# Help me choose a laptop for my daughter



## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

Hi all. Rob the technophobe here again  
My daughters 11th bday is coming up soon and she wants a laptop. At the moment she only has an old iPad. 
I think the laptop will help her when she starts high school next year. 
I guess at the min she'll use it for watching YouTube videos etc she also like pictures so I'm sure she'll have a lot of photos on there. 
She likes writing stories and would need to have what ever software on there for younger high school students need. She also like playing games so I'm sure she'll be using it for that also but only the app type games she uses now on her iPad. 
I know nothing about laptops so need your advice , anyone with kids similar age or early years of high school . I know she only just turning 11 but thinking ahead so what something that will last , however our budget is around £250-£300 
Everything I look at with good reviews are around £800. 
Any recommendations guys please 
Thanks
Rob

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## AnthonyUK (Jul 25, 2018)

I think you might struggle to find anything useable at that price point but there are some older refurbished HPs often on Amazon for a little more.

Example - https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Elitebo...=Refurbished+hp+laptop&qid=1605723193&sr=8-16


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## JB052 (Mar 22, 2008)

Will be interested to see the replies as we are in a similar situation looking for a laptop for our Granddaughter.

The only advice I have received so far is to try and get a laptop which has a solid state drive as they are more likely to last longer.

But as you say finding one at a decent price is almost impossible and I suspect you may need to increase the budget a little.


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## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

AnthonyUK said:


> I think you might struggle to find anything useable at that price point but there are some older refurbished HPs often on Amazon for a little more.
> 
> Example - https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Elitebo...=Refurbished+hp+laptop&qid=1605723193&sr=8-16


I think she had a chrome book at her mums and step dads but that means nothing to me.

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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Mrs has to buy a laptop earlier in the year with WFH.

Not had to buy one for years and was a little surprised at prices, maybe a little higher than usual at the time with the whole supply and demand thing going on.

If you aren't on Hot UK deals it's worth getting on there and setting relevant alerts. The beauty is people will savage a deal of it's no good so save you a lot of time researching stuff. If like me you have zero interest in computers it's the way to go.

This has just been posted on there recently...

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...tUKDeals~Discount+Code~47868~Pepper+Deals+Ltd


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## Deathstar (Jan 13, 2013)

Just a heads up, you may find a laptop is redundant when she goes to high school. iPads are what they are using nowadays. 



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## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

MDC250 said:


> Mrs has to buy a laptop earlier in the year with WFH.
> 
> Not had to buy one for years and was a little surprised at prices, maybe a little higher than usual at the time with the whole supply and demand thing going on.
> 
> ...


I'm the same. Have zero need for laptop and zero interest haha talk to me about power tools I'll bore the pants of you but laptops no way ha

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## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

Deathstar said:


> Just a heads up, you may find a laptop is redundant when she goes to high school. iPads are what they are using nowadays.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 I did think about that. Can they do all kinds of homework on there though. Are the days of doing homework and projects on laptops long gone haha am I that old now

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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

There will maybe be some good deals in the run up to Black Friday. Equally might see prices hiking as we go towards Christmas. 

I suspect for something half decent you will be looking at £500-£600 I’m afraid. Chromebooks are generally cheaper but reason Mrs had to change was comedy small memory on hers, so doing updates became impossible. I see them as false economy.


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## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

MDC250 said:


> There will maybe be some good deals in the run up to Black Friday. Equally might see prices hiking as we go towards Christmas.
> 
> I suspect for something half decent you will be looking at £500-£600 I'm afraid. Chromebooks are generally cheaper but reason Mrs had to change was comedy small memory on hers, so doing updates became impossible. I see them as false economy.


Spending £300 on a laptop seems crazy. Spending £600 on a cordless circular saw, shut up and take my money 

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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Deathstar said:


> Just a heads up, you may find a laptop is redundant when she goes to high school. iPads are what they are using nowadays.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Not sure about that, we have tablets and laptops available here. Daughter will use laptop 99%of the time.
Just asked her, she said in IT class it's laptops, any other lesson it's their phones or iPads. She said she prefers laptop as bigger, quicker to type and use with different windows open etc.


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

One other thought...if you have PayPal credit they have a 12 month interest free offer going at the moment


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## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

Darlofan said:


> Not sure about that, we have tablets and laptops available here. Daughter will use laptop 99%of the time.
> Just asked her, she said in IT class it's laptops, any other lesson it's their phones or iPads. She said she prefers laptop as bigger, quicker to type and use with different windows open etc.


Very helpful. That's what I need , I need to ask the kids that age what they use in high schools these days. Blackboards and overhead projectors in our day wasn't it ha 
Our It class consisted of 3 computers haha
It's looking like even £300 won't buy a good laptop then isn't it

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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

rob warrington said:


> Very helpful. That's what I need , I need to ask the kids that age what they use in high schools these days. Blackboards and overhead projectors in our day wasn't it ha
> Our It class consisted of 3 computers haha
> It's looking like even £300 won't buy a good laptop then isn't it
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I'm doing University part-time and it's still pen and paper, but other than that it's phones. Some folk use Ipads and swear by them, I'm not convinced however.

99% of intensive computer work for High School kids will be Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, the rest will be googling things. A little chromebook would sort you out for under £300. You don't want to let a kid take an ipad into high school, it'll get broken, stolen or cause issues with other kids etc just being pragmatic not rude.


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## rob warrington (Jan 4, 2012)

beatty599 said:


> I'm doing University part-time and it's still pen and paper, but other than that it's phones. Some folk use Ipads and swear by them, I'm not convinced however.
> 
> 99% of intensive computer work for High School kids will be Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, the rest will be googling things. A little chromebook would sort you out for under £300. You don't want to let a kid take an ipad into high school, it'll get broken, stolen or cause issues with other kids etc just being pragmatic not rude.


Hi. Brilliant point. People have recommended chrome books etc and I smile at them as if I know the difference haha

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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

My daughter just started high school.
Her school gave a list of requirements regarding what tablets and laptops needed to be able to do.

This made the laptop I bought for her in March for primary school due to lockdown redundant as it couldn't use a stylus pen.

Might be worth checking with schools on your shortlist as what they may require.


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## Deathstar (Jan 13, 2013)

Darlofan said:


> Not sure about that, we have tablets and laptops available here. Daughter will use laptop 99%of the time.
> Just asked her, she said in IT class it's laptops, any other lesson it's their phones or iPads. She said she prefers laptop as bigger, quicker to type and use with different windows open etc.


It could be location dependent then, as my daughter had not used a "PC" at home for the last 3 years.

I would then suggest the OP contacts his school choices and asks them what there teaching methods are.

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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

rob warrington said:


> Very helpful. That's what I need , I need to ask the kids that age what they use in high schools these days. Blackboards and overhead projectors in our day wasn't it ha
> Our It class consisted of 3 computers haha
> It's looking like even £300 won't buy a good laptop then isn't it
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You were lucky, my IT class was 30 kids looking at a teacher showing us how to use a BBC computer through a cupboard door. When I say use, I think it went something like:

10 "School" 
20 goto 10

Then we'd stare in amazement as the word school scrolled up the screen indefinitely. :lol:


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