We have already established that every laptop is all about the compromises.
So perhaps it's not a bad idea to get two devices that will perform better than one device that compromises on everything.
Let's have a look at available options:
- 200€ - Kindle Fire 7 with keyboard and cheap gaming desktop (with monitor)
Modern 200€ laptops are better than ever. Laptop-grade processors are almost on par with their desktop counterparts, 8GB RAM on most models, SSD drives everywhere, even the driver support for budget laptops improved significantly over the years. They easily handle all office work, internet research, and you can even do some light gaming on them.
The cheapest device that I would recommend for taking notes and comfortable use with simple applications is Kindle Fire 7 with a keyboard. (for more details check out Part 1 of this article: https://steemit.com/hardware/@hwtrendsetter/laptops-for-students-2019-edition-part-1-extremely-cheap-solutions )
The monitor that's good enough for budget desktops (also mentioned in Part 1 of this article) costs around 20€
So after spending 60€ for Fire 7 with a keyboard and a monitor, we are left with 140€ for the desktop.
How to get one on a cheap? First - buy a 'base tower' (basically an old office desktop that has at least an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, and 500 GB hard drive). Then buy and install a brand new gaming graphics card that doesn't require any additional power cables (for example AMD RX 560).
It's a really simple process. Many computer enthusiasts try to convince people that building the whole computer is very easy. And inserting a graphics card is one of the easiest parts of that already simple process.
Just follow any tutorial on Youtube, for example here:
So let's spend 50€ for a base tower, such as this one:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/707-53477-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575410747&toolid=10001&campid=5338345295&customid=&icep_item=123864679880&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229487&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg
(it's a good idea to shop locally if you can because desktops are usually rather heavy and shipping costs tend to be very high)
And let's spend 90€ for a graphics card (for this price I would recommend AMD RX 560).
But depending on your needs you could buy cheaper graphics card such as GT 1030 if you don't need to be able to run absolutely everything, or more expensive graphics card such as GTX 1650 if you want to play on higher settings).
RX 560 buying options:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/707-53477-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575410747&toolid=10001&campid=5338345295&customid=&icep_item=133124834942&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229487&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/offer-listing/B01J1J7WOM/ref=olp_page_5?ie=UTF8&f_used=true&f_usedAcceptable=true&f_usedGood=true&f_usedLikeNew=true&f_usedVeryGood=true&m=A2CVHYRTWLQO9T&startIndex=40
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/offer-listing/B01J1J7WOM/ref=olp_page_5?ie=UTF8&f_used=true&f_usedAcceptable=true&f_usedGood=true&f_usedLikeNew=true&f_usedVeryGood=true&m=A2CVHYRTWLQO9T&startIndex=40
https://www.mydealz.de/deals/powercolor-radeon-rx-460-red-dragon-2gb-fur-9195-xfx-rx-460-single-fan-4gb-fur-10894-masterpass-nbb-869316
So for 200€, you can take notes in class, use basic office applications on the go, charge your mobile device with a power bank, and play all the latest games on medium settings at home. Not as convenient as 200€ laptop, but worth considering if you ask me.
- 1100€ - Gaming laptop and office laptop
I mentioned in Part 2 of this article, that for 750€ seems very expensive for a laptop that can be massively outperformed by 500€ laptop. And the only downside of 550€ laptop is its battery life.
If you have 1100€ to spend, there is Lenovo Yoga 730 that will be able to handle some games and also provide you with acceptable battery life.
But if you spend 1100€ in total, and get a proper gaming laptop and a proper office laptop, you will get both better performance in gaming and longer battery life (with similar processor performance) in office applications.
For a gaming laptop, I recommend Asus FX505D or Acer Nitro 5. They both cost around 550€ and have Radeon RX 560 X graphics card. Acer Nitro 5 comes with 16 GB RAM with 128 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD and a slightly weaker processor. Asus FX505D comes with only 8 GB RAM but slightly more powerful processor and 512 GB M.2 SSD. So it's up to your personal preference, but they both will perform much better than Lenovo Yoga 730 in every application.
https://www.idealo.de/preisvergleich/OffersOfProduct/6438087_-fx505dy-bq052-asus.html
(use offer code PROTECHNIK )
https://allegro.pl/oferta/outlet-acer-nitro-5-ryzen5-8gb-120-1tb-rx560x-win-8022976994?fbclid=IwAR28HOD8OFGtzoALtxY-B7yRkhP7_HnXmfel0ct0U_DaV9awt_MdOgL3Kpw
For office laptop that costs 550€, I recommend Lenovo L480 with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. It's about what you need from an office machine with the ability to charge with a power bank. It also supports rapid charge technology, allowing you to charge it up to 80% in less than 1 hour.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/707-53477-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575410747&toolid=10001&campid=5338345295&customid=&icep_item=143282522686&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229487&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg
https://allegro.pl/oferta/laptop-lenovo-thinkpad-l480-i3-8130u-8gb-256ssd-8441846357
Alternatively, if you need more portability, consider Microsoft Surface GO. It's a tiny screen (10 inches), ability to use as independent (and very light ) tablet, supported by the performance that's good enough for office applications (and even very light gaming if you're bored during the lecture) makes it a very good alternative. Just make sure you are getting a version with 8GB RAM and 128 GB SSD, as the one with 4 GB RAM variant comes much slower EMC storage (and will struggle even during web browsing).
The price for Surface GO 8/128GB tablet + keyboard comes down to around 530€
https://www.amazon.es/Microsoft-Surface-Go-Ordenador-port%C3%A1til/dp/B07FFVXZR1/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=surface%20go&qid=1567000077&s=gateway&sr=8-3&fbclid=IwAR2oIr6bQzy9-gOnaUGRghICPKM3uHgosXhP1ZRIpetxirYz5wLrdBbyl6w
https://www.amazon.es/MoKo-Surface-Teclado-Inal%C3%A1mbrico-Bluetooth/dp/B07L8VLRG6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=surface%20go&qid=1567000077&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzU0VUUFhHUlNJSEU1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDg3ODU1WFQ0RlJNQTk0QVZXJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA2MjkwNjA1QkZMM1FLSUhLMjAmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&fbclid=IwAR0mpr1BMeAA-yI50SNXBa479jgfdikWv3VT5w28y7pfMk5fAagvsmZ5ZbM
- 2500€ - Thin&light laptop with decent battery life and external graphics card
1699€ Razer Blade Stealth 13 is pretty decent on its own. It features a decent graphics card, very good processor, fantastic battery life, and it can be charged with a power bank.
But you can also add an external graphics card to it and enjoy the best possible gaming experience available on the go.
If money is no object to you, I would recommend a configuration like this:
1699€ Razer Blade Stealth 13 16/512 GB with MX150 4GB
https://www.amazon.de/Razer-Blade-Stealth-Ultrabook-Quad-Core/dp/B07KRFTGV1/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_pl_PL=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=1PGPSM8C8L0OH&keywords=razer%2Bblade%2Bstealth%2B2019&qid=1567697849&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A14725842031&rnid=392660011&s=computers&sprefix=razer%2Bblade%2Bste%2Caps%2C203&sr=1-2&th=1
339€ for Razer Core X (external GPU enclosure)
https://www.razer.com/eu-en/gaming-laptops/razer-core-x
469€ for RTX 2070 Super
https://www.mindfactory.de/Highlights/MindStar/view/compact
https://www.mindfactory.de/Highlights/MindStar/view/compact