Laptop for Uni

NI_BOBS

Morning - could someone take a wee glance at specs for laptop and tell me if decent for the price. Required for DD heading to Uni to study Civil Engineering. Probably use for surfing, Netflix and her Uni work.
Many thanks.
Copied and pasted below ..
*ONLY 3 REMAINING !! ‼️
‼️ COMES WITH WINDOWS 10 & MICROSOFT OFFICE INSTALLED ‼️
14" HD SCREEN
2.3GHZ CORE I5-5300U PROCESSOR
256GB SUPER-FAST SOLID STATE HARD DRIVE, AND 8GB RAM !!
3 MONTHS WARRANTY
‼️ ONLY £250 !! ‼️

EveryWhere

Is it a ThinkPad T450s?

https://mcscom.co.uk/product/dell-latitude-3480-i3-7100u-2-40ghz-8gb-128gb-ssd-14-fhd-win-10-pro-1yr-rtb-wty-mll591/

rajeshk4u

Would there be a requirement to install any heavy duty software?
The CPU is fine.

Battery replacement could be an issue, as they need replacing over time....

Doshwaster

I would say that for a laptop for University you need to consider
- battery life. Needs to get through several lectures without a recharge
- weight. Don't want to break your back carrying it around all day
- robustness/build quality. Will it cope with being chucked in bags and bashed around on the bus without falling apart.
- what you will use it for. Just taking notes vs heavy duty graphics/number crunching


It's also worth going towards the top of your budget to make sure that you get a full 3-4 years out of it. Buy a cheap model and you will be looking at replacing it mid-way through the course.

CardinalWolsey

We got our daughter a laptop for Uni. Whilst it was an OK spec, what caused her the biggest problems was battery life - with no plug sockets in lecture rooms...

That laptop has now been replaced/supplemented by a Samsung Tab A - a 10" Android tablet - with a bluetooth keyboard. Full office installed (you won't need to buy office as a student, it's free with your Uni email address), and does everything else that _she_ needs (web, social, email, Netflix etc). No other heavyweight apps required (which some courses might require). Battery life between 7 - 10 hours, depending upon what its being used for...

Andy_L

rajeshk4u wrote: »

Would there be a requirement to install any heavy duty software?
The CPU is fine.

Battery replacement could be an issue, as they need replacing over time....

+1 to this. Civil Engineering - likely to need CAD and GIS software. What software does the University say is needed?
Running them on a 14" screen is an unpleasant experience so an external monitor would be worth considering

NI_BOBS

Thanks for all the input, didnt get back on yesterday as kept getting message that my IP address had been blocked on this site.....
Andy L - she thinks that anything requiring CAD etc would be on the Engineering department computers, unlikely that all students would be putting this on their personal laptops.
We are now thinking wait until she has done first couple of weeks and then invest in the correct laptop.

Frozen_up_north

My OH used to have a Lenovo Thinkpad from work, it was lightning fast starting up, ran around 9 hours on a charge (real use, not manufacturer “spec”) had easily user swapped battery and was very light to carry. Screen size was 14 or 15 inch, or so.

She took early retirement last year, so not easy to find the model number, but it was streets ahead of the budget laptops you typically find in the high street.

These business grade laptops aren’t cheap, but could be good value from a reputable refurbish outlet, although factor in a replacement battery as few include a new one.

Doshwaster

Frozen_up_north wrote: »

My OH used to have a Lenovo Thinkpad from work, it was lightning fast starting up, ran around 9 hours on a charge (real use, not manufacturer “spec”) had easily user swapped battery and was very light to carry. Screen size was 14 or 15 inch, or so.

She took early retirement last year, so not easy to find the model number, but it was streets ahead of the budget laptops you typically find in the high street.

These business grade laptops aren’t cheap, but could be good value from a reputable refurbish outlet, although factor in a replacement battery as few include a new one.

Indeed - if you look around any business conference the majority of people will be using Lenovo Thinkpads rather than a cheap retail brand. They aren't cheap but they are designed to survive the corporate environment so the build quality is excellent.

You can often get nearly new or even unused Thinkpads from resellers who deal with company liquidations. Bigger companies buy these laptops in the hundreds which get sold off cheaply when they go bust.

NI_BOBS

apologies just realising first line didnt copy - it was a .... REFURBISHED HIGH-SPEC DELL LATITUDE E5450 LAPTOP

Doshwaster

NI_BOBS wrote: »

apologies just realising first line didnt copy - it was a .... REFURBISHED HIGH-SPEC DELL LATITUDE E5450 LAPTOP

The main downsize I would say is that it is a little on the heavy side. It would be fine it is mostly used on desk at home but I wouldn't want to carry it around all day.

However, that beefier case does mean a bigger battery than some lighter models. At that price point compromises have to be made - you aren't going to get lightness, speed and long life all at the same time for £250.

If you are buying your daughter a laptop for University then it is worth allowing her to get her hands on it first rather than buying sight-unseen from a website. This is something she will be using for multiple hours per day so ergonomics are important.