Buying laptop for new college student

tombrown

My son is off to university in a couple of weeks and we were looking to get him a laptop.As he has iPhone, iPad etc his first choice is a macbook, but they are just way too expensive to buy new.


I did find some good looking prices on pigsback - https://www.pigsback.com/en-ie/browse/gifts-shopping/electronics/laptops, as low as €300 (https://www.pigsback.com/en-ie/offer/427226/macnplease), but Iknow little or noting about macs, so was hoping for some advice


Or should i just persuade him to go with a standard cheap windows laptop, or maybe even wait til he gets to college to see what he really needs?

davo2001

What course is he doing?

tombrown

davo2001 wrote: »

What course is he doing?

Business & IT at Queens, Belfast

willabur

He wants a mac,
he doesn't need a mac

tombrown

Yep I know. TBH I'm not even sure he needs a laptop at all.

But if I can get a mac at €300, and I know it will work & be good enough, then it makes sense. Trouble is I know nothing about Macs

AlmightyCushion

Do not buy one of those Macs. They're about 10 years old. Mac or not, that is ancient in computing terms.

tombrown

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Do not buy one of those Macs. They're about 10 years old. Mac or not, that is ancient in computing terms.

Thanks - that's the sort of advice I needed

eoinob50

tombrown wrote: »

Business & IT at Queens, Belfast

He'll need a laptop alright imo.

Giving your budget, stay away from macs, not needed anyway. For a student pretty much any new/ up to date laptop will cover him

AlmightyCushion

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PNQY1PY

That works out about €425 and it would do the job. It's a decent laptop without breaking the bank.

Mike9832

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PNQY1PY

That works out about €425 and it would do the job. It's a decent laptop without breaking the bank.

Nice laptop

Anything with a SSD and 8gb of ram is upto the job from my experience

SSD are fantastic, I'd never go back to a HDD drive again, make such a difference

willabur

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PNQY1PY

That works out about €425 and it would do the job. It's a decent laptop without breaking the bank.

Looks decent, it would be worthwhile buying an extra stick of RAM which he will see the most benefit from in terms of a performance kick.
Maybe if you could stretch the budget pick something with an SSD drive. Mostly he is just gonna be watching youtube and netflix so full hd is the best bet!!

ted1

He’s best using the same OS as the college use especially if he’ll be Usung course specific programs

AlmightyCushion

willabur wrote: »

Looks decent, it would be worthwhile buying an extra stick of RAM which he will see the most benefit from in terms of a performance kick.
Maybe if you could stretch the budget pick something with an SSD drive. Mostly he is just gonna be watching youtube and netflix so full hd is the best bet!!

Huh? It already has 8GBs of RAM and an SSD.

@ OP - If you want to spend a little bit extra this is the same laptop but with a quad core processor. For an extra ~€25 it's a good upgrade. Either of the two should do him grand.

willabur

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Huh? It already has 8GBs of RAM and an SSD.

@ OP - If you want to spend a little bit extra this is the same laptop but with a quad core processor. For an extra ~€25 it's a good upgrade. Either of the two should do him grand.

Tech details says it is mechanical HD - weird!

there is space for another 8GB, first thing I would do which would improve performance of the machine would be to boost that

AlmightyCushion

willabur wrote: »

Tech details says it is mechanical HD - weird!

there is space for another 8GB, first thing I would do which would improve performance of the machine would be to boost that

For most people 8GBs is enough. I upgraded my gaming PC from 8GBs to 16GBs and I didn't notice any difference.

tombrown

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Huh? It already has 8GBs of RAM and an SSD.

@ OP - If you want to spend a little bit extra this is the same laptop but with a quad core processor. For an extra ~€25 it's a good upgrade. Either of the two should do him grand.

Thanks for the recommendation.



I am an ex Intel employee - will buying AMD impact my pension

tombrown

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Huh? It already has 8GBs of RAM and an SSD.

@ OP - If you want to spend a little bit extra this is the same laptop but with a quad core processor. For an extra ~€25 it's a good upgrade. Either of the two should do him grand.

Actually willabur may have a point, while the main description claims a 256GB SSD, the technical details table states a mechanical hard drive. When I look up this model omn the ASUS website it suggests both options are available, or even a hybrid (HDD + SD) option.



How can I be sure the Amazon listed one is really the SSD option?

ednwireland

dont forget apple do educational discounts as well but the cheapest macbook air will cost over 1000 euro

AlmightyCushion

tombrown wrote: »

Actually willabur may have a point, while the main description claims a 256GB SSD, the technical details table states a mechanical hard drive. When I look up this model omn the ASUS website it suggests both options are available, or even a hybrid (HDD + SD) option.



How can I be sure the Amazon listed one is really the SSD option?

It says in multiple places on that Amazon link it's an SSD. If you Google the exact model number every where else that shows up also says it's an SSD. No company even makes a 256GB hard drive (they'd be 250GB). Plus I bought 2 of them a couple of months ago for my parents and they had SSDs.

Given it says SSD all over the description Amazon would give you a refund if it didn't have an SSD in it.

willabur

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

It says in multiple places on that Amazon link it's an SSD. If you Google the exact model number every where else that shows up also says it's an SSD. No company even makes a 256GB hard drive (they'd be 250GB). Plus I bought 2 of them a couple of months ago for my parents and they had SSDs.

Given it says SSD all over the description Amazon would give you a refund if it didn't have an SSD in it.

Looks like a sloppy advertising/listing so.

tuxy

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PNQY1PY

That works out about €425 and it would do the job. It's a decent laptop without breaking the bank.

I'm just after buying a refurbished Thinkpad T440p(released in 2013) that matches that, same CPU performance, 8GB RAM, 240 GB SSD, 90Wh battery for €140 delivered.
Companies buy high spec Thinkpads in large number and then sell them for peanuts when they upgrade.
There's some amazing value to be had if you know what to look for.

tombrown

tuxy wrote: »

I'm just after buying a refurbished Thinkpad T440p(released in 2013) that matches that, same CPU performance, 8GB RAM, 240 GB SSD, 90Wh battery for €140 delivered.
Companies buy high spec Thinkpads in large number and then sell them for peanuts when they upgrade.
There's some amazing value to be had if you know what to look for.

Do you have a link for this? I love Thinkpads - got one myself, that I paid a pretty penny for, but its ace

tuxy

tombrown wrote: »

Do you have a link for this? I love Thinkpads - got one myself, that I paid a pretty penny for, but its ace

I don't think I can link to old ebay listings

Just search for T440p on ebay.ie, there's loads for sale. Just make sure it has a core I5 or I7 M processor, the older M processors are about as fast as the newer U(ultra low power). The M processors do use more power but I find that's no problem as Thinkpads usually have good batteries.

I also picked up an x220 for €65 delivered

It was bios password locked but all I had to do was short one of the chips on the motherboard and it was removed making the laptop fully functional again.

So that's one 14" laptop and a very portable 11.5" both fast and in great condition for €205 total!

I'll probably upgrade both to IPS screens for another €100. The standard screens are fine and perfectly functional but IPS panels have sharper colors so it's worth it.

edit: actually the links do work I just had to scroll down past all the ebay adverts as I didn't have adblock enabled

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-T440p-8gb-Ram-Win-7-240gb-SSD-Intel-i5-2-6ghz/264416421905?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Lenovo-X220-Laptop-12-1-Intel-i5-2-5GHz-4GB-NO-OS-BIOS-LOCKED-Ref-848/323839933063?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Aodhan5000

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/81F400E9UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-330s_2498826.html#DetailTop
Look at that. That other laptop's reviews don't look great and the description seems kinda dodgey which I wouldn't say is too promising

Mr Stetz

ednwireland wrote: »

dont forget apple do educational discounts as well but the cheapest macbook air will cost over 1000 euro

I know you said educational discounts, but can anyone avail of this offer. ie: I’m not in college

ednwireland

Mr Stetz wrote: »

I know you said educational discounts, but can anyone avail of this offer. ie: I’m not in college

it does say verification required but I Don't know what they require.

tombrown

Some good suggestions on this thread - so I'm focussing in on a windows laptop, with SSD (125 or 256GB), 8GB RAM and Intel I5 (or equivalent) CPU.

Now - should I pick up one of the online options, or take him shopping when we go to Belfast to buy one there? I suspect the best deals are online, but if anyone knows a decent shop in Belfast that could fix us up, I would appreciate it

Turquoise Hexagon Sun

tombrown wrote: »

Some good suggestions on this thread - so I'm focussing in on a windows laptop, with SSD (125 or 256GB), 8GB RAM and Intel I5 (or equivalent) CPU.

Now - should I pick up one of the online options, or take him shopping when we go to Belfast to buy one there? I suspect the best deals are online, but if anyone knows a decent shop in Belfast that could fix us up, I would appreciate it

Those specs are decent for what I imagine a business student will be using.

May I suggest the brand Asus? I'm on my second one. First one from 2013 is still running perfectly. 2nd one is still new and but very powerful the power to price ratio was phenomenal. It wont have the same quality build feeling of Macbook but I found the machines to be extremely reliable.

The design of this one is influenced by the Macbook but would be half the price of any Macbook with these specs.
https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-zenbook-13-ux333fa May or may not be over your budget at €799 from Amazon.de

Or better budget one.. HP
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-EliteBook-Ultrabook-Professional-Refurbished/dp/B06VVXNX5Z/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=asus&qid=1566397830&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A1481781031%2Cp_n_feature_fifteen_browse-bin%3A8322530031%2Cp_n_feature_thirteen_browse-bin%3A8322538031&rnid=8322536031&s=computers&sr=1-1

Other than that, I think the advice in this thread has been relatively sound. I wouldn't go for Apple because I've owned plenty of Apple products and they fail just as much as any other products. Apple products are notoriously not repair- friendly. They overcharge for repair and often if one thing like the GPU goes or the CPU, they'll say the whole Logicboard (motherboard) needs replacing which is about €600 or €700 to replace.

Louis Rossman will provide you with lots of info if your son gives you some pushback for getting a Windows laptop.

Sorry, for going a bit off-topic but had to be said.

tombrown

Thanks - we've already doused the macbook craving. He's fully bought in to the idea of a regular windows PC

tuxy

Turquoise Hexagon Sun wrote: »

Other than that, I think the advice in this thread has been relatively sound. I wouldn't go for Apple because I've owned plenty of Apple products and they fail just as much as any other products. Apple products are notoriously not repair- friendly. They overcharge for repair and often if one thing like the GPU goes or the CPU, they'll say the whole Logicboard (motherboard) needs replacing which is about €600 or €700 to replace.

I'm no fan of Apple but on all modern laptosp the gpu and cpu are soldered on so repairing is not a cost effective option as a new board with cpu+gpu will be cheaper than all the work and special equipment it would take to solder the thousands of connections of a replacement chip.

That's why I like the old thinkpads as it's very modular, all companies copy apple these days even lenovo. :mad:

tombrown

Ordered the laptop, its on its way.

I guess he'll probably need a copy of MS Office now. Do UK Universities normally provide Student versions of this or will I need to purchase it for him?

smuggler.ie

tombrown wrote: »

Ordered the laptop, its on its way.

I guess he'll probably need a copy of MS Office now. Do UK Universities normally provide Student versions of this or will I need to purchase it for him?

All/most educational institutions have free MS Office and/or G Suite and should/will provide student with account for course term. You should be able to contact institution and find out.

FishOnABike

smuggler.ie wrote: »

All/most educational institutions have free MS Office and/or G Suite and should/will provide student with account for course term. You should be able to contact institution and find out.

Unless he needs the real time collaboration features of MS office he should consider a freely available alternative like LibreOffice.

Water John

Any opinions on Processors? Are i3 and i5 a bit dated?
Iv'e settled on the 8GB and 256SSD. The Asus recommended here earlier looks good.

Aodhan5000

New versions of each processor line (e.g i3, i5, etc) come out each year. An i5 is usually a good all round processor

Water John

Much appreciated Aodhan

niallb

My son's in Queens since last year and he uses a 14" Acer Chromebook.
All the material is online and works perfectly with it.
The laptop you got should be absolutely fine.
He also had no need to buy an Office package.

The big factor with choosing the chromebook was battery life for carrying around.
It's also really light and slim enough to slip into any bag.
10 hours battery with a 14" screen for about €300 lets him leave the charger at home.
He's not even looking to change or upgrade it for this year.

It's no gaming machine, but he has a decent PC at home he's built over the last few years,
and connects to it with a Nvidia Shield from Belfast for that!

Best of luck to your son in Queens - hope Brexit doesn't cause too much of a mess for them!

tombrown

Thanks

Got my lad's laptop - a Lenovo IdeaPad (I have a ThinkPad myself, so I do like Lenovo). I put LibreOffice on it for now and he can sort what he needs when he gets to Belfast.

My only slight concenr is the relatively small SSD (128GB), but I know there is loads of online storage at Queens, and, if the worst coems to the worst we can always an external SSD or upgrade the internal one

Homelander

Water John wrote: »

Any opinions on Processors? Are i3 and i5 a bit dated?
Iv'e settled on the 8GB and 256SSD. The Asus recommended here earlier looks good.

i5 8th gen are all quad core and great processors, Ryzen 5 are also good processors. i3 is OK for normal use but unless it's a lot cheaper than either the above, worth getting an i5 8th gen or R5. Avoid older i5 7th gen, almost all dual core but still widely available. An i3 8th gen would be pretty much identical.

smuggler.ie

tombrown wrote: »

Thanks

Got my lad's laptop - a Lenovo IdeaPad (I have a ThinkPad myself, so I do like Lenovo). I put LibreOffice on it for now and he can sort what he needs when he gets to Belfast.

My only slight concenr is the relatively small SSD (128GB), but I know there is loads of online storage at Queens, and, if the worst coems to the worst we can always an external SSD or upgrade the internal one

Once he gets O365 and/or G-Suite account from university, he will avail for online storage up to 1 TB
https://www.educationstore.ie/shop/microsoft-office-365-pro-plus-for-students/

https://support.google.com/a/answer/139019?hl=en (see: How much storage do users get with G Suite for Education?)