Laptop advice - what to choose for uni course

[DuckDuckGoosieGander]

DD starts uni doing Diagnostic Radiography in September. She qualifies for DSA and has been offered a choice of a few laptop upgrades.
I know nothing about laptops and would appreciate any advice on a general good spec for uni please? Also if anyone studies DR and has advice on what they need that would also be appreciated.
DD has mentioned students using iPads to make notes and wondered what type of iPad might be required too?
LAPTOP UPGRADES
£57.28
Lenovo V15 G4 AMN (82YU00U8UK)
AMD Ryzen 5 7520U Processor (2.8GHz up to 4.3GHz)
15.6 inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare
Non-Touch, Narrow Bezel
8GB RAM (Soldered)
512GB SSD
Windows 11 Home
Black
1.7 kg
Narrow bezel and one extra USB port.
———————————-
£159.97
HP 255 G9 (9M3P6AT16GB)
AMD Ryzen 5 5625U Processor
15.6 inch Laptop (1920 x 1080)
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Windows 11
Black
1.74 kg
With upgraded RAM, a thin and light design, and a big screen-to-body ratio, this is a great laptop for the money.
———————————-

Lightweight 13" & 14" Machines
£90.42
Acer Swift 3 14" AMD Ryzen 5 5500U 16GB 512GB SSD Win 11. Full HD 1920 x 1080p 16:9 Screen Ratio, Battery life: Up to 15 hours. HD Webcam, Backlit membrane keyboard, Fingerprint Scanner, Ports = USB Type-C x 1, USB 3.2 x 2, HDMI 2.0 x 1, 3.5 mm jack x 1, 1.19Kg Silver .
———————————-
£99.99
HP 14-em0016na
Windows 11 Home
ProcessorAMD Ryzen™ 5 7520UMemory
8 GB RAM
Storage 512 GB SSD
Display35.6 cm (14"), FHD (1920 x 1080)GraphicsAMD Radeon™Battery life
Up to 11 hours and 15 minutes Roundstooth texture matte cover and keyboard frame finish, textured base
1 USB Type-C® 5Gbps signaling rate (supports data transfer only and does not support charging or external monitors)
2 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate
1 AC smart pin
1 HDMI 1.4b
1 headphone/microphone combo - 1.4 kg
———————————-
£104.31
MSI Modern 14 14" 14" Laptop Intel core i5-1335U (10 Core 3.4Ghz / 4.6Mhz), 16GB, 512GB SSD , Full HD Screen,Windows 11 Home plus,Military Grade durability, Hdmi Port , 3 x USB ports, 180 Degree Hinge, Wifi 6E and ethernet port. 1.33Kg Bluetooth 5.3, Usb-Type-C x 1 Usb 3.2 x 2 HDMI 1.4 x 1 3.5mm Jack x 1 Hi-Res Audio 1.5w speakers x 2 Full HD 1920 x 1080p IPS -Level screen with anti-Glare 250nits brightness Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics, Integrated HD Webcam Kensington lock slot, Camera shutter Multi-touch trackpad with gesture control, White backlit membrane keyboard with Copilot Key, Platinum Grey
———————————-
£299.99
ASUS ZenBook 14" UX3402VA-KM468W OLED 14" Laptop - Intel® Core™ i5, 512GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, Windows 11 Home - Silver
2.8K OLED screen — Enhanced image, contrast and motion
US Military-Grade toughness — Tested for durability
Dolby Atmos® — 3D surround sound adds height and depth
Harman Kardon Speakers
———————————-
£444.97
ASUS ZenBook S 13 OLED UX5304VA-NQ039W Intel Core i7-1355U (12MB Cache), 16GB LPDDR5-SDRAM, 1000GB SSD, 33.8 cm 13.3IN 2.8K 2880 x 1800 OLED, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, WLAN, Webcam, Windows 11 Home 64-bit

It is cheaper/the same sort of price, to buy a laptop outside of the dsa scheme. Unless she is a gamer, the cheapest one which is not ridiculously heavy will probably be the best. She will only need it for writing documents and email and Internet access.

I would ask her Uni, will need a touch screen to annotate documents / assignments (common in the sciences), will she need any accessibility software etx, her Ubi will have someone in student support who will know how her course is structured and what she might need

I would wait, there might be things that she needs it for that she doesn’t know about yet and there will be student discounts to take advantage of at the start if the academic year. Also, it’s never an advantage to buy technology earlier than you need it.

Thanks @knackeredmumoftwo@Geneticsbunny@ClearlyAGiraffe. I’ve approached the uni but no response as yet. I recall from open day they said they were a Microsoft uni so best to use that as may be limited support for macs but all info online from current students seems to be using iPads.

I would think it would be difficult to write an essay on an ipad!

@GeneticsbunnyDD says you can get keyboards for them to convert. We’ve decided to go laptop route initially and iPad later if needed.

DSA offers awful laptops, find your own, preferably a `MAC

Once she knows what specialist software she might need, put the requirements into ChatGPT and ask it. I’ve found it quite effective for that purpose recently.

@MeetTheGrahamsI think I’ve also come to that conclusion. On a google of the models they are at least a couple of years old. I’m wondering if they are refurbished models too? We’re just a bit tight for cash and the uni would cover a £200 contribution hence it was an attractive offer.

Even though I hate macs personally for my own use cases... The M3/M4 macbook airs are hard to beat for performance, battery life and build quality and will last the duration ofnthe course for the vast majority of work not requiring specialist software.

Laptop outlet have had the macbook air m4/16gb/256gb for £850 but, with an option to pay over 24 months 0% with PayPal credit...

@MyDogHumpsThingsthat’s a good idea. Just need to work out how to do that …

Go to https://chatgpt.com and write the requirements into the text box at the bottom of the page.

@FixTheBone@MeetTheGrahamsDD would love a MAC. I’m just concerned the uni is Microsoft based and recommend that. DD would look to me to help in a situation and I wouldn’t be much help with limited knowledge and 200 miles away

@DuckDuckGoosieGander DD is currently doing diagnostic radiography. She has a touchscreen tablet and a laptop. I'ok ask her and her back to you.

Which university is your DD going to be at?

Even if you get a Macintosh you can still run something called parallels which will enable you to install windows in what is called a virtual machine.

Mac all day long. I bought a £400 dell, had to buy the anti virus software separately and it died after 6 months at Uni. Fought tooth and nail for a refund and bought a mac that did 10 years and never missed a beat

DD doesn't have a Mac. We are not an Apple household and have never had issues with our laptops.

Thanks @RampantIvy@Thunderpants88@AntikytheraMech

@RampantIvyI’d appreciate that. DD will be going to Canterbury

DD says a laptop is a must, but wait until your DD starts the course before she decides if she needs a tablet.

She has an Asus Vivobook S15 S5507. She needed the larger 15 inch screen.

She also uses a tablet with a touchscreen as they have to label diagrams. Hers is a Samsung Galaxy S9FE. She makes flash cards for revision on her laptop using Quizlet software and as it is online she can access it on her tablet as well.

Good luck to your DD. I hope she enjoys the course as much as DD is.

All those machines will be perfectly fine. However she should look at screen size, overall size and weight as that might make a differecee to her (its a trade off). Definately get it insured for theft and accidental damage and ensue is being backed up to the cloud. Student laptops can often be damaged or lost

Thanks @RampantIvyand to your DD too. I think that’s the best way forward for us and will also help spread the cost and we’ll end up getting what she needs. We’ll check out the model you mention.