Computer Purchasing Guide and Recommendations

Chromebooks

Pros: Great Battery life, low cost, ease of use, does productivity work efficiently.

Cons: Not ideal for GPU based workloads such as nonlinear video editing, CAD, and software development.

Use case: General Computing (eg. word processing, web browsing, media viewing)

Recommended Models

14 inch

Specs

	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	4gb	4gb
Screen Resolution	1366x768	1920x1080
Storage	16gb	32gb
End of auto update	2025	2026+

How to check how long a Chromebook will continue to receive updates check

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Windows Laptops

Pros: Can do almost any computing task, huge software catalog, large variety of form factors and models to choose from.

Cons: More expensive than Chromebooks, cheapest options can be a poor experience, Windows is less intuitive than ChromeOS.

Use case: General Computing, CAD, programming, Video Editing, Graphics work

Specs

	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	8gb	16gb
Storage	256gb SSD	256+ SSD
CPU	Intel i3, or AMD Ryzen 3	Intel i5, Intel i7, AMD Ryzen 5, or 7
Graphics	Intel integrated	Ryzen Vega, Nvidia GTX/RTX graphics
Operating System	Windows 10, or Linux

Recommended Models: sorted from lowest to highest starting price

Lenovo Ideapad Series *preferably with Ryzen CPU (low cost for good performance)

Acer Nitro 5 Series: affordable entry level to mid range gaming/CAD/Graphic design capable laptops)

Lenovo Thinkpad L,T,X,P lines

Dell XPS 13 and 15 lines: (Focus on portability and battery life over raw performance)

Asus TUF line (mid to high end gaming/CAD/Graphic design laptops)

Razer Blade line (high end gaming/CAD/Graphic design capable)

Mac Laptops (Apple)

Pros: Good build quality (dependent on model), High end specs compared to low cost PC/Chromebook options,

Cons: High price for lower performance than PC alternatives, compatible with less existing software than windows, limited choice of devices. Limited ability to run major enterprise and engineering software (eg. Creo, Solidworks)

Use case: Using apple exclusive software (eg. garageband, iMovie), General Computing,programming, Non Linear Video Editing, Graphics work.

Recommended Models: Like a windows PC it depends on intended task.

General Computing	Graphics Work	Nonlinear Video Editing	Programming
any apple computer	Macbook Pro 16"	Macbook Pro 16"	Macbook Pro 13,16

Minimum recommended Specs:

8GB RAM recommended

128gb SSD minimum | 256gb recommended

Glossary of terms:
terms

CPU: Central Processing unit (or processor) runs programs and executes any general computing task, faster CPU means things tend to open faster.

GPU: Graphics Processing Unit (also known as Video Card), used to render things in 3D and do video work. Very important for CAD, graphic design work, non Linear Video editing and to an extent software development.

RAM: Temporary storage for running tasks, an example of a a ram dependent task would be having many many tabs of chrome/safari open at once.

Non Linear Video Editing: Professional Video Editing software such as FinalCut or Adobe Premiere. Requires a high end computer and vastly more demanding and capable than basic editors such as iMovie or Windows Movie maker.

General Computing: Document/presentation/spreadsheet creation, email, Anything that can be done in a web browser, etc.