Choosing a new laptop.

[Cheerio man]

Hi all,
I'm not the best when it comes to computers so you'll have to excuse my ignorance on the matter. I need to buy my son a laptop that he can use for school. It can be a 15" or 17" with reasonable screen as he is going to be doing a photography course with it as well as his usual school work. Problem is there is so many confusing variables to choose from and all I know is it needs to be quicker than our current laptop that has an i3 processor and 2.2 ghz speed.
The clock speed is impossible to figure out as the manufacturers use different methods to state them. Could anyone suggest a brisk one for say £550 limit.
Cheers Paul

 

[muckshifter]

I'm not a Laptop person, but one tip I can give, make sure it's at least 8GB ram. See some at ...

Laptop Deals | Laptops Direct

Buy Laptops from Laptops Direct the UKs number 1 for Laptops. We have the biggest range in the UK and we also offer finance. Order online or call for free advice.

www.laptopsdirect.co.uk

Welcome to PCReview

 

[Abarbarian]

Most important alongside the 8GB/16GB is that you find a laptop with a ssd rather than a hdd as the ssd's are ten times faster than hdd's.

Read the info at the bottom of this article for sound advice,

https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-laptops-1304361

You might consider a secondhand laptop, you can generally add on extra warranty for a small price,

Matebook-X-Pro review 2018

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/-a2...MI8-Gaofa86AIVCbTtCh1-CApNEAkYBiABEgIvmPD_BwE

DELL do refurbished laptops,

https://www.dell.com/uk/dfh/p/new-a...d=9685798-23744540-5831585-266124281-0&dgc=st

Read plenty of reviews and tests and take time to hunt up a bargain.

 

[Ian]

Welcome aboard Paul! I've had a look online, but it looks like a lot of laptops are out of stock at the moment, with everything that's going on in the world. Something like this looks good (https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...n-5-laptop-256-gb-ssd-black-10193913-pdt.html), but again it's out of stock.

You may be best checking the Dell Refurbished link that @Abarbarian posted above, as sometimes there are bargains to be had. Definitely get 8GB+ Ram and a 256GB+ SSD.

find a laptop with a ssd rather than a hdd as the ssd's are ten times faster than hdd's.

Agree with this 100x.. It's an essential if you want a speedy laptop.

 

[Ian]

This one looks good at £558, but only 14": https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08246M3CK

 

[Ian]

I also like the look of this one a lot, but it's £49 over budget:

HUAWEI Laptops - HUAWEI UK

Explore HUAWEI's latest laptops and learn about MateBook X Series, MateBook Series, MateBook E Series, and MateBook D Series laptops. Experience the professional creative power brought by the HUAWEI FullView Display and high-performance processors, as well as the ultra-light and thin office...

consumer.huawei.com

It's got an 256GB SSD + a separate HDD for storage, which is fantastic. Best of both worlds. I really like this one . Voucher code of "A50OFF500" may work to bring the price down by £50. Worth a try.

 

[Cheerio man]

Hi all,
Thanks to everyone who replied. I've gone for the Huawei matebook D 15 as recommend by Ian. Thank you also for the "A50off500" discount code, I can confirm it does work on Huawei's website bringing the price down to £550.
My son will be made up with it!
Cheers again Paul

 

[Ian]

Hi all,
Thanks to everyone who replied. I've gone for the Huawei matebook D 15 as recommend by Ian. Thank you also for the "A50off500" discount code, I can confirm it does work on Huawei's website bringing the price down to £550.
My son will be made up with it!
Cheers again Paul

Oh that's great news Paul! I think that's a cracking deal .