This is a guest post by Shawn Poolern, a longtime reader and friend.
Preparing to go to college can be very exciting, but it can be easy to overlook one important piece of equipment: your laptop. The best college laptop for you will depend on what you are studying: a student studying photography or film will need to use complex editing programs, and will need a lot of hard drive space while a student studying a humanities subject such as English or history, or a studying for a business qualification will have different requirements again. This post will discuss the best college laptops for a student who mostly intends to write essays and complete written coursework.

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.

As a student at a junior college, I will be the first person to admit that many of us are strapped for cash. In addition to unit and material costs, many college courses today are difficult to excel in without a decent laptop or notebook. And not just any notebook will do; it has to conform to a huge list of requirements, such as wireless internet access, easy portability, and lots of disk space. It can be difficult and troubling to spend hours searching online for a laptop that will both meet your needs and not bleed your wallet dry.

Here are what I believe to be the two best value laptops under 500 for college students.

#1. The Dell Inspiron Mini (base model) – $300
Another goodie brought to you by Dell, this mini notebook easily took it’s spot at my list of top college laptops. In addition to being the only one of these laptops that I’ve personally owned, it beats all the others that I have tested that are in the same price range.

The Good: The most basic version of this laptop has everything the average college student needs; a decent processor, twenty-four hours of battery life, a built-in 160GB hard drive and the best portability of any notebook on the market (under three pounds) . At approximately ten inches by seven inches, this laptop fits easily in any backpack and even inside many purses, and has the capacity for your daily needs, such as Word processing, emailing, social networking. The base model comes with Windows XP, and not Windows 7, but if you are looking for functionality, this is an amazing laptop. The more expensive versions have Windows 7, increased processor speed, and are even a little bit smaller. However, these upgrades can run up to $300 more than the base model.

The not-so-good: I’m never going to say anything about this laptop is bad. However, it is not a laptop for, say, a video production student, because it doesn’t have enough ram or processor power for the more intense applications, nor does it have the large screen that most people are used to expecting. The only other down side is that it doesn’t have a built-in CD drive; but with more than enough USB ports, it’s not too difficult to plug in an external drive.

#2. Acer Aspire Laptop with AMD Athlon Single-Core Processor - $400
The Acer Aspire is another amazing college buy. If you are looking for a laptop with a larger screen and keyboard than those of the mini notebooks while not spending a huge amount of money, this is the laptop for you. However, with greater size comes a greater footprint, and this laptop is approximately ten inches by fifteen inches and weighs a good six pounds. Nonetheless, it offers everything a college student needs.

The Good: This laptop comes stock with Windows 7. It can support up to 4GB of ram, and comes installed with 3GB. It also comes with a CD/DVD read-write drive. Oh, and did I mention? It starts at only $370. As with all other computers, you can upgrade it, but it’s going to cost more money.

The not-so-good: It’s size can be a concern. Whereas one can slip the mini-notebook into a small compartment in a backpack or purse and not even notice the weight, cramming this laptop into a backpack along with books and binders can be a hassle. And again, as with most budget to mid-range college laptops, you aren’t going to be using this laptop to edit a movie anytime soon.

If you are a college student looking for a laptop that will meet your basic needs, either of these laptops is an excellent choice. The Dell Inspiron Mini is the best mini-notebook on the market and offers premium portability, while the Acer Aspire has a good-sized screen and can do everything the mini notebook can. Whichever laptop you choose, I’m sure you will not be disappointed.

There are many things to consider when looking for the best laptops for college. One of the main things to consider is your budget. There are many laptops out there for those who are looking for the cheapest laptop that will get them by. There are also many people out there who are willing to spend much more to get all of the extras.

When sorting through the many options available, you will find that there are many different sizes to choose from. There are netbooks that have 10.1” screens. This may be convenient to carry around, but the keyboards are typically much smaller and may make typing more difficult for those who are used to typing on a regular keyboard. You can also choose the other extreme and purchase a laptop with a screen that is 18.4”. This may be good for watching movies and playing video games, but having a laptop that big will be difficult to carry around. Choosing a laptop in the middle of the size range may be the best option for you. Top college laptops with a screen size of 14” or 15.6” tend to give you the best of both worlds. You still get the portability that you do with a smaller laptop, but you get a decent size screen to go along with it.

If you are looking for the cheapest thing to get you buy, you may beinterested in a 10” Coby NBPC1023XP. This has an N480 processor, 1GB of memory, and a 160GB hard drive. This netbook is meant for those on a very limited budget, who are looking for the bare minimum to get them by. You can get this netbook for around $250.00.

Another option for those on a budget is the 15.6” HP G56-129WM. This laptop will run you approximately $375.00, but is worth the extra money if you can afford it. This comes with an Intel Celeron 900 processor. It also has 3GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive.

For $450.00, you can get an Acer Aspire A55736Z-4016. This has an Intel Pentium Processor T4500. It also comes with 4GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive. This also has a 15.6” screen. This would be my pick for the best laptop for college students.

If you are looking to spend a little more money, you can choose a Toshiba Satellite. The L655-S5100 has a 15.6” screen. It comes with an Intel Pentium P6100 Processor, 4GB of memory, and a 500GB hard drive. The Toshiba Satellite Helios L655D-S5110WH comes with the AMD Phenom II Quad Core P940 Processor. It has 4 GB of memory and a 500 GB hardrive.

When buying a laptop, there are many additional things you can add on. You can add features for gaming, music, and music. These features aren’t a must, but would be appreciated by most college students. So when you are out looking for a new laptop for college, just remember to use every penny of your budget wisely. Choose the features that are best for you and your needs.

The search to discover the best college laptop isn’t always a simple one. The thing to remember is that not every student needs the same things from their computers. If you are a parent who is looking for notebook deals for for your college bound daughter or son, then you should figure out your kid’s personal requirements. Once you know what your daughter or son needs in their computer, do your research and find an affordable laptop that fulfills your kid’s needs. To help you out, here a list of the top 5 laptops for college students:

The Apple MacBook Pro is one of the top college laptops. It can get a little expensive, but it’s worth every penny. It is equipped with a decent processor, which comes in handy. The battery seems to last a lot longer than most laptop batteries do. It’s a bit heavy, but that is to be expected with computers of that size. You can get the MacBook Pro 13, which has a screen that is about 13 inches long. You can also get the MacBook Pro 14, which has a screen that is about 15 inches long. Overall, the quality is great and The Apple MacBook Pro is highly recommended.

The ASUS Laptop with Intel Pentium Processor is another good choice for a college student’s laptop. When it comes to speed, this computer has it. A lot of computers, even really good computers, tend to get slow on us. But, the ASUS Laptop does a good job at maintaining that quick loading speed that doesn’t leave you feeling frustrated with your computer. This computer has several function keys that other computers don’t have. For example, it has a function key that allows you to adjust the brightness of the computer screen.

The Acer Aspire Laptop with Single Core Processor AS5532 is one of the best value laptops on the market. If you’re looking for the best performing computer for the college student to use, then this is not the computer for you. But, if you are looking for a computer that works decently and is affordable, then you might want to give it a try. Just be prepared for the possibly of your pages loading slower than you would like.

The HP Pavillion DV6-2162NR is another affordable computer and it works decently. This computer has High Definition graphics, which is something most college students would appreciate in a laptop. This computer allows you to rip DVDs to an archive, which may come in handy. This computer is built in a way that allows for great quality entertainment while using the laptop and it also comes with the basic things that a college student will need in their computer.

The Gateway NV5387u Laptop also comes with High Definition graphics. It allows you to store videos and movies on the computer. If the college student loves to listen to music, then this computer will also allow them to save their music to their own media library. It has many features and the computer’s performance is good.

So, there you have it — the five best college laptops available to students. Every one of them is different, just like every college student is different. Every student has their own needs when it comes to computers. Some people require speed, while other people can get by with a slow laptop. Some people need High Definition graphics, while other people have no use for them. Just do your research and find out which laptop computer fits your needs.

To be successful in college you will need a few basic things, a planner to keep you organized, plenty of notebooks and office supplies, and a good computer. These days computers are needed for everything in college. From planning your schedules to turning in homework a good computer will take you a long way. However, given the current market, one can feel overwhelmed when choosing a computer, especially laptops. This is my list of the 5 top college laptops.

1. The Apple MacBook is a sleek, sexy looking number with many features. It comes with a built in webcam, dvd player, and Apple’s iLife suite of applications. This computer is for the creative person on the go as iLife helps your inner musician or artist come to life. With a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and a 250 GB hard drive, this computer has the speed you need and the space to store your work. However, the hefty $999 price tag is a big turn off.

2. The Sony VAIO E Series computers are good 15.5″ sized computers. With 3GB of DDR3 memory and an AMD Athlon II Dual-Core P340 2.2G processor its got the speed to compete with the MacBook. This model comes with a 320 GB hard drive and windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition. At $599.99 this seems like a bargain over the MacBook, but it doesn’t come with the MacBook’s software suite.

3. HP comes out swinging with the Pavilion dv6-3143us notebook. Its loaded Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit and comes with more than enough power to play games on. The screen is a tad bit bigger at 15.6″ and the hard drive is twice as large as the MacBook’s at 500 GB. The HP comes with an Intel Core i3 processor running at 2.4GHz. Its sleek and powerful, and it costs $799.

4. Netbooks are a popular item among college students. They are a bit less powerful, but what they miss in power, they make up for in portability. This is a definite for the student who has to trek across campus everyday. The Acer Aspire One A0821-3574 is a neat little netbook. It comes with with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit preloaded. Its powered by an AMD Athlon II Neo processor at 1.70GHz. It has 2GB of memory and a 250 GB hard drive to store all of your homework. The 5 hour battery life span is a must for the college student on the go. The $409.99 pricetag won’t break the bank either. These are the best value laptops on the market.

5. The DELL Inspiron 15R is a full size powerhouse of a laptop. This one is looking to bridge the gap between desktop and laptop. It comes with an Intel Core i5-460M processor running at 2.53GHz, 6 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 640GB hard drive. This computer is a beast! It comes with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition preloaded. This computer is a bit expensive, coming in at $869.99, however, the price is a good tradeoff for the the power this computer has. For the college student on the go, I would have to choose the Acer Aspire One A0821-3574 as the best laptop for college students. The price, along with the portability and great battery life will be great for a college student on the go.

College is a fast paced, but overall fun part of anyone’s life. A good laptop is a must if you want to succeed and graduate.

This post continues our Best College Laptops 2010 series.

Now that holiday shopping season is officially underway, we have a fairly good idea of sales and shopping trends on laptops. We know not only what is in stock, but where the best prices and features are. After reviewing all of the data this week, our experts have come up with their top picks for the five best laptops for college.

1. The Coby 10-inch NBPC1023XP Netbook PC with Intel Atom N450 processor and Windows XP currently offers an excellent combination of value and price, making it the best laptop for college students in its price range. Selling now at just under $260, it is probably the least expensive and best value laptops on the market today and an excellent starter PC.

2. The eMachines Black 10.1-inch eM350-2074 Netbook PC with Intel Atom N450 Processor and Windows XP Home is also a fantastic laptop, and some retailers have been offering this model for under $250. We included it here because it really is an outstanding laptop; be warned, however, that sales have been so brisk that many merchants cannot keep it in stock. Place the eMachines on your watch list and be ready to act quickly when supplies are available.

3. Moving up a tier to the larger laptops with wider displays and more capable processors, we have the Compaq Presario CQ62-209wm Laptop PC with AMD Athlon II Dual-Core Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium. This PC has a 15.6-inch display and a dual-core processor with substantially more power than the Intel Atom. The Presario has been on sale for under $400 lately, an awesome price on a complete laptop for college students.

4. The HP 17.3-inch Biscotti G72-227WM Laptop PC with Intel Pentium T4500 Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium is another PC selling for under $500 that offers a great value in terms of the best laptops for college. Its substantially larger display makes creating Office documents and reading electronic files easy and convenient.

5. Finally, the Acer Aspire 17.3-inch AS7741Z-4633 Laptop PC is typically about $50 more than the Biscotti; however, you get some excellent features worth mentioning. 4 Gigabytes of DDR3 Dual-Channel SDRAM memory and an HDMI output are not usually available on netbooks and inexpensive laptops, but they are ones a college student with an interest in HD video may crave.

We reviewed the five best laptops for college, with an emphasis on sale items likely to be in stock at major retailers around the country. Netbooks are perfect for those on a budget, and their compact size is quite handy. However, to step up to something better than a single-core processor and to add larger display, look carefully at the three models from Compaq, HP, and Acer.

This post continues our Best College Laptops 2010 series.

This is another guest post from John May, one of our long time readers. Thanks John!

The best laptop computer for college students definitely depends upon the student’s major field of study. Some people will tell you the only choice is a Mac; others might say that a PC is better. How do you decide which is for you? here is my choices for the best college laptops 2010.

If price is no problem, and user-friendliness is your major concern, in my opinion Mac is the best choice. With laptops ranging in price from $900 to well over $2000, it’s a lot of money to drop on a single piece of technological equipment. There’s also the question of transferability; Mac programs typically don’t read well on Windows machines. Thankfully, there are a host of programs to ease that gap, including free programs such as OpenOffice, which is an open-source version of Microsoft Office with a user interface closest to that of the 2003 generation. Macs are great for students in humanities or social science-related fields, as they typically require very little user attention when it comes to security, cache cleaning, and virus worries. They’re great for visual arts majors, as visual arts have used Macs for decades.

But what about PCs? If your eye is on your budget, Macs are most definitely out of the question.

Asus, Acer, and Dell all have netbook or netbook-like options that range in price from $300 – $500. Asus, in particular, has a fully-functioning computer that comes in a convenient, portable 10-inch size. While the keyboard is obviously smaller on these machines, and some of them don’t hold the most memory, they’re a great buy for a first laptop. They’re durable, the work well, and they get the job done.

The only programs college students absolutely NEED on their computers are a Microsoft Office suite, a photoshop-type program for visual arts majors, and a music player. Beware though: netbooks and similar machines very rarely, if ever, have a CD driver included. This is something that has to be bought separately and connected to the computer through USB cables. If budget isn’t a huge concern and you’re stuck on PCs, perhaps the best option is Toshiba. They build reliable computers that can last for years, and have security features available that can really blow your mind, including a fingerprint reader. Feeling like James Bond yet? Prices for these machines run anywhere upwards of $1500, so be prepared to shell out big cash for them. If your college student absolutely requires a Blu-Ray player with his or her laptop, Samsung has the best deal: You can get a laptop with a Blu-Ray player, top-of-the-line graphics card, and great additional features for between $700 and $900, which isn’t bad.

No matter what type of laptop you decide to buy, you need to be sure of one thing: buy the warranty. College is a place where mistakes happen faster than you can blink, especially if your student is living in a dorm, and that shiny new laptop may end up with pop spilled all over its keyboard, or stepped on, or somehow tossed out a window. It’s better not to take any chances; dish out the extra bucks for the warranty, and rest assured that the good money you spent on that laptop wasn’t wasted in the slightest.

READER QUESTION: What is your choice for best college laptop of 2010 and why?

The Holiday 2010 shopping season will be fast upon us, with the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) sales set to begin shortly. Computers, specifically computers for college students—those returning to school or perhaps starting for the first time after the winter break—will be among the hottest sellers this year. Choosing the best college laptop is not as tough as you might think. In this expert review, we will present the five best laptops for college and explain why one of them should be on your shopping list.

In terms of value, the top selling college laptops fall into two categories, ultra inexpensive netbooks, and deeply discounted notebooks.

Netbooks encompass small computers with screens generally under 11 inches like the Coby 10-inch Netbook PC. What is particularly unique about the Coby is that it is one of few netbooks still shipping new with Windows XP instead of Windows 7. One fantastic benefit of that distinction is that the Coby is about the lowest priced new stock netbook available. It can be had online for under $250, about $20 less than its close rival, Acer.

Acer’s 10.1″ Netbook PC with Intel Atom Processor and Windows 7 Home Starter is another super bargain, selling now for as little as $270. Your choice of which to buy depends to a great degree upon whether you are willing to part with Windows XP and move on to Windows 7.

Before discussing another popular netbook, it is important to know why this review considers netbooks a top choice for the best college laptop. It comes down to space. Many colleges were not built with computers in mind and ample desk space is often scarce.

That is a key reason why the Dell 10.1″ Inspiron Mini Netbook PC is also a fantastic deal. Coming in at just under $350, the larger battery in the Dell makes it superb. With nearly double the power of many netbooks, it is just the thing for when AC power is hard to find.

Before closing this review of the five best college laptops, we need to look at some larger models for those who need a 15-inch screen, the Toshiba 15.6-inch Satellite Laptop PC with AMD V140 Processor and the Toshiba Silver 15.6-inch Satellite Laptop PC with AMD Sempron Processor. The Silver sells for under $380, an outstanding price for a 15.6- inch laptop. The Silver is best suited to students who will have ample access to AC power, as the battery in this model is limited to about 3 hours or less. Compromising slightly on power capacity is one factor that allows Toshiba to offer the Silver at such a bargain price.

In the selection criteria for the five best college laptops, the three most important factors are cost, size, and power capacity. If smaller screens are fine for you, we recommend a netbook with the best battery you can afford. If you need something larger, both of the two Toshiba models receive top marks. Your ultimate decision comes down to battery life.

This is a guest post by Jim Walken, who is well known about here as someone always willing to help out and answer a question. Thanks Jim!

One of the necessities a college student needs to help them in college is a laptop for term papers, researching, keeping in contact with family, etc. Of course, there are student computer labs on a college campus, but it is difficult and inconvenient to not have a laptop with you wherever you go instead of hanging around the computer lab until the hours close. However, when deciding on a laptop, there are certain laptops that are much better than others for college students.

You’ve heard me say it before….the best laptops for college students will be ones that can best fit the student’s needs. Being a college student myself, I have been through my share of laptops and seen what everyone else uses as well, so I have come up with the best laptops that I think are great for college students like myself.

First off, I prefer Mac to PC, so one of my pick for the best college laptop of the five is the Apple MacBook. The MacBook is not extremely cheap, but for under a grand you can get a decent sized laptop with great power and functionality. Mac is a different operating system and a different interface than PC, but it is not very hard to learn how to work on one. I like the MacBook because it is a decent size, it’s still portable and actually quite popular with a lot of college students. It also has a great battery life, and also has attractive features, and you buy it with different memory sizes and different options, but the basic MacBook is just under a grand without tax, not too much for a college student. They can get up to as much as $2,000, depending on the size of the screen and what core components you decide on.

I would also pick the new Apple iPad for college students as well. I actually have one, as do a few students that I know, and it is fully capable of many things that a regular laptop could do, except it does not have a web camera. It is very light, and very versatile, allowing students to buy their eTextbooks on it and read them right at their fingertips. It also works as a sketchpad, where students can purchase a pen for the iPad and draw and take notes. It also has a very long battery life, and even though the keyboard is on the touchscreen itself, it is not that difficult to use. If students have an issue with this, they can purchase an optional wireless keyboard for around $70 and use it with the iPad. I have asked a few people besides myself about the iPads that they own, if they prefer their laptop or their iPad, and many prefer the iPad as it is easier to carry, and less weight in their backpack. The iPad comes with two options, with the Apple 3G wireless network ability and WiFi, or just WiFi, and the option of 3G adds to the cost of the iPad by about $150. The iPad comes in different sizes of memory, from 16GB, 32GB to 64GB. I also really like the touch screen, and the thousands of apps available. You could think of it as a larger iPhone, but more like a PC tablet, without the phone capability. The iPad starts at $499, and goes up to a little over $800, cheaper than the MacBook.

Another personal favorite of mine would be the ASUS Eee pc, a small and portable netbook perfect for web browsing and taking notes. It is rather small, and is primarily used for just web browsing, at netbooks are made for, but at a price of around $400, and a full keyboard, it is still a pretty good deal for a college student. It does able you to run programs like Microsoft Word and programs you would generally need for classes, but only if you want a portable laptop for only taking notes and web browsing. Otherwise, the ASUS Eee netbook probably would not be what you want if you are looking at doing more than strictly class work on it.

Another top pick for college students would be another small one, the Acer Aspire AS1410-2954 laptop. It is a decent screen size of 11.6 inches, and is considered a laptop. It has Windows 7 on it, a relatively newer operating system, but it is not hard at all to get used to. It also comes in a very stylish maroon, instead of a traditional black, white or silver, giving it a little bit of character as well. It costs around $500, which for the portability, the features and the screen size, it is a pretty great deal in my opinion.

The last top pick I would suggest for college students is the HP Pavilion DV6-2162NR. Hewlett Packard has constantly kept its laptops fast, and fair priced, without sacrificing on much as well. It has a large screen of 15.6 inches, and allows to upgrade to a lot of RAM and memory for students who need more for classes like computer science majors, or for watching movies, playing games, or running multiple programs at one time. This laptop is under $1000 at the basic model, and adding more components, memory and features will raise the price, but for everything the laptop has to offer, it is a reasonable deal for students in college.

The best laptop for a college student truly depends on their needs for classes, and their personal preferences. Some students may prefer a Mac operating system to a PC, or they may want something smaller and portable. It also depends on your budget as a college student, and how much you are looking for in a laptop. It depends on how much you will use the laptop as well. Some students have a netbook or tablet and a regular sized laptop, so they can use one at home, and take the smaller one to class instead of a notepad. It all depends on the student and what is the best option for them.

Money is tight for everyone right now, especially college students. More and more students are doing away with the bells and whistels in a laptop and buying just what they need for their studies. This review was submitted by one of our new readers, Clyde Taylor.

1. The HP G62-339WM Laptop is Black with a 15.6″ screen. This computer comes with a decent processor, the AMD Athlon II P320 and 3GB of RAM. IT will handle your standard essays, online homework assignments etc, just don’t look for the hardcore gaming experience. With Windows 7 you will have access to almost any software suite your professors throw at you. And the double layer DVD burner will make short work of any media projects you turn in. For the science majors the heavy number crunching modelling will be slow but not impossible, just start it Friday night before you leave for the party and by Sunday night your assignment will be ready. New the computer will run you $499 but you could find a refurbished unit in the $400 range.

2. The HP Pavilion Laptop series has a 14.1″ Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with 1 GB RAM and 160 GB Hard Drive, Single layer DVD and comes standard with Vista Premium. Vista will be a pain and you will end up having to upgrade it quickly, as online assignments seem to annoy Vista quickly and often. The screen and graphics processor will be above average in terms of gaming quality, if a bit small. Again, the heavy mathematics students will cringe at doing any intensive work on this, but that’s what the computer lab is for, right? The lack of a built-in webcam will make chat roulette impossible without a peripheral camera but with a plethora of USB/Firewire ports you will have space to plug it in. This model runs from $499 to $550 depending on where you order from.

3. Acer Aspire One, although technical a netbook, with its 10.1″ screen and hefty Intel Atom N450 processor and 1 GB RAM it can handle the day to day grind of taking notes, writing reports and providing entertainment in the library. Its light weight and wide choice of colors makes it attractive to look at and carry. With an additional monitor in your room you can even use it in more robust media projects. And at $298 it leaves plenty of room in the budget for add-ons or other priorities.

4. The Toshiba Satellite has a Celeron 2.2 GHz processor, 15.6? screen and 3 GB of RAM. From most distributors it comes with Windows 7 and the lack of a webcam is again not a problem with the number of USB ports available. It is a bit on the heavy side, weighing in at 5.9 lbs. It will be difficult to lug between classes and its WIFI card is undersized for wireless internet access. However, if screen size and robust OS is your main priority you will be hard pressed to beat this one at $350.

5. Dell Inspiron Laptop with a generic Pentium Processor and 15.6″ display comes with 2 GB of RAM for $400. Although Dell’s service reputation is not what it once was this machine will serve you well in the day to day student activities. It will also be more than enough for all the viral videos, and facebook updates you desire. The lack of a DVD burner will mean that thumbdrives and online storage will be the online way to move data around but these days that’s all you really need 95%.