Following up on the excellent GeekBook X14 Pro, GEEKOM has kindly sent me the GeekBook M16 to review for r/suggestalaptop as well, free of charge. I had high hopes for this unit, and I was surprised in many different ways. In the end, I will go through everything with you below in as honest and fair a manner as I can manage, so letās get started, shall we?
To begin, the GeekBook M16 is GEEKOMās third laptop released, and one aimed at being a more budget oriented unit versus the X14 Pro and X16 Proās premium design. Despite being a more budget oriented unit, the GeekBook M16 is actually still a thin and light ultrabook with an all-metal chassis, a fairly nice screen, and an attempt to remain quiet under most operations, so I will as before be reviewing it in this capacity. I believe this machine has done an excellent job in the measures theyāve taken to cut costs, and even has some improvements over its big brothers in some ways, and I will do my best to go through every aspect of the unit for you all below!
Snug packagingWhat you get in the box
SPECIFICATIONS AND CHASSIS
My specifications as provided by GEEKOM are as follows:
Intel Core Ultra 185H
16GB of LPDDR5 at 6400MHz
512GB Kingston om8tap4512k1 a00 SSD that is replaceable
a 1920 x 1200 60Hz 100% sRGB colour IPS screen
a 99Whr battery
There is a second SSD slot that is free for further storage upgrades. As for its expansion slots, the laptop has
1 x USB-C port at USB 4 40Gbps speeds
1 x USB-C port at 10Gbps
1 x HDMI port
2 x USB-A gen 3.2 ports
1 x 3.5mm audio jack
By default, it also comes with the same USB-C expansion hub as the X14 Pro and X16 Pro, adding two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, an ethernet port, and a USB-C port replacing the one it takes up, so expansion is not lacking with this device in the slightest.
With the price being $849 USD at the time of this writing (with frequent discount coupons on their website), these specifications are quite excellent, especially in todayās market. Most notable is the screen being 100% sRGB, and the number of ports. The chassis is also STILL full metal unibody, though it is aluminum instead of the magnesium alloy thatās on the X14 Pro and X16 Pro. The difference is that the chassis is ever so slightly more of a stain magnet, such as with fingerprints and whatnot. Itās easy to wipe off, but I still have to point it out. Otherwise, there is little to no difference in the chassis. The screen has almost no wobble, the keyboard has very little flex, closing the unit does not press on the screen, and the chassis feels quite sturdy. Iām honestly surprised theyāve managed this level of quality at this price point. The keyboard is also very excellent. It took me a small amount of time to get used to the spacing (I kept hitting numlock instead of backspace and O instead of I etc) but after a few minutes it felt natural again. As a lover of full keyboards this one is wonderful, and I have very high praise for it. All in all, I have only praise for the unit design. The touchpad is also improved from the X14 Pro. On the X14 Pro the āclickā areas were quarter circle regions at the bottom left and bottom right edges of the trackpad, but the M16ās trackpad has proper rectangular click regions that reach all the way to the bottom middle section. Itās a great improvement that arrived quickly after the last units they made, and Iām glad to see them trying to improve.
Nice and shinyThe not-so-soft underbelly is also shinyLovely full-sized keyboard and nice sized trackpad
PERFORMANCE AND COOLING
Here is the weirdest section. The GeekBook X14 Pro had a 35W power limit to the CPU, with the cores getting 25W and the GPU getting around 10W. This presented decent performance and decent gaming performance for the specifications, and the system handled its cooling fairly well. This GeekBook M16 however was completely different. Firstly, the cooling has been upgraded and power limits have been improved, 55W sustained is possible with a short burst of 67W frequently seen when starting stress tests or benchmarks. This presented a solid uplift of 50% performance over the same Core Ultra 9 185H in the X14 Pro when running Cinebench R23, being able to consistently achieve approximately 15500 points as opposed to the X14 Proās 9000-10000 point range. For Passmarkās CPU benchmark, we achieved 31324 points, up from the X14 Proās 19000 point range. This CPU performance is decidedly excellent out of the box for something so thin and light, and anyone reliant on a decent CPU will be quite happy with it..
Impressive Cinebench score for being an ultrabookImpressive passmark score for an ultrabook
On the downside, the GPU performance suffered a fair bit, which was quite disappointing. To get a little technical, the X14 Pro kept its GPU around 2072MHz with a temperature around 94Ā°C (likely at a thermal limit) as recorded by 3DMark during the Steel Nomad benchmark, while the M16 kept its GPU around 2350MHz with an extremely impressive temperature of only 72Ā°C (with fans being quiet, no less). Despite this, the X14 Pro managed to perform roughly 20% faster according to 3DMarkās Steel Nomad benchmark. This is also a little bit of an issue because the X14 Pro performs better when repasted, but the fact that the M16ās GPU was kept that cold means that it likely has little to gain from a repaste, as it already has a lot of thermal headroom out of the box. It is unfortunately one of the very few disappointments Iāve had about this laptop, as Iād hoped the improved cooling and higher system power limits wouldāve translated into better gaming performance despite it being designed as a more budget alternative to their premium line. As for why the GPU performs so much worse, I cannot be certain. One possible reason is that LPDDR5 could have the same reduced performance in 16GB configurations that DDR5 SODIMMs have (which we at SAL are aware of), or it could be possible that the 6400MHz LPDDR5 isnāt fast enough to grant the performance the GPU needs, and the X14 Proās 7467MHz LPDDR5X is just that much better for the GPU. It could even be some other system-level configuration that I am unaware of. I can only guess based on my prior knowledge and experiences. Either way, it will still play lighter games and older games perfectly fine, but it wonāt quite be able to push as far as its older brothers.
A sadly lackluster score, but not terribleExcellent GPU temperature line under stress with near silent fans
As for the cooling system itself, Iāve already mentioned the fact that the GPU runs very cold when under stress, but the CPU is different. To begin with, in my last review for the X14 Pro, I mentioned thatĀ the CPU would spike to a high 90Ā°C range and then immediately drop back to a very cold state, and I initially registered this as a HWiNFO64 error. To be specific, I set HWiNFO64 to update twice a second, and every 30 seconds to a minute itāll spike from ~45Ā°C to over 90Ā°C and indicate thermal throttling is active, then the next time the sensor updates (which is half-second later), it will be all the way back down at 45Ā°C. This behaviour also happens here on the M16, so I must assume it is not an error, but I do not know why it happens. It could be a quirk of Intelās Meteor Lake, since Iāve never dealt with these particular CPUs before the GeekBooks, but I have no way of knowing for sure. Whatever the reason however, it does not seem to be dangerous, so one should not mind it if temperature monitoring software shows that theyāre idling and hitting thermal throttle points randomly. Iāve been using the X14 Pro for almost 7 months and it has not exhibited any untoward issues from this, and I am sure the M16 will be the same, so while I must point this out, please rest assured.
Idle spike being displayed. Note the average CPU temperatures are still low.
Now when under load, thatās a different story. The fans will kick in under higher CPU loads and while still very quiet, the temperatures become very consistent and no longer have such high spikes. I do have a minor issue in that the fans seem to take excessively long to actually spin up, however. It isnāt a particularly big deal, but when you have just started a heavy load (such as a stress test, or rendering a video, etc) the fans remain silent for a few seconds, at which point the CPU can hit temperatures in excess of 100Ā°C briefly, then they will start spinning up. The fans appear to have four stages of speed, and after spinning up once, it apparently checks if temperatures are still too high, then spin up again, then repeat this process until maximum speed. The whole process can take nearly 10 seconds to achieve maximum fanspeed, and it would be nicer if this process could either be faster, or a fan curve option could be implemented in the software or BIOS in the future, or if impossible, in later models. Due to how quiet this laptop is, it would be absolutely no penchant to anyone to say, keep the fans spinning at level 1 or 2 while at idle temperatures, and this could prevent the spike to higher temperatures while idle (if only for safety of mind), or prevent the high spikes when first applying load to the system. Do note that while I mentioned the CPU does cross 100Ā°C when starting a heavy load, it does not remain there long (maybe 5 seconds at most), and it never hits Intelās TJMax rating of 105Ā°C at any point, so the processor will be perfectly safe.
Additionally, the system seems to focus on keeping the CPU at 95Ā°C or lower while the fans are active. Since repasting improves processor benchmark scores even at a set power limit, thermal throttling must be the final issue. If you are buying this unit with the intent to use the processor under heavy loads often, it wonāt actually overheat, but if you are tech savvy or even just comfortable with servicing the laptop, you might wish to consider repasting the unit with something like PTM 7950. It isnāt required for usage of the unit, itās just a potential benefit open to you.
Showing under-load temperatures. The sensor was reset AFTER starting CB run to display higher temps falling into stability.
SOUND
The speakers on this unit are perfectly fine. No distortions Iāve observed, and sound is certainly loud enough. There is DTS: X available should you require it as well. The microphone is perfectly fine for use in calls and zoom meetings and the like, though at least headphones would be recommended to not pick up othersā speech. I have no complaints here. There are sound effect options you can apply in the GEEKOM software as well, but I donāt think they are necessary. Use them if you wish, as this is much more of a personal taste situation.
SCREEN AND BATTERY
The screen is good. Itās 1920 x 1200 resolution, and only 60Hz, but itās 100% sRGB, making this laptop one of the cheapest available with proper colour space on the market. This means itās an excellent cheap editing machine for those who wish to do such a thing. The brightness is great and itās matte finish so reflections arenāt a bother. Itās usable in well-lit rooms at lower brightness as well. Itās a great choice for a budget device.
As for the BATTERY on this laptopā¦ I am amazed. Itās 99Whr, up from the 72Whr on the X14 Pro, but the battery life itself is astounding. With approximately 30% screen brightness, I was able to achieve a ridiculous 18.5 hours of youtube playback on wifi with sound enabled. I tested more than once to be sure. In fact, the battery life was so good, I even decided to do the ultimate in laptop blasphemy: I tested with screen brightness set to 100%. I still achieved 13.5 hours of youtube playback under those conditions, leaving me nothing short of flabbergasted. I do know know what sorcery GEEKOM performed to achieve this level of battery life on a Meteor Lake processor, but I now need to purchase several hats just so I can take them off and say āhats off to you, GEEKOMā, as it runs circles around many other Lunar Lake and even some Panther Lake processor-equipped laptops which are known to be a marked improvement in battery life from Meteor Lake.
As for charging times, the battery went from 2% all the way up to 55% in just 1 hour, which is almost 10 hours of battery usage at lower brightness levels. I have high praise for that level of charging speed. Hopefully things get even better in the future.
Screen isn't as impressive as an OLED, but is still plenty fine
OUT OF THE BOX EXPERIENCE
Just like with the X14 Pro, the laptop comes with windows installed but not actually set up. As I did with the previous unit, I took this lovely chance to set up my computer with a local account and avoid much of the nonsense that Windows 11 wishes to attempt on its users. As with before, I will FOREVER praise this ability for people, even if the average person wonāt take advantage of it. Itās great to have the option. As before, itās a barebones installation with just the GEEKOM software pre-installed. The software is identical to the X14 Proās version, with BIOS updates and some limited system control options available. You can see it below. Please continue like this, GEEKOM, I vastly appreciate it, and many users will too.
Same software design as before
DOWNSIDES
There arenāt as many as before, which I appreciate. Letās use a list again.
There is still no option I could find to limit battery maximum charge available. I can only hope this shows up in later models.
The FN key function is still weird. I wish GEEKOM would change it so that the FN button simply works while being held down and pressing any of the hotkeys, instead of the odd toggle feature it has.
The laptop once had a very weird situation where certain things, especially installing programs, was oddly extremely slow while on battery. I cannot explain why this was the case, but I also could not find a way to fix or reproduce it. Normal usage was perfectly fine too, which confused me.
The keyboard backlight turns off after 15 seconds without any option to control it otherwise again. I would like the ability to keep it on for usage in dark rooms.
Iād like a FN combination key to disable the trackpad entirely. Even though the palm rejection is excellent, such options are never a bad thing.
As before, I wish we could get a 3D TLC SSD instead, especially when the drive size is on the smaller side. I couldnāt find much information about the drive available this time unlike the X14 Pro, so I canāt say I understand their choice like before.
The 100W charger gets very warm when charging or generally under load, you may wish to allow it to cool off slightly before picking it up if it was just being stressed.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND CONCLUSION
So, thereās a much shorter list of downsides this time. I already discussed everything else in the paragraphs above. Thereās been improvements such as in the trackpad and the battery life and the cooling, and I highly appreciate these things. I genuinely think this is a great unit to buy for more casual users or users who want to do hobbyist work. The price is excellent and the choice of where to cut corners versus the more expensive premium options (screen, chassis materials, RAM speed) do not ever get into the ācheapā territory of notebooks that we see all over the market, with useless 62% sRGB screens that shouldnāt even be made anymore, or poor chassis construction and poor board design and little expansion slots. There are only two things I wish GEEKOM did with this new chassis and cooling system. First, I wish a 32GB RAM option was available. Considering the enhanced CPU performance and lack of danger of overheating, it would make a very excellent budget editing unit with a good screen, and I wouldnāt be able to recommend it highly enough. It might even improve the GPUās performance, which would also make it a solid little gaming device.
The next thing I would like to see is GEEKOM starting to use better stock thermal paste. All three of their laptops released so far improve their performance with better paste, up to 25% better in benchmarks according to others, and if they could use phase-change material such as Honeywell PTM 7950, Thermal Grizzly phasesheet PTM, or Thermalright Helios v2 it would be nothing short of sublime. I would even be fine with their own in-house solution, as long as the performance is there.
At the end of the day, this laptop is wonderful. Despite the few shortcomings, itās priced exceptionally well and is very light and sturdy. I doubt many people would complain about it. I canāt wait to see more from GEEKOM and I also canāt wait to see them expand their operations to more countries as well. If they keep it up, they can become a pretty strong power player in the market.
Thank you for reading until the end! I hope you have enjoyed, and I will be glad to answer any questions in the comments below.
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LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE Country
USA Budget
Preferably $1000 or under, $1500 max
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Yes/Unsure Screen size
14+ā
Weight limit
Any preferably easily carried for long walks
Purpose
School work/Digital Media Creation and Fortnite
Form factor
A regular laptop or one I can use a stylus with
Intended usage
Photoshop and Premier for Animation and other drawing applications in the future; School work in college
Desired battery life
6-8 hrs
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Performance, Size, Battery, Weight
Info/Requirements:
Hey, I am an art student in a BFA program and part of my concentration includes numerous classes that require you to be able to have photoshop on your computer. My laptop doesnāt support it and I have no idea what to look for. What are some recommendations here are a few things iād like:
1) A good amount of storage; I have to take hundreds of photos for stop motion animation
2) Longevity of being able to run photoshop for maybe 5 ish years give or take
Needs to run 86 win11, specs good enough to just vpn into work and rdp to my main workstation in an emergency (vpn only works on x86 win11) the only other thing it will be used for is streaming videos at night.
I will need this for a 8 week trip to multiple different countries where it may get lost stolen or broken and I am trying to pack lightweight so I do not want to bring my main laptop.
Budget - ~$500 - ~$2000 CAD. If I would have to pay more for my requirements lmk!
Are you open to refurbs/used options? - Maybe
Screen size
12" - 15"
Weight limit - Any
Purpose - I'd like to use it for work, school and casual gaming. Like I want to maybe play modded Minecraft on it and some low poly games, nothing with crazy graphics bc I have a PS5 for that.
Form factor - Regular laptop, perhaps metal?
Intended usage - Currently I have an Inspirion 15 and can barely play Minecraft on it so I'll probably be playing Minecraft and more. I typically use Zoom, Powerwash Simulator, House Flipper. I'd most likely want to be playing games like Buckshot Roulette, Ultrakill maybe. Mostly low graphic games.
Desired battery life - 4 or more hours. Nothing like the one I currently have that can't last past 2.5 hours only running Zoom.
Most important - Me want play games. Me want good battery life. Me don't like RGB lights on laptop.
Info/Requirements - I don't know anything about laptops so ???
Iām not very tech-savvy, and now that itās time to replace my PC, Iām feeling a bit lost. I could really use some advice and opinions to help me make a better decision.
Iām looking for a computer for the following:
Basic daily tasks: web browsing (with multiple tabs open), email, spreadsheets, Excel, and the Microsoft Office suite.
Online teaching: I conduct daily classes using various platforms and software for video conferencing (Google Meet, Zoom).
Adobe software, Photoshop, and AutoCAD.
Music production: Logic or Ableton Live.
And perhaps a few other similarāor less demandingāprograms.
I need a 14-inch, lightweight device, as I travel dailyāoften by bicycle or public transportāto various locations (offices, private homes, libraries, events, business meetings, etc.).
My budget is between 700 euros and a maximum of 1,000ā1,200 euros. I am primarily looking at the pre-owned, second-hand, or refurbished market, as well as deals on new devices. I am currently considering the following options:
I am looking at models from brands like Lenovo or Asus, as well as the 2021 Apple MacBook Pro:
Iām not very tech-savvy, and now that itās time to replace my PC, Iām feeling a bit lost. I could really use some advice and opinions to help me make a better decision.
Iām looking for a computer for the following:
Basic daily tasks: web browsing (with multiple tabs open), email, spreadsheets, Excel, and the Microsoft Office suite.
Online teaching: I conduct daily classes using various platforms and software for video conferencing (Google Meet, Zoom).
Adobe software, Photoshop, and AutoCAD.
Music production: Logic or Ableton Live.
And perhaps a few other similarāor less demandingāprograms.
I need a 14-inch, lightweight device, as I travel dailyāoften by bicycle or public transportāto various locations (offices, private homes, libraries, events, business meetings, etc.).
My budget is between 700 euros and a maximum of 1,000ā1,200 euros. I am primarily looking at the pre-owned, second-hand, or refurbished market, as well as deals on new devices. I am currently considering the following options:
I am looking at models from brands like Lenovo or Asus, as well as the 2021 Apple MacBook Pro:
So I have a ThinkPad P70 [Intel Xeon E3-1505M / NVIDIA Quadro M5000M / 96GB RAM] and I absolutely love it; it runs all my programs perfectly and is a fantastic desk setup. But that's just the issue, it's a desk setup; I can't move this thing ANYWHERE. It's freaking HUGE! So I'm looking for a companion laptop that I can use in my backpack and maneuver a lot easier while keeping relatively the same amount of power (if not more) as my P70. I use the P70 for my computer engineering coursework and more than a good bit of gaming and emulation. My big constraint is that I'd also like to keep the budget below $1000. I've heard that the P14s Gen 4 AMD model is good as well as the T14 Gen 2, but would you guys recommend? (I should also say that I use Linux and NVIDIA has been PISSING me off trying to get it to work on the P70 so I don't know if sticking to AMD's hardware would be easier?)
LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE
Country
[US]
Budget
[<$1000]
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
[Yes, absolutely open
Screen size
[Any]
Weight limit
[Probably sub 5lbs]
Purpose
[General office, computer engineering work, gaming and emulation]
Form factor
[Standard/Clamshell]
Intended usage
[Coding and programming. I think the latest game I've ever had the desire to play is Helldivers II but I don't usually play a lot of newer games]
Desired battery life
[My P70's life is about 3 hours on a good day so something more would be awesome]
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Trying to find a laptop for mechatronics engineering and work my budget is around 1600$ and uh most importantly it needs to be able to run CAD, MATLAB and maybe Issac Sim ideally it needs to be portable. Im looking for specs similar to RTX 5060 ideally 8gb vram, AMD ryzen 7 or intel core ultra 7 or something close and 32GB ram ideally or 16gb for storage Iād need possibly 1TB and I runs windows 11 currently the options im looking at are Lenovo LOQ 15AHP10 with the upgradable ram or the ASUS TUF gaming f16. Oh and id like for it to be able to run some games. Im open to other recommendations!!
Hi! I am very unknowing when it comes to tech. My 11yo has been asking for either a gaming pc or a laptop for Christmas because he's found some games on Steam he really wants to play. Priced out a gaming pc and with a monitor, keyboard, steam pass, headset - that's a no lol Hoping for a recommendation on a laptop he can download steam and play games from there. Hoping to cap the budget at or around $500. Is that even fathomable? I do have a MacBook Neo which I like but I just use it when I work from home. Do I need to get him something like that?
Thank you so much for any and all help!!:)
Ps this will be his first laptop outside of a school Chromebook. Heās got a very old iPad. Does not need to be super fancy but not ground level either if possible.
LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE Country
USA Budget
$500ish Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Yes Screen size
Any Weight limit
Any Purpose
Gaming but does not need to be a gaming laptop Form factor
Standard Intended usage
Steam gaming, minecraft, roblox Desired battery life
Not sure, not super important Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Price, performance, durability Info/Requirements
I know very little. I just want a decent 1st laptop that wont break the bank but will also allow him to game.
I'm planning to buy a laptop. I'm a third-year B.Tech. student living in India. I'll use it for programming, video editing, gaming, and running heavy simulation software.
I don't know much about laptops. All I know about are RAM types (DDR4, DDR5, DDR6), processor types, the power requirements for better battery life, brightness (nits), refresh rates, TGP, SSD types (M.2 NVMe, etc.), display panel types, and RTX GPUs.
Please suggest some of the best laptops I can buy. My budget is between ā¹1 lakh and ā¹1.4 lakh ($1,053ā$1,476). I want a laptop that will last at least 5ā8 years.
Ideally under $1,000 USD, but willing to stretch to ~$1,300 for a significant improvement.
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
No. I prefer buying new, even if it costs a little more.
Screen size
14ā16 inches.
Weight limit
No specific limit. Durability matters more than low weight.
Purpose
Cozy gaming on Steam, using Silhouette Studio with a Silhouette Portrait 3 cutting machine, large spreadsheets, and everyday personal use. Iād like at least five useful years out of it, including playing newer cozy games over that time.
Form factor
Standard/Clamshell. No strong preference for or against a touchscreen; no particular need for a 2-in-1 or pen support.
Intended usage
Games: Primarily farming and life sims, especially Coral Island and My Time at Portia/Sandrock. Other examples of the kinds of games I play are: Palia, Dinkum, Paleo Pines, Wylde Flowers, Stardew Valley, Fields of Mistria, Sun Haven, Moonstone Island, Fae Farm, and Everdream Valley. I already own a Switch and will use the laptop mainly for games that are only available on Steam. I want smooth, reliable gameplay without frequent stuttering or crashes. I donāt have specific FPS or graphics-setting targets; maximum graphics quality isnāt a priority.
Crafting: Silhouette Studio v4 with a Silhouette Portrait 3 cutting machine. I want to keep using v4 rather than be forced to upgrade to v5. My current laptop runs it but has been hanging/crashing more frequently over the last six months. But it's doing that with everything not just Studio so I don't think the software is the problem.
Productivity: Large Excel spreadsheets, Word, Airtable, Google Photos, YNAB, web browsing, and occasional (light) photo editing. Most of my files are in the cloud.
Mostly used at home on a desk or coffee table, plugged in. The Silhouette needs a wired USB connection because its Bluetooth is unreliable. For gaming, I usually use a Switch Pro controller over Bluetooth.
Desired battery life
No minimum number of hours required; it will usually be plugged in at home. I go on one international trip a year where I would bring my laptop, so maybe 3-4 hours without having to plug in would be useful for that. But it's a low priority.
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Performance > Size > Weight > Battery life.
Size means staying within the 14ā16-inch screen range. I donāt need the thinnest or lightest laptop. Durability and reasonable fan noise are also major priorities.
Info/Requirements
Windows with an Intel or AMD x86 processor, so it's compatible with the V4 Silhouette software. Not interested in Apple.
At least one full-size USB-A port for the Silhouette. Bluetooth for gaming.
Quiet operation during normal productivity use. A steady quiet fan I can tune out during something like Coral Island is fine, but I donāt want fans constantly running at full speed during light games like Stardew Valley or overwhelming game audio at a normal listening volume. My work Dell Latitude (i7-1365U, 32 GB RAM) stays silent during heavy spreadsheet/browser multitasking but I understand demanding games could be noisier.
Durable construction, particularly around the charging connector. My ten-year-old Samsung ATIV Book 9 was working great until the charging port failed. Accidental cable pulls because of my dog have also happened, so charging-port durability and repairability matter. Iām open to different charging connector types.
Iām leaning toward 32 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD, but Iām open to advice about whatās actually necessary.
Iāve had good experiences with Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung laptops and bad experiences with Apple, but have no strong preference outside of that.
Iād especially appreciate specific model/configuration recommendations and firsthand experience with fan noise in quieter power modes, charging-port durability, and repairability.
Hi! Iām a first-year Computer Science student specializing in AI and Cloud Computing. Iām looking for a laptop that can get me through fourth year. My budget is around ā±30,000 (~$500), and Iām open to buying secondhand.
My school hasnāt specified a required OS or minimum specs. One professor said we donāt need a powerful GPU, while another said we might need one later, so Iām unsure whether to prioritize a dedicated GPU or better battery life and portability.
Iāve been considering used ThinkPads and other business laptops, but Iām open to other brands. Would you choose one of these and use cloud GPUs when needed, or get an older gaming laptop? Which models should I look for within my budget?
Around $1,000USD Not looking for something top-of-the-line, but willing to invest a little if it will last me a long time!
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Maybe
Screen size
Any, 14"-16"
Weight limit
Lightweight/thin
Purpose
School work, possibly some light gaming (Steam/Sims)
Form factor
Standard/Clamshell (a regular laptop)
Intended usage
Looking for a new laptop going into grad school, so mostly school work, portable, I have some games on Steam I'd like to be able to play, run the Sims 2-4 with packs and mods without overheating/lags, save documents/pictures.
Desired battery life
Around 6 hours
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Lightweight, easy to use/clean, good battery life, fast, easy to share documents from apple products, good storage capacity. I'd also like something aesthetically pleasing/I'm a sucker for light up keyboards and customization (skins, cases, keyboard covers, etc.)
Info/Requirements
I currently have a Macbook Air M2 (2022), I really love how lightweight and portable it is. I like being able to seamlessly share documents between my laptop and phone, text from the macbook, etc. I'm not sure if I would trade-in my macbook or keep it, so maybe an apple option (though I know it can't run steam/sucks at gaming) along with others.
I kind of hate how easily the macbook gets dusty/dirty in the keyboard and how touchy apple products are.
I don't know much about computers so I don't know what's overkill for my needs, I don't wanna buy an expensive gaming laptop and then just use it for school work.
Please help me choose the better version. This is from India. It looks like Victus is better because of Ryzen 260 and 1TB SSD for the prices. Am I missing something ?
Hello everyone. I am a second-year mathematics major who is planning to minor in either CS or finance. I need it for studying, may be( I hope) will need it for work, coding, and general browsing. I'm currently using Lenovo IdeaPad 81vu with CPU Intel Pentium(R) Silver N5030, RAM DDR4 4 GB, SSD 128 GB on windows 11. This laptop is very weak and can be slow for many tasks. It's still usable now( I'm saying this because people call RAM 4 GB unusable) but it's not an option for long-term usage. I'm also using Iphone X which I want to change to Iphone 17, so i have a choice between a new laptop or new phone but since they both are usable, I'm still not sure what to buy first. I assume that laptop will be more important at this point. I assume that I need laptop more at this point( if you think the opposite, please let me know), so I made this post.
LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE
Country
Azerbaijan
Try to not suggest laptops by very niche brands since I won't be able to find them here. Shipping is not a promising option.
Budget
Currently have 2600 AZN but can save a little more up to 3000 AZN .( currently 1529 USD, can save up to 1764 USD)
Are you open to refurbs/used options?
No. I'm looking for completely new one
Screen size
I'm currently using 14'' and I'm more than fine with it.
14''
Weight limit
<1.6kg( <3.5 pounds)
Purpose
Reading, general browsing, schoolwork, coding, regular office work, watching videos, note-taking, and light gaming. My schoolwork and future jobs may include regular office work, writing in LaTeX, coding in Python with math libraries and may be other languages.
Form factor
Standard. May be pen support would be nice but it's completely optional.
Intended usage
The list of software and applications depends on what field I may choose but regardless of that, I want my laptop to be more or less good for any of these possible applications, software, and games:
Python(with math libraries like NumPy, SciPy, etc.)
R programming language
C++
SQL
Tableu
Julia programming language
Some math application like Mathematica, SageMath, Maple,etc.
Microsoft Office programs, LaTeX editors,etc.
Minecraft Java. I don't know much about settings since my laptops were always weak for playing many such games but probably 50-60 FPS would be fine. I'm planning to mostly play vanilla, online with friends and online in servers. Modded is optional.
I'm not sure for which other games I'd aim but consider that I play in my current laptops indie games and old lego games. I have ps4, so the games I want to be on my pc are either the ones that aren't available in ps4 or would be better( and more accessable) to buy and play on laptop. Obviously not AAA games.
Adobe Photoshop (completely optional). Have some skills in it and would be happy to use when I'd need it.
Desired battery life
Probably more than 7-8 hours. Obviously the more, the better.
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Weight, battery life, performance, size
Info/Requirements
Obviously, I want it to have RAM 16GB ( with an option to upgrade), 512 GB SSD, and being able to change components when needed. And I need it to be durable, I'm planning to use it for the next 7-8 years( I don't know if it's normal but I don't usually like to change to laptops and devices in general), and I don't want to have any headache with it. Though I have( and I'm planning to buy after buying laptop) Iphone, Mac seems uncomfortable for me and its service can be too expensive for me, so I want to have windows-based laptop. I think I mentioned everything that is needed
I live in Italy. Iām a first-year computer engineering student and Iāve just bought an HP OMNIBOOK OLED Ultra 14-inch laptop for 1,500 euros, with 32GB RAM, a 1TB SSD and an Intel Ultra 7 356H processor. However, Iām very torn about whether to return it, partly because Iām not sure if the 14-inch screen might become a nuisance in the future, and partly because Iām worried that a laptop without a dedicated graphics card might limit me in the future with whatever I end up doing ā though I donāt yet know what that will be.
Would you recommend something else in my situation ā one with a graphics card or not? If so, do you have anything else with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD that fits within a budget of 1,500 euros?
Are you open to refurbs/used options? No, strictly looking for new Windows laptops.
Screen size 14" or smaller (Strictly ā¤ 14 inches)
Weight limit Lightweight preferred (around 3 to 3.5 lbs or lighter)
Purpose General home use, everyday web browsing, media streaming, and light productivity/multitasking.
Form factor Standard/Clamshell or 2-in-1
Intended usage General web browsing with multiple browser tabs, streaming video (YouTube, Netflix, etc.), basic document editing, and video calls. No heavy gaming or intensive video editing required.
Desired battery life 6ā8+ hours of casual web browsing and streaming
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life Size (14" or smaller is a must) > Performance > Weight > Battery life
Info/Requirements OS: Windows only
Processor: AMD (or similar performance) preferred Ports: Must have a built-in HDMI port Brands considered: Open to Lenovo, ASUS, Dell, or HP (Currently considering options like the ASUS Vivobook Go 14, Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G3, and Dell Inspiron 14)
Nursing Bachelor Degree for 4yrs, browsing and streaming, occasional creative projects
Form factor
2 in 1
Intended usage
Windows OS, roblox, rare google meet/zoom
Desired battery life
8 hrs minimum
Please list, in order of most important to least important, the priority between Size, Weight, Performance, Battery life
Battery, performance, size, weight
Info/Requirements
I'm basically tech illiterate when it comes to specs. I don't game a lot, but i ruined my first chromebooks battery after playing roblox everyday. I've had a 12 inch acer chromebook, a super old microsoft surface pro (4 or 5), and a 14 inch asus chromebook), i really liked the surface pro and even tho it was old i wish i could keep using it. I would totally buy the surface pro 13 if it wasnt so expensive.
Hello everyone im looking for a gaming laptop that is lightweight because im traveling a lot.
It should handle most AAA games, mmo games ect doesn't need to be on max settings
I like to try a lot of different games new and old
