All of them are solid choices, but keep in mind that the Inspiron comes with Ubuntu instead of Windows.
Joss said:
All of them are solid choices, but keep in mind that the Inspiron comes with Ubuntu instead of Windows.
Oh, okay thanks for the heads up!
Joss said:
All of them are solid choices, but keep in mind that the Inspiron comes with Ubuntu instead of Windows.
Is there anything that would prevent you from installing Windows yourself?
@Dorian
You can install it, but without a license, you’ll have to deal with that annoying watermark.
I’d suggest going for at least 16GB of RAM. I have a Mac with 8GB, and it’s not enough when I’m editing projects. I end up using over 20GB of swap, which really slows things down.
I’d rule out MSI due to the lack of options for future RAM upgrades. Between the two Dells, the one with the Intel processor has more cores, but always check benchmarks before making a final decision.
I’d avoid MSI if I were you.
Ridley said:
I’d avoid MSI if I were you.
I think MSI laptops are quite good.
Ridley said:
I’d avoid MSI if I were you.
I think MSI laptops are quite good.
Paying $700 for a laptop with 8 gigabytes of soldered RAM isn’t a great deal.
@Ridley
Generally speaking, there are better MSI models than this one.
Greer said:
@Ridley
Generally speaking, there are better MSI models than this one.
In my experience, MSI’s build quality tends to be subpar.
Greer said:
@Ridley
Generally speaking, there are better MSI models than this one.
In my experience, MSI’s build quality tends to be subpar.
I’ve been using the most budget-friendly MSI model, the GF63, for two years now. It’s frequently criticized for poor build quality, yet mine is still in perfect condition despite daily use. I’ve upgraded the RAM and added an SSD, and it’s still running strong.
@Greer
It’s not just about surface scratches. Build quality also involves internal components like hinges and the casing, which can break if you travel frequently with it.
Ridley said:
@Greer
It’s not just about surface scratches. Build quality also involves internal components like hinges and the casing, which can break if you travel frequently with it.
I meant that as a figure of speech, but yes, I mainly use it on a desk. I’ve traveled with it several times, and it’s held up well. Just treat it like a laptop, not like rugged military gear, and it should be fine.
@Greer
Laptops, unlike desktops, are meant to be portable for use in places like schools or for business. We need them to be durable because we move around a lot. Compared to other brands, MSI just doesn’t hold up as well in these scenarios.
I’d go with the Dell that has an AMD GPU. For school tasks it won’t matter much, but for gaming, the integrated GPU from AMD is significantly better than Intel’s.
The Dell Vostro is pretty good! It even has an option to upgrade the RAM with an empty slot available!
I’d pick the Dell Vostro and go ahead and get an extra 8GB RAM stick now, so you can upgrade to 16GB right away. It’s a simple upgrade and should be quite sufficient for your needs.
My school laptop for one year had a 1368p screen with an HDD, an i3 4th gen processor, and 4GB of RAM. It took 2 minutes to boot up.