Which laptop to buy to study: easy buying guide to choose a computer by career and budget

Last Updated on September 17, 2020 by GadgetNail PRO

If you are already preparing for the next academic year, you may be considering the purchase of a computer that meets the requirements for your career, your expectations, and that fits the budget. This laptop buying guide for back to school does not try to set a chair in terms of technical specifications, but rather it is proposed as a simple and practical tool for those who do not know too much about computers or what awaits them (to them or their children) have concrete models to face their studies with solvency.

Humanities, Social Sciences, and Health Sciences Degrees

If you study a career that falls within the field of humanities, social sciences and health, it will be usual for you to do work using the word processor, to create tables and graphs, to use spreadsheets to perform certain basic operations, that you look for information on the internet and that you access your email. Nor can we forget social networks and enjoy streaming multimedia content, because not everything is going to be studying.

They are not particularly demanding tasks at the hardware level, although we will require a team that can execute them fluently and reliably and that is great in multitasking , since it will be frequent that we carry out several operations simultaneously.

What we will greatly appreciate in a laptop is that it allows us to work comfortably on the move , so it is interesting that it is compact, light and with enough autonomy to tolerate a student day, so that we can forget both that we carry it with us and charger.

In this sense, the guidance on the autonomy provided by the manufacturer is still an approximation, generally optimistic, about what its battery could last, although in practice it will differ enormously depending on the configuration and use that we give it.

Although they are two characteristics that usually go unnoticed, it will also be interesting that it has a comfortable and ergonomic keyboard for writing and that the type of screen allows us to adequately view the content based on the outside light and the viewing angle.

Why not choose a tablet or convertible? Another option that stands out for offering a good compromise between lightness and autonomy can be on a tablet, as long as it has a panel of adequate dimensions and quality to spend hours in front of them and the necessary accessories for quickly entering text, such as a keyboard, mouse and/or stylus.

I don’t want to spend more than 500 euros

In the tighter price range we will essentially have two options to take into account: bet on devices that at the hardware level meet the office automation and navigation tasks that we require, but are less comfortable to transport due to design, dimensions and/or weight.

The other option is found in devices that stand out for their lightness but that could fall short in terms of specifications. The best choice? The intermediate point between the two, although we have to sacrifice in some sections.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15IIL05

HP Notebook 14s-dq1038ns

Dell Inspiron 14 5405

I don’t want to spend more than 1000 euros

Stretching the budget further, the range of options grows, finding models that will measure up in terms of specifications but also in lightness and autonomy to successfully face a long day of class.

In this price range, we can also afford to opt for a higher quality panel and a more careful design. Also, this budget increase allows us to choose the models proposed below, in the technical careers section.

Acer Swift 3

Huawei MateBook 13

Microsoft Surface Go 2

Technical degrees such as engineering or architecture

We climb a step in terms of needs. All the tasks exposed in the previous point are applicable to this one: presentations, graphics, tables, reports written in word processors, internet and mail … but also, we will have to deal with specific software that requires power.

We are talking about programs such as Matlab, AutoCad, Solid Edge, Catia … In this sense, to the needs expressed in the previous point of lightness and autonomy, we will add certain requirements at the level of processor, type, and amount of storage and RAM.

Also, we will pay attention to connectivity , since if we spend a lot of time programming or designing, an HDMI port will help us connect the laptop to an external monitor that allows us to continue working. It also doesn’t hurt that it includes enough USB 3.0 ports to connect other peripherals.

Finally, we return to the screen. After many hours in front of it, we will appreciate comfortable dimensions to work and move the view, a resolution that is at least Full HD and a panel technology that offers a good viewing angle, as well as the possibility of working in scenarios of different brightness .

I want to spend less than 800 euros

In this price range, we find equipment that at the hardware level can meet what is expected, although at the cost of skimping on other aspects such as lightness or the quality of the screen.

Asus Zenbook 14 UX431FA-AM132

HP Pavilion Laptop 14-CE3008NS

Lenovo ideapad C340-14IMLI7

I can spend more than 800 euros

Raising the budget translates into continuing to improve the hardware – especially at the level of RAM and storage – but fundamentally being able to aspire to equipment with higher quality screens that are also more comfortable for the eyes.

Also, this increase in investment makes it possible to find ultrabooks, powerful notebooks in terms of specifications and at the same time light and with good autonomy.

MSI Modern 14 A10RAS-870XES

Dell Inspiron 14 7490

LG Gram 15Z90N-VAA78B

Careers in design, post-production, videogames, retouching and digital audio or video editing

We are in the most demanding races from a computer point of view. Autonomy and lightness are still desired so as not to carry heavy equipment or a charger. And yes, we are going to need hardware as powerful as in technical careers, which also have a dedicated graphics card to work on projects in motion graphics , 3D design, photographs or videos in software such as Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, After Effects.

These are tasks that at times can maximize components such as graphics, processor or RAM, which causes energy consumption that will reduce autonomy . In this sense, in addition to a good autonomy, it is interesting that they have a fast charging function.

In this type of race, it is essential that the laptop has a quality screen in terms of resolution, sharpness, viewing angle and dimensions.

I want to spend less than 1,500 euros

Within this budget it is common to find computers with previous generation processors, SSDs with tight sizes and old and/or low-end dedicated graphics cards, which may be enough if the user is not intensive.

Dell Precision 3550

Huawei Matebook X

I can spend more than 1,500 euros

Beyond a thousand euros we can aspire to more demanding configurations at the hardware level : RAM memory above 16 GB that we will appreciate running heavy processes and multitasking, solid state drives of a size that allows the installation of programs without worries, cards top-of-the-range graphics with cooling systems.

Likewise, this increase in the budget allows us to opt for increasingly large and quality screens, reaching 4K, a magnificent resolution in this type of computer for the most demanding students of these careers.

Dell Precision 5550

MSI Creator

MacBook Pro 16

The prices to each laptops may fluctuate, kindly take note