Help Me Buy a Laptop

[undercoverbrother]

So my daughter is graduating this spring and has been accepted into U of C starting in Sept.

We want to buy her a laptop as an graduation present, hopefully one that will last through her 4 years undergrad and maybe more.

Here is the issue I am a Luddite.

She is using a Chromebook that she has had since grade 10, it's done her well but wasn't too expensive and is starting to show cracks.

Plan on making the purchase in June/July, but any information leading up to then would be super helpful.

In speaking to her she would prefer a windows based laptop instead of Apple.

[Galakanokis]

I am not much help here as the more I look and research the muddy the waters become.

It really comes down to size and price. You can get a great sub $2K laptop or a great $4K laptop. And Chromebooks have come a long way even in the past year but I would lean towards Windows as a more universally accepted playform with less quirks to work around than the other two platforms.

I have been eying the ASUS line lately as they seem to pack a nice set of specs into a good looking form factor. The ASUS Flip S is the current one I am looking into and comes in around $1700 with some nice specs.

Dell XPS is aslo a good way to go but lean towards the pricier end.

Interested to see what people recommend outside of Mac as the Windows world is muddied right now with a lot of options.

[Hemi-Cuda]

First rule of laptops is you get what you pay for. If your budget is below $1000, you're not likely to get something that will last 4+ years and it won't be that fun to use. If you can spend more than $1000, you can get a very solid Dell XPS unit for under $1500

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell...ps/xps-laptops

Dell stole the laptop crown with the XPS lineup in the last couple of years, we switched to those at work from Microsoft Surface laptops and it was a great decision. For specs, stay with an Intel i3-i5, there's no reason to go higher for a college student. Shoot for at least 16GB of RAM and stick with Windows 10 home. Also don't bother with a touch screen, unless you want to splurge and get a foldable 2-in-1 device

[photon]

Yup for Windows Dell XPS is great. HP Spectre line has also gotten some good buzz lately. For cheaper I got my wife an ASUS that works pretty well.

And the new Macbook Air is very good.

[DoubleF]

Business grade laptops can be had for less than $1K and they should in theory last more than 4 years. The XPS mentioned for instance is a business grade laptop it's a good baseline laptop, but yeah, it's a little higher up around $1500+. Lenovo/HP also have good business grade laptops.

One pretty important benefit of business grade (IMO) is that you don't end up with a keyboard that is junk. It will be a keyboard designed to be typed on a ton which is excellent for writing papers etc.

Make sure to get a laptop with a SSD vs HDD. This is basically non-negotiable. A computer without a SSD is awful and slow.

Part of the question is how much more than a Chromebook she needs and how she uses it. If barely more, the main specs you pay attention to is basically i5 processor with 500GB SSD minimum size. This should be fine for 4-5 years. Size wise, ultra portable vs standard size aren't as big gaps as they used to be as long as the resolution is better than 1080. But 13.3" vs 15.6" may be a bigger concern. The smaller is better for porting around in a bag (ie: lighter with a bag full of textbooks), but if she's watching movies etc. on the side, or lots of data on the screen (ie: full screen spreadsheets) it's kinda small (can be addressed with a cheap $150 projector via HDMI).

If she's doing much more intensive stuff, then dedicated graphics card and i7 might be something she wants. This IMO might be very unlikely.

Software related, I am guessing she can get student version office 365 for significant discount, so don't get suckered in on an upsell by that. I also highly recommend that dropbox or onedrive is used to store/automatically back up all of her academic work. The free version should be enough space for academia. This means if her computer dies or is stolen etc. She just has to login via another computer browser and she can continue her work without too much tears and crying and losing too much work. I've met way too many people who don't know this trick who had to redo tons of work when the computer failed or was stolen.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Software related, I am guessing she can get student version office 365 for significant discount, so don't get suckered in on an upsell by that. I also highly recommend that dropbox or onedrive is used to store/automatically back up all of her academic work. The free version should be enough space for academia. This means if her computer dies or is stolen etc. She just has to login via another computer browser and she can continue her work without too much tears and crying and losing too much work. I've met way too many people who don't know this trick who had to redo tons of work when the computer failed or was stolen.

She’ll get that for free as as a student.

[Inglewood Jack]

The first thing I do with any new Windows setup is change the location of all default user directories (documents, pictures, desktop, music, video, etc) to OneDrive. Boom automatic pseudo-backup and version history of everything. No it’s not the same as actually having a separate mirror of your files that a dedicated backup program would do, but it’s the quickest failsafe against stolen or broken hardware.

[Traditional_Ale]

I shelled out for an MSI rig and have regrets. I don't have an opinion on DELL either way. I think you might be in a situation to plan for two (maybe even three) sub $1000 units for the four years.

[nfotiu]

Is there a reason she wants Windows over Chromebook? For comparably priced models, I find a Chromebook so much speedy and satisfying to use, and can't think of any real reason for a Windows laptop outside gaming and some specialized tasks like the video editing.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Is there a reason she wants Windows over Chromebook? For comparably priced models, I find a Chromebook so much speedy and satisfying to use, and can't think of any real reason for a Windows laptop outside gaming and some specialized tasks like the video editing.

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Make sure to get a laptop with a SSD vs HDD. This is basically non-negotiable. A computer without a SSD is awful and slow.
Size wise, ultra portable vs standard size aren't as big gaps as they used to be as long as the resolution is better than 1080. But 13.3" vs 15.6" may be a bigger concern. The smaller is better for porting around in a bag (ie: lighter with a bag full of textbooks), but if she's watching movies etc. on the side, or lots of data on the screen (ie: full screen spreadsheets) it's kinda small (can be addressed with a cheap $150 projector via HDMI).

Software related, I am guessing she can get student version office 365 for significant discount, so don't get suckered in on an upsell by that. .

Went through this 3 years ago with both my kids (both a UCalgary) and some solid advice here. My son (engineering) got a Lenovo and my daughter (science) has an ASUS. UCalgary provides a free copy of Windows Office for students so she will be good to go on that. Size wise, it is a tradoff between portability and usability/readability but to me I wound not go smaller than 15". A second monitor at home is nice too. Depending on if it is a full return to class I would also recommend a good headset rather than earbuds if she will be online learning in any capacity. I've never had a Chromebook but don't you need to be connected to internet to use one? My kids say WiFi at UCalgary is pretty spotty so would not want to rely on a solid connection all the time. Not sure if that factors into Windows vs Chromebook.

[undercoverbrother]

Thank you all.

This has given me some stuff to chew.

She is doing a BSc, so yeah, I actually don't know the strain that will be put on her laptop, but her plan is an after grad degree as well.

Is it even possible to get a laptop/chomebook that lasts 6 years?

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is it even possible to get a laptop/chomebook that lasts 6 years?

I bought my wife a Dell XPS laptop with an i7 processor in 2011 and it lasted until 2018 (with some minor upgrades)! I would say it's possible but you gotta research before buying.

Her current laptop is an MSI one that I asked about here and did a bunch of research on. So far so good!

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Thank you all.

This has given me some stuff to chew.

She is doing a BSc, so yeah, I actually don't know the strain that will be put on her laptop, but her plan is an after grad degree as well.

Is it even possible to get a laptop/chomebook that lasts 6 years?

Definitely. It's not like it was 20 years ago where CPU speeds were doubling every couple of years and a laptop became literally obsolete in 3 or 4 years. The biggest issue most non-tech savvy users have is software bloat slowing the system down, so they think they need a new one. But I have a first gen Surface Laptop that came out in 2017, so 4 years old, and with a fresh format and reinstall of Windows 10 it runs great, and should continue to do so assuming the hardware components hold out. That's why you want to buy something higher end instead of the $500 cheapies you see everywhere, you want to make sure stuff like the keyboard and screen are built well enough to last 5-6 years

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Thank you all.

This has given me some stuff to chew.

She is doing a BSc, so yeah, I actually don't know the strain that will be put on her laptop, but her plan is an after grad degree as well.

Is it even possible to get a laptop/chomebook that lasts 6 years?

I take care of my laptops and the shortest I've ever owned a laptop was like 6 years. And that's because I ended up doing a clean install on it, swapping a small SSD into it to basically be a net book and trading it to a friend for a bottle of spirits. All of my laptops I ever owned in the last 15 years were business grade laptops/business grade ultraportables. I don't believe I ever paid more than $1100 on a laptop. $1300 if I include the price of a SSD upgrade.

Business grade laptops are designed to easily hit the 4-5 years+ range as businesses don't like hardware failing on them. Commercial grade perhaps last 2-3 but you can stretch that for sure if you take care of it.

IMO, Apple laptops are designed like business grade laptops which is why many using Apple often brag that their laptops last longer. Comparing the business grade window offerings of the same price, the laptops generally do indeed have a life span on par with the Apple offerings.

A huge difference is the heat resistance and dissipation on laptops. Heat kills tech. There's still laptops these days that can get warm, sure. But gone are the days of laptops that basically got hot enough to burn you if exposed to bare skin. Laptops like that only lasted like 1-3 years. Modern ones aren't like that any more.


Someone mentioned a headset for the laptop due to more online calls/meetings etc. That's a good idea.

Another good idea is a portable USB monitor. If you get your daughter a 13.3" sized laptop, but also this 15.6" screen, it's the best of both worlds for size/weight/portability/viewability and it's only around $250 for the portable screen.

https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Zissu...5333001&sr=8-6

Something like this is nice for dual screen, watching videos and it's portable. It might even get better use than having a large monitor or a projector to be attached to a laptop.

[Fuzz]

If you need extra screens, I suggest a minimum of 7.





https://wccftech.com/expanscape-anno...seven-screens/

[flames_fan_down_under]

I have a new MacBook Pro 13 inch coming in a few days. Apparently the new Mac M1 chips are just blowing away intel chips.

https://www.idropnews.com/news/faq-h...models/138329/

Those new MacBook Airs with the M1 chip are likely awesome as well, will last your daughter a long time, and she will get an education discount being a student. Likely all in you will be looking at 1300 bucks. Also I have had my current MacBook Air for close to 10 years now and it still works pretty darn well the only real maintenance was having to replace the battery a couple times. The only reason I am updating is because it is getting subsidized by work.

Best of luck!

[photon]

Yeah the only thing I don't like about the M1 Macbook is the memory limit is 16GB, which would only matter to real high end users. Looking forward to the M2, hopefully they do one geared towards higher end users.

My wife's Macbook Air lasted forever.

If I was buying a computer for my kid going to uni the new Air what I'd get them personally.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Another good idea is a portable USB monitor. If you get your daughter a 13.3" sized laptop, but also this 15.6" screen, it's the best of both worlds for size/weight/portability/viewability and it's only around $250 for the portable screen.

https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Zissu...5333001&sr=8-6

Something like this is nice for dual screen, watching videos and it's portable. It might even get better use than having a large monitor or a projector to be attached to a laptop.

If you're getting something along these lines, I highly recommend the ASUS Zenscreen Go. It's more expensive than these no name ones, but it's a good quality piece of tech and also has its own battery, so it doesn't drain your laptop's charge when you use it. I've been using one for a couple months, and it's really been excellent for me so far.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

If you're getting something along these lines, I highly recommend the ASUS Zenscreen Go. It's more expensive than these no name ones, but it's a good quality piece of tech and also has its own battery, so it doesn't drain your laptop's charge when you use it. I've been using one for a couple months, and it's really been excellent for me so far.

Oh weird, I was looking at an ASUS one and somehow ended up linking some weird other brand off Amazon.

I didn't know ASUS had one with a battery inside it. Neat.

[jwslam]

My priority list if I were in your shoes:

0: Set your budget. You can get anything from $300 to $30000 if you tried. This will also tie into if you are getting something with better build quality.
1: Battery Life. This would also tie into screen size. More screen usually = bigger battery size, but also no increase in run time as it takes more power to run the screen. Make sure you're getting something rated for 8+ hours would be great. This would give you at least 6+ real world hours at average usage.
2: Connectivity. Make sure you get something that has USB C 3.2 to make it easy to connect charging and monitors with a single plug
3: Screen resolution: do not settle for less than 1920*1080. No excuses in 2021.
4: Keyboard layout - ties into screen size as well if you're looking for something with a number pad. Also make sure she is ok if you end up buying one with the french keyboards (the left shift and enter keys are a veto point for me)
5: Upgradable parts. Easiest ones are hard drive size (considerations for how much storage is going to cloud), and non-soldered RAM.
6: Processor - outside of the chromebook world, do not settle for anything with the words "Celeron" or "MediaTek". No exceptions

Low priority nice to have features:
Backlit keyboard - nice to have, not a dealbreaker for me.
Touch screen - i personally still feel windows is very lacking in this area. Unless you're going into the digitized pens for taking notes, in which case a separate iPad w/ pencil is usually the class leader
Wifi 6 - we're a bit far from benefiting from this
Screen quality / brightness - generally none are that bad, unless she's constantly working under direct sunlight.
360 hinge - Again, I personally don't find this adds value, but ask for her input on how she will use this / if she is using another Tablet style device.