Need a Decent Laptop ASAP for Uni Work

I'm starting uni next week and like the smart, handsome and inspirational person I am, I dropped my laptop last night. It still turns on but screen is black. It is a 3 year old dell laptop I bought for like $1500 and it is just out of warranty so I think it is easier to buy a new laptop than pay for repairs.

That laptop was a bit of a waste imo since I have a gaming pc setup at home so all I need the laptop for is to open up my subject canvas, load the worksheets and project tasks, write essays etc. Even for my programming subjects I usually go home and code on my pc.

So I am just looking for some cheap laptop I can pick up tomorrow a day before my classes and get everything setup hopefully. At most i'll play like league of legends or honkai star rail at uni if i am super bored between classes.

I was thinking of just grabbing something crappy like a $300 chromebook or this laptop I found on jbhifi for $400 but I think I want something with like 16gb ram probably because I will have a lot of chrome tabs open.

Been looking through ozbargain but its mostly gaming laptops and all $1000+. Ive been looking at lenovo and hp since they were on unidays for student deals but they are still around $1k after the discount, they do seem pretty good though might have to afterpay or something to pay it off though.

Anyone seen any decent laptops around $500 or should I try to get secondhand?

Comments

  • Second hand surface pro

    • 😲

      • Ozb doesn't like Surface Pro!

        • I have two

    • Had one before and the battery life wasn't great. Not sure about the newer models.

    • +3

      Damn that laptop is nasty work 😭

      Battery life is not going to be good, the screen specs are lacklustre and it's 2KG

      • They needed cheap!
        This will let them play games between classes, do all their work, and only minimally extra ontop of their budget for brand new!

  • +1

    Gaming laptops are great if you like a dimly lit screen and always having to plug it in.

  • if 500 then 2nd hand
    800ish, brand new

  • Definitely go second-hand if your budget is 500. You can check OzBargain for legit second- hand deals, or just browse Facebook Marketplace. Look for sellers who specialize in laptops and have solid reviews. Most metro areas in Australia have a few of them.

    I got a Dell laptop for 600 off Marketplace from a seller who regularly sells Dell units. The one I got retails new for around 3500, and even second hand it usually goes for well over 1000.

    • and cash converters

      • 🤣

    • +1

      Could you please share the seller's name or reference, if you don’t mind?

      • I got mine from Facebook Marketplace in Brisbane. I’m pretty sure most cities have similar sellers. In Brisbane alone, there are around 5-6 people selling used laptops regularly.

        Of course, it’s up to you to check the condition properly, and don’t expect too much if something goes wrong later.

        That said, definitely go for a ThinkPad or Latitude. You’re buying not just the specs, but also the build quality.

  • Controversial but how about this.

    https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/lenovo-11-…

    This will have functionality even if you decide you need a serious notebook later but should do all your web based stuff.

    Screen repairs aren't a major deal so check that out too.

  • 2nd hand is a good at this price point in particular well-specced Lenovo Thinkpads, I'd look for an ex-govt/corporate one (check Australian Computer Traders)

Login or Join to leave a comment