Teacher Laptop - recommendations

[contink]

Hi,

 

Been a while since I've graced these hallowed forums but as I married a teacher (no I wasn't insane!) I've kept an eye in on most things. My reason for posting is that my other half is looking for a laptop of her own to handle both her own interests and also be able to VPN and handle work related tasks as a SENCO. Unfortunately I'm more than a little rusty on my knowledge of laptop based hardware so I was hoping you folk might share some good options, ones to avoid and suggestions on where might be the best place to purchase.

 

One aspect of things we're looking at is a way of extending out to a second screen but that's relatively easy to resolve.

 

Overall need is for office based apps, good connectivity, reliable and still able to handle a bit of binge watching on Netflix. No interest in games or video processing so mostly a good all rounder that doesn't hurt the eyes. Decent battery life is pretty important too. Budget is around £500-750 but could be persuaded higher if there's good reason for stretching things.

 

Edit: USB-C and A ports and preferably option to connect via a USB-C hub to a second screen + keyboard, and mouse on a desk.

 

Thanks in advance for any recommendations or steers away.

Edited October 17, 2022 by contink

[Sharkman]

One thing I will say is avoid Dell Vostros at all cost! We've had to send a load back as they're all snapping at the hinge. I think a neat little i5 would last you a while, depending on how much storage space you want either 128 or 254gb SSD. Might be an idea to look around at which ones are on sale and such

[hallb15]

This looks decent spec for not very much money - use the money you save for a decent monitor and a second charger so you can leave one at home, and one in the laptop bag.

HP EliteBook 840 G5 Refurbished Core i7 Laptop - ICT Direct @ICTDirect_Dave will sort you out.

Edited October 18, 2022 by hallb15
didn't proof read...

[contink]

One thing I will say is avoid Dell Vostros at all cost! We've had to send a load back as they're all snapping at the hinge. I think a neat little i5 would last you a while, depending on how much storage space you want either 128 or 254gb SSD. Might be an idea to look around at which ones are on sale and such

 

Thank-you for that steer... I was nearly leaning in that direction but that sort of weakness is definitely something she'd come a cropper on. The storage thing is always fun as she hoards worksheets and other resources but the 4Tb external hard drive helps tackle that tendency.

[Sharkman]

I'd second that - an i7 for that price with everything else you wanted on it is a no-brainer

[atcoates]

One thing I will say is avoid Dell Vostros at all cost! We've had to send a load back as they're all snapping at the hinge. I think a neat little i5 would last you a while, depending on how much storage space you want either 128 or 254gb SSD. Might be an idea to look around at which ones are on sale and such

Dell Vostro's are Dell's home use range and not built to the same standard as latitudes. Vostro uses plastic hinges compared to the metal ones used on latitudes. You also get longer driver support with latitude etc.

[contink]

This looks decent spec for not very much money - use the money you save for a decent monitor and a second charger so you can leave one at home, and one in the laptop bag.

HP EliteBook 840 G5 Refurbished Core i7 Laptop - ICT Direct @ICTDirect_Dave will sort you out.

Thanks for the recommendation. It does seem to tick most of the boxes, barring the small HD capacity.

 

@ICTDirect_Dave

I need to check with the boss but I can foresee an issue as this is her personal machine, not a school purchase and the bargainhardware site doesn't have the same unit/spec. I'd also like to get a bigger drive (ie: 1TB - Samsung M.2 970) rather than get something we'll pull straight out.. Wondering if we could get the necessary USB OS stick to save on the headache of drive cloning. Any/all of that possible? And if so, how best to resolve?

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Ahoy!

 

Sorry for the delay, busy day yesterday! We can definitely help you out. A larger ssd should be no problem at all either.

 

Drop me a PM with your details and I can look at getting you some quotes

[robintech]

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 have been ok for us , '3' is probably the same. USB-C charging is good and battery reasonable, maybe 4 to 6 hours. Bad points would be screen isn't amazing but they don't seem to notice , fan can come on loud for no reason and Wi-Fi chipset struggled initially on some APs until rolled back the driver.

They haven't broken physically and a lot of them carry them about

[contink]

Thanks Dave,

 

I'll consult with my wife, figure out what she wants to do and then be in touch.

[HarkNowHear]

Some decent Dynabook models about at the minute. Can pick up an 11th-gen i5, 8GB, 512G SSD spec for about £450 +VAT

 

Edit: Didn't clock it was a personal purchase!

Edited October 19, 2022 by HarkNowHear

[icttech1981]

If she is using it to do some SENDCO work make sure bitlocker is setup and you save the key. Covers you for any potential GDPR breaches then should the laptop be lost/stolen as everything is encrypted.