Dell Latitude 5420 - i5 11th Gen, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Sixteen gigabytes changes what a laptop is for. With 8GB you close things before you open other things; with 16GB you stop thinking about it. This 5420 pairs that memory with a 512GB NVMe drive and an 11th generation Core i5, and it is the machine we recommend to anyone who keeps a design tool, a browser and a video call running at the same time. The panel is bright with no marks anywhere on it. The keyboard has not developed the shine that gives away heavy use, and the backlight is even. Hinges are tight enough that the screen does not nod when you type. We ran it through a full storage and memory test, checked the smart card slot along with the usual ports, and confirmed the webcam and both microphones. The battery holds a genuinely useful charge. If your work is the reason you are buying, rather than a course or a first machine, this is the one worth stretching for. Bring a memory card or a hard disk when you come and copy something across before you decide; we would rather you tested it than took our word for it.