Best College Laptops

Choosing The Best Laptop For College

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This is a guest post by Sami Dee, a long time friend and reader.

One of the biggest purchases most college students will make before starting their college career is a new laptop computer. Finding the best laptop computer for college students can be a daunting task because there are so many different brands and models available to choose from.

Currently, one of the most popular laptops for college is the Macbook Pro. This laptop is fairly expensive starting at $1199 for a 13 inch model and $2299 for a 17 inch model. Compared to the price of a PC with similar specifications, you will be spending quite a bit more money. What you are paying for in a Macbook Pro is the Apple operating system (Apples do not run on Windows), the style, and the build quality.

One of the benefits of owning a Mac is that there are fewer viruses targeted at Macs. Another perk of a Macbook pro is that it is one of the most stylish laptops on the market and is sure to be impressive among the college crowd. Because the Macbook Pro is rather expensive and most college students are unable to afford it, Macbooks are a viable option. These laptops also run Apple’s operating system but do not have the same high price tag (starting at $999) and conversely do not have quite the same power and style as a Macbook Pro.

Apple’s other major offering, the Macbook Air, is a good choice only if it will not be your main computer. Starting at $999, the Macbook Air is built for portability and not heavy use. If you will be taking it to class every day and want something light to put in your backpack, it is a great option, but it will not have the performance that other laptops have and you may run into problems with the computer not having enough power. PCs (running mainly on Microsoft’s Windows operating system) still outsell Macs today and the primary advantages of PCs include lower prices than Macbooks for models with similar specifications and a larger variety in brand, model, size, and style.

Many users also still prefer to use Windows because it is the operating system they are most familiar with. Dell and HP are currently two of the best selling brands in PC laptops and have a similar line up of notebook computers. These product lines start with fairly inexpensive netbooks (computers with screen sizes usually under 12 inches and usually priced between $299 and $599).

Netbooks are fantastic for portability, but do not have the same power as many full sized laptops and are, as their name implies, most commonly used for surfing the internet. The best screen size in a laptop computer for college students who will be taking the machine to class every day is between 13 and 15 inches. These laptops provide for greater mobility while still offering higher performance. Specifications to look for in laptops include the newest processors (such as Intel Core i3, i5, and i7), at least 3 or 4 gigabytes of ram, and a hard drive of at least 320 gigabytes to store all your files over the next few years.

Overall, the best laptop for college students depends on the student who will be using it. For some users, power and performance is the number one concern, but for others it is portability. PCs generally offer the best value in terms of price compared to performance.

Another major concern among students is price. While most students will greatly enjoy a Macbook Pro and a 15 inch Macbook Pro will likely meet both style and performance concerns, the price may be an issue. In this case, it is time to look into a similarly configured PC for a lower price. Many PC makers are trying to keep up with Apple’s popularity and offer great alternatives that may be even better than a Macbook pro with a lower price.

The best place to start when hunting for a new laptop is by exploring the various PC manufacturer’s websites and comparing specifications with price. Every student is different, but there is sure to be a laptop on the market that is right for each one of them.

Black Friday And Holiday Shopping!

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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.