Best College Laptops

College Laptop Guide

6 Comments

If you’re headed to college, besides new clothes, bedding, and a shower caddy, the one thing you definitely want to bring with you is a new college laptop computer. But as a new student dealing with tuition and room and board, you’re also going to want to save money. What are some of the ways that you can accomplish both of these goals?

First, consider that you don’t necessarily have to have the newest and most trendy and the best college laptop. If you are not going to be doing complex programming—in other words, if you’re like most students, using your computer for word processing, surfing the Internet, sending email, and for music and videos—you can likely get by with a less expensive machine than others might need.

Second, less expensive brands can be just as useful as some of the trendier, more expensive models. For example, you might pay upwards of $1,000 for a basic Apple Mac book, even with Apple’s student discount. But if you’re on a budget and looking to save money on your laptop, why not compare it to models put out by Dell, Toshiba, or even Acer? These days, all of the programs you’d want to run are likely available for just about any machine running any popular operating system, so you’ll probably be just as happy with another brand.

Third, shop online. Laptop computers like the one you’re buying for college are commodities. That means that they’re the same thing whether you buy them from one retailer or another. So, you should use that to your advantage by comparing prices online, and even ordering direct from the manufacturer where that’s available. You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save by doing this.

Fourth, if you’re really on a budget, consider purchasing a used laptop for college. You can often find good deals on eBay and craigsist, where you’ll be able to buy your college laptop for $200 or less. The drawback is that there won’t be a warranty, of course. However, if you do go with a used machine, be sure you’re buying a modern enough version to meet your needs; there’s nothing worse than ordering a laptop only to realize it doesn’t have a wireless internet connection for example, because you’ve never seen one so old that it didn’t have one! Also, be sure to reformat the hard drive and add your own software once you buy the laptop. You never know what kinds of sketchy viruses the previous owner might have downloaded by accident, but by formatting and starting over you can enjoy an almost-new laptop experience!

A word of caution: You may be tempted to consider buying one of the less expensive netbook laptops for college, which can run as little as $300 or $400 for a brand new machine. However, if you’re strongly considering this, make sure you go into the store and play around with them for a while. Those small keyboards and tiny screens might be okay for occasional use while traveling, or as a backup machine so that you don’t have to rely completely on the desktop computer back in your dorm room. But if you’re going to be writing papers and virtually living with your computer as many college students do, you might find that a netbook simply isn’t big enough to fit your needs. Remember, the best laptop for college students makes lie easier, not more difficult.

One last tip: Call or email the bookstore at your new college and tell them that you’re planning to buy a new college laptop. You may find that they have great deals for new students that could beat anything you’d find anywhere else.

Reader Question: What is the most important thing for you, in a college laptop?

6 Comments

Bruce Pilgrim

October 5th, 2010 at 8:40 pm    

One thing you will want to make sure of is whether or not you have the right software. It is likely that there are certain requirements for which version of WORD you are using, for example. Find out what software is needed and make sure the laptop you buy can support that software.The latest version of WORD may not be compatible with the software on your laptop, which can cause problems when you submit assignments electronically.

Amrit Sukhani

October 6th, 2010 at 12:57 am    

A good college laptop should have the basic features of a good RAM and a relatively high Hard Disk space. The latest version of Microsoft Office should be installed in the laptop. The laptop should preferably be of a good reputed brand. Necessary warranties of at least one year should come along with the laptop. More importantly, since it would be for the personal use of the student, the pricing of the laptop should be done conservatively so that it does not pinch the pocket of the student and his parents.

Jay Prakash

October 6th, 2010 at 9:29 am    

I think a college laptop should have a good Ram and Hard Disk so that it can work fast. It also should have an internet connection so that the user or the student can get knowledge about new technologies. It should have to installed latest versions of office package or any kind of software which is using by the user or the student. It is also require thing that the price of the laptop should not very high otherwise it can a heavy load on the student’s pocket money.

mimi

October 7th, 2010 at 4:19 pm    

I am in college right now and i am almost finished in my degree. One thing that i really consider as an important thing to consider in owning a laptop is that first is must be friendly user it is because there are some laptop out there that are not user friendly they will just gonna give you a hard time. Second, of course the price i will choose the laptop that i can afford.The software also plays a vital rule in buying and owning laptop i will consider buying a laptop that has a microsoft word, microsoft excel and microsoft office. And i want that my laptop has lots of ports like ( for projector,printer and scanner) these will help me during my reporting and finishing my thesis.

cheryl bevilacqua

October 8th, 2010 at 11:03 pm    

A good college laptop should already be loaded with the latest version of internet access. This is to be considered when the price seems to be a bargain, because to purchase and load software could run an additional $100.00 or more. Laptops may not be a necessity if the price is not right for the student’s budget. In that case, a PC may be the answer, forcing the student to be more astute in manual notetaking and uploading on Word Perfect when back in the dorm.

dharma

October 9th, 2010 at 11:59 pm    

The most important thing to look for in a college laptop is “stability” like that of companys like apple.The laptop might even have an 500gb hard drive and only 1gb ram,in the long run due to low amount of ram the 500gb hard drive would slow down the system so all the components should be of same level the processor should be able to control them with stability thus meeting the stability criteria.The software could be of less considerations since they could be upgraded any time easily ,only the os should be considered a bit.

Leave a reply

Name *

Mail *

Website

Submit Comment