Laptop for $1000

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ChristineNZL

242 posts

Master Geek

#208419 11-Feb-2017 08:46

My friend's son is about to start a Creative Media Production course at Massey and they have sent him a list of computer requirements. Sadly the budget is $1000 and we have no idea where to start or if it is even possible to get what he needs for that price.

Here is the minimum PC laptop requirements:

Intel i5 or i7 processor

16 GB memory

SATA or Sold State Drive (256 min)

USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt for external drives

Display capable of QHD (2k)

Dedicated graphics with NVIDIA Geforce card

15 inch screen

Windows 10 Professional

Minimum Mac Laptop:

MacBook Pro (2015 or more recent)

16GB Memory

15 inch screen

Thunderbolt Port

Obviously the MacBook is not going to be an option for the budget and I don't know where to start with the PC laptop requirements so I'm really hoping someone on here might know of something that will suit or can just say "you're dreaming!" and what the budget needs to be.

Thanks,

Christine

lxsw20

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#1718552 11-Feb-2017 09:23

I'd think you would be looking more around the $2-3000 mark for something with those specifications. The QHD Display is what will make it an expensive laptop. Also Windows 10 Pro is not on most laptops, it will be the home edition so may need to factor the upgrade to pro into the budget.

ChristineNZL

242 posts

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#1718554 11-Feb-2017 09:26

Ouch! Thanks.

gzt

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#1718558 11-Feb-2017 09:49

I think something is lost in translation. This spec looks like an ideal requirement, not a minimum requirement. For example there are very few laptops on the market with QHD.

That kind of spec is almost one specific machine and you could ask the school what it is : ).

Do you have a link to the course recommendations? That will be direct info.

Handle9

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#1718559 11-Feb-2017 09:49

For that budget you'd probably need to go ex lease rather than new

RunningMan

8965 posts

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#1718562 11-Feb-2017 10:06

Putting it in perspective, given it's a creative media course, then the spec of machine they'll be looking at will be at the higher end of the range

ChristineNZL

242 posts

Master Geek

#1718563 11-Feb-2017 10:15

They say "If you're stretched for cash, bring what you already have and we'll give you some advice once you arrive. If you have a recent model MacBook Pro, that should be fine". It goes on to say "If you are planning on purchasing one please make sure you follow the minimum specs we recommend for a new machine" and then it gives the specs I mentioned up top.

gzt

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#1718564 11-Feb-2017 10:23

RunningMan:
Putting it in perspective, given it's a creative media course, then the spec of machine they'll be looking at will be at the higher end of the range

Agree. I'm surprised if QHD is an absolute requirement but maybe it is.

My thinking is students have and can book editing suites and so on for course work. Surely full HD would be enough for working from home? Full HD (1920x1080(or1200)) brings the price into the reasonable range with a lot more to choose from.

The QHD spec above looks like starting at 2500 if you are very very lucky. The most value for money is around 3200. 1K is a good deposit. The rest is going to be student loan or finance.

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Lias

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#1718566 11-Feb-2017 10:36

As others have said.. $1000 isn't even close to what's needed here.

Cheapest I can find that seems to meet the bill is the Asus ROG G501VW-FI074T

$2,178 on sale at Mighty Ape if you have cash, or $2,236 at PBTech if you have Q Card

https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/15-6-asus-rog-i7-gtx-960m-4k-gaming-laptop/24996936

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKASU501074/ASUS-ROG-G501VW-FI074T-Gaming-Notebook-156-4K-UHD

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RunningMan

8965 posts

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#1718568 11-Feb-2017 10:47

ChristineNZL:

They say "If you're stretched for cash, bring what you already have and we'll give you some advice once you arrive. If you have a recent model MacBook Pro, that should be fine". It goes on to say "If you are planning on purchasing one please make sure you follow the minimum specs we recommend for a new machine" and then it gives the specs I mentioned up top.

Given this, it seems the requirements are not completely rigid, but a recommendation for best performance. If the student has a laptop with lesser specs, then some tasks may be slower or more difficult.

They seem open to contact - I'd get hold of a course co-ordinator or similar and actually discuss it with them. They'll be able to advise what is critical, and what is negotiable - it may be for example that screen size is critical to get all the windows for a given app open, but processor / memory requirements can be reduced with render times taking a bit longer... they may also have some of last years students selling hardware.

ChristineNZL

242 posts

Master Geek

#1718625 11-Feb-2017 12:12

Thanks everyone. Great advice and it will save him trying to look for something that for his budget he wont be able to get. I think once he has started he can get some advice from the lecturer and start from there.