The first thing any college bound student needs to do is find out from their school if there are any specific guidelines to be followed for laptops. For the average college student, a system with at least a 320 GB hard drive is standard as they will no doubt have music and videos in addition to school-related documents and programs. When it comes to processing speed a dual core processor of no less than 4 GB RAM will do.

Some of the top offerings on the market are:

1. HP Pavilion dm1z: This offering from HP is priced at under $500 making it a good deal for most college students. Its specs include a dual core CPU, 3 GB RAM and 320 GB of storage. Its 11.6 inch display might be a tad too small for some students. The battery life is not too shabby either, which is important to the always on the go student. Another great feature is the HP Thermal Assistance Software. This cool feature adjusts the fan speed based on it sensing whether the laptop is on a hard surface or someone’s leg. Students will love the comfort of not having to deal with excess heat when the laptop is on their laps.

2. HP Pavilion dv6t: This is a more expensive option, but its specs justify the price. Aside from a 500 GB hard drive it also has 4 GB RAM and is powered by Intel Core i3 and comes with a 15.6 inch display. For students who don’t want to be slowed down by constantly typing passwords, the handy fingerprint reader is a plus. The size of the processor and memory enables smooth running of various applications easily.

3. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420s: This is another example of a quality offering from Lenovo. This laptop has a 320 GB hard drive and a 14 inch display. It also has an impressive 6 GB RAM and the processing power of the Intel Core i3. When it comes to security, few laptops beat the Lenovo. This one comes with a fingerprint reader so you can enable biometric login access. Since students share laptops, at least they don’t have to worry that their passwords can be easily cracked. This allows a better sense of privacy and security.

4. Toshiba satellite C655-S5118: Priced at roughly $450, this is another good deal for the budget conscious college student. With an Intel Core i3-370M and a 320 GB hard drive it should be more than capable of delivering the kind of performance needed for any field of study.

5. Apple MacBook Pro MC700LL: The price may be too much for some college students but it is hard to dismiss any product from the current technology leader, Apple. It has a 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor and a 13.3 inch display, and features a 320 GB hard drive. The design of this laptop also makes it a winner in the opinion of many. Weighing only 4.5 pounds, it can be taken from class to class with no trouble.

6. The Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011: One of the newest laptops on the market, this is definitely no lightweight. With a minimum of 4GB and a maximum of 8GB of memory, this will allow students to run even the most memory intensive applications. Powered with the Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz processor and a 750GB hard drive, most college student will be pleased to own one. The 15-inch screen could have been bigger, but other cool features make up for this. Of course, this doesn’t come cheap with a price tag starting at $2000.

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, web cams and memory card readers now come standard on most laptops and it makes sense to look for these features. Whether being used for class or online discussions about assignments, these features are useful. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth makes it possible to get as Internet access from almost anywhere and sharing of information is greatly enhanced.

Some college kids need more processing power than others or keypads with additional features. For example, mathematics or engineering majors will find a laptop with a separate numbers keypad ideal. Graphic students will need more processing power and a large display. For them a 17 or 19 inch monitor should be a big selling point. Of course, these extras will cost more. Most laptops offering additional power and add-ons will run over $1000.

<strong>Making Comparisons</strong>

Tablet PCs are the obvious choice if the personal criteria are convenience and a lighter load. Beyond these considerations however, technical aspects of these devices might make one or the other more suitable for certain tasks. The decision basically rests on the content of the course and what is required during lectures.

· Tablet PCs: It is true that there are many developers busy churning out apps for these devices. The big question is, how well do they handle full blown, feature rich applications? Users will no doubt prefer to have a mouse on hand, plus the ability to quickly switch between programs and windows as necessary. Typing may be an issue for those less experienced with the touchscreen format, especially with large blocks of information. They are acknowledged to be ideal for settings where previously prepared information, such as literature texts, will be read.

· Laptops: Reports seem to suggest that this is still the king of the classroom setting, even if it is beginning to give some ground to tablets. Its main advantages are of course storage and the types of software it can run. No matter how light manufacturers make it, a laptop will simply never be as light as a tablet PC. As stated previously, they are easier to use when lots of information has to be inputted in a relatively short space of time. The larger screen is also an advantage as windows can be placed side by side and still be viewed comfortably.

There are students and teachers who support using both devices. There is no denying that they complement each other. Most students still seem to have a preference for the depth and functionality of laptops. Tablets are constantly evolving, their portability and lightweight may eventually win the day.

Assuming you know your way around a computer and are able to trouble shoot the simplest of problems you can save a lot of money buying a pc for college versus a mac. Keep it up to date with all the updates and don’t go web browsing in “bad neighborhoods” on the internet.

The inspiron 1545 has a nice large screen and plenty of hard drive space for all your applications and music. This will make your college stay a lot nicer as long as you have a carrying case for it that will protect it in case you accidently drop it. I dropped mine once and had to replace the screen. I am pretty tech savvy so I was able to do it myself with the help of dell’s support site. I didn’t have mine in a nice case like an incase but after I replaced the screen I went out and bought one right away so that wouldn’t happen again.

Some other things I have found to be annoying with this laptop while at college is that the power supply is acting up on me and now it isn’t charging anymore so I constantly have to have it plugged in if I want to use it. I think it might be a faulty power supply or the connection where the power supply plugs into the computer might have come un-welded.

I would also like to say that I would definitely upgrade the laptop from the standard configuration that dell gives you. I chose to upgrade the screen to the extra bright, glossy screen and I also upgraded the wireless card to draft n protocol. It wasn’t that much to upgrade these things and it was well worth it. This is especially true with all the typing I do on this while in college.

So all in all you can save yourself a ton of money buying a dell inspiron 1545 laptop directly from Dell’s website rather than buying an apple macbook. I have also found you can get the best deal from buying directly from Dell’s website. I found it is even a better deal than buying from the discount stores like tiger direct and the like. College is rough enough by itself; you don’t need a crappy laptop dragging you down while you are trying to excel during the best years of your life.

HP academy has its own student academy, where the students can get information on the latest offerings in terms of discounts provided by HP. The students can visit HP student Academy portal to get important information on these discounts. They not only provide offer for students, but also guide the students in arriving at the correct buying decision, based on the student’s requirement.

HP provides a number of branded laptops and tablets at reduced prices for the student community. It provides a savings of 25-35% on HP pavilion laptops, HP G series laptops and HP mini series laptops. Unlike other companies like Apple Mac and Dell, the HP student discount program provides lap top discount programs to the parent of the students. Also when the students complete the higher education, but continue to be in the alumni board of the institution, they are still eligible for these discounts. This is a unique feature of the HP Student Laptop discount program. Also, the members and officials of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) are also eligible for huge discounts on these Laptops.

HP laptops are known for their compactness and at the same time they are known for its longevity in spite of rough usage. HP Pavilion DV4-2161N is an attractive laptop and is ideally suited for the college going crowd, which usually likes to make style statements. In addition to the style, this laptop comes with great configuration such as 2.13GHz Intel Core i3-330M processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM expandable to an impressive 8GB, 500GB SATA hard drive and Windows 7 Home Premium.

The other students HP laptop that are hugely popular with the student crowd include the HP G62T series, which is a 15 inches budget friendly laptop that comes with 30% savings for the students’ community. HP G62X series is another excellent laptop for the student community. One can get the same benefits as with HP 62G series with the additional benefits of a faster Intel Core i3 processor instead of the dual core processor, making it a great buying option for the students. All the student laptops provided by HP are an excellent value for the money. 

HP Student community academy is an excellent place for the students to search for the regular offerings provided by HP. All, the students’ needs to do is to register with the HP Student academy through their student academy portal. After registering, the students can make use of all the facilities provided by the HP Student Academy portal.

Cheap laptops of many brands are available, but Toshiba Satellites have shown greater quality than the competitor’s in their price range. The Toshiba Satellite C650 is a good starting point in a good, but usable laptop. It has decent battery life, and is priced in the neighborhood of 400 dollars. The Toshiba Satellite laptops have a full numberpad on the keyboard, but this takes up space that might be better spent on other keys. It is still much easier to type on than a netbook, though.

For those that have the money, and want to get the top quality for it, the Macbook reigns as one of the best college laptops. While it costs nearly 1000 dollars, the Macbook has been praised as lightweight, easy to use, high quality, stylish, durable, and well worth the investment for anyone that has the money. Some people dislike the occasional quirks in, and general lack of games available for the Mac OS.

If price isn’t an issue, but needing a solid Windows platform is, the Lenovo Thinkpad may be perfect for you. The Thinkpad T series fall at around 900 dollars, but are well built, fast, and have a large array of options. Derived from the IBM Thinkpad, the Lenovo Thinkpad has one of the lowest failure rates of all laptops, helping to insure that you will have your laptop when you need it.

The most popular computer brand on the market is undoubtedly Hewlett Packard. HP offers cheap, medium quality laptops, which fall behind the Thinkpad in performance, behind the Macbook in style, and behind the Satellite in price. However, there is definitely something to be said for mediocrity. An HP Pavillion dv6 has the raw computer power of a Thinkpad or Macbook, but lacks the high price, exacting standards, and incredible feel. The Pavillion will set you back around 500 dollars, and has a higher failure rate than the Thinkpad and Macbook, but is generally is good choice for a normal college student.

For portability, there are expensive ultraportables from the Sony Vaio to the Macbook Air that cram the power of a larger laptop into just a few pound, but the high price precludes these from the college laptop market. Netbooks are a viable way to go if you are always on the go. The MSI Wind is one of the better choices of netbooks. At around 300 dollars, the Wind is small, light, and cheap, while managing to stay on battery for longer than the average netbook today. Like all netbooks, though, the light weight ans low price come at the cost of a higher failure rate, and a miniscule keyboard. If you go this route, definitely find a netbook that you can type on for a while to insure it doesn’t drive you insane.

Ultimately, there is no single best college laptop. The choice you ought to make depends on how much you’re willing to pay, whether you value style in addition to function, and what you need from your laptop. The best laptop you can have is the one that matches you best.

If you can’t make up your mind, and just need something to type papers on, side with the Toshiba. If you’re into gaming, get a Thinkpad with a discrete graphics card. If you want something that will simply work, go with the Macbook. The Wind can be carried with you easily. The Pavillion is a good bet if you don’t really know what you want, or if you want a little bit of everything.

Dell offers a student discount for higher education purposes. The program is to help cushion the burden of adding yet another expense to your educational needs. The Dell discount program is geared to mirror that of the employee discount program; hence it is called EPP on your invoice statement. This is to give the feel of being part of the Dell family. To be a part of all this, the first one need to do is sign up at delluniversity.com, the website for the program. Once there you chose whether you’re a student or a student’s parent. Then you chose what state and school you are in. However, not alls schools are part of the program but most of them are worldwide. In the end the discount is anywhere from 5% to 12% off your purchase added on top of any other Dell sales or deals going on at the time.

Other competitors offer similar deals and discount programs but they aren’t exactly the best for the college life. Apple student discounts for example really target the computers and needed accessories for K-12 schools. That’s kindergarten to senior year of high school. That’s not really what you need at the college level. Hewlett Packard also offers a sizeable student discount program, however their program isn’t as good as some of the actually HP sales you would find. So why bother with a program that will not stack or outshine the standard that everyone else off the street can find? A student discount should be for students and not anyone else and that is exactly what the Dell student discount program delivers.

Life made simple, that’s the motto of Dell. And life can be simple with an Inspiron 17R Laptop which runs roughly around $699 and as low as $21 a month in payments. You can customize this laptop with a variety of features and excellent photo sharing. With a wireless display on an impressive 17.3 inch widescreen high-definition monitor display. One can even choose between an Intel Core i3 and i5 processor.

Or make the most of your day with the Inspiron 15 Laptop. This valuable Dell laptop comes at just under $429 and can be paid off for as a little as $15 a month. With a Pentium dual-core processor and the new Windows 7 64-bit included. This beauty is sporting a high-definition screen on a 15.6 inch widescreen LED display. Complete with a built-in webcam and microphone so you can stay in touch with your loved ones at home whole at school.

As anyone can see, Dell supplies the finest in computer laptops out there and they already come at affordable prices but they also make sure that our youth’s educational needs are met. Why not look into the Dell student discount program? It could be very much worth your weight in gold.

Number 5 on the list is the Apple MacBook. The downside is the price, but for under $1000 you can have a smooth sleek machine that will last for years to come. Apple also offers an incredible service plan that I would recommend to any college student. The MacBook can easily keep up with the fast paced lifestyle of college and still look professional in any setting with its super slim design. The battery life is exceptional as well, and can last through the many hours of papers and internet surfing you are sure to do at all the coffee shops on campus.

Number 4 on the list is the Dell Vostro 3500 with a 2.26 GHz processor, 2 gigs of ram and a 250 GB hard drive you would expect to pay around $550. This laptop allows college students to easily create all the necessary documents throughout the day on a single charge with the correct power settings. The size and weight can comfortably ft into any backpack, but for the price I would like to see a little more performance.

The HP G62-340 squeezes into the number 3 position on the list by sporting a 2.20 GHz processor and 320 GB hard drive and 3GB of RAM standard, all for about the same price as the number 4 laptop. The HP G series laptops are built very well and can accommodate just about anything that the average college student can, I mean will, throw at it. It can create word documents and spreadsheets or help you wind down with a movie after a hard day of classes. This laptop can be found for $550 or less.

Holding the number 2 position is the Gigabyte TouchNote. This laptop contains a 1.66 GHz Processor, enough for any task a college student might need it for, accompanied by versatility. The laptop is able to become a tablet pc; this allows for notes to be “written” on the screen or typed and makes navigation with the computer a lot easier. The battery life is good and this laptop relly has all the extras that college students yearn for, all with a price tage that comes in under $500.

The number 1 position belongs to the HP Mini 110-3130nr, a small netbook that can easily surf the web, type all of your college papers or watch your favorite video between classes. The built in camera allows you to keep in contact with everyone from home or record the pesky roommate who’s sneaking into your secret stash. The keypad is about 92% the size of the average keyboard but after a few sentences you don’t even realize that it’s any different. Its compact size allows college students to carry it anywhere without the bulk and weight of a laptop in your bag. The battery life is great as well, even with the standard battery, but if you want more time the optional extended battery allows hours of useful life without a plug-in. the best news for college students is that you can pick one up for under $300. In my opinion this tough, compact laptop is the best college laptop.

While no laptop is necessarily better than another for a person, its use must truly be considered and any of these five laptops will accommodate the needs of a college student. I hope that these recommendations help in your search for a laptop.

Try to avoid purchasing the cheapest laptop you can find. You don’t want to end up with something that is low quality or wont function well. Processing speed, RAM and Hard Drive space are all essential aspects to consider. What follows is a list of the best college laptops around for the money.

ASUS A52F-X3 15.6-inch

For as little as $550, this laptop packs a lot in. The medium speed Intel dual core i3-350M processor and 4GB of RAM provides average to good performance. It isn’t very compact, and its built in web-cam has low resolution, however with a dual layer DVD burner, a 320GB hard drive, and a 15.6-inch display, you can’t go wrong for the price.

HP G62t

Another laptop with a 15.6 inch display, athis may be one of the best budget choices available right now. With a 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive, and 4GB of RAM, it can handle all your email, web browsing and media playing with ease. Gamers should look elsewhere, however. Its graphics card can’t handle anything visually intense. But when the price is 600 dollars, it provides exceptional function for what you will pay.

HP G42-240

 One of the downsides of many budget laptops is their unwieldy size. While the thickness of this laptop can’t compete with some of the more expensive compact laptops, with a 13.5×9 inch footprint and weighing less than 5 pounds, it is more portable than others. Contains an AMD Turion II P520 dual core processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB, 7200 rpm hard drive. The interfact design takes a bit of getting used to, but you can’t beat the price, at as little as $550.

Samsung R780

A notebook in the slightly higher price range of 800 dollars, the Samsung R780 is beautifully designed, and its 1GB nVidia graphics card can handle even graphics heavy gaming. Its large17.3-inch display makes it a bit heavy to carry to class, but with the weight you get an Intel dual core with 2.26 GHz speed and 8 GB of RAM.

Dell XPS 15

Dell is a popular choice for many students due to their comprehensive technical support. The XPS 15 contains 2.4 GHz Intel quad core, 4GB of RAM and 500GB 7500 rpm hard drive, as well as the nVidia GeForce GT 420M 1GB graphics card. If you can afford it and don’t mind the 5.9-6.4 lbs of weight, it’s well worth the 800 dollars. If the prices still seem a bit steep for you, you can try to find a refurbished laptop in this range. Refurbished items usually come with a full guarantee, and work just as well as new ones, sometimes for a price as low as $300.

With budget laptop options improving constantly, whatever the state of their pocketbook, every college student can afford a good quality laptop this year.

As a part of their tradition, they have come out with this Apple Macbook discount program , which has been launched for both the K-12 group of students and also or the higher education students. As an added benefit, Apple has extended this offer of providing special reduced prices to the other members of the Education fraternity such as the teachers and the supporting administrative staff.

Elementary, Middle and high schools, who want to purchase the Macbook at reduced prices for their students and teachers, have to go the Apple Store’s educational web site web site http://store.apple.com/us-hed/findyourschool. The Schools need to go to this site and select the school city’s pin code. This will lead the user to the List of schools which have enrolled for this discount program. The user needs to select his/her school and proceed to the product page. The schools can get a state of the art polycarbonate unibody MacBook at a price of $728, as comapred to the retail price of $1000., which works out to nearly 30% reduction in the price, which is a pretty good deal for the school.

Now coming to the comparisons between the Apple macbook college discount program and the other discount programs run by PC Manufacturers such as Dell, Apple’s student discount program covers both the K-12 Group of school going students and the college going higher education students, whereas the Dell student programs offers these prices for only the college going students. If the Apple macbook discount program is compared with the Hp college discount program , Hp gives only around 10% discount on the retail mark up prices for the college going students, whereas Apple Macbook provides around 30% discount from the retail price. In addition to the discount on macbook, Apple also gives on other third party products it supports and also the software it sells. Both HP and Dell doesn’t offer discounts on software and third party programs.

For a college Student , Macbook pro is an idea and a smart companion not only due to its sleek design, but also due to its excellent processor performance. On top of it, Macbook pro also comes with the Apple’s ever reliable long term usage capability. Macbook pro with a 2.4Ghz processor,2GB Ram and 256 MB graphics card for college going students, who would like to spend some spare time in playing multimedia games . The basic applications needed for a college going student is also there in the Macbook pro such as MS Word, MS Power Point and the Photo shop.Macbook pro comes in attractive youthful and peppy colors to match the the energetic style of the college going youth.

Another reason for its ever growing popularity with the college going students , is its ability to run Windows Operating Systems, including latest Win 7 OS. A final parting phrase to add- Macbook pro and the college going students is an unbeatable combination.

The type of laptop required for more specialized courses is something which should be discussed with people experienced in the field, and possibly your prospective school as they will be able to advise on what capabilities are needed to complete the college degree.

First is the HP Pavilion dv6-3120us 15.6” laptop. With 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive it will run quickly and won’t fill up with data too swiftly unless you store a lot of movies and music on your computer. It comes in an attractive champagne colour, and has a full size keyboard. You might think worrying about the key board is a trifling matter, and it’s what’s ‘under the hood’ which counts, but you may find you feel differently after tapping out a 2500 word essay.

Second is the Acer Aspire AS1551-4755 11.6” laptop. It’s lighter on RAM and hard drive space (3GN and 250GB, respectively) but it’s also physically lighter. At about 3lbs, this laptop is ideal for carrying from class to class to take notes on the go.

Next we have the Apple MacBook MC240LL/A 13.3” laptop. Some people prefer Apple operating systems to Windows, and if you’re one of them this is a fantastic option. Not too big, not too small and in the classic Apple white this is a stylish option packed with 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive.

Also worth considering is the Toshiba Satellite L655D-S5102 15.6” laptop. It has a large screen, making it a good multi-tasker, suitable for watching movies on and completing course work. The Satellite also has a built in webcam for keeping in touch with friends and family, and has enough power – 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive – to run smoothly through day to day tasks.

Last but not least is the smallest of today’s selection: the Sony VAIO VPCW222AX/WI 10.1” laptop. It’s small enough to pop in your bag and carry between classes without dragging you down, but with a 250GB hard drive and an Intel Atom processer, it’s certainly not a toy.

When it comes down to it, your choice of laptop is as much about personal preference as the specifications of one versus another, but don’t let a pretty exterior fool you into ending up with a substandard piece of technology. Any one of these five laptops will get the job done right, and look good doing it.