€600 Laptop for a 14 year old - for next 6 years into college etc. recommendations?

MiketheMechanic

I've been asked to source the best new laptop I can find for a 14 y.o student.
Hopefully it will see her through for the next 5-6 years

Budget is €600
Parents would prefer a local bricks and mortar store - or whoever will deliver at the moment.
Argos, Currys etc.

Looking back through the recent posts, this one was recommended.

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3068984/Trail/searchtext%3ERYZEN+5.htm

I like that it has 8GB, 256GB SSD, full HD screen, and a decent Ryzen CPU

Is there anything better for the money out there at the moment?


TIA
MtM

chuky_r_law

try one of the computer repair shops. lots of these guys usually do a good trade in refurbished gear. you'll get great value for less than 600 i reckon (im in galway and lapteck are a great example of this)

MiketheMechanic

Sorry, I should have specified that it should be new - with warranty etc.

Any good options? Or is that Lenovo from Argos that I linked to about the best?

MtM

shesty

Spotted thread on main page....I got a bundle deal from DID last week for a household laptop...little over 600eur.

https://www.did.ie/hp-amd-a9-9425-15-6-4gb-128gb-ssd-laptop-bundle-dark-ash-valbun2-valbun2-prd

It arrived yesterday, seems very good.Not a techie expert myself, but surely it would be sufficient for that need?

the honor magicbook 14 (from Uk) is much better than anything on offer here

get over the online thing

https://www.box.co.uk/products/keywords/magicbook/ex/true

or

https://www.hihonor.com/unitedkingdom/product/honor-magicbook-14#18244166142598

(may be voucher on that site for £15 off - search site)


use parcel motel etc if required


all metal quality durable and light build, ips screen , good cpu and runs really well in this latpop, long battery life


nothing as good in Ireland under 900 euro

JustAThought

I wouldnt be looking to spec a pc for a 14yr old and thinking it might also do college -what if she decides to do a CAD based course like interior design or engineering ir animation or something? Lots of colleges have specific specs they need to match in with their systems too -so I’d be looking for something internet enabled with pre-loaded office software -word, excel perhaps but not necessarily powerpoint -lots of the new laptops don’t have this and you have to pay a e200 annual license to use them.Second hand with shop warantee might be far cheaper and reliable. Also net nanny it -I’d say teenagers all over the country ate rubbjng their hands with glee as they get laptops ‘for school snd homework’ :Tiktok and Netflix & full internet unleashed.

tina1040

JustAThought wrote: »

I wouldnt be looking to spec a pc for a 14yr old and thinking it might also do college -what if she decides to do a CAD based course like interior design or engineering ir animation or something? Lots of colleges have specific specs they need to match in with their systems too -so I’d be looking for something internet enabled with pre-loaded office software -word, excel perhaps but not necessarily powerpoint -lots of the new laptops don’t have this and you have to pay a e200 annual license to use them.Second hand with shop warantee might be far cheaper and reliable. Also net nanny it -I’d say teenagers all over the country ate rubbjng their hands with glee as they get laptops ‘for school snd homework’ :Tiktok and Netflix & full internet unleashed.

Looking for a laptop for son doing Leaving Cert next year and it's looking like he will need a laptop. Saw this and wanted to mention it's unlikely a secondary school student will need a microsoft office license as they get free downloads through their school.

Also good luck with putting a net nanny on a teenager's device!!!!:)

Capt'n Midnight

tina1040 wrote: »

Looking for a laptop for son doing Leaving Cert next year and it's looking like he will need a laptop. Saw this and wanted to mention it's unlikely a secondary school student will need a microsoft office license as they get free downloads through their school.

If push comes to shove Libreoffice is free , just change the default file type to save as.

Check with the school to see what they recommend for laptop

snoopboggybog

shesty wrote: »

Spotted thread on main page....I got a bundle deal from DID last week for a household laptop...little over 600eur.

https://www.did.ie/hp-amd-a9-9425-15-6-4gb-128gb-ssd-laptop-bundle-dark-ash-valbun2-valbun2-prd

It arrived yesterday, seems very good.Not a techie expert myself, but surely it would be sufficient for that need?

Don't mean to be harsh but return that if you can.

The laptop OP posted in the main link is grand.

This Dell would be good as well but 50 euro over budget. I'd probably go with the Dell over the one you posted OP but not much between them really.
Whichever one you prefer. Your AMD Processor in the OP is slightly stronger. Both are very good laptops anyway for your budget.

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/new-inspiron-14-5000-laptop/spd/inspiron-14-5490-laptop

Capt'n Midnight

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

If push comes to shove Libreoffice is free , just change the default file type to save as.

Check with the school to see what they recommend for laptop

I doubt anyone in the school would have a notion.

ahnowbrowncow

snoopboggybog wrote: »

Don't mean to be harsh but return that if you can.

The laptop OP posted in the main link is grand.

This Dell would be good as well but 50 euro over budget. I'd probably go with the Dell over the one you posted OP but not much between them really.

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/new-inspiron-14-5000-laptop/spd/inspiron-14-5490-laptop

Second this, laptops like that generally retail for about €350

snoopboggybog

ahnowbrowncow wrote: »

Second this, laptops like that generally retail for about €350

I don't know how stores get away with it.

I changed my mind regarding the Dell. I'd go with the one the OP linked over the Dell due to the stronger on board graphics.

L1011

I wouldn't be expecting a laptop for a 14 year old to survive physically for 2 years, let alone 6 - and its highly unlikely even a top of budget one would be of much use for college work beyond just word processing by then either.

If you are confident it isn't going to get physically broken in that time period, make absolutely certain it can be upgraded to 16GB RAM (or more), as websites and browsers just keep getting flabbier. Both the Dell and Lenovo seem to be capable of it.

Talisman

You don't need to buy a nice 'new' shiny shiny laptop. There are plenty of durable (metal/carbon fibre vs plastic shell) second hand laptops available that will more than meet their needs at a fraction of the cost. Personally I'd recommend looking at older generation HP EliteBook or ZBook models, I've bought two recently for the kids to use.

For example there is a HP Elitebook 850 on adverts for €345 at the moment. Hp Elitebook 850, 15.6" Fhd Touch Screen, 8gb Ram, 128gb Ssd

Talisman

Talisman wrote: »

You don't need to buy a nice 'new' shiny shiny laptop. There are plenty of durable (metal/carbon fibre vs plastic shell) second hand laptops available that will more than meet their needs at a fraction of the cost. Personally I'd recommend looking at older generation HP EliteBook or ZBook models, I've bought two recently for the kids to use.

For example there is a HP Elitebook 850 on adverts for €345 at the moment. Hp Elitebook 850, 15.6" Fhd Touch Screen, 8gb Ram, 128gb Ssd

depends what you are using the laptop for really -> can do the job but be aware of the downsides

- the screen quality on older laptops can be pretty bad to look at with garish colours, low brightness and bad viewing angles. a big factor imo

- the integrated gpus are a fair bit behind if you're considering anything involving graphics (photo editing, basic games or even video playback)

- batteries are going to be degraded. fine if you are running off power but not if you need 5 hours off power

- cpus need to be checked on benchmark scores as even tho it might have been an i5 at the time it could now perform lower than a current period celeron in some cases

- they are heavier, thicker and design-wise have big bezels around screen etc. if you are lugging it around the weight could be an issue

- ram speed is going to be slower than modern ddr4 ram

Talisman

glasso wrote: »

depends what you are using the laptop for really -> can do the job but be aware of the downsides

- the screen quality on older laptops can be pretty bad to look at with garish colours, low brightness and bad viewing angles. a big factor imo

- the integrated gpus are a fair bit behind if you're considering anything involving graphics (photo editing, basic games or even video playback)

- batteries are going to be degraded. fine if you are running off power but not if you need 5 hours off power

- cpus need to be checked on benchmark scores as even tho it might have been an i5 at the time it could now perform lower than a current period celeron in some cases

- they are heavier, thicker and design-wise have big bezels around screen etc. if you are lugging it around the weight could be an issue

- ram speed is going to be slower than modern ddr4 ram

OP is looking for a laptop for a child, nothing fancy is required.

MiketheMechanic

MiketheMechanic wrote: »

I've been asked to source the best new laptop I can find for a 14 y.o student.
Hopefully it will see her through for the next 5-6 years

2nd-level student with it to last to university is the requirement.

it's not a "child" watching peppa the pig on youtube.

Talisman

glasso wrote: »

2nd-level student with it to last to university is the requirement.

it's not a "child" watching peppa the pig on youtube.

Yeah I have a couple of them in the house they're still children. HP ZBook or EliteBook with dedicated graphics cards more than meets their requirements.

Funnily enough they mostly use the laptop for Netflix and social media.

Talisman

Talisman wrote: »

Yeah I have a couple of them in the house they're still children. HP ZBook or EliteBook with dedicated graphics cards more than meets their requirements.

Funnily enough they mostly use the laptop for Netflix and social media.

the integrated graphics on a 400 euro Ryzen 3 laptop is more powerful than the low-end cards like the nvidia m cards in those old elitebooks tho.

and the one that you linked has no graphics card. most for sale don't.

to my eyes that is a horrible looking thing with a rough screen and ancient design/ thick bezels and palmrest area.

plus the 4th gen i5 mobile is below the level of a celeron n4100

Talisman

They are going to be using the laptop primarily for office applications or social media, the old laptops will serve them just as well. There are plenty of old laptops available with dedicated graphics, I linked that particular model because it also comes with the Office suite installed. There are EliteBooks with i7 processors and dedicated graphics cards available for similar money.

A laptop is a tool not a piece of art they will hang on the wall, aesthetics mean sweet nothing when it comes to kids using them, durability trumps aesthetics in my experience.

I'm not saying that they are not a good fit for some people e.g. I bought my dad an older Lenovo retrofitted with a ssd and enough ram that runs well for his uses (and has a great ideapad keyboard for typing) and he runs it exclusively off power and won't be watching media on it.

but people should be aware of what they are getting into and design is important for some and screen quality definitely is for many - unfortunately the screen tech of more than a few years ago, especially on those business-class laptops like hp elitebooks etc was horrible colours on washed-out panels with awful viewing angles.

Homelander

Buying a 2nd hand laptop for €100-200 is grand.

People spending €350-400 on 2nd hand older laptops with zero warranty, in the context of it being for a teenager and wanting it to last six years - it's a waste when you can get faster/as fast modern machines now which at least carry a warranty for the same price.

There's no reason an intelligently chosen mid-range laptop costing €600 now still won't be fine in five years, providing negligence doesn't break it.

My parents laptop is a 3rd gen i5 from 2013 with 8GB ram and a 120GB SSD - still perfectly fast for internet/office/typing/Netflix type stuff. If it doesn't physically die, it'll easily last another two or three years for those tasks.

yes the i3 thinkpad with the retrofitted ssd and 6gb ram for my dad was €120 or something like that.

I knew that the battery would be shot (was effective 1 hour even tho seller claimed 2 to 3) but if it's going to be plugged in makes no difference.

screen was pretty horrible as expected but only to be used for email, web and ms office so ok.

but even a ryzen 3 laptop for 400 will beat the older items and with a proper functioning battery and warranty.

the honor magicbook 14 is an excellent example of high-grade metal chassis and light build that will last 5 to 6 years easily (far more I would say) with modern components and design for 600 that is a better lifetime value than a 350 euro old-business laptop with a 2 hour battery, aged cpu and poor gpu, dire screen to look at and a brick design and build.

MiketheMechanic

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.

My sentiments lie with glasso and homelander
I've had poor experiences with used laptops. Crapped out batteries, hard drives prone to failure and questionable CPU cooling sytems.
Few people trade in a "good" laptop - most have a story.
Even with the ones from corporate fleets, you have know way of knowing how many times it's been dropped etc.

Anyway, the parents of the student in question are insisting on a new unit.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S340 15.6in Ryzen5 8GB 256GB FHD Laptop for €609 that I mentioned in the opening post seems to be out of stock at Argos.
https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3068984/Trail/searchtext%3ERYZEN+5.htm

Is there anything comparable around in Ireland.

The Honor Magicbook does indeed seem like a nice find. Does anyone know if the RAM is upgradeable? (to 16Gb?)
I assume a 12 month warranty. If it went wrong, I assume it would have to go back to the UK?

Would a 14" screen seem a bit small? My recent laptops have been 15". I had a Dell 13.1" a long time ago, and opened one recently and wondered how we ever got by?

Thanks, MtM

the ram in the magicbook is not upgradable no but 8gb imo will be plenty for most uses in the next 5 years to run smoothly outside regular heavy video editing tbh

another option if you want configure 16gb is the lenovo 5 14. sign up for the lenovo newsletter to get a 10% discount code.
although you won't get the fully metal (must select 2.4mm screen and metal palmrest option for that) for your budget but have a look

https://www.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/ideapad/s-series/IdeaPad-5-14ARE05/p/81YMCTO1WWENIE1/customize?

14 inch screen is big enough imo.

15.6 laptops are less common these days and are less portable also in terms of weight

you can get the matebook d 14 (same laptop as magicbook just different branding ) for 530£ on amazon right now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B085YM9K63/ref=twister_B088N3L674?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

amazon have great service so no worries there - also cheaper at the moment (was 599£)

JJJJNR

+1 for the second hand Elitebooks w/ssd for students.

Never had a problem with a corporate standard laptop (Dell d630, Lenovo T42, Elitebook etc) in all the years running secondhand. Have heard nothing but problems from family and friends buying new cheap laptops from the likes of curry's n PC world because it has a 1 year warranty. The standard build quality on a corporate laptop is streets ahead of anything PC world stock. Plus its wayy more environmentally sustainable to recycle.