PP here. FYI, the minimum specs that you want to look for would be an i5 processor (or the AMD equivalent), 16GB of RAM, and 256-512GB SSD for storage. You will need more storage for games. Storage is usually easy to upgrade. Integrated Intel or AMD graphics are fine for non-gaming uses. For games, look for Nvidia RTX 3060 or 4060 or better GPU. Note that the Nvidia GPUs are not the same for the desktop and laptop versions (i.e. the 4060 desktop version is significantly more powerful than the 4060 laptop version). Also, i9 processors (and, to some extent, i7s) in laptops are generally pretty pointless because they cannot be cooled effectively and will not perform any better than the lower-tier (and cheaper) processors. For desktops, the i7 and i9 processors are significantly better if there is adequate cooling. Nvidia is consiered to be superior to AMD by Windows gamers, but AMD GPUs are better for Linux if there is any interest in that (Nvidia Linux drivers are a PITA).

$1-1.5k is the sweet spot for PC laptops. This will get you a well-built business laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, HP Pro/Elitebook). These are durable and repairable. Get the extended warranty and accidental damage service (from the manufacturer, not a third party). Laptops are somewhat delicate, and get carried around, dropped, etc. You can save money by buying refurbished and then adding the warranty later (Lenovo lets you do this and has an Outlet store...not sure about Dell or HP). Last year's model is fine. Don't go older. These will be great for school and programming. They tend to not have dedicated GPUs and aren't the best for gaming (older or simpler games are fine, but not the latest Call of Duty or Cyberpunk or anything like that). Most will now accept external GPUs if desired, but you would want an external high-refresh-rate monitor to take advantage of that.

As an alternative, for about the same price, you could get a PC desktop that would be better and more powerful for gaming and a Chromebook (or older, cheaper laptop). Check to see if Chromebooks would work for your school's curriculum. They are good for web browsing and web apps. For programming, you would need to enable developer mode, which would give access to a full Linux shell. This might interest your kid, or might be a total turn-off. Or just buy a better desktop and skip the laptop if your kid diesn't need portability.

Don't buy the following:
- cheap, consumer-grade laptop ($500-ish) (these are not well built, won't last, and generally are not repairable); buy a used business laptop if you are on a budget
- high-end workstation or gaming laptop ($2k+) (very few people need both portability and performance, and performance at this range is way overpriced relative to what desktop machines can do)

A sub-$1k gaming laptop might be another option. These tend to be repairable and upgradable, but at the cost of battery life. You are lucky if the batteries in these will last more than 2-3 hours. That might be fine for some people, but not for many. They are also somewhat fragile, relative to business laptops. They will be better for gaming, however. These always go on sale, so never pay full price for them. Black Friday is the best time to look for something like this, but Labor Day might be good, too.

Op: thanks for all this info. So let’s limit it to pcs. What price point and features should I be looking at for this type of general usage? When someone says “mid priced laptop”, I have no idea what that means anymore. Y last Mac was a mid priced MacBook and was $1300. My last pc was “mid priced”, weighed a ton and cost $1900 in 2001. lol. I’m guessing price have come down…. Price points and recs on features would be great thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Op here thanks all. Can someone explain what you can and cant do on Chromebook vs laptop?

I am a totally dummy on this. Like I said, we have been a mac family for 20 years…. Literally before gmail existed lol.

We don’t have any components for a desktop.

With a Chromebook, what are the limitations on gaming? Can you python code? Can you use Steam gaming?

I honestly don’t mind paying $1000 or more for this, but I don’t need to throw away money either. Thanks!

You need a pc for most code, that’s why I bought the windows laptop

Anonymous wrote:Op here thanks all. Can someone explain what you can and cant do on Chromebook vs laptop?

I am a totally dummy on this. Like I said, we have been a mac family for 20 years…. Literally before gmail existed lol.

We don’t have any components for a desktop.

With a Chromebook, what are the limitations on gaming? Can you python code? Can you use Steam gaming?

I honestly don’t mind paying $1000 or more for this, but I don’t need to throw away money either. Thanks!

Google and read: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/chromebook-vs-laptop/

Op here thanks all. Can someone explain what you can and cant do on Chromebook vs laptop?

I am a totally dummy on this. Like I said, we have been a mac family for 20 years…. Literally before gmail existed lol.

We don’t have any components for a desktop.

With a Chromebook, what are the limitations on gaming? Can you python code? Can you use Steam gaming?

I honestly don’t mind paying $1000 or more for this, but I don’t need to throw away money either. Thanks!

Get a Chromebook. I regret getting the MacBook for my no-phone 7th grader. It gives them access to too many problematic distractions.

Chromebook have everything they need.

My 7th grader has to tahe hers to school. We bought her somewhat expensive Dell that broke at the beginning of 6th grade. The screen part doesn’t stay up.
So we bought a Chromebook. It’s lasted well and is now going into 7th. She doesn’t game it code so not sure about those features but she can do all her school assignments on it.

Laptop or desktop? What games? Do you already have a monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc.?

Chromebook for just school

Gaming PC for gaming and coding and more.

Anonymous wrote:Why not a Chromebook?

NP it’s better to get something that can run windows if they want to game and code

OP I bought a mid priced acer laptop from Costco. Working well so far

Why not a Chromebook?

Dell laptops are also good. There should be a consumers report article about laptops for students I think it's published every year.

Windows HP but check the specs to make sure they work with games. But the games might no longer work on it if they need a different graphics card in a few years.
You can't replace graphics card on laptops. It might be best to go the desktop route.

Ds is 12 and in 7th grade. We are a Mac family and I haven’t had a pc in 20 years, so I’m clueless. Dh and I were agreeing that although his school doesn’t have any requirements for home devices, it’s probably time for us to get him a pc for homework. I’m tired of him using my Mac, and being rough with it, and moreover a lot of apps don’t work exactly right on Mac. He’s also started some games in the last couple years.

For school, he accesses everything through a cloud interface. But I’d like him to have windows and office directly on the device so he can access the better features of the real software. I don’t need something fancy for gaming, but I’d like a powerful enough machine that it can handle run of the mill gaming without too much trouble. He doesn’t need to take it to school ever.

I hate to say, but with computers being so cheap now, I don’t really care about cost. I just want a decent quality computer that can last a few years and grow with his needs before we replace it. But I don’t need to overpay either.

Does pretty much anything work for this? I’m so confused because pcs start at like $150 and go higher, and I’m trying to figure out the differences and if it matters. When you buy a Mac, they all do everything - it’s just a matter of picking color, screen size, memory and storage. But I’m guessing there are a lot more variations in pcs. Appreciate any advice!!