Choosing a Laptop
Choosing a Laptop
I am planning to attend Erasmus studies in October and need to purchase a laptop.
I have several options: a T480S with 20GB RAM, i5 8250u, 552GB SSD, UHD 620 graphics, refurbished for 300 euros; an HP Elitebook 840 G6 Grade A Refurbished with Intel Core i5-8365u, 16GB RAM, 512MB, for 230 euros; a Dell Inspiron 15 3250 with i5-1235U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, around 400 euros and nearly new.
My budget is between 300 and 350 euros.
I need something suitable for school work as well as for playing games like League of Legends and indie titles.
Which of these would be a good choice within the same price range? Or would you recommend an alternative within that amount? Thank you very much!
If you have only the three options mentioned, I would consider this suggestion:
A Dell Inspiron 15 3250 featuring an i5-1235U CPU, 8GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD for approximately 400 euros, nearly brand new.
It supports native Windows 11, while Windows 10 will likely become unsupported by the end of this year. You’ll face challenges with only 8GB of RAM in 2025 onward.
Would you prefer an alternative option within a similar price range? Around 300 to 350 euros would be ideal.
Please include details from this thread when asking, so we can better recommend a laptop that fits your needs.
Your budget is generally between 300 and 350 euros. I’m open to reaching up to 400 if the opportunity seems very good.
The notebook size you’re evaluating ranges from 14 to 15.6 inches. It should not be overly large yet offer a pleasant screen for everyday use.
You require a minimum resolution of Full HD, specifically 1920x1080.
You prefer portability over a desktop setup.
A battery life of at least five hours would be ideal, though not critical.
If you wish to play games, please list the titles and the desired settings (Low, Medium or High).
I’m okay with light gaming only—such as League of Legends (Medium), indie titles like Hollow Knight, Hades, Terraria, Stardew, etc.—and I expect stable performance at lower settings.
You’d like to use your laptop for browsing, streaming, document work, and light multitasking.
The storage capacity you need is around 512GB SSD.
If you have any preferred retailers, share their links.
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s - Skroutz
https://refurbished24.gr/product/le...Yj...neEALw_wcB
Dell Inspiron 15 3520 2022 Release Date (slightly used, for reference)
HP Elitebook G6 840
https://refone.gr/d10910?gad_source...8y...0XEALw_wcB
You’re considering keeping the laptop for at least three to four years, possibly longer if it lasts.
You need to use optical drives—DVD ROM/Writer or Bluray ROM/Writer are acceptable.
No specific requirements here.
Your preferred brands and those you dislike are not listed, with reasons provided where applicable.
The country of residence is Greece.
Any further details you’d like to share are welcome.
The main laptops under consideration are:
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s – i5-8250U, 20GB RAM, 552GB NVMe SSD – priced around 300€
Dell Inspiron 15 3520 – i5-1235U (12th Gen), 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – approximately 350–400€
HP Elitebook G6 840 Refurbished – i5 8365u, 16GB, 512M2