Every student in the 21st century needs a laptop. Today we talk about the best models for education.
Since now mostly online learning, it is impossible to do without technology. All educational institutions try to include new technologies in the learning process, for example, Editius or the computers.
The range of laptops in the modern market includes several hundred models, or rather configurations. This is when at the factory, in one and the same case of the laptop, different electronic stuffing is installed: processor, video card, RAM, disks. Choosing the optimal laptop for learning from all this variety is really not easy, especially with a limited budget. To ease the pain of choice, we have selected five noteworthy laptops: for schoolchildren – basic configurations for inexpensive, for students – a little more functional models, but still for reasonable money.
Table of Contents
1. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is one of the most affordable laptops with a solid amount of both RAM and 86 GB of RAM, respectively. The RAM is unsoldered directly on the laptop’s motherboard, in addition, there is one free SO-DIMM DDR4 slot for upgrading. The solid state drive is presented in a shortened M.2 2242 format, but it is possible to replace it with the more widespread 2280. The Intel Celeron N4020 processor is the simplest among modern ones – two low-frequency cores without multithreading. But it emits only 6 watts of heat, so the laptop is able to cool without a fan, ie completely silent. Suitable for Chrome web browser, electronic documents Word and Excel, watching 720p movies and even games until 2010.
2. ASUS Laptop
ASUS Laptop – a rare, in a global shortage of semiconductor chips, budget laptop with a discrete graphics card NVIDIA GeForce MX130. It does not know how to speed up video editing (NVENC encoder is missing), but CUDA technology for professional photo processing and 3D modeling is supported. The dual-core quad-core Intel Pentium 6805 processor with 10-generation Ice Lake architecture is probably the optimal partner for the aforementioned video card (no one pulls the blanket). All this is complemented by dual-channel RAM (4 GB unsoldered on the motherboard, 4 more installed in the slot) and a high-speed M.2 PCI-E SSD of 256 gigabytes. This laptop is comfortable not only to work and study, but also to have fun in multiplayer games, such as CSGO, Dota 2 and World of Tanks, which require 120+ FPS.
3. HP Pavilion 14
HP Pavilion 14 – a compact and lightweight ultrabook with a diagonal of 14 inches and weighs 1.4 kg. Two-thirds are made of metal: the top cover and the inner panel around the keyboard. Although the screen matrix is not photographically accurate (NTSC is only 45%), it is still an IPS with wide angles and juicy colors. No less interesting is the processor of this laptop – Core i3-1125G4 with 4 cores and 8 threads. Previously, only the more expensive Core i5 could boast of this. The eleventh generation of Intel chips has brought energy-saving 10-nanometer process technology, increased performance per single core, support for high-speed DDR4-3200 MHz RAM and a new architecture of integrated graphics Xe. This means not only a higher frame rate in games, but also support for the new AV1 video format.
4. HP Laptop 15s
The HP Laptop 15s is the cheapest laptop with a 6-core and 12-stream AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor. Built on a 7-nanometer Zen 2 chip, this chip is probably the most cost-effective solution for 3D modeling in 3Ds Max and Blender. This solution is also good for professional video editing – the built-in graphics Radeon Vega 7 has an RME encoder for both the classic H264 codec and the new H265. There is a decoder (for viewing, not editing) and for the VP9 format, which is used on YouTube. Two RAM modules with a total capacity of 16 GB (in the future you can upgrade to 32) are complemented by SSD M.2 PCI-E per one and a half bytes. But for games Ryzen 5 5500U is not suitable: a limited 15-watt heat pack allows you to accelerate to high frequency Precision Boost only for a short time.
5. Lenovo IdeaPad U330p
The first thing that catches your eye in this laptop is the quality of the components and materials used in the manufacture of the case. It is made of brushed aluminum, making it look very expensive and prestigious. Despite this, he weighs only 1, 53kg. It is very easy to carry in a backpack, and due to the aluminum body, the risk of breaking or bending it in the bag is very small.
There is one USB 3.0 port and two USB ports version 2. This is a very strange decision, because now manufacturers are trying to increase the number of USB 3.0 connectors. There are also HDMI, SD Card Reader and 3.5 mm stereo jack connectors. A built-in Wi-Fi adapter is used to access the Internet, but its connection is not the most stable due to design features. The keyboard and multitouch in this model are very high quality. Among the advantages are the backlight and good sensitivity of the keys.
6. Asus Zenbook UX305
Every year, manufacturers of 13-inch laptops and ultrabooks strive to make them thinner, often reducing battery capacity, the number of connectors or deteriorating the cooling system. UX305 proves that even with a thickness of 12 mm and a weight of 1.2 kg, it is able to compete with even larger models. Its body is made entirely of aluminum, in its styling reminiscent of the MacBook Air. Combined with the weight and thickness, this gives a tremendous effect, making the laptop look very beautiful, expensive and presentable.
Although most small laptops and ultrabooks have only two USB ports, the UX305 has 3, and they are all USB 3.0 versions. There is also a full-fledged SD card reader, microHDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can use a Wi-Fi modem that supports 802.11 b / g / n / ac protocols to connect to the Internet, or a USB Ethernet adapter.
7. HP 255 G3
For students of humanities, who only need the ability to work with various files and documents, as well as surfing the Internet, a very good choice would be the budget model 255 G3. Its feature is the Chrome OS operating system, which is rather designed to work with cloud storage. The design of the laptop is quite strict, but the laptop itself is thicker than other models. The quality of materials used in the manufacture of the case is good. G3 weighs 2, 15 kg and is 25 mm thick.
In addition to the already standard two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 ports have HDMI and VGA inputs, SD Card Reader, Headphone jack and Ethernet Port. There are also Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi wireless technologies on the Qualcomm Atheros chip. It is also interesting to have a DVD drive, which can be found very rarely in modern laptops.