My 13yr old needs a laptop for school and the odd game

Allan Davies · Jul 25, 2021

hi guys, need some expert advice.
My son needs a laptop for his school work.
I have be going around in circles looking :confused:

Budget £500-700 max
thanks in advance :thumby:

EPG_19 · Jul 25, 2021

School is one type of laptop, gaming is much different (especially on PC, you really need a good spec).

Santa-2512 · Jul 25, 2021

EPG_19 said:
School is one type of laptop, gaming is much different (especially on PC, you really need a good spec).

If your lad is giving you that line :jes

,

it will b used for gaming trust me lol

wessie · Jul 25, 2021

find out what software is available through school before buying a laptop with stuff already installed that is included in the price e.g. you can often get a student version of Microsoft Office for free or a small fee.

Will he just use it as a desktop machine at home or does he want it to be portable to/from school? This will dictate the size. For my work I use a 12" Dell and then connect it to a larger screen in the office or at home. I do not want to lug around a 15.6" or 17" laptop. For games he will want a bigger screen so a separate screen is probably a better bet anyway.

As for games, presumably he has some sort of console already? Why would he need another gaming device? Ask him to justify the expense of a gaming laptop when for school you could get by with a £300 budget for the laptop (such as a Lenovo Ideapad) and £100 for a 21" screen.

Allan Davies · Jul 25, 2021

His school has the 3 year GSE schedule, so really its mainly for school work. He has started to play old skool games like....team fortress 2 and half life. He has an xbox and has money set aside for the seriesX when they become available.
I don't think they let the students take laptops into school so...err...hem size is not an issue
He has mentioned a chromebook ?? but I did think if we got a new laptop it would have a better graphics
Card for the odd game he plays but its main use is for school.

wessie · Jul 25, 2021

Allan Davies said:
His school has the 3 year GSE schedule, so really its mainly for school work. He has started to play old skool games like....team fortress 2 and half life. He has an xbox and has money set aside for the seriesX when they become available.
I don't think they let the students take laptops into school so...err...hem size is not an issue
He has mentioned a chromebook ?? but I did think if we got a new laptop it would have a better graphics
Card for the odd game he plays but its main use is for school.

then get a Lenovo Ideapad 5 which is in the price range you quote
https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/s-series/IdeaPad-5-15ARE05/p/88IPS501393 - 2 versions depending on the size of the SSD
note the student discount - he will need access to a school email address

Allan Davies · Jul 25, 2021

Cheers wessie, I have got the House Admiral on it now, her brother is wiser than us on these matters as well. She works for the GP helpdesk and may get a better discount too :okay

DANE · Jul 26, 2021

Does the school have a recommended model/version and any specific virus and firewall protection requirements ?

Ours was very picky about what could be allowed access to the school “moodle” or whatever platform the school runs.

If they want to use it at school make sure its included on household insurance for that purpose and that they have a very strong protective case and use it.

Finally, drum in appropriate use of social media as silly mistakes made in early years can destroy careers in later life.

Allan Davies · Jul 26, 2021

DANE said:
Does the school have a recommended model/version and any specific virus and firewall protection requirements ?

Ours was very picky about what could be allowed access to the school “moodle” or whatever platform the school runs.

If they want to use it at school make sure its included on household insurance for that purpose and that they have a very strong protective case and use it.

Finally, drum in appropriate use of social media as silly mistakes made in early years can destroy careers in later life.

Allan Davies · Jul 26, 2021

DANE said:
Does the school have a recommended model/version and any specific virus and firewall protection requirements ?

Ours was very picky about what could be allowed access to the school “moodle” or whatever platform the school runs.

If they want to use it at school make sure its included on household insurance for that purpose and that they have a very strong protective case and use it.

Finally, drum in appropriate use of social media as silly mistakes made in early years can destroy careers in later life.

My 13yr old needs a laptop for school and the odd game

Allan Davies

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EPG_19

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Santa-2512

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wessie

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Allan Davies

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wessie

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Allan Davies

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DANE

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Allan Davies

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Allan Davies

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