Laptop Recommendations for University (Accounting/Econometrics) - Budget under $1500

Llc0 on 23/11/2022 - 00:08

Current looking for a new laptop, going into 2nd year as an Accounting and Econometrics major. Not really sure about what programs I would need to run, possibly just Excel and word processing programs? Ideally, I'm looking for a laptop with a good battery life that would last me a few years.

Currently looking at the M1 Macbook Air, Surface Laptop 4 and the Intel NUC M15, but my main concerns are whether the windows laptops will perform well on battery, have good battery life and lifespan, as I have had 2 windows laptops in the past and after 2 years the battery lasts only about an hour, and my current windows laptop is really slow on battery. I also had a 2015 Macbook Air with 4GB ram and 128GB storage and the battery was still decent despite around 800 charge counts in 4 years. Also considering the M2 Macbook Air or Macbook Pro, but not sure if its worth the extra difference over the M1 although I'm not sure about buying a laptop that is quite old already, though it seems like a great long-lasting laptop.

Any suggestions?

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • bdl on 23/11/2022 - 00:12

    Be wary of Ozbargain posts suggesting 8gb ram is sufficient :)

  • OldSchoolHarry on 23/11/2022 - 01:44
    +1

    Intel NUC M15 with 12th Gen i7 would be my pick.

  • Vancomycin 1000mg on 23/11/2022 - 02:55
    +2

    I bought the M1 MacBook Air 2020 for Uni. Did really well with it. Battery roughly 10 hours with multiple tabs running. To date, the computer have never frozen on me. Always running as expected. I have Surface Pro 7+ with 8GB ram too and it actually cant handle more than 10 chrome tabs and usual MS office progam running in the background. Battery is probably around 8-9 hours.

    If I were you, buy windows with a minimum of 16GB of ram. Try and get M1 with 16GB ram but you can easily get away with 8GB. Surface Pro 8, 16gb was posted today for around $1200 could've been a decent deal.

  • Mr HaPpY on 23/11/2022 - 03:03

    MBA is nice but 13" might feel cramped to use without an external monitor
    This might fit the bill, was considering it myself earlier tonight
    https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/black-friday-deals/inspiron-…
    RAM isn't soldered and comes with a 6-cell 87Wh battery but it's a little on the heavy side at 2kg
    Reviews show 11-17 hours battery "real world use"

  • Jssmstr on 23/11/2022 - 08:17

    Probably not a popular or "fancy" option would be looking at the HP Probook range.
    These are typically a workhorse and I've used them non-stop, 12 hours a day in a dirty/dusty construction environment (accounting).
    Great charge cycle, great display, powerful enough to do all basic programs and even tougher programs like running AutoCAD.
    Amazing setup with a USB-C to 2 x HDMI adapter, gets you running across 3 screens with no delay / lag in sight!

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