Budget Laptops ?

[discoveranother]

Hi all,

 

Can anyone recommend laptops for basic Microsoft Office and just Internet use for a school environment. Looking at about 10 for a budget of £1,500. I know some of you may suggest Chromebooks but I don't think they really want these. Another option was HP Streams, but I have told them not to expect miracles and complain when they start running slow due to the budget limitations.

 

Thanks all

[DrBeaker]

Really depends what you want to do with them.

 

i3, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD should be the MINIMUM schools really buy and I mean MINIMUM. It's a false economy buying anything less than that. Some we have either purchased or from DFe don't meet the minimum specs for some software - I didn't buy them and certainly didn't recommend them. The amount of wasted time I've spent chasing "performance ghosts" when it's down to a cheap CPU etc causing the issue is ridiculous.

 

The cheap ones are a pain, or nigh-on impossible to repair (they're designed to be replaced, not repaired)

Think they've stopped the HP Stream but the 32GB eMMC drive was stupid. Don't buy them.

 

Chromebooks are kind-of pointless unless you're a Chrome shop.

 

Check out VeryPC or ICT Direct for supplies.

 

What's your equipment lifespan/lifecycle policy?

Edited February 28, 2022 by DrBeaker

[garethEds]

Going to jump in on this one and recommend @ict-direct. We have had over 100 recon laptops from them and not a day's issue. They are all 8Gb RAM with 128Gb SSD. All Lenovo. They build with MDT (Lenovo Driver Packs) without any issues.

 

Give John and Dave a shout - always willing to help.

 

Just took delivery of 25 x 800G2 desktop as well today - excellent condition as well considering they are recons. We've not bought new PCs in along time.

 

Gareth

Edited March 1, 2022 by elsiegee40

[jmak]

I'd second the recommendation for ICT Direct - I've had some really good value kit from them.

 

£1500 isn't enough for 10 devices that will survive 3 years in school. And if you're buying 2nd hand kit, you need a plan for what to do when they're not supported on Windows 11 and windows 10 gives out of support in three and a half years.

[MatthewL]

That number for that amount you are asking for trouble, you will be better buying a smaller number of better quality and not regretting it later in life.

[Simcfc73]

I've bought refurb... out of 20 I'd say 2 have failed in 3 years.

[jmak]

I've bought refurb... out of 20 I'd say 2 have failed in 3 years.

Out of interest does that mean you think it's a good or a bad idea? Some people would say 10% failure is quite high, others would expect higher attrition than that in schools.

[CyBeRkId2002]

If I had a laptop trolley of 30 where 27 were working 3 years later I would be jumping for joy! Although 99.9% of that is due to damage - accidental and otherwise.

 

My main concern with refurb laptops (and why we have never purchased them personally) is that the main point of degradation is the battery and seems like a false economy buying something 3 years into its lifespan when the battery is significantly impacted (yes, you can buy replacements and view them as a consumable but if you are buying manufacturer this cost needs to be factored in as it is not insignificant.

[elsiegee40]

This sounds like one for @ICTDirect_Dave

[Simcfc73]

Out of interest does that mean you think it's a good or a bad idea? Some people would say 10% failure is quite high, others would expect higher attrition than that in schools.

Paid £350 for them so I'm sure if I did a spreadsheet the cost of new compared to used it would still be good value for money.. the warranty didn't cover it.

[garethEds]

Out of interest does that mean you think it's a good or a bad idea? Some people would say 10% failure is quite high, others would expect higher attrition than that in schools.

 

Over 3 years? I've had a classroom of major brand PCs fail with their hard drives over three years. Surely 10% over 3 years is not bad. ICT Direct are on the ball with repairs and replacement.s

 

Gareth

[paulkerton]

Looking at about 10 for a budget of £1,500.

Unless you get a several year old second-hand device, you're not going to be finding anything worth using that runs Windows 10/11 for that price.

[garethEds]

Unless you get a several year old second-hand device, you're not going to be finding anything worth using that runs Windows 10/11 for that price.

 

Push for £2k

 

Gareth

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Hi all,

 

Can anyone recommend laptops for basic Microsoft Office and just Internet use for a school environment. Looking at about 10 for a budget of £1,500. I know some of you may suggest Chromebooks but I don't think they really want these. Another option was HP Streams, but I have told them not to expect miracles and complain when they start running slow due to the budget limitations.

 

Thanks all

Morning! We'll be able to help you with affordable laptops, but even in the refurb market £150 per device is not going to be possible.

The very best we'd be able to do would be HP Elitebook 840 G2 devices with 14" screen, 5th Gen Core i5, 4GB RAM, & 128GB SSD for £220 each.

They're still perfectly servicable devices. Run well on Win 10, will install Win 11 via the iso and are currently receiving the same updates as all win 11 certified machines.

 

After that prices rise sharply and you'll be looking at £300+ for more modern refurb laptops.

My main concern with refurb laptops (and why we have never purchased them personally) is that the main point of degradation is the battery and seems like a false economy buying something 3 years into its lifespan when the battery is significantly impacted (yes, you can buy replacements and view them as a consumable but if you are buying manufacturer this cost needs to be factored in as it is not insignificant.

Battery is a concern, that's for sure. But, if you choose your suppliers carefully (namely us!) then you can be sure that your batteries are tested and graded before they're stocked.

Our Grade-A batteries must have a minimum of 65% of their original capacity, though in truth many have 90% or higher. 65% is the magic number because original batteries at this level of wear give the same performance as brand new compatible batteries. We've found that the majority of these batteries easily last for three years while those that don't tend to fail within the warranty period.

[tmoon-mint]

If you're looking for an experience similar to a Chromebook but in a Microsoft environment I recently got one of these as a demo and while they're not amazing performance wise they will do the job of browsing via Edge and run MS Office apps.

 

Surface Laptop SE Slim Laptop for Students - Microsoft Surface for Business

[discoveranother]

Thanks for all the replies. The replies are what I expected.

 

I agree the budget is not enough and I initially mentioned less laptops but better performance ones for the budget. I know some have mentioned recons which I also put to the school. I'm not a big fan of Lenovo compared to other manufacturers but if these did the job for a year or two then that would be ok.

 

I will contact this ICTDirect.

 

Thanks all

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Thanks for all the replies. The replies are what I expected.

 

I agree the budget is not enough and I initially mentioned less laptops but better performance ones for the budget. I know some have mentioned recons which I also put to the school. I'm not a big fan of Lenovo compared to other manufacturers but if these did the job for a year or two then that would be ok.

 

I will contact this ICTDirect.

 

Thanks all

 

Drop me a PM or email me directly and I'll see what we can do to help