College students can decrease their expenditures by doing research, taking a class on information technology, and improving upon a lower quality laptop. Doing a little bit of research will go a long way toward helping college students save money on laptop computers. This includes getting a feel for the different styles and models available.

One of the most crucial questions many laptop-shoppers ask is whether to acquire a Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac laptop. They can settle such issues through familiarity with the different types of laptops, and that often comes through paying attention to friends’ and acquaintances’ computers, as well as asking them questions about their likes and dislikes. Additionally, most college students have easy access to some of the top computer-experts in the world in their schools’ engineering and computer science departments.

These people, who undoubtedly have deep knowledge of different computer systems, would provide valuable assistance as well. Through people with better or worse laptop systems, college students can obtain information about laptops, which forms a necessary component of saving money when purchasing. Also, through this process of asking different people about laptops, potential laptop-buyers can gain critical insights into bargains that other people obtained, as well as good deals they have seen. This would serve as an addendum to ads and coupons the student personally found. These savings and sales can save laptop buyers a considerable chunk of change.

Secondly, taking a class on information technology can prove to be invaluable to anyone purchasing a laptop computer. The fact is that most college students today consider themselves quite tech-savvy because of their ability to operate a wide range of different technological systems. However, when it comes to understanding the details and underlying workings of these systems, many are lost. Yet, these seemingly superfluous details can be some of the most crucial when purchasing computers because they inform the customer of exactly what is needed.

Instead of spending a great deal of time puzzling through laptop specification and potentially making mistakes by buying laptops that contain unnecessary components or lack essential ones, knowledge of these details would solve the problem. A class need not be a formal lecture class, even though enrolling in a class with a group of other students often times is the most effective way to learn; listening to free lectures posted online or working through a textbook would suffice. Whatever way students choose to take their information technology class, the knowledge they acquire from the more general such an understanding of RAM and operating systems, to the more specific, such as the number of cores for the processor or the dots per inch for the LCD screen, will help them know what they want and need. The best laptops for college students will depend on the particular student, and taking a class will enable them to determine exactly what that best laptop should contain. By knowing what they need in a laptop, students will save both time and money from going to gadgets they do not need.

Lastly, a somewhat strategic method for keeping laptop costs down that students can employ is to purchase cheaper laptop computers and upgrade some of the lower-quality components in it. The knowledge from the information technology class comes in handy here because college students need to know which components cost more money and time, and are incredibly difficult to install, and which components are relatively cheap and easy to replace. For example, if students want more temporary storage, they can save the cost of purchasing a laptop with a great deal of RAM, and instead buy individual RAM chips for a much cheaper price and add them to their system themselves.

Also, students can buy laptops with lower-quality sound and video cards. In many cases, they will be sufficient for their purposes, and they will have saved money; and if it turns out that these lower-quality sound and video cards are bothersome, students can buy high-quality ones and install them for a cheaper price than wasting money purchasing expensive laptop computer with high-quality cards already built-in. Thus, it is evident that college students can decrease their expenditures by doing research, taking a class on information technology, and improving upon a lower quality laptop.

By going through this process, students not only invest in their bank accounts, but also in their futures. The time and energy put into learning about laptops, finding good deals, and doing some self-installation work benefit the student greatly because they provide the student with a deeper understanding of computer systems. As computers are such an integral part of society today and increasing in importance in many parts of the world, that understanding is good knowledge to have.

First, consider that you don’t necessarily have to have the newest and most trendy computer. 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 MacBook, 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.

One of the best laptops for college students is the Apple Macbook laptop. The Apple Macbook is Apple’s most affordable laptop yet it still features the high quality components and the highly acclaimed Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system that people have come to expect from Apple. The Macbook comes in a small 13.3-inch package that makes mobility simple. This will make transport of the Macbook to all areas of campus, including on trips home, a breeze.

The Macbook also features a built-in seven-hour battery. This will give students flexibility in their use of the laptop away from the dorm. It will allow them to venture out to class without a charger or any sort of wires. This makes setup in classrooms simple since the computer will go from sleep to active in a matter of seconds.

Like other Apple laptops, the Macbook features a wireless ethernet card that allows students to network with their school network connections. This is important to a student because it enables wireless connectivity everywhere they may want to go.

In addition to the hardware specifications of the Macbook laptop, the Snow Leopard operating system supports various graphics and advanced media programs, which are of particular use to graphics design students. As anyone in the design community will tell you, Macs are the premier graphics design vehicles and there are many programs that run exclusively on that platform.

Besides being, in my opinion, the best laptop for college students, Macs are also great entertainment devices for students. Given the constraints of cramped dorms, the Macbook is useful in providing an entertainment center to students. It is versatile enough to serve both as a television from which to stream and watch movies, a stereo system from which to download, listen, and store music, and lastly as a gaming platform in which students can play games on.

The Apple Macbook’s greatest asset to students is its price. It is competitively priced at under $1000 for its base models. Should the student or user require additional memory, hard drive space, or software; the user is able to customize their laptop to suit their needs. Additionally, Apple offers amazing student discounts that further reduce the price of their computers thereby making them even more affordable. Check the back to school laptop sales for even more of a discount.

The Apple Macbook is clearly the laptop designed for the contemporary college student. Its multiple uses, both for schoolwork and for entertainment, combined with its incredible value make it a best buy for any college student.

The first thing to do is to develop a clear sense of exactly what you need in a college laptop. If you are primarily concerned with the basics, like word processing, internet access, wireless, et cetera, you may be fine with something as inexpensive and simple as a netbook. These are extremely compact, relatively no-frills laptops intended for basic needs. Unless you plan to study something like music or video editing, which may involve more elaborate software and capabilities, a netbook should meet virtually all of your academic needs.

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For most courses, you will only need to be able to write and edit on your computer, to participate in online discussion groups, and to e-mail, and almost any currently sold laptop will allow you to do those things. If you intend to study music or something involving video editing, you may need to do some research into higher-end laptops with more memory and possibly with more software included at the time of purchase. If you know your potential major and believe it may require particular computer capabilities, you might contact a professor or department chair to inquire about recommendations. Remember, the best laptop for college students depend on each individuals needs.

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Aside from academic needs, of course, you may want to consider other uses for your laptop. If you are interested in watching streaming video, for example, you may want to select a laptop with HD (High Definition) video capability, or higher-end wireless technology. You might also think more about audio and speaker quality than you would if you were thinking of your computer as a primarily academic tool.

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Once you figure out what features and capabilities you need, do some research about what brands are most reliable and represent the best deals. Consumer Reports is a good site for product reviews, and customer reviews on sites like Amazon.com can give good guidance. Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, and Dell are all reliable and well-reviewed throughout the range of laptop options, but each produces some specific models that are superior to others. You will also need to decide whether you want to go with a PC or a Mac. Both have advantages — PCs tend to be loaded with software that will be compatible with what most others have (like Microsoft Word), while Macs tend to be very good for music recording and similar applications.

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In closing, choosing laptops for college comes down to three steps: decide what you need for school, decide what you want beyond those necessities, and do some research to find out who makes what you need best for the best price. If you think of the process systematically like this, you should be able to make a solid choice with a minimum of worry.

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Colleges throughout the world now deliver not only lecture notes, but entire lectures online. Gone are the days of submitting printed or hand written versions of your coursework, as essays and projects are now delivered electronically. Indeed, many universities now make the ownership of a laptop compulsory for all students.

The advent of tablet PCs a number of years ago gave way to a new way to interact with your computer, and ultimately the content it contains. Early adopter technology students saw the appeal of a small touch screen device for taking lecture notes or checking facts on the web during lectures. With the release of the Apple iPad, there is now an even easier and sleeker way to access your entire course and social materials.

You can use your iPad for everything you would need for university. Need to take notes in class? You can use the inbuilt note and word-processing software, along with any number of third party apps available online. If you need to email your friends for a night out or hook up with some family overseas you can do that all from your iPad. Tired of lugging around all those heavy books? No problem, just download them as eBooks from the new Apple iBook store if they are available, or obtain PDF versions online and load them in to the Stanza app from the App store. Imagine, contained within this small device with a very functional 9.7inch screen you can have all your reading material, course notes, social communication, entertainment, music and photos. Packing for university or college has never been so easy. Just toss your iPad in your bag, housed of course in a protective case, add a few clothes and you have everything you need for your semester at college.

If you are concerned about writing long essays on your iPad, there is no need to worry. For those who don’t like the innovative onscreen touch keyboard you can hook your device up to one of the iPad keyboard docks and you have a fully functional external keyboard to tap away on.

The IPad could very well be the best laptop for college students. Compared to a fully fledged Macbook, the iPad is more portable, user friendly and cheaper. When you combine it with all the iPad accessories you have to choose from, it could well be the must have accessory for your college computing needs.

There are many options and features that that you’ll find in laptops for students in, or starting college. Since all students have different needs, there are going to be a wide variety of things that influence their decisions. This is also one of the most important investments that a student will make. I have had my laptop since I began college and have been very happy with the choice that I made.

In my opinion, cost, ease-of-use, and the aesthetic elements of a laptop are some of its’ most important features of the best laptop for college students.

First, a student should decide how much they want to spend on a college laptop. The range of prices is very large. A basic laptop can be found for around five-six hundred dollars, while pricier and more complex models can be as much as two thousand. If you are only going to use your laptop for word processing and emailing, then a cheaper version may suffice. If you play computer games, or use applications that “eat” a lot of memory (i.e. music or architecture programs), then you may want to spend more to get a better system in your computer. If money is tight, going cheap may be best as you can always upgrade a few years down the line.

Students should make sure that their laptops are easy-to-use. Go to the store and try one out or talk to other students for recommendations. Also, finding out if you are a Mac or PC person may be the first step in this direction.

Lastly, aesthetics can mean a lot to many students. If you are going to take your computer out of the house a lot, then make sure it is portable. Get a laptop that isn’t too heavy or bulky. On the other hand, let’s say a student has poor vision. In that case, a laptop with a bigger screen may be the way to go.

These are just a few aspects of a laptop that could influence a student’s decision. Sit down and write a list of what is important for you. Also, I would always advise looking long and hard for good deals. It’s not fun when you buy a laptop and then find it for sale at a different store.

As a graduating senior at a private university, I’ve gone through my share of laptops over the years. In fact, freshman year of college alone, I went through two laptops. I’ve learned a lot what makes the best laptops for college.

Getting back to my freshman year, both of those laptops were HPs, and the second had a fatal crash promptly around the same time the very next year. During the crash of my second HP, it was around midterms at my university, so I was pressed for time to finish downloading articles and finishing research papers.

The year prior, my father had offered me a Macbook as present. Yet, I was stubborn about not wanting to make the switch from a PC to a Mac, and I declined. After my first HP crashed, my dad made the offer again, which I declined. Again. However, after the second hard drive crash, I wasn’t offered a choice. Instead of supplying me with a new PC, my dad sent me a Macbook.

Since it was midterm week, I had no choice but force myself to acclimate to the Macbook quickly. I needed to learn how to use the Apple laptop, and I needed results from it with pressing deadlines. Surprisingly, the switch was fairly simple. In fact, it was probably the easiest college laptop transition I had ever made.

The difference between a Mac and a PC interface is that the Mac is practically designed for a younger market. Apple understands what college students want most in any electronic regardless of use – availability and speed. Macbooks ask permission before installing anything onto the hard drive, so students know exactly what they have installed without having to wonder what programs are hidden in the background.

They’re also easy to search with the Spotlight feature, which is faster and more precise than any search function on a PC. The Spotlight even goes through Word documents, photo keywords, and browser history – talk about thorough!

Finally, Macbooks are made for speed. They have lightning fast processing and internet browsing, as well as media players that make it more enjoyable to watch a movie from iTunes rather than on a movie screen. Overall, I simply couldn’t have made it through college without my Macbook. In my opinion, they are the best laptop for college students. My only regret is that I did not make the switch sooner.

Apple computers are worth every penny of their price tag, and they’re specifically designed for young people like me. I know that I’ll be sticking with Macbooks far into the future past graduation!

Indeed, my MacBook has been both of those things. It is easy to carry which makes it good for a student that wants to bring it to class with them. I was very surprised when I went back to school after eight years of working, how many people now take their notes directly on their computer. It’s definitely one of the best laptops for college. Another really nice thing about the MacBook is how long the battery power lasts. There is room in my classrooms for every student to plug in their own computer but I imagine that is not the case at all schools.

My Mac will last for note taking for several hours on a full charge. It is also a great help that the computer automatically goes to sleep when you close it and you do not lose very much power at all. It saves a lot of time and frustration as you do not need to reboot your computer every time you go to class. In fact, you can leave your computer on all the time, even as you carry it from place to place. You should not be concerned about programs not working with Mac. Most software automatically converted. Many schools have agreements with Mac through which students can get discounts for a computer and software. Some schools even offer the software for free (although the cost is probably included in tuition).

The MacBook that I have is very light weight. It is not a “thin” laptop but it is much easier to carry then the PCs that I have used before. It fits easily in a backpack. Instead of a carrying case I use a memory foam sleeve which so far has protected it very well. The charger is also compact and fits in the front pocket of my backpack. My Macbook also has a built in camera which is very useful for video conferencing with friends and family. If you are going to school far away from home this is a must.

My Macbook is a very basic model and does not have a lot of memory but so far that has not proved to be a problem for me. It runs very fast and I have plenty of room to store my files. I chose a basic model because Macs in general were pricey but it is worth it to me, as a student that depends on my computer, to have a laptop that is durable and reliable.

You won’t go wrong with a Dell Inspiron laptop. The Inspiron 15 has plenty of power, with Intel Core2 Duo processors. At 2.0GHz, it will keep up with your term papers, music files and editing the video of last week’s party. And storage space won’t be a problem with a 320GB SATA Hard drive. (Your parents were lucky to have 100 Mb on their first computer!) No problem toting your computer to class to take notes and surf for tidbits to impress the professor. The Inspiron has an 8 cell battery with up to 8 hours of power. It could be the best laptop for college students.

The built-in WiFi lets you access the Wi-fi your campus provides. (Not to mention your Starbuck’s, your McDonald’s, your Barnes and Noble…) Burning your own CDs and DVDs is a snap with the 8X burner. And watching DVDs on the gorgeous, slick, wide, glossy 15.6 inch HD screen (with a 16:9 aspect ratio!) puts you in your own personal theater. Pop in some headphones and it’s movie time without bugging the roommate. (Add the optional Blu Ray for eye-popping video.)

Keep worms and viruses and nasty Trojan horses at bay with the included subscription to McAfee SecurityCenter; 15 months, yes over a year, of worry free virus protection! No shortage of places to plug in your USB dancing hula girl, or the external monitor, or the microphone. The 7-in-1 media card reader lets you pop in the card from your camera so you can share those game pictures before the hand-stamp wears off.

Of course, Mom will need to know that you AREN’T wasting away, and you HAVEN’T gotten your nose pierced. The integrated 1.3megapixel webcam lets you send her regular updates on your hair color, or chat with Skype. You’ll want to see what she’s done with your room, now that it’s the new “media center.” And although Mom may tell you looks aren’t everything, your laptop CAN say something about you! Choose cool glossy black for a sophisticated outer shell. Or not. The Inspiron comes in 8 eye-catching colors. Or personalize your new machine with over 200 artist designs, from your favorite MLB team to fractals. And what Mom loves the most? (Besides you.) The Inspiron is a great machine at a great price that will keep up with you as you jump into the college experience. Dell is the way to go.

I’ve experienced using both a Mac and a PC/Windows and each of them have their good points as well as their bad. When I need to do my writing or working with spreadsheets, I prefer to be on a PC/Windows. I grew up with DOS then switched to Microsoft/Windows. I know the programs like the back of my hand and I complete my work rather quickly. A Mac was introduced to me when I needed better streaming video and graphic abilities. I see a Mac being more of the what the future needs. Mac also makes it quicker to operate with less keystrokes.

As you shop for a laptop for college this year, remember to tell the salesman exactly what your needs are. Yes, you’ll need to work with a word program and would want to have a better media player, but you can save money by cutting back on what you really won’t need? Do you need to have a CD/DVD burner? If you don’t, talk to the salesman about installing the basic CD/DVD and then put the money you saved toward boosting up your gig’s. Don’t want those extra programs? You know, the ones that are never used once you get the computer home. Talk to them about how you can swap it for more RAM.

Those are just a few of the different ways to build the best college laptop for you. No one else but you is really going to use it so why not have it the way you need it to be. So, what really is the best college laptop? The one that was made for you and your needs, not one off the “showroom floor”