Hi brains trust, my 15yr old son needs a laptop for year 10 next year. I'm hoping it will last until he finishes school. What are your thoughts on this:
Acer Aspire 5 15.6-inch i7-13620H/32GB/1TB SSD/RTX2050 4GB Gaming Laptop $1098
Laptop for Year 10-12 Student
Superkid on 26/12/2024 - 10:41
Last edited 26/12/2024 - 13:20 by 1 other user
Last edited 26/12/2024 - 13:20 by 1 other user
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Priorities:
- bsttery life
- weight
- cost of maintenance/replacement (especially screen and keyboard)
Then
Only something flash if going to study a computer intensive course - ie media, art, ICT. Every other subject requires only word processing and capacity to comfortably play videos.
Any suggestions?
We got ours a smaller 14" XPS that was on sale at the time. Hes still using it 2 years after school.
That being said, ours is an uber cautious kid who went to a city school with no corridor argy bargy. The laptop went locker > class > library > home.
I rate HPs and Dells for lasting general use in a school day.
My 15yr old son needs a laptop for year 10 next year
What does the school advise they need for specs etc? They normally have a list of approved devices or a minium spec to get.
They have not sent out a list yet…. I'm hoping to get something during the boxing day sales
I'd say 14" is the sweet spot, that Acer is 1.78kg which isn't too bad (I lugged around a similarly chonk laptop myself in high school) but it can definitely get heavy with the lunch box, water bottle, books, etc.
You really don't need that i7 chip, it'll just be chewing up more power than necessary.
And unless your kid is doing graphics/textiles/computer-related subjects, same story for the RTX 2050 - and your kid will just want to game on it 😆
How's your kid with taking care of his devices? If you're not confident he'll be careful with it then go for one of those refurb ex-corp laptops, those will be more than fine - you can probably look at upgrading to something nicer when he graduates.
Where can I find ex corp laptops?
Ones like this, though there's no certainty surrounding when these deals pop up - you can probably expect a few though when the back to school rush begins.
There's always at least one or two a month from the likes of UN Tech, Bufferstock or Metrocom - I'd say to wait for an OzB deal to pop up though, their normal pricing is kinda meh.
Laptop for Year 10-12 Student
Fair swap IMHO.
Acer Aspire 5 15.6-inch i7-13620H/32GB/1TB SSD/RTX2050 4GB Gaming Laptop
Will probably struggle to have battery charge on a full study day. Also, will be heavier than a non-gaming laptop.
Many cheap notebooks wont survive the daily rigours of in a school bag for more than 3 years….
We had a high end notebook / coporate series.. last just over three years.. (died during the start of year 12) .. I then gave my son a 3 year old XPS 13 (3k new) and its made it another 3 years (have just replaced the battery) and given him a new Acer swift evo OLED 14 ($998)and another which, we just managed to make to 4 year mark… (need a bit of TLC at the 3 year mark ) also a 2k corporate type machine.. the amount of abuse, these things had to take.. I have just been informed.. that it makes funny noises.. and wont be suitable for uni next year..
If he/she doesnt need a touch screen,
i would think about this
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/886107or this
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-swift-go-evo-14-inch-ul…
(or their splightly higher models..)
and look to prophylatically replace it between year 11 and 12 with another… $1000 machine..Yeah that isn't normal
Your son was not taking good care of them
A $499 hunk of plastic lasted me 6 years throughout high school… an SSD upgrade was all that was needed.
Though I guess it checks out if it wasn't your son that was paying for them…
Wait for the school list.
I am definitely not an apple lover, but my two girls have had their macbooks for 2 years and they have been amazing and look great and will keep going for years to come.
had their macbooks
Then they start work and they can't use a Windows PC….
Or they remain eternal students and sponge off tax payers forever ? :)
Your comment was a measured respectful nod to Apple yet you still got trolled (mildly) for it. On the plus side, the usual Apple haters are yet to arrive… so they're either taking a festive break or languishing in the penalty box.
What are your thoughts on this:
Too big, too heavy, and you don't want games on a laptop for school.
Also, check with the school, some will require Windows Pro, or education version, not Windows Home.
I got my kids laptops here: https://manlylaptops.com.au
I get good spec business laptops and with the price, am less worried about breakage. I don't tell them they are refurbish (they look new).
I also bought a battery pack for laptops on sale for $100 so if the battery dies, they have options to keep going.
With a 1 year warranty, that is as long as the original warranty.
Lenovo Legion go is cheaper, more powerful and has more……uses.
for that price, buy an acer swift (either intel or snapdragon depending on requirements)
much better battery and weight.
When i worked at HN, most schools in the area supplied the store with a list of recommended requirements, but i cant recall if this was pre Christmas or in late January.
Often schools are part of JB education BYOD program https://byod.jbhifi.education
Just find if your school will tell you their BYOD code (hint: most public schools have this)
Just apple, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft surface.
The price is only slight discounted but they have the manufacturer Extended warranty
This notebook will perhaps continue on to tertiary (if applicable). I suggest you need better battery life as this model likely won't make it comfortably through a school/work day.