, and that 6700HQ is a powerful one.



caffeinade said:

Personally I would pick the first one as you will likely be relying on your CPU when doing your day to day tasks.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-6700HQ+%40+2.60GHz
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-9830P&id=2911

Is it at all possible to get a machine with a SSD in it?

It's possible to insert an SSD but you have to remove the DVD drive AFAIK. Yes, it still come with DVD Drive.



A handheld gamer only (for now).

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WolfpackN64 said:
What kind of college work do you need for a laptop? The first one is quite unbalanced with it's powerful CPU, but lackluster GPU, the second one has an ok CPU and GPU. Not having an SSD in a laptop now is a bit of downer.

If you exclude daily task like Office and Web Browsing I'll use it mostly for gaming. However I also do a little video editing or 3D rendering.



A handheld gamer only (for now).

Xen said:
No SSD in a laptop with otherwise high-end hardware should be criminal in 2017.

OT: Out of these two, the i7-based one is the better option, if you are willing to compromise a little bit in games. Your everyday work will mostly be CPU-based, and that 6700HQ is a powerful one.

My everyday work (Office, Web browsing, Video streaming, etc) won't use the CPU to it's limit. 



A handheld gamer only (for now).

Vor said:
WolfpackN64 said:
What kind of college work do you need for a laptop? The first one is quite unbalanced with it's powerful CPU, but lackluster GPU, the second one has an ok CPU and GPU. Not having an SSD in a laptop now is a bit of downer.

If you exclude daily task like Office and Web Browsing I'll use it mostly for gaming. However I also do a little video editing or 3D rendering.

Hmm, are these really your only options? I'd rather go looking for something that at least includes a GTX 1050, the GTX950M is quite weak. I'd really look at an SSD as well, I know that'll drive up the price, but it's better for a laptops longevity since HDD's hate being lugged around.

If being CPU bound isn't a real problem, the Bristol Ridge AMD chips aren't terrible.



What I suggest is firstly, getting a laptop with a Nvidia Gefore 1050 or higher cause the performance increase should be noticably big compared to either of those.

Secondly, don't bother getting the AMD one. Until they come out with their Ryzen based laptops, they aren't worth it imo.

Thirdly, don't worry about whether or not a laptop has an SSD inside it. Most laptops will allow you to replace the hard drive and ram fairly easily without voiding the warranty. Guess what you can't replace? The cpu and gpu... Of course, first do a little research to make sure that the laptop you are buying does allow you to do that cause if it doesn't, then obviously you need to consider getting one with an SSD but otherwise, don't bother imo.



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

X550IU. It sounds like gaming is going to be a pretty big priority for you... So a strong GPU is going to be necessary. You can get by with the mediocre CPU with editing programs like Hitfilm and Blackmagic Fusion 8 and with basic day to day tasks. Just try to install a SSD