G'day,
I was wondering if you guys were able to help me.
I plan to get my girlfriend a laptop for her birthday for general use. She isn't a gamer so I don't need to get something that's too overpriced (thank goodness) but I am looking for a good quality one! My budget is probably around 2k and I was looking at the MacBook Pros but was not too sure on those as she finds Windows easier to use.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
XPS 13
I'm seeing mixed reviews on this device.. it's functionality is good but biggest con I've seen is that it overheats. Do you have one? What's your verdict?
I have a XPS 15, it's solid. It does get hot but only when it's working hard, normal use just browsing and the like it's fine.
If it is of any help I have several laptops here I have been using over recent years… Dell, Toshiba, HP & a Asus.
For me the Asus has proved to be the best unit for build quality and reliability followed by the Dell (Vostro). The other two I would never buy again.
What size screen does she want? I find the 15.6" suits me but if she wants more portability then the smaller screens may be more suitable?
Specs…. Minimum ram 4GB, Intel I5 processor and a SSD is a must.
A tip… get a laptop stand to raise it up a little to help it remain cooler. Never use it on a bed or lounge etc as it blocks the ventilation underneath. Heat kills these things.
A couple here for around half your budget… https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology…
Good luck.
thank you for you help and suggestions! This has helped me narrow it down.
I'd say 8GB RAM is a minimum these days.
Also make sure screen is full HD (1920x1080), IPS (or equivalent) and 300nit brightness (or more).
Good advice - 8gb minimum for Windows 10
The ryzen series 3 but esp Series 4 is well regarded ehre as better than it's intel couterpart (i5) in laptops
I haven't owned one but apparently excellent
Key point is screen - a hgiher resolution good quality screen is the part of the machine you use the most right?
Don't skimp on that
You should get a heck of a machine for your budget
Maybe try deciding on a size 13.3, 14, 15,6 inces - and then narrowing down from there
PS the Mac Air or Pro with M1 chip are also awesome and well inside your budget
But if she hasn't used Mac before or at least own an iPhone then skip that
When is her birthday?
For those who negged me.. I mean how far away is it (timeframe for deal hunting..)
thanks for your response, it's in August and still ages away.. just want to get a good understanding and maybe snag a good deal in between from now until then.
Nice to see some forward planning!
Personally I love business class laptops due to their build quality, but unfortunately you can't really hold one in a consumer store
Latitude 5310 2-in-1 "refurbished" from the outlet (most of them are absolutely new) - can be obtained for around 1.2k, with 3 years of warranty too
Otherwise, you could keep your eye out for a new Lenovo X1 Carbon
Currently I have a Latitude 9510 2-in-1 "refurbished', which is 2.2k from the outlet (with the once a month sale)
Though there should be newer models around the corner (Latitude 5320 2-in-1 perhaps?)
Otherwise.. even as a Windows user.. I hear the newer Apple M1 Macbooks are pretty good value, if you think that's a good option, then you have four months to look out for discounted gift card and stack it with the "10% off Apple Macs" Jbhifi sale :)
Disclosure: I work for Dell EMC not Dell, and definitely am not an official Dell store rep, so I can't help anyone in an official capacity either (sort of like working for Big W but commenting on Woolworths posts..)
Hi OP, I'd suggest gauging what her basic requirements might be to help narrow down the search. ie touch screen needed? laptop/tablet convertible? windows/MAC as you mentioned? screen size? weight and portability?
If she isn't a gamer then she generally won't need a graphics card, which will reduce the cost. I just posted a deal for a Dell laptop for ~$600 which will meet the needs of non-power users (gamers, photoshop designers, video editors etc) to provide another reference point. I would guess that if she's the "average" user, she'd prefer a laptop that's lighter and has touch screen.
I'd suggest setting down some basic requirements as other posters have mentioned and then proceeding from there. Otherwise there's too many different laptops to choose from. Notebookcheck can provide laptop suggestions once you've done that.
I'm not usually a Mac person but the M1 equipped Mac's are actually very good laptops for users who are "OS agnostic" and don't have strict requirements to stick with a certain OS
If all the laptop is being used for is MS office, surfing the web, running Microsoft Teams / Slack and teleconferencing etc it really doesn't matter what OS it runs.
On the windows side of things, you can make a choice between consumer, gaming and business grade laptops. Business grade laptops are typically more expensive (think $1.5k at the min, $2k on average) but they often have longer optional warranties (3y) & a durable chassis, while consumer laptops might only be covered 1-2 years and their build quality can range from mediocre to above average
gaming laptops — sometimes heavy, short battery life, best used at home and not on the road
I don't have one, but if I wasn't into gaming I'd be considering the M1 macbooks too. I think apple lost their way prior to this, but the M1's performance and battery life are outstanding. I think screen quality and overall seamless OS and hardware integration are worth paying a bit of a premium for. No need to go for more than the macbook air either.
OP's girlfriend may be more familar with windows, and so may want to stay with what you know but I find macs generally more straightforward.
I have a 2014 macbook pro and built my own PC in 2021 so I'm pretty agnostic about these things.
Given what you have said, my advice is to forget (overpriced) 'Mac' stuff, save yourself $1K, and buy your GF a great laptop with a dedicated graphics card, decent RAM, and a minimum 1TB SSD hard drive. You will easily be able to buy that for $1K; no need to spend $2K. If you divert your wuzza from the sensible (MS/Android) trajectory she is currently on onto the absolute BS path that is 'Apple', not only will you be doing her a major disservice, you will pay an extra $1K for no reason.
Surface Laptop 3/Surface Laptop Go are probably the Macbook Pro equivalent looks wise, however if you can hold off, wait until the Surface Laptop 4 is released.