HP vs. Lenovo for CS/Cybersecurity – Screen Size vs. Upgradeable RAM
I am an upcoming second-year Computer Science and Cybersecurity student living in a college hostel. I need a portable machine for running multiple VMs, coding, and reading manga, watching animes,tv shows. I've narrowed it down to two options that fit my taste but have very different trade-offs.
HP Laptop
Specs: 16-inch Touchscreen | 24GB RAM | 1TB SSD
Pros: The larger screen is great for split-screen coding, and the touchscreen is perfect for swiping through comics and manga.
Cons: The RAM is soldered. While 24GB is great now, I cannot upgrade it later if my advanced cybersecurity labs require running heavier virtual machines.
Lenovo Laptop
Specs: 14-inch OLED | 24GB RAM | 1TB SSD
Pros: The RAM is fully upgradeable via slots, making it future-proof for my degree. It also has a highly durable chassis and is very lightweight for carrying across campus.
Cons: The smaller 14-inch display provides less room for multitasking, and it lacks a touchscreen.
Which trade-off makes more sense: sacrificing the touchscreen and larger display, or giving up future RAM upgradability?