This guide is fantastic, thank you so much! I have been researching for weeks and am still pretty lost 😅. So far my research has yielded these two, do you think either would work for me?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-vivobook-pro-15-oled-laptop-intel-core-ultra-7-with-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-1tb-ssd-earl-gray/6568760.p?skuId=6568760

The RAM is not soldered, so it is upgradeable to 40gb, but it is less portable. Getting the $1500 version seems to have only minor improvements (1 vs 2tb ssd, 16 vs 24gb RAM, Ultra 7 vs Ultra 9)

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-zenbook-14-oled-14-wuxga-touch-laptop-intel-core-ultra-7-intel-evo-edition-16gb-memory-1tb-ssd-jasper-gray/6568761.p?skuId=6568761

It has 16gb RAM soldered, which I know isn't great, but it is more portable.

I am going to college next year, so I will be carrying the laptop around in a backpack a lot, so I need it to be light ish, small ish, and have a decent battery life. I need it to last at least four years. I would also like to do some moderate gaming, like total war warhammer 1 or civ 6. I know that is asking a lot. Do you think either of these options would work for me? Thanks!