The school holidays are fast drawing to a close and with the new term upon us, it might be about the time you’re on the hunt for laptop suitable for your kids. But lets be honest you don’t trust them with a £800 all-singing machine.
Thankfully, laptops have fallen in price dramatically over the last few years, so you don’t have to worry about kids lacing jam into your £1500 mac keyboard.
We’re going to take a look at a range of Windows laptops that are all under £250, robust and ideal for basic computing tasks.
The Basics
Before we start, here are a few basics for when you’re looking at buying a PC for Kids.
Windows 8
For this guide we’re going to stick with a range of Windows 8.1 installed laptops. Windows is by far the most commonly used operating system, so it’s likely the programmes and files will be fully compatible with what your kids use at school.
Processor, Ram and Hard drive
Your processor, RAM and hard drive are the backbone of the computer. The combination of these components add to the speed, performance and storage of your laptop.
Let’s be honest no child is going to need a £1000 gaming computer, with top of the range graphics for a bit of homework.
In fact in all honesty you can probably find exactly what you need for between £200-£350, but the quality and performance of your computer will vary quite a bit at this level.
The processor is the brain of the computer, it regulates tasks, directs programmes and heavily affects speed and performance.
For laptops at this price range, expect to find a basic to mid-range processor, usually Intel’s Celeron, Pentium or AMD’s E2 processor. They are ideal for simple tasks like creating documents, watching movies and surfing the net.
RAM is the short term memory of the computer, it works with the processor to retrieve useful, often used data. Most of these machines will come equipped with a generous allocation of RAM (about 4-6GB) which is ideal for these simple tasks.
Hard Drives are the storage banks of the computer, they are your digital storage banks. Most basic laptops will come with 500-750GB which is plenty of space for documents, pictures and music.
The Laptops
So let’s move onto some laptops ideal to equip your kids for the new school year.
Lenovo IdeaPad G505 Laptop
For under £250 The Lenovo IdeaPad is a sturdy 15” laptop, robust enough to deal with a flurry of impatient hands but also light enough for kids to carry.
The Lenovo IdeaPad has an AMD E1-2100 Dual Core processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB Hard drive. It covers pretty much all the bases for a sub £250 laptop and would be a perfect starter computer.
You also get an integrated webcam for Skype sessions, HD screen and a battery saving management system for long-lasting power.
Sure it’s not going to be suitable for playing high spec games or design programmes, but for £219 it can more than handle basic tasks.
Lenovo B50 Laptop
Sticking with the Lenovo theme but at even lower price, the Lenovo B50 is a great choice for those wanting to really save money on a laptop.
At £199 or £169 (with cashback) the Lenovo is one of the cheapest full laptops on the market, infact you could probably by two for this price.
You get everything that normally comes with a laptop like a DVD drive, HDMI, USB Webcam and Windows 8.1 but for a serious bargain price.
The B50 is a lighter more portable laptop from Lenovo, but still has 4GB of RAM and a 500GB Hard drive.
Naturally for the price, the processor (Intel Celeron) is a little less powerful than some of its rivals but the B50 will still cope with the basic tasks kids might throw at it.
HP 250 & 255
HP currently offer a great range of entry level laptops ideal for children of varying ages. Both the HP 250 & 255 are sturdy light machines with a robust shell, perfect for everyday computing tasks.
At £219 the HP 255 G2 is an entry-level model. It houses an AMD E2 Processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB processor. Set up is super simple and you get an integrated webcam, DVD rewriter and a nice bright HD screen.
For an extra £30 you can upgrade to the HP 250. With similar features and layout to the 255, the HP 250 has a slightly more powerful Intel Pentium processor, 4GB RAM and a 750GB processor.
Depending on what tasks your kids undertake, you likely see a speed difference between the two HP laptops when multitasking with various programmes and with the start-up speed of applications.
Both machines have an array of connections including USB 3.0, 2 USB 2 slots and, a HDMI port for hooking up to a TV.
Acer Aspire E3-111
For those parents looking for a more portable option, the Acer Aspire E3 is designed with transport in mind. Its 11”, lightweight and pretty sleek looking compared to other models in the low £200’s range.
Size-wise, you might compare the E3 to an old-style, netbook but you’ll find far better performance out of this Acer. The E3 has an Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive crammed into its 1.3KG frame.
Because the Acer is a smaller laptop, it doesn’t come equipped with a DVD drive, but you still get Windows 8.1, an array of USBs, HDMI’s and an integrated webcam.
