uni laptop?

My laptop has literally randomly broken a week before I have 4 A-Levels in the same week, so I was wondering which laptop to buy for Uni? Was going to save this one but not anymore :/

I’m gonna be doing History hopefully, although my course does allow for some movement between the humanities, so it needs to be good for essays, but I also like to game (nothing crazy, maybe fortnite and the sims 4).

I don’t have lots of money so I don’t want anything too expensive (I’ll likely be buying it second hand), but yeah I don’t want anything crazy like a touch screen or the ones with a removal keyboard :smile:

. Just something I can carry in my day to day life without breaking my back!

Not sure if it’s relevant but I have an iPhone, I only mention it as lota of my friends with Apple devices usually go for the whole eco-system and get the Macbooks aswell, but I don’t think I’ll need that.

Reply 1

drriversong

I've just bought the MacBook air M2 after having a v old Chromebook and omg the difference. I am also studying history and it's made my life so much easier. That said, it was an investment piece so would recommend getting a second hand M1 at CEX

Reply 2

random_matt

Plenty of cheap laptops at scan.co.uk
For second hand I would recommend just googling second hand laptops, you do not need a MacBook. Find a Thinkpad would be my advise.

Reply 3

Dunnig Kruger

We're probably looking at a 14" laptop. For a good compromise between screen size and portability.

How well built are you from the strong as an ox to the dainty waif type build?
A 15.6" or 13.3" laptop might be perfect for you - depending.

It would be nice to get you an 11th gen or later Intel CPU, or one of the more modern AMD CPU's to give you more flexibility on the games it will play well.

I also prefer laptops with slot-in (non soldered) RAM and SSD's. And it's a nice bonus if the laptop can take more than 1 internal SSD.

Ebay's the place for the best deals on laptops.

The right used business laptop at the right price will be a great tool for your computing needs at uni and beyond. I can suggest a few specific deals once you've told us a bit more info on your mobility profile.

Reply 4

twoweeks

Original post by Dunnig Kruger

We're probably looking at a 14" laptop. For a good compromise between screen size and portability.
How well built are you from the strong as an ox to the dainty waif type build?
A 15.6" or 13.3" laptop might be perfect for you - depending.
It would be nice to get you an 11th gen or later Intel CPU, or one of the more modern AMD CPU's to give you more flexibility on the games it will play well.
I also prefer laptops with slot-in (non soldered) RAM and SSD's. And it's a nice bonus if the laptop can take more than 1 internal SSD.
Ebay's the place for the best deals on laptops.
The right used business laptop at the right price will be a great tool for your computing needs at uni and beyond. I can suggest a few specific deals once you've told us a bit more info on your mobility profile.

Definitely closer to the weaker side but not a complete dainty waif, you know? Whenever I typically carry my laptop around, I use a tote bag too (cloth hand bag) if that helps at all?

Reply 5

twoweeks

Original post by random_matt

Plenty of cheap laptops at scan.co.uk
For second hand I would recommend just googling second hand laptops, you do not need a MacBook. Find a Thinkpad would be my advise.

Is there a specific Thinkpad you’d recommend? I did the comparison thing on their website and filtered it to my preferences mentioned but they only offer Chromebook versions, and I know they aren’t great as they don’t offer lots of programs and apps.

Reply 6

random_matt

Original post by twoweeks

i5/i7 or ryzen 5/7
16gb ram
whatever hdd size you need.
Any thinkpad is good but you do not have to get one.

Reply 7

Dunnig Kruger

This is a really nice laptop:
HP 840 G8 on ebay
Although the price of £306 is more than I'd normally pay for a laptop.

This Dell 5420 has a plastic lid and chassis, making it not as well engineered as the HP 840. Where this scores is the £183 asking price for an 11th gen Intel CPU.
Dell Latitude 5420 ebay

With both these laptops, and other similar laptops you can buy and fit another RAM stick for about £20.