Laptop buying guide | Under Rs 80,000 (July 2021)
Updated: Aug 6, 2021
For med-high level projects. Recommended for students and professionals dealing with intermediate detailing and relatively large scale projects.
What to expect?
Mid - High end CPUs (also referred to as processors) - Intel Core i5/i7 / Ryzen 5/7
Mid end GPU - 4 GB graphics or higher
Ram - 8 GB or higher
Keep in mind while reading this article that CPU = processor and GPU = Graphics Card. CPU is commonly misinterpreted or wrongly referred to as the Tower / Cabinet / case of a desktop PC with its internals. This is in fact wrong and CPU actually means the processor inside.
Some introduction to be followed, Click here to skip directly to the list. or if you would prefer an interactive interface to find options under a specific price range, visit gaming.unboxparadigm.com.
Today's laptops are equipped with components that perform much better than laptops at the same price few years back. However, with that being said, this is still a mid end segment for Architectural needs, designers, content creators and students may face performance issues down the road due to lack of sufficient ram or GPU memory such as for 4K rendering or for more detailed scenes and projects. Nevertheless, this would be enough for you given that the scale of your projects aren't very large or extensively detailed / you don't mind the long waiting times for bigger projects and heavier tasks such as for high resolution/fps or detailed scenes rendering.
On another note, this would be the perfect place to start, since these specifications fall in line with the minimum/recommended specifications of most advanced applications used by designers and Architects. Also, you might get lucky and find excellent laptops at this price point during a sale! So check back during sales or create an account on this site to receive the latest updates right in your mail!
Other Price segments:
Laptops below Rs 1,40,000
Laptops below Rs 1,60,000
Laptop below Rs 80,000
This segment sees quite a few laptops with a good pairing of CPU and GPU. However the rams are mostly limited to 8 GB which while enough for small scale users, will definitely be a setback for multi taskers. An upgrade to 16 GB by purchasing an 8 GB ram module is highly recommended.
Tip: To check whether additional ram will give you a performance boost, run task manager when PC becomes sluggish or slows down while using multiple apps or takes time to load. Under the performance tab, look at the overall ram usage. If this is higher than 85-90%, you'll clearly benefit from the additional ram, given that this ram usage is a common occurrence during your primary usage and not an isolated occurrence. Before buying new ram, ensure that it will be compatible with your laptop. It is recommended that you check your existing ram specification through an application like CPU-Z.
The software used determines the specification requirement of the laptop. For Architects most applications except rendering softwares such as Lumion, TwinMotion etc are CPU Intensive applications, which means these applications won't benefit from a high end GPU and all or most of the tasks are handled by the CPU alone. However, this is not the case with applications like Lumion, Twinmotion and other GPU intensive applications. Lately, CPU based rendering plugin V-ray has also enabled GPU rendering support and applications like AutoCAD, Sketchup and Revit can also make use of GPU through GPU accelerated performance/hardware accelerated performance. So, a good GPU will help most applications and it is recommended to have one, especially if you're a designer or Architect who will be using GPU intensive applications.
Disclaimer : All notebooks mentioned in this list are based on prices at the time of writing and may be subject to change as decided by the seller. Unbox Paradigm is not in any way related to the pricing of the products and holds no responsibility for any unforeseen price changes.
1. MSI GF65 Thin 10SDR-1283IN - Editor's choice in this price range
CPU: Intel i5 10500H | GPU: GTX1660 ti 6 GB | Ram: 16 GB | SSD: 512 GB | Display: 15.6in FHD 144Hz - 45% NTSC
+ Good CPU and GPU pairing.
+ 16GB ram by default
+ High refresh rate display
+ Value
+ Relatively lightweight
- Would have been perfect if it had a good display color gamut (nitpicking at this point since no other gaming laptops offer this in this segment but would have been very welcome)
MSI GF65 Thin 10SDR-1283IN is a 15.6in notebook powered by the Intel i5 10500H 6 core CPU and a GTX 1660ti 6 GB GPU. Paired with 16 GB of ram and 512 GB of SSD, it offers an excellent balance of performance / price. The 6GB GPU means large / detailed models can be handled with relative ease while the 16GB ram ensures multiple applications can be handled at a time. For the amount of performance packed into a relatively compact and light weight form factor, the MSI GF65 thin is easily the editor's choice and the best value laptop in this price range. It should be noted that this laptop just like most other gaming/high-performance laptops under 1 Lakh do not offer a 100% sRGB color gamut which is ideal for accurate color reproduction (if color accuracy matters, it is advised to either connect to an external monitor if feasible or look into higher end laptops with better displays). Check out the link below for the current prices, full specifications and user reviews from flipkart.com.
Bottom line: Best VFM (Value For Money) in this price range.
MSI GF65 Thin 10SDR-1283IN - Flipkart Link
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CPU: Ryzen 5 4600H | GPU: GTX 1660ti 6 GB | Ram: 8 GB | SSD: 512 GB | Display: 15.6in FHD 60hz - 45% NTSC
+ Decent CPU and GPU pairing.
+ Good value
- Slightly higher than the price range
HP Omen 15-en0002ax is a 15.6in notebook powered by the Ryzen 5 4600H hexa core CPU and a GTX 1660 6 GB GPU. Paired with 8 GB of ram and 512 GB of SSD, this laptop makes for a decent alternative to the above mentioned MSI GF65 thin but with a better 6 core Ryzen CPU and a cleaner looking build that looks more minimal which makes it appealing to non gamers who need performance on the go. It also offers excellent cooling but offers only 8 GB of ram which means most users will likely need to upgrade to 16 GB memory as multi tasking and load requirements increase. The price is also slightly over Rs 80,000 at the time of writing but has sold for Rs 79,990 in the past. Check out the link below for the current prices, full specifications and user reviews from flipkart.com
Bottom line: Performance and cooling packed into a minimal / aesthetically pleasing build.
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CPU: Ryzen 7 4800H | GPU: GTX 1650 4 GB | Ram: 16 GB | SSD: 512 GB | Display: 15.6in FHD 60Hz - 45% NTSC
+ Best CPU in this price range
+ 16GB ram by default
+ Good value
- GPU could have been better
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 82EY00V1IN is a 15.6in notebook powered by the Ryzen 7 4800H octa core CPU and a GTX 1650 4 GB GPU. Paired with 16 GB of ram and 512 GB of SSD storage, this laptop offers one of the fastest CPUs on a laptop at this price point. In fact, the Ryzen 4800H was one of the best performing 8 core CPU from last year and still remains the best 8 core CPU in this price segment since the newer gen 8 core Ryzen and Intel CPUs are yet to reach the lower segments and are currently priced much higher. For users with heavy CPU intensive workload, this is the best laptop they can get in this price range.
It is also advised to check whether the software you use can make use of the 8 cores since not all applications will. Applications like V-ray can use full 8 cores for CPU rendering but the new GPU based rendering is faster and generally opted for, hence in such cases, having a higher-end GPU with 6GB graphics memory such as the 1660ti would be more beneficial. However, software like Revit can make use of full 8 cores and would significantly improve the performance of the application. To make this even a sweeter deal, it is priced around Rs 70,000 making this one of the lowest priced laptops on this list as well. Check out the link below for the current prices, full specifications and user reviews from flipkart.com
Bottom line: Best CPU / processor on a laptop in this price segment.
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 82EY00V1IN - Amazon Link
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4. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II-HE217TS - Best compact laptop in the segment
CPU: Ryzen 5 4600HS | GPU: GTX 1650ti 4GB | Ram: 8 GB | SSD: 1 TB | Display: 100% sRGB 14in FHD 120Hz
+ Decent CPU and GPU pairing
+ Long battery life
+ Power efficient CPU
+ Compact and Portable
+ Lightweight
+ Good display color gamut
- Not the best performing laptop (since it is targeted at compactness and portability as well and not just performance)
- Ram could have been higher
- Priced at 86k at the time of writing
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II-HE217TS is a 14in notebook powered by the power efficient Ryzen 5 4600hs 6 core CPU and a GTX 1650ti 4GB GPU. Paired with 8 GB of ram and 512 GB of SSD, this laptop is one of the best performing most compact laptop at the segment weighing in at just 1.6kg while most other regular laptops weigh around 2.3kg. It is also one of the very few high performance / gaming laptops below 1 Lakh to offer a 100% sRGB color gamut. However, the ram is notably only 8 GB by default which is upgradeable up to 40 GB but would have been very welcome if it were 16GB by default. With a clean design language and the compact form factor, it is easily one of our favourite lineups.
The other downside is that the laptop is also priced just above Rs 80,000 coming in around Rs 85,000 at the time of writing. There's also a renewed version which is linked below and is priced at Rs 76,990 at the time of writing. These laptops have been included in this segment primarily due to lack of many alternatives in this price bracket. Check out the link below for the current prices, full specification and user reviews from Amazon.in
Bottom line: Best all round compact laptop in this segment.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II-HE217TS - Amazon Link
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(Renewed) ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II-HE217TS - Amazon Link
512 GB SSD variant of the laptop.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II-HE233TS (white)- Amazon Link
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ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II-HE022TS (elipse gray) - Amazon Link
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CPU: Ryzen 5 4600H | GPU: RX5600M 6 GB | Ram: 8 GB | SSD: 512 GB | Display: 45% NTSC 15.6in FHD 120Hz
+ Good CPU and GPU pairing.
+ Fast refresh rate (does not improve performance but nice to have)
- Aesthetics might not be appealing to all
- Default ram configuration is 2x4gb, so upgrading later to 16gb ram would require swapping out both existing ram
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 is a 15.6in notebook powered by the Ryzen 5 4600H 6 core CPU and a RX 5600M 6 GB GPU. Paired with 8 GB of ram and 512 GB of SSD, it offers similar specifications as some of the other options in this list making it a decent alternative. The downside is the 8 GB ram which is by default configured as 2 x 4GB modules which would require swapping out both modules in the event of a future upgrade to 16 GB which is most likely inevitable. Check out the link below for the current prices, full specification and user reviews from Flipkart.com and Amazon.in.
Bottom line: Good balance between price and performance.
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And that's a wrap and that concludes the list!
Other Price segments you could look into:
Laptops below Rs 1,00,000 - All round better graphics and processors with 16gb ram. Helps with multi tasking and faster rendering experience.
Laptops below Rs 1,20,000 - Better graphics, processors, 16gb ram and good color accurate screens. The improved color gamuts offer better colors that are closer to real life. The other performance advantages apply as well.
Laptops below Rs 1,40,000 - All round laptops with good performance, portability, display and build quality. Some of the best laptops that excel in all regards.
Laptops below Rs 1,60,000 - Some of the best performing laptops for the price. Most laptops above this price range might offer diminishing returns or just relatively less value.
Let us know in the comments section below if you think we have missed out on any notebooks worth considering as well as other comments and feedback. All contents are updated periodically and in the event of major sales and releases. Hope this helps! Have a great day!
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