Your budget is very tight. I would suggest used Thinkpad like T430 with new battery and extra RAM/SSD

If you don't want used, Ideapad 120s or Chuwi stuffs

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Apr 30 2018, 11:43 AM

Never heard of chuwi. How good is this brand? Do you have any model you recommend?

Reviews of their stuffs are quite good. Cheap, good build quality, OK battery life, IPS display (some are high quality 3:2 panel). Can't comment on reliability. Warranty handled by importer so buy at your own risk. Most of their stuffs are good, just compare the specs. At such price range they offer the best options.

If you want 14 inch, Lapbook 14.1, though this model isn't that good. I recommend Lapbook 12.3.

Laptops in this price range have sacrifices so check reviews from Notebookcheck or Ultrabookreview (Anandtech or TechRadar for Chuwi laptops reviews)

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Apr 30 2018, 12:14 PM

I've read the reviews, and think this the lapbook 12.3 seems good too. But where can you buy this? I've looked around but couldn't find a place that isn't just an online shop shipping from overseas.

was reading your recommendation
Lenovo Ideapad 320S 14 - i5-8250U, 4GB, 1TB HDD, 920MX GDDR5, IPS

(need more confirmation) Lenovo Ideapad 320S 15 - i5-8250U, 4GB, 128GB SSD+1TB HDD, MX130 (940MX)

Acer Aspire 5 15 - i5-8250U, 4GB, 1TB HDD, MX150, TN

Acer Swift 3 14 - i5-8250U, 4GB (can’t upgrade), 256GB SSD, IPS


can i slowly upgrade the ram and ssd for these models. tight on budget but would like to have the option to slowly scale up the performance by adding ram and change to SSD?

This post has been edited by sebastianX11: Apr 30 2018, 02:30 PM

I would still suggest both upgrades. However if your budget don't allow, upgrade SSD first then RAM.

Additional question, given the price different is not that great with your suggestions to upgrade both ssd and ram.
Would you choose Asus UX430U over Lenovo 320S?
I do understand Asus is i3 vs i5 of Lenovo but I’m unsure I can tell the difference

Depends on your usage. UX430UA has better display, slightly better build quality and slightly better battery life. And more portable too. 320s 14 has better CPU performance and slightly better keyboard. Also dGPU.

Zenbook is premium consumer line while Ideapad 300 series is budget consumer line so there might be differences in QC too

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Apr 30 2018, 04:36 PM

Thank you very much. Time to ponder.

New Ideapad 530S coming soon?

Any suggestion for Lenovo,prefer ssd+hdd, light weight for working purpose. Budget below3k

320s 14 or 15 with 8250U, 52Wh battery and IPS panel. 14 inch model need manual upgrade SSD. Both models need RAM upgrade.

Thanks for the suggestion, I have done some research of this model price, if I choose ssd+hhd there is 500~extra than just 1tb, do you think if just for working purpose ssd is that really important?

SSD important for smooth OS. HDD runs laggy

1. Preferred brand: Any
2. Budget: 2-3.5k
3. Usage: uni studies, casual gaming (dota, fortnite)
4. Screen Size: above 13"?

would prefer laptops that are available at retail stores, thanks

This post has been edited by monkaGIGA: Apr 30 2018, 10:32 PM

Heard that this china manufacturer brand Thunderobot laptop easily got overheat problem, is that true? Or should I just go for Lenovo y520 better?

Brand doesn't matter. Thunderobot sells custom laptops like Clevo and Quanta. 911 SE is based on N850HK1 which runs very hot

Ideapad 320s 14/15, Acer Aspire 5 with 8550U+IPS+SSD, Lenovo Yoga 520 with 8250U. All need RAM and SSD upgrades except for Aspire 5 i7 model.

So it means not suitable for playing games for long hours, and cooling system is bad too?

Games should be OK with some undervolting, still the temps will be high. And yes the cooling design is bad despite 2 heatpipes for both CPU and GPU (seperately). Culprit? Wrong fan choice, poor airflow and design flaw

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: May 1 2018, 09:20 AM