Laptops for a student or schoolchild: 3 main mistakes when choosing
Many parents do not quite correctly understand the list of tasks that the child has to solve during training. According to many, these are banal texts in Word and tables in Excel — performance, RAM and other characteristics are absolutely not important here. So, what mistakes do adults make when choosing a laptop for a student or schoolchild?
one Total savings on configuration
We just mentioned this. A laptop is a device that is not updated every year, so you need to take into account not current needs, but future ones. The maximum budget device may suit a primary school student, but as soon as he gets older and starts running more or less serious programs, problems may begin. About the optimal, from our point of view, configuration — a little later. But if the budget is very limited, check out this selection of laptops.
2 Emphasis on legacy models
They are, of course, cheaper than new ones. And, it would seem, what’s the difference — these are not shoes from the new collection, the year of release does not play a big role. But not exactly. Over the past couple of years, many thin and light models have appeared on the market. Say, with identical specifications, a 15-inch laptop can weigh 0.5 kg or more lighter than a four-year-old model. Students and schoolchildren often carry laptops with them, and weight is very important for them. As well as autonomy — if earlier 5–6 hours were considered a good indicator, today there are devices that can work for 10 hours.
3 Rejection of a discrete graphics card
The video card is most often associated with games. The cooler the toys, the cooler the video card is needed. But for office tasks, you can get by with built-in (integrated into the motherboard) graphics. Here we again return to the question: is it enough for a student to use Word and Excel? In our opinion, it is unlikely.
A modern video card is a separate processor that can quickly process graphics, accelerate tasks of modeling, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and more. Therefore, laptops with a video card on board are truly a universal platform not only for entertainment, but also for learning and development.
What tasks does the video card solve?
Here is just a small list of such tasks.
- Processing high-resolution photos in Photoshop;
- Creation of animation plots;
- 3D modeling in Maya and 3dsMax;
- Video editing in Adobe Premier Pro;
- Neural network training (Python programming).
A laptop with a video card on board is a universal platform for learning, no matter what the child is interested in in the future. The power and safety margin of such systems will be enough for 4–5 years. These laptops will provide you with skills that will be useful for mastering interesting and in-demand professions: from a communications specialist and a designer to an artificial intelligence and data analysis specialist.
In summary: what is the optimal configuration?
Here you can argue for a long time, but for high school students and students, in our opinion, laptops with the following characteristics are suitable:
- Intel Core i5 (8300/8400) processor or equivalent,
- RAM from 8 GB,
- GeForce GTX 1660 video card
- availability of USB 3.1 and HDMI ports.
How much would such a model cost?
Not 100$. For a laptop with a 15.6‑inch screen and the characteristics mentioned above, you will have to pay from 500$. Here is a relatively affordable model Lenovo Ideapad L340-15IRH — by the way, don’t let the terms “gaming” or “gaming” confuse you. It just means that the performance is enough for games.
A large 1 TB hard drive, up to 9 hours of battery life, all the main connectors (including USB‑C) are here.
Approximately in the same price category — HP PAVILION 15-dp0019ur. The processor is a little simpler, but the RAM is 16 GB and an excellent bunch of 128 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD. Video card — optimal GeForce GTX 1060.
Another good option with Windows 10 preinstalled is ASUS TUF Gaming FX504GM-E4188T. Not the heaviest, with the possibility of expanding RAM, an Intel Core i5 8300H 2300 MHz processor and a GeForce GTX 1060 video card. The only thing is that the autonomy is very small, so in the audience you will have to sit closer to the outlet.
Finally, an alternative from MSI: the model GL63 8SC-019XRU. Also with the necessary “gentleman’s set”, although without the OS included.
What else will be useful to read before choosing a laptop:
- The best laptops for schoolchildren and students: for study and not only
- Used laptops: how to buy and what to check?