Minimum laptop specs for artsy teen?

[anisa]

We want to get my daughter a laptop.
She has been getting straight A+ the past couple of semesters and we told her that we want to get her a laptop as a bit of a reward and obviously to use for further classes.
She is artsy, with an interest in digital. She is in Grade 10 and we want to get her something that will meet her needs.

I would love to be able to stay in the 400-500 plus taxes range.
Any suggestions on what I should be looking for with features? She uses a Wacom drawing tablet with our desktop, i'm sure she will transfer that to her laptop.

Thanks!

[anisa]

She has been drawing since she was 18 months old.

Hubby and I think she is pretty incredible



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[Tommycoupons]

get her one with a good processor like intel i5 or better and Asus is a good brand of laptops

I think you might have to increase your budget unless you find a great sale, but it's possible to get a i5 asus for $500 just a matter of timing


Use bestbuy and monitor the prices closely after you buy it, because odds are it will go cheaper a few days within the 30days and you can get the price difference refunded

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/help/lo...0protection;en

[anisa]

get her one with a good processor like intel i5 or better and Asus is a good brand of laptops

I think you might have to increase your budget unless you find a great sale, but it's possible to get a i5 asus for $500 just a matter of timing


Use bestbuy and monitor the prices closely after you buy it, because odds are it will go cheaper a few days within the 30days and you can get the price difference refunded

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/help/lo...0protection;en

thanks.

I seem to see hp, dell in that price range as well.
I want to get MS, not chrome. forgot to mention that as well


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[Arjon]

get her one with a good processor like intel i5 or better

Keep in mind that i5 aka Core i5 is an entire range of processors, that the low and high ends vary significantly in performance, and that the CPUs at the low and high ends of the i5 "family" may overlap with parts of those below (i3) and above (i7). As a result, you're better served by finding out the specific CPU a given laptop has than just its family.

Unfortunately, Intel uses a model name system that can be very confusing, and I'm not informed enough about either side, programs or CPUs, to clear it up for you. What I can say is basically that the level of CPU your daughter needs depends upon factors that include which programs she'll be running and how demanding they are, plus how likely she is to start running more demanding ones and when, and how long you want her to use this laptop before it's replaced.
Fwiw, you can see a lengthy list of laptop CPU speed ratings at https://www.cpubenchmark.net/laptop.html

[anisa]

Thank you both for the input.

The chart is helpful as well, definitely will keep that handy.



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[anisa]

I'm mulling over this Asus laptop.



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[Arjon]

Looking into the kinds of software your daughter is likely to use during the intended life of the laptop should give you a decent ballpark idea of the level of hardware she'll need in order to run it. Buying the hardware without knowing what it will be used for increases the likelihood of a mismatch.

[TimH]

It's been long since your post and hopefully you've already got the perfect one.
Still, if you haven't got that yet, there's a comparison you may wish to take a look at DigitalArtOnline

[anisa]

Thank you for the link

And no we didn't get one because she said she didn't want to get one, and now she does, so I should be on the lookout again.

She is a funny kid, she feels like she is imposing by getting a laptop, but I will do anything for her

[Ciel]

I'd suggest visiting a Staples store to look at the laptops in your price range for 1) design appeal and features 2)get a sense of price shock (my two picks are at the $800 range and well, I have to figure out how to get that kind of money before adding a wireless mouse and other things) and more importantly 3) see which kinds of memory slots and how many are offered on each laptop. Very few laptops offer regular USB slots or just one USB slot then a micro USB one. That may be relevant if your DD intends to store her work on external devices and suddenly discovers she does not have the right connector (though Staples does sell a $90 adaptor kit of 5 connectors to fix the USB/micro USB/camera card divide-saw it in a flyer but have not bought one to see how the adaptors work in RL).

I too want MS products on my future laptop.

If your daughter is big on digital art, Macs are considered the big deal in graphic design.

[Ciel]

It might help to look at art college programs to see what computer specs are listed for their animation or digital art programs? Then you'd know what laptop could carry on supporting DD's art when she goes to school.

Does her school board have any information about computers for their programming or digital courses that might be useful in your search? Seems so many school boards are keen to let parents know where iPads and other computers or tablets are used in school curricula.