best value laptops/notebooks for teenagers

ToneControl

any advice on current deals?
must be long battery life, Microsoft office, etc.
Idea is that it is used mainly for educational purposes, homework / assignments, etc
Looking at £400-£500

tony99

I'm looking at the acer swift 3 at the minute, it's a little bit over budget at £600 but I daresay I'm going to pull the trigger unless someone convinces me not to

RaymondLin

Heartfeltdawn

tony99 said:

I'm looking at the acer swift 3 at the minute, it's a little bit over budget at £600 but I daresay I'm going to pull the trigger unless someone convinces me not to

I have one. Absolutely superb bit of kit. 4GB memory, i3-8130u processor and a 128GB SSD. Got mine for under £350. The lower outer shell is very easy to get off with a Torx screwdriver and a spudger so I upgraded it from 4gb to 12gb memory and put a bigger m2 SSD in. All in with the upgrades, I was under £450. It'll even run some older games (my Company of Heroes obsession lives on). 

Best points: battery life, screen quality, speaker quality. 

So-so: fingerprint reader is a bit blah. Keyboard isn't as nice as my larger laptop but that's one of the sacrifices you make with a 14" screen. 

Awful points: none. 

Be aware: if you're going to carry it around in a bag, buy a small cleaning cloth to put between the keyboard and the screen. I didn't for a day. Little bit of key rub on the screen. 

tony99

Heartfeltdawn said:

tony99 said:

I'm looking at the acer swift 3 at the minute, it's a little bit over budget at £600 but I daresay I'm going to pull the trigger unless someone convinces me not to

I have one. Absolutely superb bit of kit. 4GB memory, i3-8130u processor and a 128GB SSD. Got mine for under £350. The lower outer shell is very easy to get off with a Torx screwdriver and a spudger so I upgraded it from 4gb to 12gb memory and put a bigger m2 SSD in. All in with the upgrades, I was under £450. It'll even run some older games (my Company of Heroes obsession lives on). 

Best points: battery life, screen quality, speaker quality. 

So-so: fingerprint reader is a bit blah. Keyboard isn't as nice as my larger laptop but that's one of the sacrifices you make with a 14" screen. 

Awful points: none. 

Be aware: if you're going to carry it around in a bag, buy a small cleaning cloth to put between the keyboard and the screen. I didn't for a day. Little bit of key rub on the screen. 

thanks for the nfo, the one I'm looking at is more expensive because 8gb ram, i5 processor, with 225 ssd (i think)

I was only gonna use it for uni stuff, but I'd need it to skype and watch YT too

do you think I'd be better doing same as you and maybe upgrade the cheaper spec one?

(this one has 3 year warranty too)

Heartfeltdawn

tony99 said:

thanks for the nfo, the one I'm looking at is more expensive because 8gb ram, i5 processor, with 225 ssd (i think)

I was only gonna use it for uni stuff, but I'd need it to skype and watch YT too

do you think I'd be better doing same as you and maybe upgrade the cheaper spec one?

(this one has 3 year warranty too)

If it's just for basic Office, Skype, and Youtube stuff, you won't need the i5 processor version.  

I've got Reaper and Ableton Live running perfectly on mine, it handles soft synths and all the plugins I run on the big laptop and the desktop, PCloud drive running so I can easily swap files between all three machines.

If you wanted the larger screen and you were good with upgrades and reconfiguring the CMOS, hit this. 

https://www.box.co.uk/NX.H1MEK.003-Acer-Swift-3-SF315-52-30DU_2386653.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5rbsBRCFARIsAGEYRwfcKBnYwvIk8yuTYetMeNWUOqjfApTJfokiNrZhuF0ABIsebwUgJe4aAqZOEALw_wcB

Take out the HD, don't bother with Optane. You would need to reconfigure something within the CMOS to remove the Optane option but that isn't difficult. Here's what I'd do with it and the kit list: 

Suitable screwdriver with a Torx bit )offhand I think the screws are size 4) - £5
A plastic spudger for getting the bottom case off. - £3
USB containing the Windows 10 installer. If you need a code, go Ebay for it. They're usually under £3. = £10 

SSD to replace the HD (Samsung EVO860 512GB) - £70 on Amazon right now

8GB DDR4 memory (important to get the matched set. I've got my parts list on my CCL account so I can tell you exactly what you need later on) - £30


Amount spent: £120 = £370 for the laptop = £490.

tony99

Heartfeltdawn said:

tony99 said:

thanks for the nfo, the one I'm looking at is more expensive because 8gb ram, i5 processor, with 225 ssd (i think)

I was only gonna use it for uni stuff, but I'd need it to skype and watch YT too

do you think I'd be better doing same as you and maybe upgrade the cheaper spec one?

(this one has 3 year warranty too)

If it's just for basic Office, Skype, and Youtube stuff, you won't need the i5 processor version.  

I've got Reaper and Ableton Live running perfectly on mine, it handles soft synths and all the plugins I run on the big laptop and the desktop, PCloud drive running so I can easily swap files between all three machines.

If you wanted the larger screen and you were good with upgrades and reconfiguring the CMOS, hit this. 

https://www.box.co.uk/NX.H1MEK.003-Acer-Swift-3-SF315-52-30DU_2386653.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5rbsBRCFARIsAGEYRwfcKBnYwvIk8yuTYetMeNWUOqjfApTJfokiNrZhuF0ABIsebwUgJe4aAqZOEALw_wcB

Take out the HD, don't bother with Optane. You would need to reconfigure something within the CMOS to remove the Optane option but that isn't difficult. Here's what I'd do with it and the kit list: 

Suitable screwdriver with a Torx bit )offhand I think the screws are size 4) - £5
A plastic spudger for getting the bottom case off. - £3
USB containing the Windows 10 installer. If you need a code, go Ebay for it. They're usually under £3. = £10 

SSD to replace the HD (Samsung EVO860 512GB) - £70 on Amazon right now

8GB DDR4 memory (important to get the matched set. I've got my parts list on my CCL account so I can tell you exactly what you need later on) - £30


Amount spent: £120 = £370 for the laptop = £490.

christ that's way beyond me all that, I've gone with the one I said, 3 years warranty is a big plus

we'll see how it goes

ToneControl

I bought 2 of these for £500 each

https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Laptops-MacBooks/Acer-Spin-Intel-Core-i5-8GB-RAM-128GB-Solid-State-Drive-14-Inch-Convertible-Notebook-SP314-51/p/180284

arrived today, and they are so noisy
when the CPU is busy, you can hear the fans 2 rooms away, totally unsuitable for use in a lecture or library or office

are all these current i5 ones this noisy?

monquixote

I just bought an Asus Flip 434 awesome little laptop and fanless. No office but you can do libre office, gdocs, or web office

tony99

ToneControl said:

I bought 2 of these for £500 each

https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Laptops-MacBooks/Acer-Spin-Intel-Core-i5-8GB-RAM-128GB-Solid-State-Drive-14-Inch-Convertible-Notebook-SP314-51/p/180284

arrived today, and they are so noisy
when the CPU is busy, you can hear the fans 2 rooms away, totally unsuitable for use in a lecture or library or office

are all these current i5 ones this noisy?

mine's i5 and silent

Heartfeltdawn

Looking at reviews, fan noise does seem like a consistent problem across those reviews. Are the Spins both set to max performance in the power settings? You could try slightly undervolting the processors using Intel XTU, see if that makes a difference. Any fan profile software with the lappies? 

FX_Munkee

I'm currently looking at an Inspiron 2 in 1 for one of the kids this Christmas (mainly because I get a small works discount).

The i3 version of this looks quite good (I'll upgrade the ram later)

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/2-in-1-laptops/inspiron-14-5000-2-in-1/spd/inspiron-14-5491-2-in-1-laptop?view=configurations#configurations_section

ToneControl

Heartfeltdawn said:

Looking at reviews, fan noise does seem like a consistent problem across those reviews. Are the Spins both set to max performance in the power settings? You could try slightly undervolting the processors using Intel XTU, see if that makes a difference. Any fan profile software with the lappies? 

once they finished the windows updates, they've quietened a lot, but once the CPU load goes up near 50% or more it gets very noisy

Heartfeltdawn

ToneControl said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Looking at reviews, fan noise does seem like a consistent problem across those reviews. Are the Spins both set to max performance in the power settings? You could try slightly undervolting the processors using Intel XTU, see if that makes a difference. Any fan profile software with the lappies? 

once they finished the windows updates, they've quietened a lot, but once the CPU load goes up near 50% or more it gets very noisy

I'd look at the fan profile. ON my larger laptop running an i5-8300h so greater TDP compared to the i5 in your Spin, I had to adjust the fan profile as it was set badly. Originally the fan was set to run at 20 to 25% up to about 65 degrees at which point it would have to ramp up to 50-60% in order to keep it cool. 

I'll get my Acer Swift 3 out in the morning and go through some of the power tweaks I did for that as well as the larger Clevo laptop. 

Once the CPU load hits 50%, what temperature is the processor running at? Install Speedfan and have a look. 

prowla

What's the screen resolution? I wouldn't go for anything less than 1080p.

ToneControl

prowla said:

What's the screen resolution? I wouldn't go for anything less than 1080p.

1080

ToneControl

Heartfeltdawn said:

ToneControl said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Looking at reviews, fan noise does seem like a consistent problem across those reviews. Are the Spins both set to max performance in the power settings? You could try slightly undervolting the processors using Intel XTU, see if that makes a difference. Any fan profile software with the lappies? 

once they finished the windows updates, they've quietened a lot, but once the CPU load goes up near 50% or more it gets very noisy

I'd look at the fan profile. ON my larger laptop running an i5-8300h so greater TDP compared to the i5 in your Spin, I had to adjust the fan profile as it was set badly. Originally the fan was set to run at 20 to 25% up to about 65 degrees at which point it would have to ramp up to 50-60% in order to keep it cool. 

I'll get my Acer Swift 3 out in the morning and go through some of the power tweaks I did for that as well as the larger Clevo laptop. 

Once the CPU load hits 50%, what temperature is the processor running at? Install Speedfan and have a look. 

did you get a chance to look at your power tweaks?

ToneControl

ToneControl said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

ToneControl said:

Heartfeltdawn said:

Looking at reviews, fan noise does seem like a consistent problem across those reviews. Are the Spins both set to max performance in the power settings? You could try slightly undervolting the processors using Intel XTU, see if that makes a difference. Any fan profile software with the lappies? 

once they finished the windows updates, they've quietened a lot, but once the CPU load goes up near 50% or more it gets very noisy

I'd look at the fan profile. ON my larger laptop running an i5-8300h so greater TDP compared to the i5 in your Spin, I had to adjust the fan profile as it was set badly. Originally the fan was set to run at 20 to 25% up to about 65 degrees at which point it would have to ramp up to 50-60% in order to keep it cool. 

I'll get my Acer Swift 3 out in the morning and go through some of the power tweaks I did for that as well as the larger Clevo laptop. 

Once the CPU load hits 50%, what temperature is the processor running at? Install Speedfan and have a look. 

did you get a chance to look at your power tweaks?

I don't think this PC lets you tweak the power profiles, am now testing the low-power one

Heartfeltdawn

ToneControl said:

did you get a chance to look at your power tweaks?

On it now

1) On the Swift there is close to nothing in the BIOS to alter the fan. I imagine the Spin is similar so no need to poke about there. 

2)  First jump into Control Panel --> Hardware & Sound --> Power Options --> Edit Plan Settings

-> Change Advanced Power Settings. 

Power Options - I've got it on Balanced as I don't run anything flat out yet I can still run Ableton Live and Reaper at the same time with a number of soft synths. 

Processor Power Management --> change the maximum processor state from 100% down to 95%. Some laptops respond well to this and the fan noise will kick right down. 

3) Download Intel XTU. 

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24075/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-Intel-XTU-?product=66427

I'll post a bit more in a mo... 

ToneControl

ta

Heartfeltdawn

SO yes, Intel XTU. It's powerful and it's good. What it does is allow you to tune the Intel processor-equipped computer it is installed to. 

Once installed, you will have to restart. Load it up, don't join the Intel PIP, and you'll come to a screen looking a bit like this.

https://cdn.lo4d.com/t/screenshot/intel-extreme-tuning-utility.jpg

-Go to Advanced Tuning and you will be on the All Controls screen. 

-Disable Turbo Boost Short Power Max Enable
-If the Intel Turbo Boost Technology is Enabled, Disbale that (it is on the same screen)

Try those two for starters and then go to Stress Test. Select CPU Stress Test and zap it for five minutes. Check what the max temp your CPU goes to using the graph at the bottom of the screen. 

REMEMBER TO DO THIS PLUGGED IN ie. NOT ON BATTERY. If you can sort this when on mains power, then battery settings are usually a bit 'softer' and the processor is dialled down a bit. 

Right now 2 mins 30 seconds in my CPU (i3-8130u) is running at 100% utlization, 70 c and th fan noise is not excessive at all. It's not drowning out the fridge here in the kitchen and it's not a loud fridge at all. 

It does sound from the reviews I was reading last night that the Spin lappies are fairly unviersally noisy. If you feel the noise is too great and return them, I can thoroughly recommend the Swift 3 or 5. The mroe I use my 3, the more my mind is blown that I have this lightweight bit of kit that I can do so much with.