Solved Best student laptop that doesn't cost £2,000

pparks1 said:

You find it annoying that the things work together????? I don't understand that logic.

Click to expand...

That's... missing the point.

I just bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKVD7VBR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Have had it just over 1 month, and very impressed with the performance vs. price.
Good bang for your bucks ($1299)!

@Hazel123 do you already know exactly what they'll be studying? Is it CS related or something not related to computers/technology at all? This information alone may be very important when choosing the right tool for the job.

Also does the school even allow digital note taking during class? I know a lot of schools that are still full on books, pen and paper.

It's STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) - which area he ends up focusing on is unknown yet. I think digital note taking isn't the most important aspect, but a touchscreen can be useful so you don't need to use the mouse as much I find. Not essential though but could be useful to have. They probably will hand write notes a lot. In which case what is the laptop for? Writing essays? He can do that at home on the desktop. It's simple to have a portable "device" in case needed and to avoid having to use the computer room computers (which do a look a bit old - particularly the screens).

Anyway decision is to say we're not getting a macbook - choose something else. I'll update the thread when the decision is known! It's not needed just yet.

Thanks for the update. I would say the Surface Pro would be the best choice atm if you get the KB too, it is a do all machine that is easy to carry around and can be used in many different ways. Or as an alternative the Asus 2in1s...not a bad option either.

If later the stuff studied moves over to heavy CAD work or programming, then something with a bit bigger screen would be more beneficial. The Surface Pro would still be powerful enough though.

A surface pro was the original intention and I had got a good deal in the sales. But cancelled it again when he said he didn;'t want it, he wanted a macbook air! Not sure if I want to pay full price for a surface pro now. But maybe there will be other deals.

You see to me - a core i7 laptop is a thing to desire - it's fast, it's really good spec. Unfortunately the teenage has done his googling and says the M2 is faster. Point being - how blooming fast does it need to be?!

I asked a bit around, what would be a good machine for any type of school for note taking in the UK.

I got 2 main answers:

1. iPad
2. Surface Pro

And I agree with both. The iPad is really good for this sort of stuff and even my 20yo daughter would not want anything else if she returned to school. The software is THE BEST for note taking and everything stays very organized.

If you want to go the Windows route, the the Surface Pro does the same job but with very different apps and tools.

I'd stick with these options and pick the one you prefer more.

Agree. His argument against the Surface Pro (having offered it as one of his preferred options then changed his mind) was that it's not like a proper laptop that can sit on your lap. In hindsight I think that argument was just because he was trying to persuade me to get a Macbook Air at that point.

I'm actually wondering what any laptop would get used for! If he's decided to take notes by hand rather than a tablet (although that might change when he realises it's heavy carrying stuff). If he writes notes by hand and has a pc at home, what would a laptop be used for in college? Maybe doing the odd piece of work in class.

Hazel123 said:

You see to me - a core i7 laptop is a thing to desire - it's fast, it's really good spec. Unfortunately the teenage has done his googling and says the M2 is faster. Point being - how blooming fast does it need to be?!

Click to expand...

Well, I have a Dell Precision 5550 laptop for work with a Core i9 and 32GB of RAM. It's a beast.....but it's battery life is abysmal. My previous laptop at work had a Xeon processor. Nothing I do as a server engineer on a daily basis needs that much computing power. I really would prefer a core i5 that could potentially double and triple my battery life. But now, no matter where I go, I have to carry about my power brick because in under about 2 hours, my laptop is dead.

Hazel123 said:

Agree. His argument against the Surface Pro (having offered it as one of his preferred options then changed his mind) was that it's not like a proper laptop that can sit on your lap. In hindsight I think that argument was just because he was trying to persuade me to get a Macbook Air at that point.

I'm actually wondering what any laptop would get used for! If he's decided to take notes by hand rather than a tablet (although that might change when he realises it's heavy carrying stuff). If he writes notes by hand and has a pc at home, what would a laptop be used for in college? Maybe doing the odd piece of work in class.

Click to expand...

I'd buy a chromebook then. Light, cheap, always on the cloud so stuff is saved. Don't have to worry about it breaking down, getting stolen, etc.

pparks1 said:

I'd buy a chromebook then. Light, cheap, always on the cloud so stuff is saved. Don't have to worry about it breaking down, getting stolen, etc.

Click to expand...

I have yet to find a Chromebook that's is actually good. They're either underpowered or overpriced with moderate battery life at best. Even my mobile phone is better, considering the huge formfactor difference.

SlicEnDicE said:

I have yet to find a Chromebook that's is actually good. They're either underpowered or overpriced with moderate battery life at best. Even my mobile phone is better, considering the huge formfactor difference.

Click to expand...

Don't need a lot of performance to take notes or write a document. Battery life isn't great, but it's cheap. And I'd rather type lots of notes using a keyboard than with my thumbs on my cell phone.

pparks1 said:

Don't need a lot of performance to take notes or write a document. Battery life isn't great, but it's cheap. And I'd rather type lots of notes using a keyboard than with my thumbs on my cell phone.

Click to expand...

Yeah, well taking notes was not the point when I compared to a mobile phone...rather the hardware and battery life.

Cromebooks simply are overpriced for what you get. And you don't have many options either. I'd bought a Chromebook long time ago, if there existed something worth it's price. Those £250-600 ones does not cut it.

So we've been clear we would like him to choose a Windows laptop. He's thinking about the surface pro or Dell XPS 13. He's not interested in the Zenbooks.

£500 should be enough to get a decent laptop. Try and get one with good software included, not subscription. Bundled software can be remarkably good value. I have touchscreen but it's quie tiring waving your arm around in mid air all day. A good touch pad and a wireless mouse are much better.A smaller screen makes for a lighter laptop, easier to carry in a briefcase or rucksack. John Lewis have a good range and offer extra year's warranty. Get one that can be returned if he doesn't like it. Amazon is very good at sorting returns and will arrange its collection if needed. The postie will even apply the label!

Yep. I'm over compensating for him not getting a Macbook

pparks1 said:

I'd buy a chromebook then. Light, cheap, always on the cloud so stuff is saved. Don't have to worry about it breaking down, getting stolen, etc.

Click to expand...

Mentioned that some students only have chromebooks.

Hazel123 said:

He's not interested in the Zenbooks.

Click to expand...

But... how can anyone who is genuinely interested in science, technology, engineering and maths be not interested in this:
?

kelper said:

but it's quie tiring waving your arm around in mid air all day.

Click to expand...

This is among several reasons why, at least when it comes to laptops (with or without a "flip" hinge and/or a detachable keyboard and/or etc.), I don't generally recommend touchscreen if it's not specifically designed to support the MPP 2.0 standard (Microsoft Pen Protocol 2.0). If implemented properly, the palm rejection capability should allow you to rest the palm of your hand on the actual screen surface itself and not interfere with anything, i.e. while writing/drawing on it with the stylus pen [that is specifically designed to be used in conjunction with it]. To make it work, both the stylus pen and the touchscreen itself need to be fully compatible with each other, and, in addition, they both need to support the MPP 2.0 standard. So, to clarify on this, generic pens that can work with just about any regular type touchscreen are not what I am referring to here. Rather, I am talking about (somewhat) more technically advanced types of touchscreens and stylus pens. Off topic: I have been considering to get the Asus ProArt PA169CDV touchscreen.