Kerry Bebeau Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 We're going to be looking into getting our son a laptop, primarily because the hand-me-down one he is using is on its last legs and he will likely need to do some virtual learning this school year. Major uses will be school work and zoom/Google classroom meetings. But he also likes to code with scratch (basic games and animation using code blocks, if you're not familiar), and may want to branch out as he learns more. What minimum requirements should I be looking for? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 It’s really not that different than what I recommend to edit photos on. i7 CPU 16GB RAM At least a 500GB main boot drive, preferably one with a 1TB main drive. In your son’s case, a lightweight model with a comfortable keyboard to type on takes priority. Since it’s not one to edit photos on, the Screen doesn’t need to be IPS based and the video card can be a basic one. What you really need to be on the lookout for is if components like the RAM are soldered you the Motherboard. These models can not be upgraded after the fact. So really pay attention to the tech specs. Sealed units are common these days, the trick is finding out if you need to upgrade something before clicking “Add to Cart.” Otherwise you are stuck with what you purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Bebeau Posted August 4, 2020 Author Share Posted August 4, 2020 Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 I will warn you, COVID has dramatically affected things computer-wise. Laptops are hard to come by, at least the "Good" ones, and the prices are $500-$1000 more than they were a year ago. So really read the fine-print and specs. Today's $1000 laptops are last year's $400 models. It's honestly the worst time to be in the market for a new computer. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Bebeau Posted September 3, 2020 Author Share Posted September 3, 2020 Holy cow, I guess so. I got my amazing laptop for editing a couple of years ago for a good deal, and a couple hundred dollars cheaper than what I would be looking at for my son's. Guess he'll be using the school provided chromebook if they have to go virtual, until prices come back down some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Bebeau Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Can you give me your thoughts on this one? https://www.staples.com/lenovo-flex-5-14iil05-81x1-14-notebook-intel-i7-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-windows-10-81x1002sus/product_24435792 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 No mention of the display panel type. Believe me, if it's a IPS screen, the manufacture will point it out. I'm also not thinking that CPU chip is fast enough. You want something at or above 3GHz at this point. Of course, the slower the CPU Chip, the less power it requires, which is how they get 10 hours of battery time when it's new. This is a laptop meant for people sitting at Coffee Shops, waiting to get on a Plane at an Airport, wasting time on FB figuring out which Fruit you are in a basket, and general computing. I'd skip this one. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Bebeau Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 Even just for the coding my son will be using this for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I’m so sorry. I didn’t pay attention to the original post! I’m so used to the laptops for photo editing questions. Actually, that laptop would work really well for what you want it for. I do like the fact that it has dedicated video and a 512GB HD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now