Laptop for school around $1200

[newhouseslope]

After delaying for so long I finally have to get a laptop for school. I already have a desktop which I prefer so this will purely be for school work. So far no requirement for any software for my usage and capping my budget at 1.5k, but sweet spot is 1.2 as mentioned ^.

Minimum need it to last 3 years and browsing through threads I see alot recommend Dell and Lenovo.

Thinking of getting something like AMD igpu and 16gb RAM but open to recommendations. Not fussy about weight more concern about build quality/longevity etc.

Also not thinking of changing OS so not considering mac air.

TIA!

 

[NightRaven49]

Minimum need it to last 3 years and browsing through threads I see alot recommend Dell and Lenovo.

Thinking of getting something like AMD igpu and 16gb RAM but open to recommendations. Not fussy about weight more concern about build quality/longevity etc.

any piece of electronics can last long long one as long as u handle it well. having a more robust laptop certainly helps, and u should look at business laptops like thinkpad (lenovo), elitebook (hp), latitude (dell) for example. dell does not carry a lot of amd options though, so u might have to look at other brands if not looking to try intel (which actually does pretty well from their 11th gen mobile onwards).

how soon do u need it? if u can wait, suggest u wait till ryzen 6000u series and alder lake p and u series laptops become available. ryzen 6000 does not offer much improvements in cpu over 5000 but has a lot in store for gpu and battery life, while alder lake is likely going to offer a big jump over current 11th gen u series. if u need it soon ish, current gen stuff is still more than adequate for most tasks, and ur budget should allow for some pretty solid options.

as a sidenote, alder lake h series is already available and represent the cutting edge in laptop performance but those cost way more than ur budget since they tend to include discrete graphics; they also tend to be in gaming laptops rather than business ones.

 

[anthonygreenisreal]

Still going to recommend Apple refurbished Macbook Air M1 based model. its around 1.2K.
Probably the best you can ever get at this kind of price.

 

[dappermen]

refurbished Macbook Air M1 based model. its around 1.2K.

so cheap?!?! but refurbished?! from which shop?

 

[firesong]

so cheap?!?! but refurbished?! from which shop?

Apple online, refurbished section. Full 1y warranty, eligible for AppleCare+ also. Their refurbished units are usually customers returns (cos they have a return policy if you buy BN from them, and some countries like the US have return policies for retail also).
https://www.apple.com/sg/shop/refurbished
Dell has the Dell Outlet store available for us locally too - same reasons. My sister's Latitude is a Japan set - very high quality.
https://www.dell.com/en-sg/outlet
Lenovo has a refurbished/outlet store, but not for Singapore.

 

[anthonygreenisreal]

so cheap?!?! but refurbished?! from which shop?

Personally I have bought a few apple refurbished items from Apple refurbished website. They are practically the same as brand new unit but at good discount.

 

[newhouseslope]

any piece of electronics can last long long one as long as u handle it well. having a more robust laptop certainly helps, and u should look at business laptops like thinkpad (lenovo), elitebook (hp), latitude (dell) for example. dell does not carry a lot of amd options though, so u might have to look at other brands if not looking to try intel (which actually does pretty well from their 11th gen mobile onwards).

how soon do u need it? if u can wait, suggest u wait till ryzen 6000u series and alder lake p and u series laptops become available. ryzen 6000 does not offer much improvements in cpu over 5000 but has a lot in store for gpu and battery life, while alder lake is likely going to offer a big jump over current 11th gen u series. if u need it soon ish, current gen stuff is still more than adequate for most tasks, and ur budget should allow for some pretty solid options.

as a sidenote, alder lake h series is already available and represent the cutting edge in laptop performance but those cost way more than ur budget since they tend to include discrete graphics; they also tend to be in gaming laptops rather than business ones.

I actually need to make the purchase in the next few weeks. Not too fixated on amd bah cos I don't really know which CPUs are considered the good ones for laptops, was just going off the fact of thinking their igpu were better than intel's. Also yeah I mean I will at least upgrade my desktop to 30 series after the next gen come out so no point getting dgpu laptop cos the main use of the gpu is like maybe bring to my friend house 1-2 time a year to game lol. Was considering getting 3050 but like not worth to stretch the budget for my usage.

 

[newhouseslope]

Still going to recommend Apple refurbished Macbook Air M1 based model. its around 1.2K.
Probably the best you can ever get at this kind of price.

Not too familiar w laptop specs what kind of intel/amd equivalent specs does the Macbook Air M1 model has so I can compare, if Apple iron reputation on their refurbished stuff and much more cost efficient maybe can mian qiang try try.

 

[newhouseslope]

Apple online, refurbished section. Full 1y warranty, eligible for AppleCare+ also. Their refurbished units are usually customers returns (cos they have a return policy if you buy BN from them, and some countries like the US have return policies for retail also).
https://www.apple.com/sg/shop/refurbished
Dell has the Dell Outlet store available for us locally too - same reasons. My sister's Latitude is a Japan set - very high quality.
https://www.dell.com/en-sg/outlet
Lenovo has a refurbished/outlet store, but not for Singapore.

Is your sister's latitude also a refurbished one? I'm kinda interested in latitude but retail price seems abit out of budget so if their refurbished stuff are decent can consider. Also for Macbook do you also recommend M1 based model like anthony? I browsed through the link he send but not really sure the difference between M1 and the other stuff there. Haven't had time to research yet so would appreciate some spoon feeding first.

 

[anthonygreenisreal]

Not too familiar w laptop specs what kind of intel/amd equivalent specs does the Macbook Air M1 model has so I can compare, if Apple iron reputation on their refurbished stuff and much more cost efficient maybe can mian qiang try try.

It’s much more cost efficient because M1 macbook Air is energy efficient which will cost you less electricity cost in the long run. Longevity wise, you can go see the built quality, solid as hell while having very slick design, very nice screen and awesome speakers as well. You will not find another window laptop providing these features at this price at this moment.

OS is macOS but nowadays most softwares runs both windows and MAC platform so you won’t run into issue coz it’s already 2022 and not early 2000s.

you got 14 days no question return when you buy from the Apple official store. I have returned a Mac mini on the 14th day and the scheduled courier came to collect almost on the 30th day of use. reason is because I changed my mind to upgrade to higher storage capacity Mac mini and I can stack credit card discount.

money back in full with no question. How awesome is that?

 

[dappermen]

Acer? U dont like it??!

Thinking of getting something like AMD igpu and 16gb RAM but open to recommendations. Not fussy about weight more concern about build quality/longevity etc.

All my acer lasted at least 3yrs but after 5yrs good to change to new specs
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/acer-users.6730232/

 

[firesong]

Is your sister's latitude also a refurbished one? I'm kinda interested in latitude but retail price seems abit out of budget so if their refurbished stuff are decent can consider. Also for Macbook do you also recommend M1 based model like anthony? I browsed through the link he send but not really sure the difference between M1 and the other stuff there. Haven't had time to research yet so would appreciate some spoon feeding first.

Yes, I went to the Dell Outlet store to get her 7400. As I mentioned it was a Japanese set; 2 reasons: 1, the text at the bottom cover is Japanese, and 2, I tried restoring the original OS directly from Dell and it was Japanese.

I got it cos they also had an additional 15% off Latitudes then, and the Latitude from the Outlet automatically comes with 3y warranty and Win 10 Pro (for Bitlocker), making it a very good deal. She paid $13xx for it 2y ago, and it was worth double that from the normal store. Used some of the savings to get her 2x16GB (for a total of 32GB of RAM, Amazon had a deal for less than $130 for the kit that black friday) and a 500GB Samsung 970 Plus (from Qoo10, was less than $100 after coupons). The 256GB NVMe that came with, I bought a $15 Orico enclosure to use it as an external HDD - was cheaper than an equivalent thumbdrive, and I still use it today.

Oh, the Latitude 7400 is the last 7 series model with user upgradeable RAM. I think upgradeability fell to the 5410/5420, and might not be continued for this year's. They know it's more profitable to solder the RAM cos they can charge a premium.

 

[firesong]

Acer? U dont like it??!

All my acer lasted at least 3yrs but after 5yrs good to change to new specs
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/acer-users.6730232/

I have Macs still running strong after 10y. Just gave away my 2008 MBP in Dec, sent it overseas as part of an initiative that was looking for computers for poorer students.

Thinkpads also last 8-10y or so. 3-5y is nothing, imo.

 

[dappermen]

But Ts doesnt wanna a mac

 

[firesong]

But Ts doesnt wanna a mac

I see your selective reading game is strong.

Apple does not make Thinkpads.

 

[dappermen]

Go try and tell us here

, if Apple iron reputation on their refurbished stuff and much more cost efficient maybe can mian qiang try try.

 

[storm913]

Came to forum to look for window laptop with similar budget. So many recommending refub mb air, tempting to join the dark side. (own zero apple product currently)

 

[newhouseslope]

It’s much more cost efficient because M1 macbook Air is energy efficient which will cost you less electricity cost in the long run. Longevity wise, you can go see the built quality, solid as hell while having very slick design, very nice screen and awesome speakers as well. You will not find another window laptop providing these features at this price at this moment.

OS is macOS but nowadays most softwares runs both windows and MAC platform so you won’t run into issue coz it’s already 2022 and not early 2000s.

you got 14 days no question return when you buy from the Apple official store. I have returned a Mac mini on the 14th day and the scheduled courier came to collect almost on the 30th day of use. reason is because I changed my mind to upgrade to higher storage capacity Mac mini and I can stack credit card discount.

money back in full with no question. How awesome is that?

you sold me quite well on macbook tbh, my remaining and main concern is applecare which cost like 280 and don't make sense for someone whose buying refurbished to get cheaper options to get. Hence I'm still looking at dell latitude line. I kinda knocked lenovo thinkpad out already as I asked my friend who owns one and he said sending back the laptop for repair was troublesome and took a long time.

 

[newhouseslope]

Acer? U dont like it??!

All my acer lasted at least 3yrs but after 5yrs good to change to new specs
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/acer-users.6730232/

I don't have any brands I particularly don't like la, coming in blank just going through threads then saw the few brands frequently mentioned which made me eyeball them more. Any particular acer model/series you recommend?

 

[newhouseslope]

Yes, I went to the Dell Outlet store to get her 7400. As I mentioned it was a Japanese set; 2 reasons: 1, the text at the bottom cover is Japanese, and 2, I tried restoring the original OS directly from Dell and it was Japanese.

I got it cos they also had an additional 15% off Latitudes then, and the Latitude from the Outlet automatically comes with 3y warranty and Win 10 Pro (for Bitlocker), making it a very good deal. She paid $13xx for it 2y ago, and it was worth double that from the normal store. Used some of the savings to get her 2x16GB (for a total of 32GB of RAM, Amazon had a deal for less than $130 for the kit that black friday) and a 500GB Samsung 970 Plus (from Qoo10, was less than $100 after coupons). The 256GB NVMe that came with, I bought a $15 Orico enclosure to use it as an external HDD - was cheaper than an equivalent thumbdrive, and I still use it today.

Oh, the Latitude 7400 is the last 7 series model with user upgradeable RAM. I think upgradeability fell to the 5410/5420, and might not be continued for this year's. They know it's more profitable to solder the RAM cos they can charge a premium.

I have Macs still running strong after 10y. Just gave away my 2008 MBP in Dec, sent it overseas as part of an initiative that was looking for computers for poorer students.

Thinkpads also last 8-10y or so. 3-5y is nothing, imo.

So safe to say getting Latitude I should keep a lookout for the 5410/5420/7400 models?
I don't plan to upgrade the ram honestly per se, just gonna try to get a 2x8gb one settle as this is likely gonna be my last laptop till I full time work which I'm gonna assume my company gonna provide laptop. But upgradable also means if the ram faulty I can replace easily right so I'm all for it.

According to my friend thinkpad was a nightmare to send back for repairs so abit peeved now, but before that was looking at E14 Gen 3.

Btw apple ram no self upgradeability one right the $1229 models I looked at all 8gb unified memory(haven't google what unified memory means) but since alot of good comments about it kinda willing to try.

Gonna go down to dell outlet on the weekend to see see some latitude laptops since they offer 1 year warranty compared to mac (which does 1 yr limited warranty) which I kinda feel apple care might be something I feel forced to get.