Laptop for 16yr old into IT - HELP!

emeraldone on 27/06/2013 - 10:40

My 16 year old is highly into IT. He's in year 11 at high school and does 2 IT subjects which involve alot of rendering programs - Adobe Aftereffects, premiere, Blender, Photoshop, Flash etc.

He's dead set on buying this - http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/store/552-horize-p151sm1b-c… but I think its too much money. He has that amount saved but doesn't have a job and I think he should have a job before forking out all his money on an expensive laptop.

Is there something cheaper that would suit the purpose ?

Any advice appreciated thanks!

Computing

Comments

  • tooblue on 27/06/2013 - 10:50
    +1

    Why laptops in the first place when the main tasks are rending programs? Buy a mediocre box and a good monitor shall serve the purpose better.

    If you are really after a laptop, find a decent second hand branded one. He can upgrade the RAM, HDD/SSD, etc. with minimum cost if he is that highly into IT.

  • vival on 27/06/2013 - 10:54
    +4

    That laptop's pretty reasonable for the price and specs it offers - if he looks after it, that will last him at least five years. In my opinion it would be better to let him get the laptop he wants rather than trying to force him to get a sub-par ~$400 laptop that will give him nothing but pain for two years before he replaces it with this one anyway.

    Source: Parents got me a $400 laptop for Christmas once, appreciated the thought, didn't appreciate the laptop. Replaced with a second hand $800 RRP model.

  • Mikinoz on 27/06/2013 - 10:58
    +1

    He is in to Design not IT, IT generally mean support or some function around computing.

    Get him a mac and be done with it

  • evol on 27/06/2013 - 11:44
    +2

    +1 sounds more like Graphic Design/3D Modelling rather than IT.

    Would highly recommend a desktop for those sort of tasks. Much more cost effective and better upgrade options in the future. You really want a desktop series processor rather than laptop processor for this sort of work.

    That laptop linked is pretty good for the price, but I've never heard of the brand before. Don't get a Mac unless you want to blow $$$$$.

  • emeraldone on 27/06/2013 - 12:02

    Thanks for the comments and replies so far. I have already told him a desktop is better value and would rather he got one so at least he would have to sit up at a desk instead of lying on his bed!!! but he went on Umart and priced up some of the components in that laptop and says the processor is $900 alone, not sure if that is correct or not??

    • scrimshaw on 27/06/2013 - 12:24
      +6

      No, desktop components are different to that of laptops. For example, a desktop Core i5 is usually a quad core whereas a Core i5 in a laptop is usually a dual core processor. For that reason, mobile CPU/GPUs are usually not comparable to desktop parts, since they can have varying specifications, even within the same price bracket.

      The mobile Core i7 in that notebook can be matched with a $230 dollar Core i5 4570. Why? Desktop CPU's run at a higher clock compared to mobile ones, and they get far better cooling than laptop parts.

      If you want a budget desktop (less than a thousand) try this:

      CPU: Core i5 4670 $245
      Motherboard: ASRock B85M-PRO4 $89
      Graphics: Radeon 7770HD $112
      HDD: WD Black 1TB $88
      RAM: 16GB G.Skill-NT Kit $138
      Case: Corsair 200R carbide $72
      Power supply: Corsair VS450 $48

      $792 total (add an extra $99 for Windows)(add extra $70 dollars for assembly service)

  • jakentta on 27/06/2013 - 12:14

    As other people have said, sounds to me that he's not really into IT, but into graphics design, video production, 3D modelling etc. And a desktop PC will practically always be better value if looking for processing/rendering power for the buck. Having said that, the laptop does appear to be very decently specced for the price. Notice though that it does not come with an operating system! And do take into account that most of those softwares mentioned cost a fair bit to purchase too, although students may get good discounts.

  • _Bruce_ on 27/06/2013 - 12:46

    For this usage if you are going to pay this sort of money, get an SSD. Either as part of the deal or purchased separately.

  • TimmyShooterB on 27/06/2013 - 13:15
    +1

    Seems as if he really wants a gaming laptop under the guise of school work. As everyone else has said, get the desktop.

    • emeraldone on 27/06/2013 - 13:25

      He doesn't actually play a lot of games, well not full on gaming ones anyway (well I don't think he does!)

      • tooblue on 27/06/2013 - 13:42

        Once he's got his dream computer, he will.

        • emeraldone on 27/06/2013 - 15:40

          Yea probably right!

  • emeraldone on 27/06/2013 - 15:41

    If he's set on a laptop are there any cheaper alternatives around at the moment?

    • scotty on 27/06/2013 - 23:04
      +2

      There are definitely cheaper laptops but those won't be alternative to the Horize you've listed above, unfortunately. A Dell Vostro 3560 for example, is good enough for a lot of work but still not comparable to the Horize.

      For design work, a desktop + a large monitor is still preferred though.

    • Forfiet on 28/06/2013 - 00:01

      If he is set on a laptop he made a good choice for price and preformance…….But as everybody said desktops are more bang for buck….
      P.S like ppl said those software's can be expensive tho… even with student discounts…

  • belbo on 28/06/2013 - 07:41

    You would need to add a monitor, mouse and keyboard to Scrimshaw's spec above.

    I would also strongly advise a desktop. If it is a laptop case stuffed full of parts intended for desktops it may look impressive but it will run very hot - so it will be noisy and blow out hot air - and be vulnerable to overheating and part failure - especially if he is pushing it to the max or using it in bed / sofa without a proper hard surface to allow ventilation. If it fails soon after the warranty period it may be not possible / not economical/ expensive to repair. A desktop is much less likely to fail in this way and is usually much easier and more economical to fix / replace parts.

  • DangerousDave on 28/06/2013 - 22:26

    I have ordered the same laptop he's looking at, and I will be using it for Blender and some other programs.

    I also considered cheaper options, and the ones that stood out as good value for money (though obviously not quite as good as the Horize, which is also somewhat upgradable in the future) were the Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition, and the Dell Vostro 3560 which scotty mentioned above. However, what made those two really great options was the sale price Dell had them for at the time, the Vostro was I think $450 off and the Inspiron 17R SE was about $600 off. These deals are no longer available sadly, but new deals come around every few weeks, so if you've got time to wait or still haven't decided in a couple of weeks, they could be an option. (EDIT: But by then the deal on the Horize will probably have expired too I think).

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/106954 Best deal on 17R SE I've seen (expired)
    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/106780 Best deal on Vostro 3560 I've seen (expired)

    I guess there's always a choice between getting a really top notch laptop now that will do everything you need, or getting a cheaper laptop now so you have one, then later on (perhaps when he has a job?) getting a fast desktop as well to do the high powered computing when it's ok to be chained to a desk, and still having the basic laptop for those times when you need to be portable and doing basic, not so demanding, mobile laptoppy tasks. As always, a desktop in 6 months or a year will be better and cheaper than what's available today.

  • freemoneyhunter on 29/06/2013 - 13:29

    If he was really into IT, all he would need is a i5 with about 16GB of ram to run virtual machines. Integrated graphics is ok for this work.

    For Graphic programs, you should get a desktop. The video is much more expensive and slower on Laptops, much better to get graphics on a Desktop, you will get more power for less.

  • jeworge on 29/06/2013 - 22:02

    I also recommend a desktop PC & large screen for the graphics work he's doing at school. A laptop could do the job but the desktop is the smarter choice.

    I've done IT, programming & graphics design at school so I say this from experience.

  • 1bug on 30/06/2013 - 13:24

    A desktop is more cost effective, but a desktop is not mobile (if he needs mobility or decides to pursue his design interests at Uni, etc).

    The Horize is reasonably priced for a high performance, state-of-the-art laptop that won't need replacing for 4-5 years.

  • garazy on 30/06/2013 - 21:03
    +1

    If the boy is set on getting it and you believe he is truely into the rendering applications you mentioned (and not buying it under the guise of playing computer games) then let him get it. In 5 years time he might be an expert in the field of IT and that 1k investment at 16 will set him up for life.

    • scotty on 30/06/2013 - 21:34
      +1

      Very true. $1k is not that big an investment in the whole scheme of things if it helps him to build up some skills. I'm grateful that my parents got me an 386DX-33 when I was 15, and back in those days it surely costs more than $1k. Even 10-12 years ago a mid-range Pentium III laptop would cost more than $2k.

      But then again with that kind of rig you'll be very tempted to play all the latest games.

  • Day2Deal on 02/07/2013 - 13:10

    From what you discribed ur son is like me, while I wouldnt go for that partucular laptop it will still need to be in the same price range. Dont buy from a store or ur son will go mad. A store is like an apple computer slap a grand on the price tag just because they can. Good luck

  • Aragami on 05/07/2013 - 15:31

    I'll be clear in saying this, your kid isn't an IT kid, he's a graphics kid. There is a big difference, the difference being that an IT kid wouldn't say that a mobile edition cpu is the equivalent of a 900$ desktop cpu. I can see how a graphics kid would get a bit confused though because most people would, unless they knew the difference between haswell mobile cpu's and haswell desktop cpu's.

    In saying all of that, I think its fine for your kid to get that horize laptop. Horize actually have amazingly good value for great parts, they don't charge ridiculous premiums like other laptop manufacturers, that laptop is amazingly cheap for what it is. For him to be doing a bunch of photoshop/rendering/premiere stuff, that laptop would pretty much eat all of it up. The portability factor is a massive plus - he'll be able to do things where ever he wants rather than having to strap down to a table and sit in 1 place for hours. Not to mention the screen happens to be a 1920x1080 screen, so no problems there at all, graphicy/designy stuff loves high resolution screens. It's a shame the screen doesnt offer a wider gamut but thats a different story and different price range.

    Another person here responded with a decently priced desktop computer build which seems great, the problem with the build however is that speakers + mouse + keyboard + monitor are required. If you do manage to get him to consider a desktop, then i would highly recommend a very decent monitor if there is budget available. When considering decent monitors, really, only think of the ultrasharp series from dell. This means 2413 pretty much, it's the latest of their 24inch series and has a resolution of 1920x1200 - most importantly for your kid, it has an adobe rgb gamut which is what design/graphics people absolutely love and adore and would appreciate more than anything in the world. In saying that, its not necessary at all, its just simply the cherry ontop of the cupcake.

    Recommendation from an IT guy: Laptop = good value for what your son wants. Get it. Be glad he doesn't want a 17inch version which DOES have a better gamut range on its LCD =) (also costs a grand or so extra).

  • Willy Bargin on 11/07/2013 - 11:24
    -2

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-755-Core-2-Duo-E6550-2x-2-33…

    there you go mum

    this is only $100 - with monitor - he can get his nerd on and wont cost you alot

    16 year old is going to speed 90% on facebook

    he can install Linux , pull it apart , upgrade it , hack it , paint and customize it, web surf

    after school he can get a job and buy any think he want

  • Willy Bargin on 11/07/2013 - 11:30
    -1

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/APPLE-MACBOOK-A1181-CORE-2-DUO-2-…

    for the cool white apple laptop

    $250

  • emeraldone on 11/07/2013 - 11:31
    +1

    Thanks for all the feedback and comments.

    He basically refused to get a desktop even though I got him to read the comments, recommending it. Lots of people also said it was a great spec laptop and he had his heart set on a laptop so he went ahead and bought it.

    I figure he has to make some of his own choices. Maybe later he will regret it but that's life. He had actually saved $1000 from a job he had (but no longer has) and we were trying to teach him that you don't spend all your money when you have no income but he is 16 and of course doesn't listen.

    Anyway thanks for all the people who took the time to reply, you guys are great!

    • scrimshaw on 11/07/2013 - 14:41

      When he's older and living by himself and has to worry about paying off loans, insurance and taxes he'll understand the burden of being a responsible adult :) No real need to worry yet.

    • ClintonL on 12/07/2013 - 22:58

      Probably don't need to lecture him about this decision too much.
      It's not too bad of a choice as its a decently specced laptop which will last him a while . Be happy he didn't run out without research and point to some alienware or apple machine. If he really was lying and wanting to play games he would of probably got a desktop.
      As to the better value in desktops that's true but alot people prefer mobile solutions nowadays i guess and at least its portable and he can bring it to school etc.

  • grechy on 21/07/2013 - 12:15

    Its 3.1KG and with those specs I doubt the battery life would be reasonable. + No OS…

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