Laptop recommendations for a child

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kiwis

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#290596 22-Nov-2021 10:17

Likely PB Tech as the supplier.. https://www.pbtech.co.nz/category/computers/laptops

I'm looking for recommendations on an affordable laptop for a 10 year old. Not a school specific one yet. Enjoys using laptop over an iPad for watching youtube etc and plays a few basic older games so something capable of playing games too (but don't need a "gaming machine" for high end games.

I'm more a PC person myself so don't know what to look for on a laptop.

Given a child in question one with a sturdy construction would be helpful.

Thanks for any help in advance

Dynamic

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#2816949 22-Nov-2021 10:23

With the new school year coming up, I'd encourage you to look out for 'back to school BYOD' deals. One key thing that can be offered with these is a kid-proof warranty, so accidental damage protecton is included. Have a chat to the retailer about this. Of course your home contents insurance can also be used for accidental damage claims.

An option to consider is a Chromebook. The software is basically bulletproof (and if there is a glitch, you can just 'powerwash' the machine), and the total cost of ownership is tiny compared with a Windows laptop. The caveat is that games would need to be browser-based.

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davidcole

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#2816966 22-Nov-2021 11:01

And it might depend on your schools expectations, are they Google based or Microsoft based. I thin if you went for a normal laptop you'd be ok. But if you decide to get a chromebook and the school is Microsoft I'm not sure if that will work.

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timmmay

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#2816968 22-Nov-2021 11:08

Definitely ask the school. I will say that Lenovo laptops are typically built like tanks, but if you leave something on the keyboard and close the screen it will break, as a relative of mine found out.

kiwis

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#2816976 22-Nov-2021 11:19

Thanks for the replies but guys I said in my post Not a school specific one yet.

kiwis

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#2816977 22-Nov-2021 11:20

Looking for specs to look for? CPU, RAM etc... I'm not sure of laptop specs and costs vs performance.

thenine

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#2817285 22-Nov-2021 20:58

What's your budget? I'd say at minimum get something with four cores.

Integrated graphics is fine for YouTube but might not be fantastic for some games. If you can afford discrete graphics then do it.