Laptop help - for an 11 year old
Discussion
My daughter is 11 next month and has asked for a laptop - I'm happy to oblige, but want to get her a simple laptop that will see her through a few years of impending secondary school and the like. I've done a ton of research but my knowledge of laptops is limited to "whatever it is that I'm given at work" - As she's 11, I don't want to pay over the odds at this stage so I've narrowed it down to this:
https://www.ebuyer.com/835635-lenovo-v110-amd-a9-4...
However, I quite like the look of this (which she'd like as it looks nice) even though it's a Celeron [and it comes with a 3 year warranty]:
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-e406-lapto...
£250 is my budget (which I know doesn't buy a lot, but for now she doesn't need a lot) - For the future, I have access to some ex-corporate stuff which is better, but not as cosmetically nice. Can I get a collective PH opinion please?
Thanks
JTW
https://www.ebuyer.com/835635-lenovo-v110-amd-a9-4...
However, I quite like the look of this (which she'd like as it looks nice) even though it's a Celeron [and it comes with a 3 year warranty]:
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-e406-lapto...
£250 is my budget (which I know doesn't buy a lot, but for now she doesn't need a lot) - For the future, I have access to some ex-corporate stuff which is better, but not as cosmetically nice. Can I get a collective PH opinion please?
Thanks
JTW
james_tigerwoods said:
Forgot to make that clear - her secondary school is Windows...
What kind of budget are you setting?£300 is a cheap laptop that might not last 2 years (performance wise).
£500 is about the sweet spot.
james_tigerwoods said:
4 GB is fine for Windows 10, it was Windows 8 that struggled. That laptop might be good for a year or so... but not the one I'd pick. Its cheap because the CPU is already old and very under-powered. Personally I'd stump up an other £1-200 and get a decent one but that of course, is up to you
This would be my pick of the under £500 bunch:
https://www.cclonline.com/product/lenovo-v130-lapt...
This is a bit cheaper, but has a low resolution screen and mechanical hard drive (both are fine but not preferable).
https://www.cclonline.com/product/asus-vivobook15-...
Thanks for those. I'd set an initial £250 budget as I know that it'd last a limited time given it's power and I don't really know what she might use it for at secondary school yet as she starts in September so as a short term laptop, it might do. I can get ex-company stuff with a decent discount which is all at a good spec, but it's unclear what the quality of the kit would be and not really want I want to buy for a birthday present.
She's still using an old works laptop of mine - A Lenovo X200 with an i5 processor which runs Windows 7, just - But what she wants is something that runs Windows 10 so she can play Roblox and Minecraft
She likes my X380 Yoga, but she's definitely not having that 
The second Asus Vivobook might work as I'd like an i5 ideally, but I'll keep looking & thinking on it
She's still using an old works laptop of mine - A Lenovo X200 with an i5 processor which runs Windows 7, just - But what she wants is something that runs Windows 10 so she can play Roblox and Minecraft
She likes my X380 Yoga, but she's definitely not having that The second Asus Vivobook might work as I'd like an i5 ideally, but I'll keep looking & thinking on it
I would say:
Not worry about the HDD size, and use Onedrive, tagged onto an Office 365 sub. If everything is saved into Onedrive it can be accessed from anywhere, so if she forgets it, it can be sent/printed off anywhere with a PC.
Get on eBay and look at a 2nd hand one. Not the best option possibly, but you'll get more for your money.
I would invest in an SSD, as this is generally the slowest point of the machine, and not the processor.
A Celeron will be fine for basic tasks, like word documents, emails, etc.
Not worry about the HDD size, and use Onedrive, tagged onto an Office 365 sub. If everything is saved into Onedrive it can be accessed from anywhere, so if she forgets it, it can be sent/printed off anywhere with a PC.
Get on eBay and look at a 2nd hand one. Not the best option possibly, but you'll get more for your money.
I would invest in an SSD, as this is generally the slowest point of the machine, and not the processor.
A Celeron will be fine for basic tasks, like word documents, emails, etc.
I've got a google drive subscription which gives me 100gb so storage will be there and I have a corporate 365 licence that I can use on up to 5 devices so there's extra storage there too.
I've had the Amazon refurbished line suggested and found this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-UltraBook-Bullguard-...
This line appeals: "The products will have minimal to no signs of wear, no visible cosmetic imperfections when held 12 inches away, and may arrive in a brown or white box with relevant accessories that may be generic."
Loads of Thinkpads which I've discounted as the older ones don't have HDMI out which might come in handy in the future...
I've had the Amazon refurbished line suggested and found this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-UltraBook-Bullguard-...
This line appeals: "The products will have minimal to no signs of wear, no visible cosmetic imperfections when held 12 inches away, and may arrive in a brown or white box with relevant accessories that may be generic."
Loads of Thinkpads which I've discounted as the older ones don't have HDMI out which might come in handy in the future...
BTW, Windows Family Safety works really well.
Set it up and my kids have screen time limits and age restrictions. I get a weekly report on what they have been doing, searching for and how long they have be using it for each day.
If they need more time they sending a request and I approve or deny it on my phone.
You have to use Edge though.
Set it up and my kids have screen time limits and age restrictions. I get a weekly report on what they have been doing, searching for and how long they have be using it for each day.
If they need more time they sending a request and I approve or deny it on my phone.
You have to use Edge though.
james_tigerwoods said:
My daughter is 11 next month and has asked for a laptop - I'm happy to oblige, but want to get her a simple laptop that will see her through a few years of impending secondary school and the like. I've done a ton of research but my knowledge of laptops is limited to "whatever it is that I'm given at work" - As she's 11, I don't want to pay over the odds at this stage so I've narrowed it down to this:
https://www.ebuyer.com/835635-lenovo-v110-amd-a9-4...
However, I quite like the look of this (which she'd like as it looks nice) even though it's a Celeron [and it comes with a 3 year warranty]:
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-e406-lapto...
£250 is my budget (which I know doesn't buy a lot, but for now she doesn't need a lot) - For the future, I have access to some ex-corporate stuff which is better, but not as cosmetically nice. Can I get a collective PH opinion please?
Thanks
JTW
I'd avoid Lenovo like the plague. Build quality is not what it once was and they do have a bad reputation for putting sneaky software on their devices.https://www.ebuyer.com/835635-lenovo-v110-amd-a9-4...
However, I quite like the look of this (which she'd like as it looks nice) even though it's a Celeron [and it comes with a 3 year warranty]:
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-e406-lapto...
£250 is my budget (which I know doesn't buy a lot, but for now she doesn't need a lot) - For the future, I have access to some ex-corporate stuff which is better, but not as cosmetically nice. Can I get a collective PH opinion please?
Thanks
JTW
Asus kit tends to be solid middle of the road devices.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-VivoBook-Chocolate-C... . any good?
You don't say if she is going to take it anywhere - if not and it's to be used in the home, go for larger screen. Her eyes will thank you in years to come.
sly fox said:
james_tigerwoods said:
My daughter is 11 next month and has asked for a laptop - I'm happy to oblige, but want to get her a simple laptop that will see her through a few years of impending secondary school and the like. I've done a ton of research but my knowledge of laptops is limited to "whatever it is that I'm given at work" - As she's 11, I don't want to pay over the odds at this stage so I've narrowed it down to this:
https://www.ebuyer.com/835635-lenovo-v110-amd-a9-4...
However, I quite like the look of this (which she'd like as it looks nice) even though it's a Celeron [and it comes with a 3 year warranty]:
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-e406-lapto...
£250 is my budget (which I know doesn't buy a lot, but for now she doesn't need a lot) - For the future, I have access to some ex-corporate stuff which is better, but not as cosmetically nice. Can I get a collective PH opinion please?
Thanks
JTW
I'd avoid Lenovo like the plague. Build quality is not what it once was and they do have a bad reputation for putting sneaky software on their devices.https://www.ebuyer.com/835635-lenovo-v110-amd-a9-4...
However, I quite like the look of this (which she'd like as it looks nice) even though it's a Celeron [and it comes with a 3 year warranty]:
https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-e406-lapto...
£250 is my budget (which I know doesn't buy a lot, but for now she doesn't need a lot) - For the future, I have access to some ex-corporate stuff which is better, but not as cosmetically nice. Can I get a collective PH opinion please?
Thanks
JTW
Asus kit tends to be solid middle of the road devices.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-VivoBook-Chocolate-C... . any good?
You don't say if she is going to take it anywhere - if not and it's to be used in the home, go for larger screen. Her eyes will thank you in years to come.
Stupid question:
The Intel Celeron N4000 Processor has 2 cores, but 4Mb Cache - The Intel Pentium N4200 processor has 4 cores and 2Mb cache. Both are clocked at the same (ish) speed. Which would be better? Would it even be noticeable (bearing in mind that it'd run, at its most intensive, Roblox / Minecraft)?
The Intel Celeron N4000 Processor has 2 cores, but 4Mb Cache - The Intel Pentium N4200 processor has 4 cores and 2Mb cache. Both are clocked at the same (ish) speed. Which would be better? Would it even be noticeable (bearing in mind that it'd run, at its most intensive, Roblox / Minecraft)?
james_tigerwoods said:
Stupid question:
The Intel Celeron N4000 Processor has 2 cores, but 4Mb Cache - The Intel Pentium N4200 processor has 4 cores and 2Mb cache. Both are clocked at the same (ish) speed. Which would be better? Would it even be noticeable (bearing in mind that it'd run, at its most intensive, Roblox / Minecraft)?
https://www.cpubenchmark.netThe Intel Celeron N4000 Processor has 2 cores, but 4Mb Cache - The Intel Pentium N4200 processor has 4 cores and 2Mb cache. Both are clocked at the same (ish) speed. Which would be better? Would it even be noticeable (bearing in mind that it'd run, at its most intensive, Roblox / Minecraft)?
sly fox said:
james_tigerwoods said:
Stupid question:
The Intel Celeron N4000 Processor has 2 cores, but 4Mb Cache - The Intel Pentium N4200 processor has 4 cores and 2Mb cache. Both are clocked at the same (ish) speed. Which would be better? Would it even be noticeable (bearing in mind that it'd run, at its most intensive, Roblox / Minecraft)?
https://www.cpubenchmark.netThe Intel Celeron N4000 Processor has 2 cores, but 4Mb Cache - The Intel Pentium N4200 processor has 4 cores and 2Mb cache. Both are clocked at the same (ish) speed. Which would be better? Would it even be noticeable (bearing in mind that it'd run, at its most intensive, Roblox / Minecraft)?
james_tigerwoods said:
Forgot to make that clear - her secondary school is Windows...
What do you mean by that?There is no problem with editing Office documents on a Chromebook https://support.office.com/en-us/article/how-to-in...
My daughter (year 9) uses a Chromebook for all her schoolwork and has no issues. You'll get a much, much better experience on a £250 Chromebook than you will a £250 Windows laptop.
Hi, sorry I didn't update you all. Went with this in the end with an N5000 processor for the same price as an N4200
Works well and I have set it up, removed some built in crap (thank you Powershell) - my tip: It'll do the windows updates, then sit on the disk for, apparently, no reason - it's the windows store doing ITS updates which take even longer.
Seems to run Minecraft well too
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HJLZ4YG/ref=cm_sw_r...
Works well and I have set it up, removed some built in crap (thank you Powershell) - my tip: It'll do the windows updates, then sit on the disk for, apparently, no reason - it's the windows store doing ITS updates which take even longer.
Seems to run Minecraft well too
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HJLZ4YG/ref=cm_sw_r...
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