Today is Cyber Monday, and unfortunately the deals is not so different than Black Friday.

I have updated my list of Amazon's Laptop Deals and a lot of general use or lightweight laptops deals ended so today's list is more focused on gaming.

If you want a more specific recommendations for your specific usage/games let me know in the comments, and drop us an upvote.

Of course prices are subject to change at anytime but they are accurate at the time of the post. also, Please note I'm using affiliate links which means I'll receive a small percent of the purchase if you use this link at no extra cost to you

I will try to keep this list updated but I doubt there will be better or new deals throughout the day

Best deals

MSI Katana 15 1099$ One of the best deals on the list. unfortunately ended

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 1199$ gaming laptop. Very Good deal for a 4070 GPU but the asus gets a little hot

All Amazon's Laptop Deals over 100 deals directly from Amazon.com

Asus Deals.

Acer Deals

Dell Deals.

Deals not on this list on purpose

Generic laptops like (Ace magic, VGKE, jumper, etc) because not trustworthy enough.

Most of HP stream series because of HD screens or very weak CPUs.

Most of Lenovo V15 series (gen 3 is exception) for the same reasons.

No Chromebooks (not because they are bad, but because they are only good/useful in very limiting ways).

ASUS Vivobook Go 309 General/good value

Specs:

• Techncally not a "gaming laptop" but the iGPU on it is good enough for basic gaming and the value for money is awesome.

• 15.6” Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U

• 8GB, 512GB, Windows 11 Home

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 559$ older gen gaming

Specs:

• 15.6” FHD 144Hz Display,
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2050,
• AMD Ryzen™ 5 7535HS,
• 8GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe® Gen4 NVMe™ SSD
• 3050 version for 50$ more

Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop 599$ gaming

• The best under 600 and would recommend it even for people with 500 budget, it is worth the extra 100.

Specs:

• 15.6" FHD IPS 144Hz Display
• Intel Core i5-13420H Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU
• 8GB DDR5 | 512GB Gen 4 SSD
• AMD config.

MSI Thin A15 765$ gaming

Specs:

• 15.6” 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop
• Ryzen 7-7735HS
• NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4050
• 16GB DDR5, 512GB NVMe SSD,

Lenovo LOQ Gaming Laptop 785$ Gaming.

Specs:

• 15.6” FHD Display
• AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
• GeForce RTX™ 4050 6GB
• 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 799$ Gaming.

Specs:

• 15.6” FHD 144Hz, 100% sRGB Display,
• GeForce RTX 4050,
• AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS,
• 16GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe SSD

MSI Creator M14 899$ Gamming

Specs:

• 14” 2.8K Display Creator Laptop:
• Intel Core i7-13620H,
• NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4050,
• 16GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD

ASUS TUF Gaming F15 899$ gaming.

Specs:

• 15.6” FHD 144Hz, 100% sRGB Display,
• GeForce RTX 4050,
• Intel Core i5-13500H,
• 16GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD Gen 4

Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop 929$ gaming

Specs:

• Intel Core i9-13900H Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
• 15.6" FHD IPS 144Hz Display
• 16GB DDR5 | 512GB Gen 4 SSD
• **same listing different config.

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 1099$ gaming

Specs:

• 16” FHD+ 16:10 165Hz Display,
• AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HX,
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060,
• 16GB DDR5, 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD

ASUS ROG Strix G16 1099$ gaming, high end.

Specs:

• 16” 16:10 FHD 165Hz Display.
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060.
• Intel Core i7-13650HX.
• 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD.

MSI Katana 15 1099$ One of the best deals on the list. gaming/highend unfortunately ended.

Specs:

• 15.6” 165Hz QHD Gaming Laptop
• Intel Core i7-13620H
• NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4070.
• 16GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD.

Acer Nitro V 1149$ gaming laptop

Specs:

• 15.6" FHD IPS 180Hz Display
• Intel Core i9-13900H Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
• 16GB DDR5 | 1TB Gen 4 SSD

ASUS TUF Gaming A15 1199$ gaming laptop. Very Good deal for a 4070 GPU but the asus gets a little hot

Specs:

• 15.6” FHD 144Hz Display,
• GeForce RTX 4070,
• AMD Ryzen 7 7940HS,
• 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe SSD,

ASUS TUF Gaming A16 1299$ Good deal for a 4070 GPU but the asus gets a little hot

gaming/highend

Specs:

• 16” QHD+ 165Hz 16:10 Display
• AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HX
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070
• 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD

ASUS ROG Strix G16 1615$ gaming/highend

Specs:

• 16” ROG Nebula Display 16:10 QHD 240Hz
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070
• Intel® Core™ i9-14900HX
• 16GB DDR5-5600, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD

MSI Creator M16 HX 1699$ gaming/highend

Specs:

• 16” 240Hz QHD+ Creator Laptop.
• Intel Core i9-14900HX.
• NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4070.
• 32GB DDR5, 2TB NVMe SSD.

Alienware M18 1899$ gaming high end laptop.

Specs:

• 18-inch QHD+ 165Hz 3ms Display,
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6
• Intel Core i7-14700HX,
• 16GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD,

MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio 2298$ Gaming, high end.

Specs:

• 18” 240Hz QHD+ Gaming Laptop:
• Intel Ultra 9-185H,
• NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4080,
• 32GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD,
• Cooler Boost 5, Win 11

Alienware X16 R2 2499$ gaming/highend

Specs:

• 16-inch QHD+ 240Hz 3ms Display
• Intel Core Ultra 9-185H
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB GDDR6,
• 32GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB SSD
• Windows 11 Home

That is about it for Gaming Laptop Deals, I am thinking about adding a post on my profile that include other tech deals, please let me know if you would be interested in that as well.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: Trying to stay under $800USD.
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Yes
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? I will be using this mostly indoors, but i'll move a lot, and i will not always have a plug available, so i prefer to have good battery life and usb-c charging(to charge it with a powerbank), and a good procesor
• How important is weight and thinness to you? I will carry it in my backpack, so if it is not too heavy would be appreciated.
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. 15"ish,
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. I use big spreadsheets in excel, and i tend to have a lot of open tabs in my browser. I mostly play football manager, Civ V, and browser games.
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? I think that the games that I play don't require a dedicated graphics card, so gaming performance is not a big issue for me.
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? I prefer to hava a keyboard with a numeric pad
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. I have an Asus Vivobook, that works quite well, but i can't charge it with an USB-C charger, and that's a dealbreaker for me, because I tend to go to Work in places where there are no plugs available. I want the laptop to have at least 16gb of RAM, or not soldered RAM; so I could upgrade it myself.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for advice on choosing a laptop that balances portability, battery life, and performance for my current needs as a student in systems, networks, and security. I’m also exploring DevOps and cybersecurity, so I need something that can handle tools like Docker, VirtualBox, and networking labs.

I’ve narrowed it down to two options:

1. MacBook Air M3:

Lightweight, long battery life, and seemingly capable for most tasks.

Concern: No fan—does it throttle under heavy loads like running multiple VMs?

2. MacBook Pro M4:

More power, active cooling, and definitely future-proof.

Concern: Higher price—will I fully utilize its power right now, or is it overkill?

What I Need It For:

Current: Schoolwork, learning DevOps/cybersecurity, and light virtualization (e.g., a couple of VMs, Docker, etc.).

Future: Potential freelancing or light creative work like video editing after graduation.

Battery life is a big deal for me, as I often work on the go. I also want something I won’t outgrow in a couple of years, but I’m trying to avoid spending unnecessarily on power I might not fully use.

What’s your take? Has anyone used the M3 Air for similar workloads, or is the M4 Pro worth the investment for someone in my position? Any other laptops I should consider?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks in advance. 🙏

TL;DR: My main question is: Is more money necessarily better in terms of longevity?

Please not the the budget cited in the title is including black Friday/tech Monday sales. The models I've been looking at are normally in the €1200-1300 range.

I'm planning on using this laptop mainly for school which will include some 3D modeling (Solidworks) and also with a digital tablet for digital sketching on the go. Given that digital sketching needs to be very reactive and I plan to use this laptop for a number of years, I was planning on investing upwards of 1000€, but I'm wondering if this might be excessive.

The model I've been looking at is an Asus A15 TUF Gaming with AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS ,Nvidia GeForce 4060 8Go and 16Go of RAM, which sits at €960 with sales. I'm aware it might not be the most portable and may be cumbersome in the college auditorium but it's the best price I've been able to find with these components in my country.

Hello. I am looking for a 14" mid range laptop to do basic browsing, office application tasks and occasionally streaming sports or movies (likely via the HDMI output, so I don't need an amazing OLED display). I want to avoid a Chromebook. My main desire is for something that has speed and that I won't need to replace for another 5 years.

These are Cyber Monday deals so I'll be trying to make a purchase today, but I can't seem to decide...

This is the 'budget' option, at £450, £50 less than the others:

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-swift-3-14-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-512-gb-ssd-silver-10254285.html

Then for £500 there is a choice between a slightly better spec Swift:

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-swift-3-14-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-1-tb-ssd-silver-10254647.html

Or the Lenovo Yoga 6 (which I understand is already an older model):

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/lenovo-yoga-slim-6-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-512-gb-ssd-storm-grey-10263573.html

I'd welcome a view on whether the extra £50 is worth it. If so, I'd welcome views about the Swift v the Yoga. Online reviews can't seem to separate them.

If anyone has any better (UK) deals or better recommendations for less than £500 I'd welcome those too.

Thanks in advance!

Budget: $2000 or less

Use case: web development, light container development via WSL, very limited gaming (2D indie games like Balatro)

Priorities in order from highest to lowest are: battery life, good-quality matte screen for reading a lot of code in dark mode, portability

Overall I'm looking for something with battery life and screen comparable to the Macbook Pro with nanotexture display, but running Windows.

I've looked at the Yoga 7x Slim and Surface Laptop 7 in store. Displays on both were too glossy for my taste, but I'd be willing to apply a matte screen protector if anyone has had good results with those.

Hey team - I’m looking for a replacement for my 15.6” x1 extreme which is great but weighs a tonne

Would be looking for a 14” ultrabook with 32gb ram, fast and dual nvme slots

I use it for coding and testing applications, so needs to be fairly grunty to compile large c++ and c# projects as well as run fairly extensive sets of VMs

Just looking for a mid-high end laptop that isn’t Mac for school. 16GB-32GB. I like slim/black laptops (preferred not needed). My budget is $900. Any help is much appreciated. Currently looking at the Lenovo thinkpad X1 carbon.

Use this link to get a 50$ Cashback https://account.lenovo.com/us/en/account/login/index.html?_cts_=xXfYpoBQ
Along with this use the code EXTRAFIVE to save 5% more

I need decision help. Due to issues with my debit card, my laptop order from Black Friday got canceled. Now I am limited to ordering from Amazon only and I really need a new laptop ASAP. I've settled on the LG Gram Pro 2.

Base model on Amazon vs upgrade version

I am trying to decide if I can live with 16GB of RAM and I really feel like I do not want to. The problem is upgrading to 32GB of RAM requires a 1TB storage upgrade (which I don't need) and an OLED screen (which I would like but don't need) for about $500. This is a travel/work laptop, so presentations, light code work/revision, presentation related pic/video editing, lots of database work, spreadsheets, etc. Light gaming would be nice but strategy games, like Civ, and single player RPGs, like Witcher, are all I play and its not necessary. Watching Jellyfin will be a big use of this device and I will be running VMs on it as I do need Linux and this laptop is very much not Linux compatible. Focus is on thin and light (I have back issues).

I have the budget but we are saving up to move to a new house so am semi-budgeting. Wife says I don't need it but she okayed the upgrade. Upgrading may cause my kid to lose new phone upgrade (don't feel too bad I just bought her a new phone like a year and a half ago but now she needs "AI" photo capabilities). Is that an ok price for this upgrade? Do you think the upgrade is worth $500?

Thanks!

Edit: I found another config with a IPS and 32GB of RAM but it comes with an older CPU and it is not on sale (Camel x 3 says its been this price). I would prefer to get the newer CPU with NPU co-processor and ARC but I'd be very interested if anyone recommends this over the Base model with 16GB of RAM.

Looking for a 14" home use laptop with good battery runtime for media viewing, light gaming, perhaps some music productions (ableton bitwig). Time to replace my dell xps 15" 9570 with something more portable.
Im based in Sweden and prices are not the same as most of you seems to be in US. Prefer to keep budget under 8000sek/700€
Ive also looked at asus(vivobook zenbook) but could not find any that matches up to these processors.

Used:
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14ARH7
7200sek / 623€
AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS
1TB, 16gb, oled

New:
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 14AHP9
7990sek / 693€
AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS
512gb, 16gb, oled

Any advice or other recommendation is highly appreciated.
Thank you redditors

Hi all,

As stated in the title, my main tasks will be: rendering, CAD modeling and some light video production.

So far, some minimum specs and requirements I’m looking at are:

• Nvidia RTX 4060
• 16GB RAM
• 1TB storage
• At least 16in screen +/-
• Ideally portable

Is that going to be enough for the job? If so, what can you recommend on the market? Some models I’ve looked into are:

• Acer Nitro 16
• ASUS Vivobook Pro 15
• Gigabyte G6X 9KG 2024
• MSI Sword 16HX
• ASUS ROG Strix G16
• Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640
• Acer Predator Helios Neo 18

Thanks a bunch!

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: Trying to stay under $800USD
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Yes
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? I will be using this outdoors to program vehicles and RVs, so build quality is most important.
• How important is weight and thinness to you? I don’t ant a boat anchor, but it doesn’t have to be an ultralight
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. 13-15”ish
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. Nothing too intense.
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?-fill here, remove dashes-
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?prefer lighted keyboard, outdoor readable screen, must have Ethernet
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. I have a 12 year old Sony Laptop, and it’s time to replace it with modern technology. The screen is busted up pretty bad, some of the keys don’t work very well, and the thing is very slow now. I want USB-C so I don’t have to carry an extra charging brick, and I need RJ-45 Ethernet because some of the devices I use connect via RJ-45 ONLY.

HP 255 G10 15.6" Laptop, AMD Ryzen 7-7730U, 16GB Memory, 1TB SSD, Windows 11 Pro $509.99

vs.

HP Pavilion: 16" 2K OLED 120Hz, Intel Core 5 120U, 16GB LPDDR5, 512GB SSD $599.99 (With cashback potentially $419.99)

Trying to buy a laptop for school.

Hello! I'm a recently decided Engineering student, and I'm also in the market for a new laptop, so I figured I'd try to aim for something with the specs to handle drafting. Unfortunately, I haven't really had much experience dealing with laptop specs before this. My budget is $1500ish.

I've done some research, and I'm eyeing a refurb Dell Precision 5540 with an i7 6 core CPU, 64 GB Ram, Windows 10, and NVIDIA Quadro for $990. But I'm not sure if my money would be better spent on a newer model (Not that I could afford much newer from Dell, so maybe from somewhere else?). If it would be, suggestions?

Or, would it be better to get a ThinkPad or something similar now for notes/excel/etc, and save another grand for a Workstation PC in the future?

Thanks in advance!

I need a sub $1000 gaming laptops for mostly minecraft (with mods) and Ark SE

From a bit of research these seem to be decent options

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Legion-5-Gaming-Laptop-15-6-165Hz-WQHD-AMD-Ryzen-7-7735HS-16GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-4060-Windows-11-Home/5033748027?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1600&from=/search

https://www.amazon.com/Predator-i7-13650HX-GeForce-Display-PHN16-71-76H5/dp/B0CX27GY7N

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-tuf-gaming-a16-16-165hz-gaming-laptop-fhd-amd-ryzen-7-7735hs-with-16gb-ddr5-memory-radeon-rx7700s-512gb-pcie-ssd-off-black/6560989.p?skuId=6560989

Would anyone recommend these? If not please suggest some alternatives

Hey there, my previous HP Envy laptop just broke and I'm looking to replace it fairly quickly since finals are in about 2 weeks and I need a laptop for taking online tests in the exam room. I never really used my laptop for anything besides notes, essays, YouTube, and Balatro occasionally, so as long as it can do that I'm happy. I also tend to transport my laptop loose in my bag, so I would prefer something that can take a beating.

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: Under $200 USD
• Are you open to refurbs/used?: Yes
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? I highly prioritize build quality over all else, don't really care about battery life or performance, and I hate touchscreens and 2-in-1's.
• How important is weight and thinness to you? Not too important, I don't mind bulky but it has to fit in a backpack
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. N/A
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. As long as it can run Google well I'm happy, don't use it for really anything else
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? Balatro if possible
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? Reliable build is my main point of focus, again I try to take care of my stuff but I just want a Laptop that wont break in 2-4 years.
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.- I was hoping to have it in hand in at least 2 weeks if that matters, but I would prioritize a better laptop over faster shipping if it came down to it. I am really just looking for the bare minimum here that isn't so cheap that it will break down from daily use.

Laptop help after long time change

Hi all switching from Mac to Windows and i need some help please on what to buy as its been a long time I've narrowed it down to a few options

Lenovo Legion 5 16" WQXGA 165Hz Gaming Laptop (Intel Core i9)[GeForce RTX 4060

Acer Nitro 16 Gaming Laptop Ryzen 9 32GB/1TB 4060

Asus ROG Strix G16 16" WQXGA 240Hz Gaming Laptop (13th Gen Intel i7)[GeForce RTX 4060]

MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio Gaming AI PC Ultra 7 16/1TB RTX4060

Any help would be appreciated i will also be buying these in Australia if that makes a difference

We have an older 2018 MBP (15", i7-8750H, 560X, 16/512) that my mom is upgrading from (it was a birthday present, the 2018 Pro is in almost pristine condition and it works).

We're considering giving it to my brother (11yo, he currently has a Lenovo that is not very reliable) with the idea that he will be upgraded to a newer Air in a few years.

I know that MacBook Pros can last (I actually used a 2011 MBP with OCLP in 2022, though not as my primary laptop) but, in 2020, Apple changed CPU architectures for the third time and went ARM, so this is my question: is the 2018 Pro still viable in 2024 and how long do you think it will be viable for? I'm hoping for 3 years (and I assume that it will work well for that long) but I want to know if the Apple Silicon transition affects this in any way or if it will be unusable down the line.

For reference, my brother wants to use it for MS apps, Keynote/Pages, light video editing, and a bit of Python in VS Code. He has an iPhone 15 and a 2022 M1 iPad Air, and he likes some of the ecosystem/Continuity features between the two devices (and dislikes that sharing files and documents between his phone/iPad and laptop isn't easy).

So I want to replace my current matebook x pro (2021) for a new laptop as it runs out of battery fast, has been filled up with storage space even after a clean reset and is generally just slow.

My uses for this laptop is mainly for programming at my job, nothing too intensive, and video editing long form videos. The videos won't be rendering anything crazy, just basic standard video editing for video essays. Additionally I want to casually play games where the most intensive will be something lilke valorant.

I already have a main pc that I can use for heavier gaming or editing, however I want something that I can use in case I want to edit on the go, and for my job, or if I happen to not be with my pc, that I can play games of valo on, though this will be very infrequent.

Additionally, and I know this is hard as it conflicts with wanting performance, but I like more slim lightweight laptops, so nothing bulky like a gaming one.

I have looked around, and a laptop like the ASUS Zenbook S14 OLED UX5406SA and macbooks caught my eye. My budget is max £1500. The only real concern I have with macs are that its hard to be able to install games, and that coding will be trickier with Macos.

Title is pretty self explanatory. I want to find a laptop that will be good for my engineering courses that will last me the next 4 years. I also want something that can also function as a gaming laptop. It’s not really a requirement but I know that I’ll be gaming between classes. I was thinking about getting a gen 12 Lenovo ThinkPad X1, but I’m not sure. Price isn’t a super big factor especially with cyber Monday coming up. Any recommendations would be really helpful!

My laptop just gave out on me so it's time for a new one. I'm looking for something that's light and portable for a college student but also has enough power to do a bit of gaming.

Some specific preferences but none of them are deal breakers:

• 1440p monitor with high refresh rate
• Enough ports to not make me want to poke my eye out with one of the dongles
• 1+ TB SSD
• 15" screen
• Good keyboard (lower priority with the trackpad though, I mostly use a mouse)
• Good battery life
• 16+ GB RAM

*** Listed full questionnaire in the comments ***

Budget is only $500 however I'm sure I can find something in that range (or I've been told)

Uses for the laptop will be:

1. School work: browsing for research, Microsoft word & PowerPoint.
2. Light gaming. Mostly Roblox.
3. Beginning video editing mostly just pasting clips together. She has a large external hard drive that she keeps all of her video files on though.

Can anyone recommend a decent laptop for my teen daughter? I would appreciate it more than you know.

I'm in the market for a new laptop and trying to decide between two specific models.

1. Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in1 14" AMD Ryzen 7

- 16GB RAM

- 1TB storage

2. MacBook Air 13.6" M2

-16GB RAM

- 256 GB storage

I need a new laptop for school, I would say I'm a relatively light user, I've had my current budget Acer laptop for almost 8 years with only minor issues.

My priorities for a laptop are cost (under $1200 CAD - base price before taxes), longevity, and weight. Both laptops meet my criteria for price. So my question is whether getting a Mac is worth the extra cost (about 100$), the slightly smaller screen, and the hassle of getting dongles and adapting to a different OS.

It seems as though the Macbook might have a better battery life and is a bit lighter. And I'm wondering if the screen will provide for better viewing since I like to use my laptop outside in the summer on occasion. On the other hand, I'm a little worried about the longevity of the MacBook considering the amount of storage, how delicate apple products can be, and its repairability.

As a final note, the touchscreen on the lenovo model is a bonus for me but not a dealbreaker.

Looking for a good laptop for around 250-350$, which do you recommend?

Lenovo IdeaPad 1i - Processor: Intel 12th Generation Core i5, Graphics Card: Intel Iris Xe Graphics, RAM: 8GBs, Storage: 512 GBs, Screen: HD 15.6 inches

Acer Aspire 5 - Processor: ‎ 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 Dual Core, Graphics Card: Intel UHD Graphics, Ram: 8 GBs, Storage: 128 GBs, Screen: HD 15.6 inches

prefacing this with I have basically zero knowledge about laptop specs and any requirements are just from things I've seen

• Total budget and country $1000 preferably, $1200 max, USA
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Preferably new
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? most important is probably performance, as I want to run some decent games. 8+ hour battery life; I want to be able to use for a decent period of time away from a charger, especially before and after school
• How important is weight and thinness to you? I want to be able to carry the laptop around without adding too much weight to my backpack 😅 current laptop is ~3.97lbs according to Amazon and it's just a bit heavy, so I’d really not want it to be much heavier than that
• Preferred screen size 13-15in
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. Mostly just general use and some games
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? Minecraft is the main one. I can play it currently with my really bad laptop, but I have to close out all other applications and install a bunch of performance boosting mods and then only run it at medium-low quality at 12 chunk render distance with ~50 fps, and then it still lags sometimes. A lot of other games I simply can’t play at all because my current laptop will just crash. I’ve been wanting to try Hogwarts Legacy, and I want to play it at at least medium quality and 30+ fps with minimal lagging. Other games I’d like with similar settings are Black Myth Wukong, Warframe, and Path of Exile
• Specific requirements good keyboard. build quality doesn't matter much, but I'd like to not look like it's going to fall apart at any moment. My current laptop has a fingerprint scanner and it's pretty handy, but is definitely not a necessity. at least 512 GB storage so I can hold a decent number of big games on there. 16 GB ram. 

Other thoughts I’ve looked at the Asus TUF A14, and it's basically perfect besides the price, but the specs are probably higher than I need, so probably a similar slightly lower end laptop that's cheaper would be perfect. I also don't need specifically a gaming laptop; if a regular laptop fits the requirements to run those games, then that's perfectly fine. Honestly i have no idea if such a laptop exists