What laptop should I get?
I want to get a windows, I've been given a bursary of 1700£, so I can do anything up to that. I'm going to learn excel and modelling etc on this so was wondering what people use
Why are people getting such powerful machines / spending so much money for a fucking laptop? You are not running or rendering video. It is Excel. You are not in some crazy 200 tab infra model as you train either, nor will you be as a professional.
This isn't my own money, I am not personally blowing 1700 on a machine, it's a fund that was given to me, I don't get physical cash, they cover the costs of a machine up to 1700.
I was just wondering what the industry standard is. What do you use for example?
Industry standard is a Thinkpad. No other choice. That said, you'll be fine with any Windows machine.
I have always enjoyed a Lenovo ThinkPad. Not too heavy, gets the job done, and unless you have some really unwieldy models, performance won't be an issue.
macbook
this is the only incorrect answer lol
A better machine in every way yet still the wrong answer.
OP is asking about work. In finance. Come on.
If you want a windows, Lenovo is good. Windows laptops are also quite nice. If you want Apple, go for a macbook(duh). Not too complex, really. Most laptops at a 1700 cost will run spreadsheets and many tabs. I'd look for build quality, RAM, and core count as the main things.
The thinkpad T line is the gold standard for business laptops. The only thing else that matters is the screen size and ram. The normal T line has a 14 inch screen, they also have 15 and 16 inch screens if I am not mistaken. The 15 inch screen is the best blend of performance and weight.
You could also consider a X1 carbon which has lighter materials, but generally these are less price to performance balanced.
Lastly I would target an AMD processor, these have better efficency thus have a longer battery life. Intel has really been stumbling the past 5 years or so with their processr efficency and security.
Edit: I guess I left off the processor performance target. Generally it is advised to target a processor near the top of the performance specs at which you can maximize the amount of ram that can fit in your budget. You don't really need more than 32Gb of ram in the next 3 - 4 years for general office use with excel and powerpoint, so that is where you want to cap out at.
Also we can't really give you a better advisory window without knowing what you will be doing with this outside of "excel", and what kind of org is provding you with the funds.
Thank you so much for your answer!
Very helpful especially regarding AMD vs Intel. I am in college and the org is just a scholarship that I won, so spending under 1700 doesn't give me X amount of "free money".
I am very new to the finance world and am looking for a head start, which is why I wanted to ask. Thank you everyone
In this case I would shoot for a 15 inch screen at the largest if you are going to be using this primarily for school.
Something like this is not a bad bet. I haven't done a deep look to find the best value.
https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/configurator/cto/index.html?bundleId=21QJC…
I've tried them all over the years.
MacBook is great for light Excel work, but it definitely misses some features. You can try to run Parallels, but it'll require a very powerful MacBook to work well. If you're using it to update some models but mostly answer emails and surf the internet, a MacBook isn't a horrible value proposition.
Thinkpads and the equivalent Dell (XPS or Latitude I think?) work well - I just found that they slowed down rather quickly and had a lot of extra software installed. If you're able to order a Thinkpad through work, they typically are delivered with less of the bloatware than what you'd get if you purchased one at BestBuy or Amazon.
My last laptop purchase was a Microsoft Surface Laptop. I ended up getting one pretty well spec'd for about the price of an entry-level MacBook Air. At first, I gravitated towards the ease of my MacBook, but quickly I have transitioned to the Surface full-time. The Surface is as quick/snappy as the MacBook, is much better at handling large Excel sheets, and seems to even have better battery life.
this is your personal laptop not work right? get a macbook obv
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