Notebook buying advice: How to find a laptop for homeschooling or university
19.10.2020
Translation: machine translated
Whether you're homeschooling, just doing your homework or writing your next assignment: It's almost unthinkable without a laptop. If you follow the tips below, your laptop will last for several school years or semesters.
My notebook buying guides are all about finding the right laptop for you. I give you basic tips and assessments for different areas of application and show you some examples of devices. My aim is to use filters so that you only have to decide between a small selection of devices in the end.
A standard notebook is sufficient for homework and assignments these days. But even if something average is enough, it's important to pay attention to certain minimum standards and not throw money out the window unnecessarily elsewhere. My most important criteria are:
- Display: 13 to 15 inches, full HD resolution
- Chip set: entry to mid-range of the current generation
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
What you won't find here is an assessment of individual laptop models or recommendations for different equipment variants. The notebook market is too fast-moving for that and I refer you to the individual tests from our editorial team.
Display and storage space
The display size should be between 13 and 15 inches. If you have to take the notebook with you a lot, 13 inches is better, as you generally carry less weight. If you will mainly be using the notebook at home, the larger screen size is preferable. More than 15 inches is not necessary and will only drive up the price.
Full HD resolution with 1920×1080 pixels is sufficient. Higher resolutions don't hurt, but they don't add any value with this display size and make the notebook more expensive. As this is a work device, the screen should be anti-glare so that no reflections disturb you at work.
You can get by with less memory, but with a 256 gigabyte SSD, you're on the safe side if you need to store more data or don't just want to save files for school or university. You won't save much on price with a smaller storage medium.
Hardware for office applications
Homework and assignments: This means internet research, reading and writing texts. So you need hardware for typical office applications. An 8 gigabyte RAM is a good starting point, promising reasonably short loading times.
The chipset can come from the entry-level range, more than mid-range is not necessary. But above all, it should be the latest generation. In addition to slightly better performance compared to the older models, you can expect reduced energy consumption. As of now (October 2020), these are the Core i3 and Core i5 processors from Intel from the tenth generation and the Ryzen 3 and 5 from AMD from the fourth generation. A new chip generation is currently released every year, so you should be on the lookout for the eleventh and fifth generation from summer 2021 at the latest.
These are all minimum requirements that are also sufficient for streaming if you don't just want to work with the notebook. More memory and faster chipsets are not forbidden, but they are more expensive and not necessary for the intended purpose.
The webcam for video calls is a standard feature on notebooks and is usually located in the centre above the screen. However, some manufacturers have tried to place it somewhere else for a narrower edge and have met with little enthusiasm. Nevertheless, you should take a look at the laptop of your choice before buying, as the camera perspective from below the screen takes some getting used to. WLAN, Bluetooth and the 3.5 mm connection for headphones are also standard features of laptops.
Feeding our filters with this information, these are the five most popular notebooks that currently fulfil the criteria:
If you need specific ports for an external monitor, want to secure the notebook in the library with a Kensington lock, need more power or want to fit within your budget, you can adjust the filters yourself here.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.