Best laptop?

Starting my internship soon which should be Excel and PowerPoint heavy. Heard from the upper years that ThinkPads were generally the most cost effective choice. Was wondering if you guys had a specific model recommendation or another brand altogether.

20 Comments
 

Based on the WSO threads, a Lenovo ThinkPad is indeed a popular choice among interns preparing for finance roles that require heavy use of Excel and PowerPoint. A user named "catwiththehat" shared their experience, stating they purchased a top model Lenovo ThinkPad for $650, thanks to a student discount and sale price. They highlighted the laptop's great keyboard and its ability to handle multiple applications like Excel and PowerPoint simultaneously without losing speed. This could be a solid option for your internship needs, especially if you find similar discounts.

Sources: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/new-laptop-recommendations?customgpt=1, Best ways to prep Excel & PowerPoint for internship?, IBD Summer Analyst Tips, How to learn Excel & PowerPoint before internship, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/laptop-for-excel-training?customgpt=1

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

WSO Monkey Bot:

Based on the WSO threads, a Lenovo ThinkPad is indeed a popular choice among interns preparing for finance roles that require heavy use of Excel and PowerPoint. A user named "catwiththehat" shared their experience, stating they purchased a top model Lenovo ThinkPad for $650, thanks to a student discount and sale price. They highlighted the laptop's great keyboard and its ability to handle multiple applications like Excel and PowerPoint simultaneously without losing speed. This could be a solid option for your internship needs, especially if you find similar discounts.

Sources:
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/new-laptop-recommendations?customgpt=1, Best ways to prep Excel & PowerPoint for internship?, IBD Summer Analyst Tips, How to learn Excel & PowerPoint before internship, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/laptop-for-excel-training?customgpt=1

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Not as up to date with latest models, but Thinkpad with 16gb+ of Ram and at least 14 inch screen ( I personally like 16 inch screen) with a numeric key pad is good IMO. I liked the T series, but any model that lets you customize the specs is good to make sure you get everything you need. I'd make sure the laptop has a number keypad regardless (ie in bottom right corner of keyboard)

I personally don't worry much about the processor or graphics card, and if you need more storage you can always pay like $2 / mo or so for cloud storage via one drive or similar

 

ThinkPads are goated. Most people say get an X1 Carbon which is most likely the best business laptop out there. Personally just got a fully loaded T14S which was around £1k and the equivalent specs on an X1 Carbon would be £2k+ so don't think the extra is justified when he T14S is a very solid model.

Issue with XPS is they don't have pageup/page down next to the arrow keys.

 

...is your job not just going to hand you a laptop? You have to buy your own? 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Anyone who gets a PC-based laptop for personal use is an NPC. 

Only two real reasons for a PC are business production & gaming. Your company should give you one for business and you're far better off using a desktop over a laptop for gaming. 

For all other personal use, Macbook Pro > PC 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

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