The definitive guide for any student.
Shopping for a new laptop can often be overwhelming and daunting, with a slew of different processors, brands and sizes to choose from, just to name a few. Whether you’re looking for a bring your own device (BYOD) for high school or tertiary studies, this is your ultimate buying guide so you can find the perfect laptop for you, and your studies.
YOUR BUDGET & NEEDS
Before going into the market, you must know your price budget and what type of laptop you actually need. Ask yourself: do I need a touchscreen, a stylus for drawing work, or a powerful device in my course? There are three distinct types of student consumers.
The Budget-Minded:
Someone who just wants a basic, cheapest device for their studies fit into this category. You’re looking for a laptop that can just do the job of document processing and web surfing, but be sure to make compromises in build quality, battery life, storage size, and performance when pushed with multiple applications and tabs running at once. Entry-level laptops often run on Windows or Chrome OS – a budget will be around $200AUD to $700AUD.
The ‘Typical’ Student:
This is for someone who is willing to spend more for a higher quality, better designed, and better spec’d system to undergo basic word processing and document writing. Also, if you need a 2-in-1 device – a laptop which can detach or flip its screen for use as a tablet – or a laptop with stylus capabilities for handwriting and drawing, this type will fit. Both Apple MacBook’s running macOS software and Windows laptops are available to the ‘typical’ student, with price tags ranging from $800AUD to a whopping $3500AUD for the upmost premium flagship laptop.
The Power Hungry:
Students studying courses which demands processor and graphical intensive applications, such as photo/video editing, 3-dimensional modelling, architectural, and rendering programs will need a more expensive and powerful laptop. Windows laptops are most suited, but Mac’s can still be considered. Devices are typically dressed as stout gaming laptops; however, some powerful and dearer ‘all-in-ones’ are thinner and lighter – better for students carrying their devices around and about. Expect to pay between $1500AUD to $4000AUD.
SHOULD I BUY A TABLET?
The short answer: absolutely no! Tablets such as Apple’s iPad Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, and Google Pixel Slate are marketed to ‘replace your laptop’; however, they are just enlarged, glorified smartphones. The glaring problem is, these tablets run on software which significantly restricts their capabilities. Apple’s iOS, Android, and Chrome OS cannot run full versions of the Microsoft Office Suite, the former two can’t even load desktop websites natively (you’ll be stuck on tamed mobile sites), and iOS 12 doesn’t even allow external USB and hard drives to be connected as of writing this article.
If you want a portable tablet for your studies, it must run on Windows. Devices such as the Microsoft Surface Pro and HP Envy X2 are far better examples of a proper ‘laptop replacement’.
MAC OR WINDOWS?
There’s often a stereotype that Apple MacBook’s are perfect for school and university students. This is a myth and completely false! Windows laptops from brands such as Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell, and Microsoft provide a similar – if not better – experience at a better price in some cases.
But, do you want the best quality laptop with an industry-leading trackpad and keyboard? Do you want the best customer support, repair, and warranty program by simply visiting a local retail store? Want a simple-to-use operating system? Pick a Mac, but be prepared to pay more – and receive less value to warrant the extra cash.
Otherwise, the best option for any student is actually a device running Windows. The Microsoft operating system can typically run more programs than its Apple rival, is more ubiquitous and familiar, and has the widest range of devices available to suit all budgets.
Furthermore, low-end cheaper laptops can also run on Chrome OS, an operating system built by Google, placed on devices under the ‘Chromebook’ branding. Overlaying Linux, Chrome OS is perfect for budget, low-powered computers as it can only operate on basic applications such as the Google Chrome browser, Chrome web apps, and selected Google Play store Android apps. This means that you can’t get the full version of Microsoft Office – a vital aspect for all students – only the dumbed-down mobile version. Moreover, Chromebook’s usually also have low storage capacities, so users will need to rely on frequently storing files in cloud services. Chrome OS laptops are a great option for the budget-minded as it is a basic and vanilla operating system, not requiring much power, unlike Windows.
WHEN SHOULD I BUY TO SAVE MONEY?
Never pay full price for a computer! Unlike smartphones and wearable technology, laptop manufactures are more keen to discount their products with discounts from a measly $50AUD to $500AUD on higher-end devices. Discounts from the brand are also translated similarly in retailers like JB-Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.
Whenever there’s a special event on the calendar, including Christmas, New Year’s, back to school, the end of financial year (EOFY), and Mothers/Fathers Day’s are periods where discounts can be had.
But, what if you miss out on these dates? Well, as long as you have a school institution email address or identification, brands and retailers are willing to give student discounts, typically 5% to 15% the normal recommended retail price (RRP) anytime. Furthermore, selected stores also have inconspicuous price meet or price beat programs, whereby they can match another retailer’s discount price for the former, or even shave off the price tag even further on the same product for the latter.
SCREEN SIZE & RESOLUTION
For all students, a laptop shouldn’t be too small, but not too big that it’s nearly impossible to carry around campus. The best display size is around the 13-inch circa; 11 to 14-inches should suffice.
However, if you’re a ‘power hungry’ individual, a larger 14 or 15-inch size could be a better fit for photo/video editing, modelling, and creative applications to view more detail and fit more elements on one screen all at once.
Do note that, parallel to the smartphone industry, laptops are increasingly narrowing their screen bezels. As a result, this allows manufactures to fit a larger display in a smaller form factor (eg: 15-inch display in a standard 13-inch form factor) – perfect for students constantly carrying around their devices. Be sure to have a look of the laptop in person to truly discern if it’s size is right for you; a 14-inch screen size laptop may be actually quite compact in real life.
As per any display, the resolution determines how crisp or sharp a screen might be, the number of pixels on the panel. The standard for any laptop is 1080p or full HD; however, low-end devices offer less at 720p or lower, whereas premium laptops can be had in 4K – which is four times the resolution of 1080p. But a larger resolution doesn’t always equate to a better screen. For instance, it may wear the 4K tag, but its colours may be a little faded and the brightness might be dim. Also, it is likely that the battery life of the laptop may be reduced due to the increased power needed to power such a high pixel count display, so judge the screen for yourself in person.
THE SPECIFICATIONS
This is the most dismaying part: the computer’s specifications. There are a plethora of names and numbers thrown around; never fear, here is what you should look out for:
Processor/Central Processing Unit (CPU):
The CPU is simply the heart of the computer; without it, it wouldn’t function. Processor’s typically come from either Intel or AMD chip manufactures, the former being the most common among mainstream laptops.
Of course, there are slow CPU’s and powerful ones. In simple terms, these are distinguished by the number of cores in a processor. The more cores, the larger number of tasks and processes the CPU can take on at the same time, basically meaning it’s faster. The stock standard device will have two cores, dubbed a dual-core CPU, while some mainstream laptops offer quad-cores (four), and gaming laptops can even go up to a hexa-core (six) CPU. To use a poor analogy, it is like having more hands – the more you have, the better you can multi-task at the same time. For the budget-minded and ‘typical’ student, dual-core’s would suffice, but you may run into quad-core’s on newer laptops. As for the atypical power hungry student, quad-core will be a minimum, while hexa-cores can also be considered, albeit at a higher price tag.
Basically, for mobile Intel chips, it can be categorised from slowest to fastest: Celeron; Pentium; Pentium Gold; Core i3; i5; and i7. Pentium Gold and any ‘i’ labelled Intel processor would be fine for the budget-mined or ‘typical’ student looking for a laptop, providing enough power for word processing, multiple web browser tabs, and applications open at once for better multi-tasking. A quad-core i5 and i7 CPU’s are recommended for the ‘power hungry’, delivering much better results in multi-tasking and rendering images/video. Newer generation-labelled processors are also better for future-use, efficiency, and performance.
For advanced consumers, Intel distinguishes each of their CPU’s with a model number or code. Take for example the Intel i5-8250U:
- The ‘i5’ stands for the class and family of the processor – it is the typical processor for most devices.
- The ‘8’ is the generation indicator – the higher the number, the newer the CPU is and is, usually, faster each iteration.
- The ‘250’ is the specific CPU model’s stock keeping unit (SKU) numeric identifier.
- The ‘U’ is product line suffix. The uppermost latter usually indicates if the processor is low-powered or a robust quad or six-core.
It takes quite some text to comprehensively explain this, so you can just follow this link for an explanation from Intel, so remember do your CPU research first to truly understand how powerful each laptop is, and how many cores it has. And, don’t forget the AMD side, but they’re mostly limited to low-budget laptops.
Graphics Card/Graphics Processing Unit (GPU):
The GPU simply gives a leg up to the CPU when it comes to displaying video and 3-dimensional elements. For the budget-minded and the ‘typical’ student, you don’t need a fancy GPU; you’ll normally find Intel HD Graphics, AMD Radeon, or inconspicuous ‘onboard/integrated’ graphics labels. These are low-powered GPU’s to just assist in basic video streaming and the casual 3D animation – you don’t really need to care about this if you’re just looking for a laptop that can do the standard document writing.
However, if you fit into the ‘power hungry’ type, a higher-end GPU would suit much better for 3D modelling, motion, and animation applications for better quality performance and smoother visuals, often known as frames-per-second (fps). These robust GPU’s come from two brands: Nvidia and AMD, the former being more commonplace. On the Nvidia side, in layman’s terms, the larger the number, the better its performance. For example, from least powerful to most are: GTX 1050; 1060; 1070; and 1080. But, you’ll find some suffix letters on some GPU’s, such as ‘GTX 1050ti’ which is explained as a little more powerful 1050, but not a full 1060; or ‘GTX 1070 Max-Q Design’ which alludes to the GPU being a little underpowered than a full GTX 1070 found on a desktop to fit into a laptop. Furthermore, the ‘GTX’ and ’10’ signifies the class or generation of Nvidia’s GPU’s. The company has already released its ‘RTX’ line-up with ’20’ starting numbers (eg: RTX 2060; 2070; etc.). For a ‘power hungry’ student, a GTX 1050ti or higher/newer should suffice for most tasks.
Random Access Memory (RAM):
Think of RAM as the temporary version of disk storage. Whenever an application is open and running, it occupies RAM, and when it’s closed, it doesn’t use RAM. The extent of RAM that’s taken up depends on how much power, CPU, and GPU is needed to run the program. For example, Microsoft Word will only be minute as it’s simple and basic, while on the other hand, the Adobe Premiere Pro video editing application requires much power and much more RAM. When you’re rendering or exporting a video file, it takes up even more.
More RAM is always better to ensure that you can open multiple programs and multiple browser tabs at once, without the laptop slowing down or needing to refresh the program previously minimised. The most appropriate – and recommended – amount of RAM is 8GB; however, entry-level devices can come in 4GB or even a minuscule 2GB RAM, whereas powerful laptops for gaming and creative tasks should have 16GB, and can even go up to a massive 64GB.
Storage:
There are two distinct types of storage drives: a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD).
Firstly, an SSD is the superior storage device, yielding faster read and write speeds. In real life, this allows the computer to boot-up and wake-up faster, shorter loading times, along with much more rapid transfer of data within the drive, so copying files around from a USB stick or installing programs will be a much more rapid experience. Aesthetically, it is just a regular thin rectangular slab and the more modern drive is most recommended for any consumer, but at a higher cost.
On the other hand, a HDD is inferior to an SSD; it’s quite old nowadays – still using a physical spinning disk, in a thick rectangle, with an arm which makes some audible ticking noise – resulting in much slower drive speeds. However, there’s only one plausible advantage: the cost and value for money. Since the HDD is ageing, it is far more cost-effective to place into laptops, thus the end-consumer can get more storage space in a HDD for less cost. While it’s sluggishness will prove frustrating with slower boot and data transfer times, it is the only option to get significantly more storage at a lower-priced device, at least for now.
But, what if you want the speed of a SSD and large capacity of a HDD? Well, some laptops include a solid-state hybrid drive (SSHD), which as the name suggests, combines both drives in one. These usually come in the form of a low storage SSD and high storage HDD. With this hybrid, laptops can provide fast boot-up times with the operating system installed on the SSD, whilst having a capacious amount of HDD to store all your odds and ends. Computers are also intelligent enough to know which files you frequently use – for example your assignment report – and store it from the HDD to the SSD to ensure fast saves every time. This is a great compromise and truly gives the best of both worlds.
Ports:
There are several types of inputs or ports available on every device. These are typically situated on the sides of the laptop’s chassis, or even the rear in some cases. You’ll commonly find the following:
- USB-A 2.0 or 3.0 – This is the standard USB-A input in 2019 for most USB sticks and hard drives; this is the most important port you should look at, and is recommended to have at least two or more in the laptop so you can transfer files between two external drives. Also, the 3.0 standard is recommended, providing superior transfer speeds than the archaic 2.0 generation when used with USB 3.0 external drives. However, USB 2.0 hardware can be used with USB 3.0, and vice-versa, as they both fit in the USB-A standard. It can be visually discerned standard rectangle.
- USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, and USB 3.1 – Deemed the ‘future’ of ports, these are all in the USB-C shape and standard. It is aimed at replacing all ports in the market, and has more capabilities thanks to much faster transfer speeds, outputting more data. If labelled with Thunderbolt 3, it can power external displays and add an eGPU to bolster laptops, whereas the USB 3.1 simply transfers data at a faster rate. It is handy to have; however, it shouldn’t be solely relied upon. Many USB sticks and hard drives still run on the old USB-A standard, which cannot be plugged into a USB-C port. Not having USB-C isn’t important, but only having these ports will definitely require a purchase and use of flimsy USB-C adapters which outputs a standard array of ports (USB-A, SD card, etc.) on a separate dongle. It is shaped as a squircle, and can be conveniently plugged into both ways (there’s no specific order for input).
- SD card/ micro SD card reader – If your device lacks enough storage space for your needs, an SD card reader is the most convenient way to expand your memory to store more files since it is small in scale. The SD card is the standard size, while micro SD cards are a miniaturised guise of the aforementioned. If you have a micro SD, you will need to use and possibly purchase a full-size SD card adapter to plug into your laptop, provided it doesn’t have micro SD. Of course, there are speed tiers to consider. Basically, the higher the class number, the faster transfers will be to minimise your frustrations. Put simply, it does the same as a USB in a small card.
- HDMI and Mini DisplayPort – When presenting or collaborating in class, you may need to project your screen on a projector or monitor display. To allow this, you will either need a modern Thunderbolt 3 port (as mentioned above), HDMI, or Mini DisplayPort. In 2019, the HDMI is most commonly used in classrooms for now, but some even use an archaic VGA port which will need a VGA to HDMI adapter (refer to your institution). No laptops nowadays include any VGA port. Moreover, the Mini DisplayPort is advantaged by outputting more data for higher resolution displays, or even multiple monitors at once. Both these ports are convenient to have, but if you have USB-C, an adapter/dongle can output HDMI and Mini Display.
- Headphone jack – While smartphones are getting rid of the 3.55mm headphone jack, most laptops still contain this. Listen to music, game, and stream video without any hassle, Bluetooth, or an extra dongle for your earphones and headphones. Pretty self-explanatory, here.
- Ethernet – Before wireless Wi-Fi internet, we used to be plugged into a colourful cable called the ethernet port. Some institutions still use this to allow students to quickly connect to internet, without the unstable speeds of wireless nor security risks. Surprisingly, a few laptops still include an ethernet port.
Keyboard & Trackpad:
Interacting with the keyboard and trackpad of a laptop will be a daily chore of schooling life, so you need one that’s reliable and easy to use.
Try to look for a laptop that has larger travel in its keyboard keys, meaning that it protrudes from the base a little more. This provides a better typing experience with more tactility in every press, as opposed to rather flat keys which are stiff and difficult to type on, in some cases.
Similarly, the trackpad should also be a glass material for a smooth texture, and be as large as possible since operating systems are increasingly using gesture-based navigation, so bigger is always bigger. Windows laptops have different types of touchpad’s; do your research and try to find a device with the Windows Precision Touchpad driver. This gives a more fluid experience for navigating and gesturing around the operating system.
RESEARCH & LOOK!
When looking for your laptop, understand what you need and what you don’t – mentioned all above. Start with narrowing your budget, and criteria for your perfect laptop (software, powerful CPU, USB-A ports, etc.).
Then, research thoroughly online. Visit all manufacture and retail websites to check out what laptop models are easily attainable and available. Remember: try not to be biased against a particular brand, unless you’ve had a poor experience with it in the past – look at all devices that suits your needs. More importantly, cross-check prices to see if there are any current sales promotions, and if each retailer has different price tags on the same model; you may be eligible to use a price meet or beat program.
Furthermore, don’t forget to actually look and interact with the laptop in person. Visit your local store and checkout your shortlisted laptops – you may even uncover new ones. Have a feel of the keyboard, trackpad and weight of the device, and see if the size of the laptop fits with being portable and mobile. Try to visit several times and don’t be pressured by promotions or time constraints.
After all of this, get the cash, and buy your perfect laptop for your studying needs!
The Bottom Line
Yes, it’s a strenuous process, and reading this essay-like article is no different. I digress, but nonetheless, you have the sailent buying guide points to find your perfect laptop.
At least, now, you can focus on the countless other preparations for high school or tertiary life. Congratulations and best of luck!
The Connected by Henry Man 