Need a College Laptop!

[Hornakb7]

Hey guys I'm going of to college next year and majoring in engineering and I'm looking for a new laptop that will meet my standards. However, I'm not very tech savvy by any means so I apologize if I do not make my standards clear or understand what qualities I am directly seeking. I am looking for

-A reliable laptop that will last hopefully all 4 or 5 years
-Something with sizeable RAM that will be able to maintain all of the programs associated with engineering
-Something that can run moderate gaming at respectable speeds
-Something that isn't going to be obsolete any time soon and is the best that I can get with my budget of around $800-$1000

Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[carnageX]

What kind of engineering are you going into? What will you mainly be doing (i.e. what programs?)? AutoCAD? Programming? Do you need a super-long battery life or would you rather have more performance?

 

[Hornakb7]

As of right now I am undeclared and will be taking programming classes to start off, but my main considerations are mechanical or environmental so to play it safe, I would like to be prepared for mechanical engineering programs. In terms of battery life vs. performance, I would prefer a battery that can last me around 6-8 hours and whatever performance accommodates that, I would accept. I am not looking for any computer for significant gaming so performance of that magnitude is not necessarily needed.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Good, you aren't playing WoW when you are supposed to be studying.

A friend on here has tthis exact laptop and loves it:

ThinkPad X220 12.5" Laptop | Shop | Lenovo | US

It has excellent battery life, and packed with goodness.

 

[Hornakb7]

Lenovo was actually recommended to me by a friend and is my number one option right now. I heard they are very durable and can last years without issue.

 

[Hornakb7]

The only thing is I was considering at least an i5 processor. For that reason, would you recommend something more like the Lenovo T420 or a different brand?

 

[carnageX]

Asus and Lenovo IMO are ones to look at. Both are high quality and built very well.

 

[MindoverMaster]

IMO, the higher end Acers are good, too. But staying with Lenovo or ASUS is a safer bet.

 

[tj_extreme]

Asus and Lenovo IMO are ones to look at. Both are high quality and built very well.

+1. Have had many laptops from both companies without issue.

 

[carnageX]

Sony Vaios used to be good... but are starting to lack in quality as well.