MrsMars's Laptop recommendation thread

MrsMars's Laptop recommendation thread

Budget
£350

Subject being studied
Biomedical Engineering

Software that will be used
MS Office, Adobe Photoshop (light use)

Screen size
Other

Operating system preference
Windows

Minimum amount of RAM
8GB

Minimum storage requirement
n/a

Weight limit
n/a

Used for playing games?
No

If yes, what games?
n/a

Touchscreen needed?
Don't mind

Are there any specific ports you need?
USB, headphone

What devices do you have currently?
Samsung phone, HP laptop

Laptops researched:
Laptop 1 - https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/81MT0015UK-Lenovo-V145_2456734.html

Laptop 2 -

Laptop 3 -

Additional Comments:
I'm mostly going to use my laptop for research & assignments, and Netflix/streaming.

As far as I can tell, I won't need/be expected to have any of the softwares used on my course myself as it'll be on uni computers.

I'd prefer something lightweight but it's not something I'd pay more for on its own.

I have 0 tech knowledge and have understood a little about laptops from the TSR guides and talking to my dad, so if you reply to the thread, please expect me to ask you some really basic questions and I apologise in advance :redface:

Reply 1

Afterlife?

19

ASUS VivoBook X512UA 15.6 Inch Full HD Laptop (Intel Core-i3, 256 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, Thin Bezel Screen) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07P5P97WW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_snLrDb0ASV9TH

I like this but it only has 4GB of memory however If ur not playing games and doing video editing it's very ok
And it has a big screen to watch Netflix n stuff
And plus it's 1.4kg compared to other laptops for 350 which are way over 2

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 2

niteninja1

22

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Chromebook-14-db0003na-14-Inch-Laptop/dp/B07MWMN2Q6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3UZ5BWSXXFESK&keywords=chromebook&qid=1564956713&s=gateway&sprefix=Chromeb%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-3

Reply 3

username612415

21

https://www.ebuyer.com/855754-lenovo-v330-14arr-ryzen-5-laptop-81b1001euk

Stretch to another £20, the difference is well worth it.

Reply 4

username1154717

OP

17

How does that compare to this?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/laptops/thinkpad-t450-14-win10-pro-1080p-i5-5300u-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-2tb-hdd/1348231068?srn=true

Or this, with 256GB SSD, 16GB Ram & Windows 10

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450-14-1-Laptop-Intel-i5-5300U-2-3GHz-Upgrade-Options/323855990865?hash=item4b67524051:m:mp6oG0GHk7cILqbSiMEUgTw

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 5

username612415

21

Original post by MrsMars

How does that compare to this?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/laptops/thinkpad-t450-14-win10-pro-1080p-i5-5300u-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-2tb-hdd/1348231068?srn=true

Or this, with 256GB SSD, 16GB Ram & Windows 10

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450-14-1-Laptop-Intel-i5-5300U-2-3GHz-Upgrade-Options/323855990865?hash=item4b67524051:m:mp6oG0GHk7cILqbSiMEUgTw

ThinkPads are renowned for their build quality, but the processor in those laptops is over four years old. It will still be fine for stuff like web browsing but lacks the headroom for if you ever want to do anything more intensive and will be noticeably less responsive in Photoshop. 16GB of RAM would not offer a tangible benefit over a laptop with 8GB so I wouldn't factor that in.

There will no doubt be a couple of the site's regular users who come in espousing the greatness of used ThinkPads over newer laptops that are more powerful but less premium/durable. It's a valid standpoint, but I personally would rather buy new hardware that is more powerful and covered by manufacturer warranty. If the only options at your price point were underpowered pentium/celeron machines that didn't fit your usage then I would also support buying used laptops to get something more powerful and with greater longevity, but your budget is well in the range of the excellent quad core chipsets that can be found powering laptops selling for close to a grand.

Reply 6

username1154717

OP

17

What about this?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/hp-elitebook-840-core-i7-4600u-8gb-240gb-sdd-14-inch-touchscreen-windows-10-professional-laptop/1347793683?utm_source=WhatsApp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 7

username612415

21

Original post by MrsMars

What about this?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/hp-elitebook-840-core-i7-4600u-8gb-240gb-sdd-14-inch-touchscreen-windows-10-professional-laptop/1347793683?utm_source=WhatsApp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android

@Gofre

It's got a slightly more powerful processor than the thinkpads but its still very dated from the same generation, and still only dual core. It also lacks the excellent build quality that makes buying a used ThinkPad justifiable.

Reply 8

username1154717

OP

17

what about these?

https://www.ebuyer.com/879510-hp-250-g7-laptop-intel-core-i5-8265u-1-6ghz-8gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd-6mp21es-abu

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/81F400E9UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-330s_2498826.html

https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=7GM19EA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB

(I know they're over my above stated budget - I'm exploring my options because my birthday is coming up)

Reply 9

username1208193

20

Anything apart from a Mac!

Reply 10

username2950448

20

Original post by SubZero~

Anything apart from a Mac!

"Budget £350"

For some reason I don't think a Mac was in the running to begin with.

Reply 11

username1208193

20

Original post by Palmyra

"Budget £350"

For some reason I don't think a Mac was in the running to begin with.

Thank you for this. I can assure you it was just a joke and I did recognise the budget lmao.

Tbh.

Original post by MrsMars

MrsMars's Laptop recommendation thread

Budget
£350

Subject being studied
Biomedical Engineering

Software that will be used
MS Office, Adobe Photoshop (light use)

Screen size
Other

Operating system preference
Windows

Minimum amount of RAM
8GB

Minimum storage requirement
n/a

Weight limit
n/a

Used for playing games?
No

If yes, what games?
n/a

Touchscreen needed?
Don't mind

Are there any specific ports you need?
USB, headphone

What devices do you have currently?
Samsung phone, HP laptop

Laptops researched:
Laptop 1 - https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/81MT0015UK-Lenovo-V145_2456734.html

Laptop 2 -

Laptop 3 -

Additional Comments:
I'm mostly going to use my laptop for research & assignments, and Netflix/streaming.

As far as I can tell, I won't need/be expected to have any of the softwares used on my course myself as it'll be on uni computers.

I'd prefer something lightweight but it's not something I'd pay more for on its own.

I have 0 tech knowledge and have understood a little about laptops from the TSR guides and talking to my dad, so if you reply to the thread, please expect me to ask you some really basic questions and I apologise in advance :redface:

Keep your old laptop and ask a good PC shop to build you a good specs Desktop PC. You will save a ton doing that and the satisfaction level is maximum :smile:

See this!!

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 14

username612415

21

Original post by MrsMars

@Gofre what about these?

https://www.ebuyer.com/879510-hp-250-g7-laptop-intel-core-i5-8265u-1-6ghz-8gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd-6mp21es-abu

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/81F400E9UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-330s_2498826.html

https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=7GM19EA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB

(I know they're over my above stated budget - I'm exploring my options because my birthday is coming up)

Honestly, any laptop under £400 with a Ryzen 5/7 or Core i5-8250U/8265U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128-256GB of SSD storage and a 1080p display is going to be great for you. You only need to spend more if there's something you really like about a more expensive laptop. Unfortunately now we're in Back to School season the best deals around the £350 mark have evaporated, but there will still be options at this price like the Lenovo you've found here.

Reply 15

username612415

21

Original post by Mr. Petrol Head

Keep your old laptop and ask a good PC shop to build you a good specs Desktop PC. You will save a ton doing that and the satisfaction level is maximum :smile:

See this!!

What possible relevance does a video about not buying an expensive gaming laptop have for a person with a £400 budget and no desire to play games? Your advice about commissioning a custom pc makes zero sense here.

Reply 16

Notoriety

22

Original post by MrsMars

https://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=7GM19EA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB

Cheers for the link. Just bought.

As Gofre said, really good value. Been looking for some time around this range and nothing comes close imho.

Reply 17

username2028267

21

I am sure most people tend to buy a gaming PC even if they don't tend to play games. I have seen salesmen saying people that a gaming laptop works great with video editing and adobe photoshop, and it has become a general perception among people that gaming laptops are great for uni tasks and stuff, but rather they are just price inflated normal laptop with gizmos which make no sense when it comes to doing some basic office apps or simple editing. What I wanted to emphasize was, its better to have a portable work machine which can do basic microsoft office tasks and some netflix while on the go whereas one can use the whole potential of a well built PC rig at home to do some heavy editing stuff :smile:

Reply 18

username612415

21

Original post by Mr. Petrol Head

I am sure most people tend to buy a gaming PC even if they don't tend to play games. I have seen salesmen saying people that a gaming laptop works great with video editing and adobe photoshop, and it has become a general perception among people that gaming laptops are great for uni tasks and stuff, but rather they are just price inflated normal laptop with gizmos which make no sense when it comes to doing some basic office apps or simple editing. What I wanted to emphasize was, its better to have a portable work machine which can do basic microsoft office tasks and some netflix while on the go whereas one can use the whole potential of a well built PC rig at home to do some heavy editing stuff :smile:

The OP is spending £300-£400 for Office and light Photoshop, she doesn't need anything gaming grade and her budget doesn't cover the combined cost of a basic laptop and more powerful desktop anyway, especially not if she's paying somebody to build it for her.

Reply 19

username2028267

21

It makes sense, I guess as you said that any laptop with ryzen 5 or intel 8250 should be decent specs provided that her budget is below 400. Man, your advice is pretty solid mate :smile:

MrsMars's Laptop recommendation thread

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