Best cheap PC laptops to get in preparation for SA?

Incoming 23 SA. I normally use a Macbook for all my work - don't have a PC/laptop/windows laptop kind of thing.

I understand it's important to get used to Powerpoint, MS, Excel and all the shortcuts/hot keys that just isn't that feasible or practical to try do on a mabdbook. Just wondering if anybody here could recommend a cheap laptop for this. Literally only going to use it for work-related stuff, so it can be a POS.

Thank you!

10 Comments
 

I was in the same spot. 

I got the HP Pavilion for this exact reason. It's shitty enough so it's cheap, will help you learn the layout of the keyboard, and won't shut down on you when practicing excel, ppt, etc. 

Shop around to see if you can find any open box / refurbished ones if this is the only purpose you'll use it for. 

Whoever you work for will definitely supply one so no sense in spending much money

Hope this helps

 

I would first try to see if your university offers any laptop loaning programs. If not, try to see if you can loan it elsewhere. My university loans out thinkpads and I had a couple friends practice with those

 

Download parallel or UTM software which allows you to have a windows interface on your Mac and then buy a mechanical keyboard. This is what I did since I wanted to go through WSP with all the windows/pc shortcuts on excel. Plus with the money saved I could buy a pretty nice mechanical keyboard 

Edit: If you have a good mac this can also be good since you will also have high performance on the windows interface without shelling out over a 1k for a laptop. However, if you have the money or any future freshman looking at this, please get a Lenovo Thinkpad and thank me later. Not sexy but high performance, great keyboard, and you can set up a docking station for multiple monitors. My current mac only supports 1 external monitor and I have to use an interface just to use excel normally smfh.

 

Just got one of these, the 10th gen, love it. I got the 14" so it doesn't have a keypad which is an adjustment for me but being more compact has been great while traveling compared to the larger laptop I had before. It's on a docking station most of the time anyway

Pretty affordable too. First thinkpad but I really like it so far so if you're not looking to spend a ton I'd recommend 

 

Lenovo 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Dell XPS 13, 15. or G series. Whatever you do, make sure you have a good dock station. You want cheap, but invest in something lasting longer than two/three years at most.

The poster formerly known as theAudiophile. Just turned up to 11, like the stereo.
 

go to your school IT department and ask them what they recommend. let them nerd out and find you a good deal online. i did this with my work IT department 8 years ago and they got me a good PC for $400 that lasted 4 years. Once it started to slow down/fail i bought the newer version on amazon for 4 years ago and its still chugging along. I will repeat this process for life

 

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