Question Trying to choose between Lenovo Ideapad and Dell Inspiron

[arya22]

I am a student, looking for a budget laptop which is good for programming and potentially working with large datasets (although this isn't as important, as I have access to the lab machines at uni). I also do digital art, so I'm looking for something that can run Photoshop and Illustrator smoothly.

My budget is around £600. There is a bit of a shortage of computers at the moment, so my choice is limited. Right now, I am struggling to choose between

• Lenovo Ideapad 5 15.6 inch Ryzen 7 8GB RAM 512 GB SSD
• Dell Inspiron 15 15.6 inch Intel Core i5 8GB RAM, 512 GB SSD

Links to both here:
https/www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B08BJ98X4Q/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=lenovo%2Bideapad%2B5%2B15&qid=1599639282&sr=8-6&th=1
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...l-core-i5-512-gb-ssd-silver-10199737-pdt.html

I would also consider other options in the 500-650 GBP price range. I don't intend on doing any gaming. Mostly work and art. I have been looking at Asus Vivobook and Huawei Matebook options as well, though Matebook is out because of the weird camera angle. I am looking for something durable that will last at least a few years (my current Toshiba Satellite is still running after 7 years but it's too slow for what I need). I am flexible with screen sizes. I was considering 14 inch laptops, but I thought I would probably feel more comfortable with a key pad. But if there is some great 14 inch laptop I am missing, please let me know. I would also really appreciate if anyone could explain the differences between the processors of the two laptops above!

Edit: do people find 256GB SSD sufficient? At the moment, I am going for the 512 GB, but I would consider getting something with less SSD space and buying an external hard drive.

Thanks in advance for the help! )

 

[AlHuneke]

Speaking just for myself, I have 256GB and currently use about 1/3 of that. However, I keep photos and music and rarely accessed files on a home server (otherwise I would fill my local drive). The key for me is to clean off the extra "crapware", not install stuff I don't use and clean the system regularly. I know the Adobe tools are large installs. It really depends on how much you need to keep immediately available and what you might be able to store in the cloud (I have 3 TB of dropbox space and 4TB on my server). It all comes down to discipline.