Is a laptop or chromebook suitable for homeschool students?
Is a laptop or chromebook suitable for homeschool students?
Hello everyone.
We have recently transitioned our daughters into homeschooling. Their current grades are in the K, 4, and 5 levels. We’re aiming to ensure these purchases remain valuable for several years ahead. Our goal is to keep their computers affordable, mainly because they’ve only used inexpensive tablets before and have had issues with them breaking. We don’t want to provide them with costly devices that they’ll likely replace soon. They’re currently using Time4Learning, which offers animated lessons and videos accessible through the browser. In the coming months, we might diversify their learning tools, but for now, it seems they’ll stick mostly to similar content—animated lessons or simple educational games.
That’s the main purpose.
However, we also aim to give them a few smaller, straightforward games to play on their computers. These should be basic, not overly complex, and definitely not too graphically intensive—just enough to spark interest in gaming.
I’ve assembled desktops or modified existing ones for about 20 years now. Yet, I’ve never explored the budget laptop market closely. My experience is limited to just two laptops: the original MSI GT80 Titan with dual GPUs and another MSI model featuring an i7 processor and 1060 graphics card. I’m curious—can the budget Celeron N4000 series laptops handle low-end RPGs, educational software, builder games, and even basic multiplayer titles? I don’t have much concern about browsers or video playback; they should be fine on a toaster now. My main worry is ensuring they can use these devices beyond just browser-based classes.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Let’s test them side by side with my desktop and their mother’s laptop right away.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
You don't have to worry much about browsers, their classes, or watching videos—today's technology can handle all that even on a toaster.
Bottom-of-the-barrel style laptops should work well for basic tasks like running programs and webcams, but they're mainly suited for classes and productivity work.
Looking for low-end RPGs, educational games, builder titles, and super low-end multiplayer games?
Feel free to list the game titles you plan to use on your proposed laptop or notebook purchase.