Looking for laptop recommendations for my daughter. College use

Ocean Dweller

Ocean Dweller

Member
This will primarily be for college. Looking for decent price and good battery. Any recommendations?

Also is now a good time to purchase one?
 
When is she starting? What is your budget? There should be back to school deals later in the summer.
 
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I don't know where you reside, but in the UK most manufacturers have student portals that get hardware at quite good discounts.
 
The most important thing is what is she majoring in. My son needed a beefy laptop to run architecture software. I used a Lenovo as I just needed research and to write papers (psychology)
 
It depends a lot on what she's using it for

For just general school use, a MacBook is far superior to any Windows laptop

But if she has a specialized major in mind, she ought to check if she needs specific software that is only available for Windows

If not, then just get her a MacBook Air of some flavor and send her off
 
To be honest, any midrange laptop will be good enough. If Windows, ensure it has at least 16GB of RAM, many budget models are still only 8GB which isn't enough for multitasking. Mac's are a good but expensive option but check software support first.
 
Cyberpunkd said:
Isn't Macbook Air base configuration typically the worst deal possible for Apple computers? Or are you at least talking about upgrading some components?
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M4 Air that released a few months ago is a beast, especially considering its price point.

Unless someone has never worked with MacOS before I would always recommend a Mac over a Windows laptop.
 
If it's for general use, just essay writing and the like, a Macbook Air hands down.

It'll 'just werk', the battery life is phenomenal, it's more than powerful enough, and there are some good student discounts.

It won't randomly not go into sleep like Windows sometimes does.

For editing video, then a Macbook Pro.

For a course that requires more computational power, then look at some Windows laptops.
 
SJRB said:
M4 Air that released a few months ago is a beast, especially considering its price point.

Unless someone has never worked with MacOS before I would always recommend a Mac over a Windows laptop.
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For school I would agree, but at home I prefer windows. Mac always has some little things that get on my nerves. Battery and portability are top notch though, and no fans!
 
Tams said:
If it's for general use, just essay writing and the like, a Macbook Air hands down.

It'll 'just werk', the battery life is phenomenal, it's more than powerful enough, and there are some good student discounts.

It won't randomly not go into sleep like Windows sometimes does.

For editing video, then a Macbook Pro.

For a course that requires more computational power, then look at some Windows laptops.
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If you're doing video production then you are most likely buying a MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro or M4 Max chipsets, which have plenty of compute horsepower. I prefer using my M4 Pro MacBook Pro for many compute heavy tasks. I will use Windows if I'm building something that must ultimately run on Windows Server. But I realize this is just my preference.

In this case I doubt that computational power matters since battery is a priority.
 
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Ocean Dweller Ocean Dweller

Cannot find fault in the MacBook Air recommendation.

In all my years of owning laptops the MacBook Air line has been the most rugged/durable (general wear and tear), has had the best battery longevity, and retained the most resale value.

Why it would be great for your girlfriend (sorry if I am assuming this is for your girlfriend....it was mentioned in a respond in the thread and got stuck in my head so...all of these points are from that perspective):
1) If she has an iPhone, then this is essentially just a bigger iPhone. Her messages, facetime, music, all her apple **SHIT** will work the same way on the laptop.
2) It is easy for transportation. Buy a thin skin from dbrand or a thin-ish cover and it will stand up to her slamming it in her purse or dropping it in a back pack over the next few years.
3) It can charge quickly on phone charging bricks and portable battery packs in a pinch.
4) Airdrop will be a godsend in class. Windows has equlovent systems, but none nearly as easy to use as Airdrop. (tailscale mops the floor with it IMO but that isn't an "easy" solution).
5) Unless she is a gamer, the windows laptops in the same class with age far worse than the MacBook air.

Tips:
Get a .edu email address for a discount.
Wait until July/August for Apple "back to school" discounts especially at stores like Best Buy (check their deal of the day) and Woot.

I put two nieces through 5 years each and both used macs (one business major, one stem major). The last one to graduate (2023) just replaced hers.
 
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Starlabs Star book Mk7

us.starlabs.systems

StarBook 14-inch

The StarBook Mk VI features Intel's 12th Generation and AMD Ryzen 7 processors. Available with a host of options, including open-source coreboot firmware.
us.starlabs.systems us.starlabs.systems
 
The only right answer: Pilet

pilet-open-source-mini-computer.jpg
 
100% should go with M4 MacBook Air or base MacBook Pro unless she has specific use cases that would require Windows or more powerful hardware, but you probably wouldn't have made this thread if that were the case.
 
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you cant go wrong with a MacBook Air, should last a good 4-5 years, even more if she takes good care of her stuff. That's what I bought for my son.
 
MacBook is the #1 laptop for college students for the last 20 years or so. It is a good computer and will last all of college and beyond.


Like Apple or hate them, they make a good product. Just not as good as when Jobs was here.
 
Ocean Dweller said:
She's going for elementary school as a teacher for her major
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Right on :) I would go with a think pad or an airbook. She'll just be writing and researching, using Google slides or PowerPoint so I would just go with what is cost effective for you. Good luck to her :)
 
ReBurn said:
If you're doing video production then you are most likely buying a MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro or M4 Max chipsets, which have plenty of compute horsepower. I prefer using my M4 Pro MacBook Pro for many compute heavy tasks. I will use Windows if I'm building something that must ultimately run on Windows Server. But I realize this is just my preference.

In this case I doubt that computational power matters since battery is a priority.
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I explicitly said the Macbook Pro for video editing.

But for other GPU related tasks, the M series chips are only okay compared to Nvidia and AMD.
 
Ocean Dweller said:
She's going for elementary school as a teacher for her major
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Definitely a Macbook Air then (or a Thinkpad at a push).

She'll probably at some point need it to be extended/mirrored to a smartboard or projector for hours a day, plus prep and admin time, and essay writing. So battery runtime will be the main thing to look for.
 
I'd get an older MacBook pro, new silicone isn't much better than the older stuff. M1 was a huge jump up, but nothing has really been pushed since then.
 
EviLore said:
M4 Macbook Air
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Blade2.0 said:
I'd get an older MacBook pro, new silicone isn't much better than the older stuff. M1 was a huge jump up, but nothing has really been pushed since then.
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Plies said:
MacBook Air is your best bet.

Happy Work GIF by Moments of Colour
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WhiteWaterM00se said:
MacBook is the #1 laptop for college students for the last 20 years or so. It is a good computer and will last all of college and beyond.


Like Apple or hate them, they make a good product. Just not as good as when Jobs was here.
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shes been told her college courses software doesnt work on macs
 
Ocean Dweller said:
shes been told her college courses software doesnt work on macs
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Any decent commodity Windows laptop is fine, just buy something better than $400 Walmart tier and she won't have any problems

All laptops are made in China from the same components, so pick a decent HP/Dell/Lenovo during upcoming back to school sales
 
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HP ProBook - gets you more bang for your buck.

I see the newer ProBooks being used all the time. They've been reliable. I've had clients order Dell, Lenovo, and HP. Out of them all HP gives you more for the money.

Let's face it, most laptops are flimsy as hell and they're fragile af to open. I'd say a newer HP ProBook would suit her needs. Apple is like learning a language businesses don't exactly speak. You're almost handicapping her ability to use a PC with a Mac. That's great she can't use it. Macs are great for entertainment and general internet browsing. I don't see them as a strong competitor in the business sector. You jump through less hoops sure, but they don't have much else to work with.
 
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Ocean Dweller said:
shes been told her college courses software doesnt work on macs
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College course software for teachers? What? That's mad.

If you must buy Windows then Intel Lunar Lake is alright. Cool thermals, fast, good battery.

Dell XPS 13 for example. Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 256V or better, 16GB RAM, price in US $1,159.99 atm.
 
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As a teacher, she'll get a sub $500 laptop provided by her school district while her students will be working on sub $200 Chromebooks.

Unknown Soldier said:
Any decent commodity Windows laptop is fine, just buy something better than $400 Walmart tier and she won't have any problems

All laptops are made in China from the same components, so pick a decent HP/Dell/Lenovo during upcoming back to school sales
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Those are unironically what she'll be working with after she graduates. Richer school districts might have Macs and Ipads.
 
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