11/28/15 2:06 PM

Daughter #1 will be entering university next year, and I need to get her a laptop soon so she can stop stealing mine. This will be a Windows machine, possibly Win netbook but not a Chromebook due to its limitations. (My wife has a Chromebook that she uses every day, and it is perfect for her needs.)

With portability in mind, I am leaning toward 13" fanless, but I have a very limited budget (max. $350-400). Used ultrabook off Craigslist is also very much an option.

This will be for note taking, writing reports, surfing, and videos (of course). No CAD or demanding software. For those of you in academia or with kids in uni, what would you say is an ideal screen size? Min. battery life and weight (3 lb or so)? Touchscreen/tablet 2 in 1 capability or any other features that may be indispensable for uni?

Also, any thoughts on the usability of a Windows 8/10 netbook maxed out with a large SD card?

Thanks.

11/28/15 2:58 PM

I'm a professor. Students who are not in technical fields can get by with a slow Windows 8 machine running MS Office. In technical fields, it's a false economy. In my experience, students often end up buying another (more capable) computer before they complete their degrees, as they get frustrated with the limitations. Reliability is a huge thing too. Students with unreliable machines don't get their homeworks in on time - or it could the high-tech equivalent of "my dog ate my homework"...

Sandiway

11/28/15 3:09 PM

Thanks Sandiway.

Do you see any trends for students in non-technical fields? Net/cloudbooks, tablets w/BT keyboards, Transformers? Or is it a sea of ultrabooks?

11/28/15 3:25 PM

quote:

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Net/cloudbooks, tablets w/BT keyboards, Transformers?

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11/29/15 6:59 PM

The students I interact with in our technical theater department are almost universally using Mac laptops of some flavor. They typically get them when they start school as freshman and have beaten the crap out of them 5 years later (NOBODY finishes in 4 !).

11/29/15 7:57 PM

Concur on the Mac thing. They were ubiquitous when I sat in class, even in my Podunk school.

The support is great if you ever need it which for most is a rare thing.

My school online features all supported and worked just fine with a Mac. My profs wanted my papers in either .pdf or MS Office format. I often used PDF because you never had font or spacing issues with the final product when viewed on any computer.

11/29/15 9:15 PM

OP has a very limited budget; otherwise I'd have suggested a 13" MacBook Air

11/29/15 10:57 PM

Thanks for the input.

13" Macbook Air seems like the ubiquitous choice, so I'm going to look for a 13" Windows ultrabook in the 3 lb range. (Perhaps a gently used Yoga 13.)

I am pretty confident I can provide any tech support/hardware upgrades if needed, since the student will be living at home. I see computers including laptops as pretty disposable these days (and all having basic functionality), so if needed it can go to Craigslist in a few years and she can upgrade to whatever laptop has the features she needs.