Help me pick a laptop!!

Hello guys, I need to buy a laptop for my girlfriend, we came down to a few options, but we can't really decide which one to choose, maybe you will help us! The laptop will be used for university stuff and also some light gaming (sims 4). I'd like the laptop to work smoothly for atleast 2-3 years. Links provided aren't exact models, just an example of them. Budget is roughly 700eu.

Options:

ASUS UX305CA: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Zenbook-UX305CA-FB005T-Notebook-M3-6Y30/dp/B019KZVESM
Looks nice, well built, but it has a Core M3-6Y30 processor, which I am afraid would start throttling stuff pretty soon on a little heavier load.

ACER S5-371: Acer Aspire S 13 S5-371-38UZ - 13.3" - Core i3 6100U - 4 GB RAM - 128 GB SSD Overview - CNET
This one would be stronger than the asus, and nearly as good looking, but still, there are stronger options, so my main concern would be - would i3 be enough, or still not quite?

ACER V3-372: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V3-372T-5051-13-3-inch-Notebook/dp/B01682HZAQ
It's an i5-6200u, probably the strongest CPU I can get in this price, though lacking in looks compared to the other 2 (which are important), and it is also heavier (which is a factor too, since a girl will be carrying it).

LENOVO 510S-14ISK: Ideapad 510S | 14" Configurable Laptop | Lenovo US
It's also an i5-6200u, but the thing is that there's not much talk about it on the internet, so there might be some defective stuff etc etc. Also, heavier.

HP 13-d006na: Buy HP ENVY 13-d006na Laptop, Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 128GB, 13.3" Full HD, Natural Silver | John Lewis
i3, an HP, but still worth a mention IMO. Don't know if it's better than the acer s5, which sports the same cpu, that's why I'm here in the first place

Thank you for your opinions!

 

The first open of the Asus UX305CA is better than the ACER S5-371 hands down. Cross the second one off your list. The Zenbook has 8GB of ram compared to the 4GB on the Aspire. The Zenbook has the i3 you would expect at that price range, and the screen will be beautiful due to the 3200 x 1800 resolution. I don't believe she would have an issue playing Sims 4, but don't expect to play them on max settings. All other university work would work perfectly.

The ACER V3-372 has a great processor, benching much higher than the Zenbook. It has a standard 1920x1080 screen, which a lot of the newer tablets and laptops are scratching out. It only has 4GB of ram, which is reasonable to do one or two task at a time. It would have trouble having browsers and background programs open while playing Sims because the minimum requirements for Sims 4 is 2GB of ram. The recommended for Sims 4 is at least 4GB, but you would want to be playing on minimum settings with only 4GB of RAM.

M3-6Y30 vs i5-6200u Benchmarks: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-m3-6Y30-vs-Intel-Core-i5-750/m38171vs2773

The LENOVO 510S-14ISK is a decent choice. It has a better processor than the Zenbook, but it's screen is once again 1920x1080. The difference between this laptop and the Acer V3-372 lays in the fact that this LENOVO has 4GB of extra ram, while the V3-372 is rocking an SSD instead of HD. In my personal experience, I would never use an HD by itself without an SSD running the OS and certain programs. Although, your girlfriend might make use of the 1TB of space for her studies. Writing all of those papers will fill up her hard drive fast, especially if she is downloading Sims and has a major that relies on a lot of computer usage.

The HP 13-d006na has lower specs than all of the comparing laptops you're looking at right now. Throw it away from your list.

Recommendations

I don't believe she would be able to run Sims 4 on different settings between all of them, because each one has it's faults. The UX305CA has a less powerful CPU, but the other two prominent options don't have enough RAM to support higher quality settings.

My first recommendation is to pick the Asus UX305CA instead of the Acer S5-371 because you will have the SSD and the great viewing experience without having the thought in the back of your mind that you could have had a better laptop for playing Sims.

My second recommendation is to look at the laptop down below. It has the i5 processor, mobility, 256GB of SSD, and 8GB of ram for the same price of your other options. The only downsize is the 1920x1080 resolution, but don't worry about that too much. You would be getting all of the power you'll need and it's not like the display is going to look like crap. Most the world still runs on that resolution, but it's slowly changing.

http://amzn.to/2beYPeS


Good luck!

 

You missed my sentence, the laptops in the links are the exact laptops All laptops, except the 510s lenovo, have a 128GB SDD (which will be enough) and 4GB ram. The UX305 has the M3-6Y30, which is why I'm worried. If it had an i3, it would be a easy buy for us! All the laptops are FHD too, including the UX305 The higher res/processor models are out of our price range... And your recommendation is 15.6inch and over 2 kilogram, which is too heavy for her...
Pretty much, on the scale of "good looking" it goes like UX305 - acer S5 - all the other, but on the scale of power it goes all the other - S5 - UX305, so I'm just wondering how much power is enough power to last for 2-3 years atleast..

 

The best one is the Lenovo. Even for light gaming you'll want at least an i5 and discreet graphics since the lower end ipgus in laptops are balls.