Top 4 #BestCollege Laptops

[NiftyMist]

the last two videos didn't go on vessel early? what is this

YES!  Are the days of being a Vessel subscriber over?  I felt so privileged seeing videos a week early.  

[ryder_strong]

Long time viewer, first time poster.

 

This list makes me wonder if anyone at LTT went to college or university. Other than cost, the most important factors for a student should be battery life and screen resolution. Neither of these were mentioned as determining factors.

 

At the price points you mentioned, why no XPS 13 (does Best Buy not sell them?), or MBA or rMBP (I'm pretty sure Best Buy sells those). Why no Chromebooks to round out the bottom end? Your regular laptop reviews provide more information for students than this one did.

 

If you're going to shill out and make a video for a decidedly non-enthusiast company like Best Buy, you could at least put some effort and research into it, so that it is also informative.

[NickTheMajin]

That HP Stream is an absolutely terrible laptop for college kids (and just about anyone to be honest). It has a 32GB SSD and the OS takes up nearly all of it. I work at a store that carries them and they all have 5-6GB of storage free with nothing installed but Windows. 5-6GB for a college kid? Really? 

 

Remove the Stream. It's a waste. Add the entry level Macbook Airs. Best Buy sells them for a couple hundred less than Apple.com typically. And add the HP Spectre. 

[CakesCakesCakes]

Kinda crazy how he didn't pick the Macbook Pro.  It really is a great bang for the buck @ the student reduced price of $1200.  Amazing build quality/keyboard/trackpad, 1600p screen, unix environment, 8 gigs of ram, i5, and an SSD.  

[linuxfan66]

hey, he is upfront about best buy being involved right?

[Nowak]

hey, he is upfront about best buy being involved right?

Yes, he directly mentions that this was Best Buy's idea (but his own choices) at the beginning and end of the video.

[Bloodyvalley]

I have been waiting for this video for over a month!

[TheProfosist]

YES! Are the days of being a Vessel subscriber over? I felt so privileged seeing videos a week early.

It still has some on there youtube doesn't have. Thing involving advertising don't go on there first. Linus mentioned this way back when vessel started. I'm guessing it'll be the same for Pax stuff too.

Long time viewer, first time poster.

This list makes me wonder if anyone at LTT went to college or university. Other than cost, the most important factors for a student should be battery life and screen resolution. Neither of these were mentioned as determining factors.

At the price points you mentioned, why no XPS 13 (does Best Buy not sell them?), or MBA or rMBP (I'm pretty sure Best Buy sells those). Why no Chromebooks to round out the bottom end? Your regular laptop reviews provide more information for students than this one did.

If you're going to shill out and make a video for a decidedly non-enthusiast company like Best Buy, you could at least put some effort and research into it, so that it is also informative.

Yes quite a few of them did go to college. He actually just mentioned that again in a video recently. I'll agree with battery life but screen resolution would be a preference. Either way all of those minute the HP Steam have 1080p or higher resolution displays.

If I recall the XPS13 falls into the same category as the Yoga 3 does it not? So that would be why it's not on the list. You get a great laptop for the price. That Yoga 3 is essentially the replacement for the Yoga 2 Pro that everyone loved.

Biggest hurdle for MacBook's would probably be OSX and just the higher cost for similar performance and even build when compared to PC counterparts. Also of you do want an Apple product you probably won't even be considering a PC so why recommend it?

Why no chrome book? Because he choose the HP stream which is vastly more useful being a full windows laptop at the same relative price.

That HP Stream is an absolutely terrible laptop for college kids (and just about anyone to be honest). It has a 32GB SSD and the OS takes up nearly all of it. I work at a store that carries them and they all have 5-6GB of storage free with nothing installed but Windows. 5-6GB for a college kid? Really?

Remove the Stream. It's a waste. Add the entry level Macbook Airs. Best Buy sells them for a couple hundred less than Apple.com typically. And add the HP Spectre.

So what the more restricted chrome book with possibly even less storage would be better? I guess what are you doing in/for college that requires more than 5-6GB of local storage? And what replace it with something 3x the price? I think you missing this whole price point thing but maybe I'm wrong... My only comment on the Spectre is don't but it I don't know if the first batch was a dud or what but I've already worked on a number and they just came out shortly before windows 10.

Kinda crazy how he didn't pick the Macbook Pro. It really is a great bang for the buck @ the student reduced price of $1200. Amazing build quality/keyboard/trackpad, 1600p screen, unix environment, 8 gigs of ram, i5, and an SSD.

See my reasoning above on that.

hey, he is upfront about best buy being involved right?

Very much so and even kinda explains what he thought about it.

[rancor1223]

I'm a bit dumbfounded. Is it normal for (American) college students to drop $1000+ on a notebook? Seem  unnecessary for a student and pointless addition to already giant debt

[HaloFan9087]

Why are there two premium grade laptops/tablets in this video.  That does not make sense.  If you want a "college laptop" the focus should be on the necessities and budget... not 16gb ram, i7's and gaming... smh.  For anyone interested... Dell has some reasonable back to school deals that may be worth considering.

 

Yesterday he had a bank as a sponsor, today a big box electronic store... whats next a plug for the local BMW dealership that is offering 1.99% financing on the all new BMW 1 series (insert shameless plug for his video where he and Luke test drive it here....) god damn.

 

edit: I guess this is what happens when we all use adblock... the videos themselves become ads.... sigh

[itsjustawizard]

Right now the whole MacBook line is in disarray. The air can have decent specs but you still get a very poor screen.

Also one would have to be accustomed to OSX. If there were they probably wouldn't even be looking at anything else, basically no need to advertise.

Also I still find power user things lacking. They hide stuff on purpose idk widow management too. Also how it handles files is just not as good.

OS aside the Yoga 3 offers more than the Air for less with similar if not better build.

Definitely valid points.  The thing is, this list is supposed to be for students.  For a student that specifically wants easy setup, great customer support, easy backups, long battery life, solid build (have not found a better trackpad), easy integration with other gadgets, useful included software, no bloatware, etc. the MBA is an obviously solid option.  Which is not to say it's the best option in all scenarios.  I just found it really odd and maybe foolish to exclude it from a list like this when it's such a universally lauded option for the market that this video is addressing.

[WiiManic]

I'm a bit dumbfounded. Is it normal for (American) college students to drop $1000+ on a notebook? Seem  unnecessary for a student and pointless addition to already giant debt

I bought a SP3 for my Uni studies.

 

It wasn't needed, but I wanted one and knew it would help me out greatly.

No course is really going to require a PC/Laptop, but its going to help certain people.

For me, spending cash on something to make both studying easier and my course easier is worth spending of £800+.

Then again UK student loans are a bit different to US ones, but still.

 

To me its a tool for my work that makes it better and easier for me to get my work done.

There was nothing really out that could do what the SP3 did, so I bought one. Now, a S3 would probably do most things I want, but the extra power is nice for VMs.

£800 is "only" under a month of a summer job at minimum wage, so I saw it as a decent investment. 

[TheConverter]

Y no tablets???
 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S:
 

OLED 2560x1600 Display

Octacore CPU @ 1,9GHz

3 GB ram

465g

 

311$

 

Yes you can install Windows or even Mac Yosemite on it.

[smjpl]

That low end super budget laptop seemed shit. For that price range, one might be better off going second hand. There can be some decent deals out there. Especially if you look for old business grade laptops. I picked up a Lenovo T400 (Core2Duo T9400, 4GB, 160GB) for €100. Currently using it to build a website and it runs like a dream. Never stalls or gets sluggish. Quick to boot and the battery isn't bad either.  

 

My initial budget was €200 which doesn't leave much in terms of brand new hardware. Was looking at a first gen i5 (560M) Dell and Lenovo for €200 - €260 but decided to go with Lenovo T400 for €100 and put a ssd and 4GB ram in for an extra €100. But once I got it, it was so good for the price, that putting in ssd and ram wasn't worth doubling its price. So I got a €100 bargain.

[Jimbillroo Digital]

The HP Stream... has a white keyboard with a blue chassis. Oh hell no.

[Scia]

They are time constrained video's and needed to be up publicly by a certain date.

I don't get this response as those were all sold choices with good reasoning behind each.

MacBook wouldn't be my choice. I rather have a ThinkPad but I'm a enthusiast, not Linus's main audience. Also try and think why they have MacBook's even though there are great alternatives.

He picked a gaming laptop, yes a single one. And I agree with the thin and light choice 970m could be a 960m but if you actually plan to use it for gaming your goona want a good experience. Umm you shouldn't game during class, like really if your going to do that why be there...

The Yoga 3 took the premium spot. And in my opinion the stream is a better choice than any chrome book since you get a real OS.

The main reason for no thinkpads is best buy doesn't sell them through their consumer facing channel. But a yoga is the next best thing.

Also ill agree a student doesn't need a gaming laptop but there are many that want just that. Personally I'd still much rather have my desktop and then something light with decent power. (X1 Carbon why can't you have 16GB of ram?)

 

The problem is the misleading title. It should be called "My favorite laptops from Best Buy".

 

And well, I'm using Linux (Arch / Antergos) on my Server and Main PC (Work), a MBPr13 2015 (Work) and Win10 for games, solely (Win sucked soo hard since 7, no use for anything else.).

 

The reason a MBP is awesome at college / university is that it is extremely well supported. You'll find everything from SPSS to AxureRP for Mac, usually they work a lot smoother, programming on Mac is basically the same as programming on Linux, without the stability hassle and more support for other programs. Windows plain sux for programming. 

My MBP lasts me 8-10h at University, never hassles with even the oldest projectors, and LaTeX on windows plain sux balls [and once you have to write scientific papers, there's no way around LaTeX].

 

Getting used to OSX is very quick, as the UX / Usability is proven to be far superior than M$ Windows. From feedback to interaction.

 

I have no problems with VPNs [as you can use the integrated one to connect to Cisco, where as on M$ you'll have to use to most shitty piece of software ever -> AnyConnect].

 

And I have to say, I have been using my MBP daily for the past 4 months. I have not had a single crash, lockup, stutter, BSOD, or anything remotely comparable. Those things are reliable, and they actually fulfill my expectations I have for a work laptop -> Turn on, do work, turn off. With win laptops you constantly have to fix something [Had Dells, Sony, Lenovo, HP, ASUS (Worst of all by far) over the past 10 years] there's always a reason to reboot or worse.

 

The fun part is, that I was almost going to buy a Thinkpad X260. With a fullhd screen, 8gb ram, 240gb SSD it would've run me 1.8k CHF [2000$]

 

The MBPr 256gb SSD 8gb RAM base CPU ran me 1450 CHF [~1600$]. So not even the argument of too expensive still stands.

 

And the recent Lenovo trouble about non-removable bloatware that reinstalls itself after fresh install of Win and so on make me not even consider Lenovo, with which Win laptops died for me. R.I.P. 

 

 

And about the gaming laptop. No, just no, you sometimes have to have a working PC for 4-8h without being near a power outlet. a 5kg PC that lasts for 2h max before the battery is dead or it catches on fire due to the /irony  awesome cooling /irony is not really handy at all, neither for productivity, carrying or note taking in general, as your PC will be dead by the 2nd lecture. Oh and don't for get the additional 3kg power brick, that is heavy enough to beat some1 to death.

 

The fact that this list makes no mention of anything from Apple makes me think that LTT is pretty out of touch.  This is the only "best of" laptop list that I've seen in years that doesn't include some kind of MacBook.  They make amazing student computers, especially if you already have an iPhone (which accounts for a huge chunk of North America and an even higher percentage of students if firsthand observations mean anything (yes, I know they don't haha)) if only because of the smooth-as-hell integration of cloud services across devices.  Apple makes some seriously multitasking-friendly laptops due to the trackpad gestures that are available in OS X.  The build quality is top notch for anyone who's throwing laptops/notebooks into backpacks and such.  Also, the included software e.g. iMovie, Pages, GarageBand has made a couple school projects go way smoother than if I were using something else.  Oh yeah, the battery life is great too.

 

I really nearly did a spit take when I saw Surface Pro 3 on this list and not MacBook Air, lol.

 

This ^

 

Right now the whole MacBook line is in disarray. The air can have decent specs but you still get a very poor screen.

Also one would have to be accustomed to OSX. If there were they probably wouldn't even be looking at anything else, basically no need to advertise.

Also I still find power user things lacking. They hide stuff on purpose idk widow management too. Also how it handles files is just not as good.

OS aside the Yoga 3 offers more than the Air for less with similar if not better build.

 

As mentiones, UX of OSX is far superior to WIndows, getting accustomed to it took me literally 1.5days of medium workload. Which is also the explanation for your statement "If there were they probably wouldn't even be looking at anything else, basically no need to advertise"

 

The problem with the yoga line up [my brother has the 2 pro and the 3 pro] is that battery life is abyssmal, and so is the heat dissipation. It plain up sux.

[TheProfosist]

I'm a bit dumbfounded. Is it normal for (American) college students to drop $1000+ on a notebook? Seem  unnecessary for a student and pointless addition to already giant debt

Want a laptop that will last you the 4+ years and have enough power for what you want to do? Yep $1000 is right around where a quality laptop is and has been for sometime like 10 years now. That laptop is small compared to the cost of school...

Why are there two premium grade laptops/tablets in this video.  That does not make sense.  If you want a "college laptop" the focus should be on the necessities and budget... not 16gb ram, i7's and gaming... smh.  For anyone interested... Dell has some reasonable back to school deals that may be worth considering.

 

Yesterday he had a bank as a sponsor, today a big box electronic store... whats next a plug for the local BMW dealership that is offering 1.99% financing on the all new BMW 1 series (insert shameless plug for his video where he and Luke test drive it here....) god damn.

 

edit: I guess this is what happens when we all use adblock... the videos themselves become ads.... sigh

There are technically three... There was one system which was specifically choosen as a gaming system. You seem to be ignoring certain things here.

Yes he did one time ads for companies which is quite a bit different that the sponsor things he normally does. Also Best Buy has a decent selection of laptops so I dont know how much different his selections would have been...

If you dont like it dont watch its pretty simple. if it doesnt do well it wont be done again.

Definitely valid points.  The thing is, this list is supposed to be for students.  For a student that specifically wants easy setup, great customer support, easy backups, long battery life, solid build (have not found a better trackpad), easy integration with other gadgets, useful included software, no bloatware, etc. the MBA is an obviously solid option.  Which is not to say it's the best option in all scenarios.  I just found it really odd and maybe foolish to exclude it from a list like this when it's such a universally lauded option for the market that this video is addressing.

Is windows setup hard? It walks you though everything just like Mac.

Support wise both Microsoft and Lenovo are great, as for the HP its essentially designed to be a throw away laptop. There are people that already sis this with the $300-$350 15in laptop with AMD E series processors (tablet processors essentially). Apple is kinda nice where you can go into the store for stuff if its covered or you have apple care.

As for backup's File History that has been in since Win8 is flawless and id say actually easier to retrieve backup's from than Time machine when going after specific things.

Build wise its quite good but many of the aluminum windows based models are on par, like the Yoga 3. Heck id actually say a ThinkPad is above them even though it might not feel "as premium". As for the trackpad they have nice ones if that is your main interface. To this day I still personally prefer non integrated left and right click buttons which is something they dont offer. You also might be surprised by the number of people who just flat out refuse to use trackpads. Also if given the option anyone who has spent real time with a trackpoint would take one of those, sadly none of the options had that (understandably so though).

Easy integration with other gadgets only comes if you are already in teh Apple ecosystem and like I said if you are your probably not looking at a PC.

Windows does surprisingly have some useful software its just that people tend to assume its not there or you have to download it. What comes with OSX is pretty nice if you have nothing else.

Sadly bloatware (which is easily removable) is a side effect of the lower price. They add this stuff to get additional revenue to offset selling it cheaper. Actually on low end laptop's they may not be making money without it.

Ill disagree with the air straight away being that its in an odd place with the New MacBook and its low res screen. Also things like Yoga 3 are just a better bang for the buck. I mean I dont use touchscreens on laptops but many people do. Its a wonder why Apple hasnt done this yet.

Y no tablets???

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S:

 

OLED 2560x1600 Display

Octacore CPU @ 1,9GHz

3 GB ram

465g

 

311$

 

Yes you can install Windows or even Mac Yosemite on it.

Did you miss the Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 recommendations?

That low end super budget laptop seemed shit. For that price range, one might be better off going second hand. There can be some decent deals out there. Especially if you look for old business grade laptops. I picked up a Lenovo T400 (Core2Duo T9400, 4GB, 160GB) for €100. Currently using it to build a website and it runs like a dream. Never stalls or gets sluggish. Quick to boot and the battery isn't bad either.  

 

My initial budget was €200 which doesn't leave much in terms of brand new hardware. Was looking at a first gen i5 (560M) Dell and Lenovo for €200 - €260 but decided to go with Lenovo T400 for €100 and put a ssd and 4GB ram in for an extra €100. But once I got it, it was so good for the price, that putting in ssd and ram wasn't worth doubling its price. So I got a €100 bargain.

actually it not as bad as you think once yo usee it in person for that price on a new laptop. But you have to remember its and ad for bestbuy who does not sell used laptops from 5+ years ago.

[Agent181]

Linus gone totally wrong with this one.

''Gaming laptop'' trend doesn't mean that student needs a 1500 dollar gaming laptop because he wants to play CSGO at lectures.No.This trend is bullshit.I am suprised that Linus didn't mentioned Dell XPS series,MacBook/MBA or Lenovo X or T series.Or even Chromebooks with possibility to transform it to a lightweight Linux machines.In my opinion,student doesn't have 1500 for trendy computer and doesn't need to.Student needs lightweight laptop,which he can carry around and take some notes.For me,Surface Pro(because of stylus and OneNote thingy) and HP Stream made sense to me.

sponsored video so he had to chose from best buy and well if you haven't seen their site well this is the nest they have on there its sad

[bobman279]

Linus I would rename this video to #bestoverkillschoollaptops as at my school the only place you see i5s, i7s 1tb hard drives and graphics cards is in the media based desktop pcs many of the younger grades run around with Celerons, Pentiums and i3s the screen sizes you have picked out are around the size we use at school from 12 inch up to 14 inches and yes it is a very good size (20 inch laptops are HEAVY) I will make a post on the forums of everything I have said here but could you do another video perhaps on laptops for high school students? I am currently using a hp 4230s and it has been good so far​

[itsjustawizard]

Want a laptop that will last you the 4+ years and have enough power for what you want to do? Yep $1000 is right around where a quality laptop is and has been for sometime like 10 years now. That laptop is small compared to the cost of school...

There are technically three... There was one system which was specifically choosen as a gaming system. You seem to be ignoring certain things here.

Yes he did one time ads for companies which is quite a bit different that the sponsor things he normally does. Also Best Buy has a decent selection of laptops so I dont know how much different his selections would have been...

If you dont like it dont watch its pretty simple. if it doesnt do well it wont be done again.

Is windows setup hard? It walks you though everything just like Mac.

Support wise both Microsoft and Lenovo are great, as for the HP its essentially designed to be a throw away laptop. There are people that already sis this with the $300-$350 15in laptop with AMD E series processors (tablet processors essentially). Apple is kinda nice where you can go into the store for stuff if its covered or you have apple care.

As for backup's File History that has been in since Win8 is flawless and id say actually easier to retrieve backup's from than Time machine when going after specific things.

Build wise its quite good but many of the aluminum windows based models are on par, like the Yoga 3. Heck id actually say a ThinkPad is above them even though it might not feel "as premium". As for the trackpad they have nice ones if that is your main interface. To this day I still personally prefer non integrated left and right click buttons which is something they dont offer. You also might be surprised by the number of people who just flat out refuse to use trackpads. Also if given the option anyone who has spent real time with a trackpoint would take one of those, sadly none of the options had that (understandably so though).

Easy integration with other gadgets only comes if you are already in teh Apple ecosystem and like I said if you are your probably not looking at a PC.

Windows does surprisingly have some useful software its just that people tend to assume its not there or you have to download it. What comes with OSX is pretty nice if you have nothing else.

Sadly bloatware (which is easily removable) is a side effect of the lower price. They add this stuff to get additional revenue to offset selling it cheaper. Actually on low end laptop's they may not be making money without it.

Ill disagree with the air straight away being that its in an odd place with the New MacBook and its low res screen. Also things like Yoga 3 are just a better bang for the buck. I mean I dont use touchscreens on laptops but many people do. Its a wonder why Apple hasnt done this yet.

Did you miss the Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 recommendations?

actually it not as bad as you think once yo usee it in person for that price on a new laptop. But you have to remember its and ad for bestbuy who does not sell used laptops from 5+ years ago.

Again, my point is not to say that MacBooks are the best for everyone or that they are the only computers with theses advantages, but they consistently have these advantages throughout the entire line.  This is an admirable trait for a computer company, and definitely makes their computers worthy of the attention they get everywhere else - but puzzlingly not in a video from a reviewer that I'm again surprised can't look past personal bias.

 

TL;DR - (Surface Pro 3 > MacBook Air) = WTF

[Scia]

...- but puzzlingly not in a video from a reviewer that I'm again surprised can't look past personal bias.

 

*can't look past Best Buy's selection.

 

 

The saddest part, is not Linus doing a commercial, it's Linus doing a commercial on his channel, posted as a regular videos. Low, just low.

[WildSpartanz]

I would love to see a video like this except instead for College/School its for Video Editors and GFX Artist on the go I would love to see that!

[Litargirio]

I have a friend who works at repairing PCs and laptops. The vast majority of the laptops that come in with because of overheating and other problems are HP ones.

 

HP's build quality is terrible, I once owned an HP laptop and it died to overheating too.

 

Seriously, how did you recommend an HP laptop, @LinusTech ? They are the absolute worst.

[SirSquid]

Please, please, please do not get an hp stream 11/13.

 

1. The build quality IS HORRIBLY.  I take care of my laptops but this thing is a scratch magnet and my headphone port died in 2 month (headphone port was fixed by the warranty).   
2. The celeron struggles A LOT, want to watch the latest ltt video in 720P NOPE  frames drop everywhere (fixed with Ubuntu).
3. The heat.  while watching twitch my average temps is 75C way too hot for a passively cooled laptop.
4. Upgrades. The ram and the storage is soldered on to the motherboard. your only chose is using one of the two Msata slots.

Save up and buy a cheap i3 laptop.  and if you truly need the office 365 subscription get a hp strean 7/8.

And one more note, i have used 3 different stream 13s and two were IPS. 

[Commander Llama]

sponsored video so he had to chose from best buy and well if you haven't seen their site well this is the nest they have on there its sad

 

While this is true, Best Buy (in Canada and I'm assuming US too) carries Apple laptops, as well as Dell, Asus, and others.