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Post by Jeb on Jul 15, 2020 7:50:03 GMT -5
I was hoping I might get some specific advice on procuring laptops for my kids to use for distance learning. I'm not a complete washout when it comes to technology, but except for my work laptop, we've been happily living with Chromebooks, tablets, and smartphones for several years now. Overall needs are Windows, webcam, 15.6" screen (that's called out in the learning technology FAQ), and some consideration to affordability because I need three of them. These are not going to be gaming laptops.Specific questions: - Processors: I don't want to settle for an i3, but is an i5 going to be future-proof enough for a student to get through college? What's the AMD equivalent to the i5? (My old philosophy was get a good mid-range processor and stack as much RAM as possible on it)
- Brands: Not to start a holy war, but I don't want Apple. Brands I'm considering are Acer, Asus, Lenovo, HP - but I'm not sure what models in those brands to look at.
- Where to shop: I used to love NewEgg; don't know if it's still competitive. Been looking at Amazon but again, that's a rat's nest of good and bad. Also, I hope I can figure out how to get educational pricing, since these are going to be for school, but we don't have any .EDU email addresses.
Any other advice is welcome. Please be kind to differing opinions.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jul 15, 2020 8:09:53 GMT -5
How old are your kids? If they are youngish you'll need to get something kinda rugged to last through all of college. JebBut, I intend to snoop around on the web for you. Keep Costco in mind, sometimes their prices/return policies/extended warranties are unbeatable. |
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Post by Jeb on Jul 15, 2020 9:06:06 GMT -5
15, 12, and 9. We take good care of our stuff.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jul 15, 2020 9:26:53 GMT -5
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jul 15, 2020 10:22:41 GMT -5
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jul 16, 2020 11:01:33 GMT -5
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Post by Koalabear on Jul 16, 2020 11:55:42 GMT -5
Oliver's already found some good stuff so I won't rehash. Personally, I'd pick Costco over others cause it's easier to return stuff (if needed) and they tack on a 2 year Concierge warranty on electronics (need to double check that). Take a good look at the curriculum before you pull the trigger. My 14 year old daughter is still making do with an Acer Chromebook, and my 17 year old son build his own gaming PC last summer - well, he paid for most of the components and I put it together for him. My kids' school seems to do everything out of Google Classrooms, so really, anything that can run a browser will do. Sadly, they wouldn't take my Linux book! lol.
Anyway, they're still doing ok with school and haven't really needed anything more. When they tutor, they borrow mine or my wife's Macbooks. The only thing my son really needs is a webcam, but since he doesn't like showing his face, I guess that's a good thing.
There should be some sales going up by early/mid August, so be patient and take your time assessing.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jul 16, 2020 13:30:11 GMT -5
I wouldn’t wait toooo long to purchase. I’m predicting a shortage of supply when lots of parents and school systems snatch-up all the hardware.
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Post by Jeb on Jul 18, 2020 7:56:51 GMT -5
I'll have to find a friend with a Costco membership. Thanks for the links and info, I'll be chasing them down more next week.
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Post by gravediggers on Jul 18, 2020 22:40:24 GMT -5
minimum
16 G Ram
dedicated Video card memory
1 Tb fast hard drive not the old spining one
a fast processor such as i7
fast video burning drive
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Post by Jeb on Jul 21, 2020 12:59:40 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice! I took elements from here and from other resources I was checking with and got a trio of Acer Aspire 5 Slims with Ryzen 7/8GB/512GB SSD configurations at $650 each. Should do great for our needs.
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Post by Oliver Kloesov on Jul 23, 2020 8:58:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice! I took elements from here and from other resources I was checking with and got a trio of Acer Aspire 5 Slims with Ryzen 7/8GB/512GB SSD configurations at $650 each. Should do great for our needs. Cool, seems like you got a lot of bang for your buck. Where did you buy them? |
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Post by Jeb on Jul 23, 2020 9:33:33 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice! I took elements from here and from other resources I was checking with and got a trio of Acer Aspire 5 Slims with Ryzen 7/8GB/512GB SSD configurations at $650 each. Should do great for our needs. Cool, seems like you got a lot of bang for your buck. Where did you buy them? Amazon, actually. I think I found something that had just popped up because IIRC there were either seven or three available (both numbers are sticking in my head). Supposed to arrive tomorrow. |
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