Laptop for a student

EveryWhere

barryheffron wrote: »

This laptop is for my son mostly, who is starting Grammar school (he is 11 years old)

I just want to get him a laptop that is still going to be relevant speed and performance wise in 2 years, when it will likely be time for him to upgrade.

I had looked at budget laptops initially but the prices except for very basic spec were >£200 so I would rather spend a bit more to get something better, although ideally £400 would be my max budget.

Would a TN display be that important?

Is 0.6Gb/s vs 1.0Gb/s that noticeable?

They maybe are but i don't know, hence why i am asking, as opposed to questioning your input.

I I have no idea as to what your figures refer.
It's really up to you what you purchase. I'm just supplying the facts
SATA 3 limit around 600 MB/s. PCIe Gen 3 x4 closer to 3000 MB/s.
The screen quality might make a difference to him. If other people are viewing with him, they would have to sit directly behind him, otherwise their view will be impaired. IPS screens have better viewing angles.
What I am stating, is that if I was going to buy a new laptop, those are the specs for which I would be looking.
Otherwise I would buy a second user business machine for less.

barnishroader

Should i be as wary as i am about buying a refurbished model from say Encore or BlackmoreIT that are mentioned in this thread?

Or even Ex Display models on eBuyer?

I've always bought new before, thinking that if something is refurbished then it has a higher chance of going wrong.

Maybe that isn't the case anymore.

EveryWhere

barryheffron wrote: »

Should i be as wary as i am about buying a refurbished model from say Encore or BlackmoreIT that are mentioned in this thread?

Or even Ex Display models on eBuyer?

I've always bought new before, thinking that if something is refurbished then it has a higher chance of going wrong.

Maybe that isn't the case anymore.

It wasn't the case in the first place. Maybe many years ago.
The problem for you is the time that you are buying. A lot of the best bargains have been snapped up by other people buying for students.

This is one I recommended a short while ago; https://mcscom.co.uk/product/dell-latitude-3480-i3-7100u-2-40ghz-8gb-128gb-ssd-14-fhd-win-10-pro-1yr-rtb-wty-mll591/

Of course, now gone.

The Blackmore IT laptop is good value, but of course a few years old, so don't expect it to look in 'as new' condition. Also a relatively small screen. Good for portability, but perhaps he may prefer a larger screen.
You can make an offer for it; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-E7240-Core-i5-4300U-4GB-RAM-128GB-SSD-12-5-Touchscreen-Win10/233307740818

They have a larger screen version; https://www.blackmoreit.com/e7440touch128gb-dell-latitude-e7440-laptop-i5-4300u-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-14-touchscreen-win10.html

https://www.blackmoreit.com/e7440touch-dell-latitude-e7440-laptop-core-i5-4300u-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-touchscreen-win10.html

Again, you can make an offer; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-E7440-Laptop-i5-4300U-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-14-Touchscreen-Win10/233306727215

A fair bit older than the first in the list, at six years old.

They also have a slightly newer small screen version; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-E7250-Laptop-Core-i5-5300U-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Windows-10/362725305441

All of them with Full HD Touchscreens.

barnishroader

EveryWhere wrote: »

It wasn't the case in the first place. Maybe many years ago.
The problem for you is the time that you are buying. A lot of the best bargains have been snapped up by other people buying for students.

This is one I recommended a short while ago; https://mcscom.co.uk/product/dell-latitude-3480-i3-7100u-2-40ghz-8gb-128gb-ssd-14-fhd-win-10-pro-1yr-rtb-wty-mll591/

Of course, now gone.

The Blackmore IT laptop is good value, but of course a few years old, so don't expect it to look in 'as new' condition. Also a relatively small screen. Good for portability, but perhaps he may prefer a larger screen.
You can make an offer for it; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-E7240-Core-i5-4300U-4GB-RAM-128GB-SSD-12-5-Touchscreen-Win10/233307740818

They have a larger screen version; https://www.blackmoreit.com/e7440touch128gb-dell-latitude-e7440-laptop-i5-4300u-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-14-touchscreen-win10.html

https://www.blackmoreit.com/e7440touch-dell-latitude-e7440-laptop-core-i5-4300u-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-touchscreen-win10.html

Again, you can make an offer; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-E7440-Laptop-i5-4300U-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-14-Touchscreen-Win10/233306727215

A fair bit older than the first in the list, at six years old.

They also have a slightly newer small screen version; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dell-Latitude-E7250-Laptop-Core-i5-5300U-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Windows-10/362725305441

All of them with Full HD Touchscreens.

That's great help, i will look into them.

I take it all of those are better than the HP one i initially linked?

As maybe my comments suggested, i am going back some time.

The last PC/laptop i bought myself would have been a good 10 years ago!

I've been provided by my work since then so haven't needed one.

EveryWhere

barryheffron wrote: »

That's great help, i will look into them.

I take it all of those are better than the HP one i initially linked?

As maybe my comments suggested, i am going back some time.

The last PC/laptop i bought myself would have been a good 10 years ago!

I've been provided by my work since then so haven't needed one.

No, they aren't better, they are just cheaper.

The HP is fine, apart from the screen and that it comes with Windows 10 Home, as opposed to Pro. You would need to check with the vendor as to whether it can accept NVMe SSD. So do and some don't.

grumpycrab

Assuming we're still talking about a laptop for a student, the HP's battery is not very good and ...it looks a bit dull. But those are compromises you make for buying new at a budget price point.

barnishroader

I didn't think £400 was a budget price point though.

Especially for an 11 year old.

I couldn't justify spending more as it is only for school work.

He isn't going to be needing CAD or anything too strenuous but i wanted to get above the budget end of HP Stream type laptops.

How about this one?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T440S-i5-6300U-2-49GHz-NVMe-SSD-256GB-8GB-RAM-Win-10-Pro/202755932250?epid=1334605736&hash=item2f3532005a:g:SrUAAOSwRaJc~ma5

or this one bought from Manufacturer:
https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfb1&l=en&s=dfb&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdURbLSkBSiesDMloRvL%2f%2brEIrNvSM8DLivhRYBj%2fwfqT8w7ZIaynnTTqqk%2bnhbr0kgRlxNJ%2fA7Y0ohk6mG0L2zNpOeffzwkrWCJuzjlVc%2biT5mlzLEqj3hFW8UwXGXccUUlGxRlMnL6Ldf7TmOAFU6DT7vawjQGQodSmyJ5p9ZtSocYACcSdZajSvU67ZbOGp%2blA0JNDUyMCm1tOmUtDA6kKEpabBXY1qpzLZifZASdGaoHbC1O2x06WSq3%2fL8FVWQ%3d%3d

Or a bit of a curveball here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Miix-510-12ISK-Detachable-80U1000XUK/dp/B07KXVNDW9/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?imprToken=SUblLmGiyNoUWEGlArszgA&keywords=Lenovo+Miix+520%2C+12.2-Inch+Windows+Laptop%2C+2+in+1+Laptop%2C+%28Intel+Core+i5%2C+1.6+GHz%2C+8+GB+DDR4%2C+256+GB+PCIe+SSD%2C+Windows+10+Home%29%2C+Platinum%2C+81CG00NBUS&linkCode=g13&linkId=76801fe4356dd39dc95de37618cfe5df&qid=1565781701&s=computers&sr=1-1-fkmr1

EveryWhere

barryheffron wrote: »

I didn't think £400 was a budget price point though.

Especially for an 11 year old.

I couldn't justify spending more as it is only for school work.

He isn't going to be needing CAD or anything too strenuous but i wanted to get above the budget end of HP Stream type laptops.

How about this one?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T440S-i5-6300U-2-49GHz-NVMe-SSD-256GB-8GB-RAM-Win-10-Pro/202755932250?epid=1334605736&hash=item2f3532005a:g:SrUAAOSwRaJc~ma5

or this one bought from Manufacturer:
https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfb1&l=en&s=dfb&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7UdURbLSkBSiesDMloRvL%2f%2brEIrNvSM8DLivhRYBj%2fwfqT8w7ZIaynnTTqqk%2bnhbr0kgRlxNJ%2fA7Y0ohk6mG0L2zNpOeffzwkrWCJuzjlVc%2biT5mlzLEqj3hFW8UwXGXccUUlGxRlMnL6Ldf7TmOAFU6DT7vawjQGQodSmyJ5p9ZtSocYACcSdZajSvU67ZbOGp%2blA0JNDUyMCm1tOmUtDA6kKEpabBXY1qpzLZifZASdGaoHbC1O2x06WSq3%2fL8FVWQ%3d%3d

Or a bit of a curveball here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Miix-510-12ISK-Detachable-80U1000XUK/dp/B07KXVNDW9/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?imprToken=SUblLmGiyNoUWEGlArszgA&keywords=Lenovo+Miix+520%2C+12.2-Inch+Windows+Laptop%2C+2+in+1+Laptop%2C+%28Intel+Core+i5%2C+1.6+GHz%2C+8+GB+DDR4%2C+256+GB+PCIe+SSD%2C+Windows+10+Home%29%2C+Platinum%2C+81CG00NBUS&linkCode=g13&linkId=76801fe4356dd39dc95de37618cfe5df&qid=1565781701&s=computers&sr=1-1-fkmr1

First one is SATA3, not NVMe. Also no sign of even a Full HD screen.

The second is waaaay over your budget and isn't anything special.

The third...just no.

that

barryheffron, Want a decent laptop, not the best screen size, magnese-ally makes fairly light and robust, Sata2 (put an ssd in it)
You should get a 4GB 320GB disk i5 for around £60 second hand on ebay. They are generally well built, but about half the speed of the £400 new ones that people have posted on the forum recently, still they are quite good. You might even pick one up with an ssd installed (get a 240Gb or larger one)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fwXAlCuZIg
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/SpeedTest/402/IntelR-CoreTM-i5-3320M-CPU---260GHz

You first Linovo recommendation, cpu wise is only slightly better than the R930, but is nearly 4 times the price. https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-6300U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-3320M/m27864vsm402

Probably someone will come along with a bomb proof lenovo recommendation, or Dell that knocks this out of the water and is cheap

Edit: when I looked last week there were a fair few private sales for around £65, now the cheapest is £95