Quality Laptop for My Parents

Lcerealkrill on 12/10/2021 - 16:34

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for suggestions for a laptop for my parents. Right now, they're using an old Asus F302L and I'd like to get them a new one before I move away at the end of the year. I'm asking here because there aren't many consumer/business laptops posted on /tag/laptop

Requirements:
* Budget ~$1200 including extras like dongles and keyboards
* Will last 5+ years so good build quality
* 8GB RAM or more
* 500GB storage or SD card port
* 13" or smaller and under 1.5kg so it can be carried to school (teacher); the lighter the better
* Webcam and microphone
* Windows only

I've mainly been looking at Lenovos and 10th and 11th gen processors but only because they seem to be ones that match and are available. Since mum is a teacher, we have a '.edu.au' email to use for education discounts and I've got accounts with some of the cashback stores.

One I'm looking at right now is this Surface Pro 7 but it doesn't come with a keyboard.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • MS Paint on 12/10/2021 - 16:47
    +2
    • 500GB storage or SD card port

    This doesn't make sense

    • cerealkrill on 12/10/2021 - 17:58
      +1

      Why not? Mum is worried 250 won't be enough so I said just get a permanent SD card if it's small.

      • MS Paint on 12/10/2021 - 17:58
        +2

        That makes sense. Cheers

      • Indomietable on 12/10/2021 - 18:52

        Most education has access to Onedrive with 1TB minimum storage. OneDrive has "file on demand" feature where it can offload unused file and free it up from local computer.

  • scrimshaw on 12/10/2021 - 16:51
    +2

    The Thinkpad L13 is a 'budget' business-grade laptop with 13 inch size. Not as good as Lenovo T or X -series but a lot cheaper.

    Starts at $1,219 + $95 extra to upgrade the RAM to 16GB.

    You'll need a education account to see the offer (screenshot https://i.imgur.com/L3xPB3k.png)
    https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/education/laptops/thinkpad/thin…

    Review here
    https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-L13-Gen-2-lapt…

  • vinnychase on 12/10/2021 - 17:15
    +1

    Best in the west https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/dell-xps-13-3-full-hd-lap…

    You can try to negotiate to get a better deal with Jb Hi Fi in store

  • Cave Fire on 12/10/2021 - 17:33

    Also did this. One of the gripes with the ryzen lenovo I suggested was: No cd drive. My dad is a relief teacher with EQ and does music sometimes. So some lessons are planned with cd's. Or playing DVD's etc for other subjects. So maybe check if a cd drive is a requirement. The other thing was finding the right dongle for the smart board the classes used. He had to get different dongles, as there are a lot of different smart boards around.

    • cerealkrill on 12/10/2021 - 18:03

      Thanks; I'll clarify about the dongles. No optical drive needed though

    • Daabido on 12/10/2021 - 21:06

      I did six years as a relief teacher with EQ and can't remember ever needing a CD/DVD drive, but maybe that's the difference between primary and secondary. AV used to be a mix of VGA, DVI, HDMI, but now it's almost universally 720p HDMI where the top fifth of the screen is projected not on the screen, but above it.

  • ShannonN on 12/10/2021 - 19:02

    if someone is a teacher why aren't they buying through school/ uni where they teach?

    • Daabido on 12/10/2021 - 21:09
      +1

      Deals on the open market are better than any preferred vendor.

  • FLICKIT on 12/10/2021 - 19:48

    Dell Factory outlet refurbs use to be a good option, not sure about now, but it may be worth a look:
    https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/shop/laptops-tablets

    Usually what they sell is brand new or basically brand new…

    • cerealkrill on 12/10/2021 - 20:02

      Thanks, I'll keep watch. They don't seem amazing

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