Help me pick out a laptop

[Tomatos100]

Hello, I was going to get a tablet but realized I might do better with a laptop. I might need plenty of power after all. I can be a "slight power user", but I am also not too picky.

Where I want to buy from: Has to be from Amazon. Not Newegg, etc. I don't have credit there.

CPU I want: A Core i5 or Core i7, whether the 4 thread Core i7 or the 8 thread.

GPU I want: HD 4400 or HD 4600 graphics, most likely. I'm not too picky.

RAM: I want 8GB.

Resolution: About 1366x768-1920x1080, with a slight preference toward 1920x1080.

Screen size: under 17".

Hard drive: I know that RPM hard drives can be painfully slow, but I either want one of those or a SSD of 128GB or more, with a bit of preference toward a SSD.

Budget: I can't go over $750 and prefer to even keep it about $720 or under. This might make it hard. I would like new instead of refurbished.

Please don't recommend a Surface Pro 1/2/3 🙂. Just getting that out of the way. Nothing against them, but they are a premium product at a premium price for what you are getting. I want close to premium at a good deal.

 

[ninaholic37]

I might need plenty of power after all.

What made you change your mind about your power needs?

 

[TeknoBug]

There's a handful of 17" with those specs you listed, there was a big sale here in Canada at Best Buy for $599 for a 17" 1600x900 i5 4210U with R7 M260 2GB GPU, $749 for i7 4500U with GT840M 2GB. Those 15.6" ones are easier to find for about the same or less with identical specs.

 

[Tomatos100]

What made you change your mind about your power needs?

I once had a laptop with a Core i7-4500u, a Geforce 750m, etc. I sold it because I needed money at the time. Although I might not need that same level of power now, I now miss that laptop. I want something that can play at least Half-life 2 and edit like 2k images in photoshop.