[Answer] I’m a first-year female computer science student looking to buy a 5,000–7,000 RMB laptop, preferably a thin-and-light model. Any recommendations? (I’ve heard 8GB of RAM isn’t enough for CS majors?)

[Answer] I’m a first-year female computer science student looking to buy a 5,000–7,000 RMB laptop, preferably a thin-and-light model. Any recommendations? (I’ve heard 8GB of RAM isn’t enough for CS majors?)

Here are a few options for reference:

1. Huawei MateBook 14 — low-voltage i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 512GB PCIe storage, and an entry-level MX250 dedicated graphics card.

2. Dell Vostro 5000 — about the same price as the one above, but with the CPU upgraded to an i7.

3. HP Battle 66 Gen 2 — the name sounds a bit cheesy, though.

4. Xiaomi Pro — I haven’t used this one myself, but I get the impression that it should be pretty good.

Generally speaking, 8GB of RAM is basically enough. Even the base model of the Apple MacBook Pro starts with 8GB. If you’re not running virtual machines or doing graphics rendering, it should be sufficient. But if you really do need to run virtual machines, then low-voltage processors can be a bit underpowered. So if your budget allows, it’s best to add another stick of RAM and upgrade to 16GB. If that’s not possible, this configuration should still be enough for general use.

As for portability and looks, Microsoft Surface is also a good option, but it’s a bit over budget.