My niece needs a laptop for high school. Minimum specs as given by the school:
i3 2.4GHz CPU
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
Windows 10 (not 10 S)
They seem like pretty low specs so I think we can do better, ideally something a little bit future-proof. I'm leaning towards an AMD Ryzen CPU over the i3, ideally with upgradeable RAM and a bigger SSD. The battery life has gotta be able to last a school day.
Budget is max $1k (preferably less).
Any recommendations would be very much appreciated.
Check out: $888
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/hp-pavilion-x360-14-inch-i3-…
https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/c06986672
Look @ 14in. Anything larger is going to be heavy/bulky.
https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/refurbished-inspiron-14-34…
$619
https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/refurbished-inspiron-14-54…
$719 with touch
Plenty of others there, massive bang for buck. If you get an "as new" one, they seem to be ones that have just been returned without having even been opened.
That looks like a bargain. Cheers.
Speaking from experience and advice from a tech nerd in the family … avoid touch screens, they use up the battery and it's an extra thing that can go wrong with the laptop. Lenovo ThinkPad are usually quite good and sturdy. 14" is a perfect size. I'm in the market for two new laptops, so I'll be watching the Lenovo ones for a good sale! Avoid Acer, poor design.
Honestly, get a Macbook Air with Applecare Plus…it’s reliable and light, the battery is good and if it gets damaged (it will), Apple will fix it no questions asked.
You can get similar insurance on any other laptop.
Windows 10 (not 10 S)
Missed this criteria
Alternatively, get a business-class Windows laptop, that won't crumble with a light fall.
Get the business grade computer for the toughest specification.
Kids will drop them, accidentally.
Lenovo build MIL-10 specifications (pour water over the keyboard, drains through no worries, drop the laptop from a certain height etc.,…) into their business laptops.
It is a risk and you are at the mercy of the seller, BUT if you are after the most grunt for your money I would recommend a refurbished Lenovo laptop from GRAYONLINE.
Be warned though even Paypal protection has been extremely slow lately (when making the purchase) and may not go in your favour.
So if you are prepared to take the risk, you could get a prize computer.
Note the sellers premium near 17.5% plus delivery.
https://www.grays.com/lot/0089-2182296/computers-and-it-equi…
This example may sell for up to $1000 perhaps. Plenty of expansion possibly. You also get to try out their business laptop.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think I'm gonna go with the Asus from this deal: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/594243
For the price and power, you can't go wrong with that.
I still stand by my recommendation with the Latitude 5310 (2-in-1), got one a few days ago for a family friend, built very well.
3 years technician onsite warranty EVEN WITH DOWNGRADE!
(Asus is drop-it-off at the service centre)
Asus Zenbooks are still metal lined exterior, plastic interior and the screw joints will snap on any light bumps
If it has those gold stars on where the screw joints are, they're metal screw receivers, glued into the base of the laptop.
You can see from this video which is a UX425EA, same chassis
This laptop definitely has a plastic interior where the motherboard is mounted on.
I used to own an Asus Zenbook in the past, then I found business grade laptops and do NOT ever recommend consumer class laptops now, most of them are metal exterior, plastic interior. (with the exception of razer and macbooks)
A bit of laptop screen flex here when opening, means it is.. flimsy
No need to let S mode constrain your decision - it can be removed (for free)
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/02/what-is-windows-10-s-m…