I'm sure there are a million other posts on this forum asking for laptop recommendations, but I am a computer idiot and it's hard for me to even understand what most of the words in these forums mean. I have spent the last few weeks searching for recommendations for laptops and I still have barely any clue what I am looking for, so any help I can get here will I will really, really, appreciate.
Some background:
Some background:
- Main use: I am graduating my BBA in April so this laptop will be used for 2 semesters of university and then it will be used for the next two years (hopefully) to complete my masters. I am an accounting student, so I pretty much just need it to run Microsoft office and MAYBE some basic programs. Most of the work I do is in excel or word, and by most I mean all.
- Secondary use: I have to move into a dorm for my masters, so I assume I will be doing some streaming and other regular people functions on the side. I am not super bothered by less than HD graphics, but it would be nice to have a good screen for watching TV.
- Current laptops: My only experience thus far with laptops is Lenovos. I use a Lenovo Thinkpad at work, which I love and find very handy, and I have another personal laptop I bought about 5 years ago which is also a Lenovo with a 17" screen (I think?). I am upgrading because when I bought my personal laptop I thought I wanted something big with a full number pad, but now I find it painful to carry around and the screen is starting to go. The laptop I have now is great, but it's not really great for me. I paid $1,200 CAD for it because I knew it was a good computer, but I just don't think I knew what I really wanted or needed at that time.
- Windows 10 - absolutely not a Mac.
- I don't think I want a 2 in 1, because I feel like they are gimmicky and may break easier... However, I am not opposed to a touchscreen. If this is not in my price range it will not bother me to not have it.
- I am a hobby photographer, so it needs to have an SD card insert.
- I think I want at least an 8GB RAM, as I will probably have quite a few files on my computer though they would be basic files; pdfs, excels, word docs, etc. I use only cloud storage for my photos so that shouldn't be an issue. I might not even be correct in my understanding of what RAM is so feel free to let me know if I have no clue what I'm talking about.
- I think I want a 13"-14" at most. I want it to fit in the laptop pockets of my backpacks or at least be able to fit in a normal sized bag.
- Battery life longer than 6 hours is a plus, but I think 6 hours at minimum is where I would want it. I am never that far from a charger, as most of laptop use will be in class or at place of residence. I am not a coffee shop or out and about computer user.
- I need at least 3 USB ports - kinda a stickler on this point. I have a portable monitor, a mouse (I never use the trackpads - they annoy me), and a USB number pad to plug in that have to all be plugged in at the same time. I really don't want to have to use a USB splitter, but if the perfect laptop comes along and it doesn't have enough USB ports I will begrudgingly accept. I know if I want a smaller laptop it might not have all the inputs I am lucky to have now.
- I would like to stay under/around $1K CAD, but the cheaper the happier I will be. I want pay for something is good quality and will last me, but I know I am only using it for basic functions and am on a university student budget so the more budget friendly the better. I want to find a balance between quality and budget I guess. I have been looking at some HPs and ASUS computers and I think I can get something in this price range.