In this article, we’ll discuss two different models in the Satellite series of Toshiba laptops. I have personal experience with the second one and second hand knowledge with the first.

Model : Satellite C650
Starts at $ 426.99
Satellite C650 laptop has a wide screen with an excellent 15.6” size which is good for watching movies, doing engineering drawings, surfing on the net, playing games etc. It has a powerful processor from Intel ( some models are available with AMD processor as well) which are particularly useful for multi-tasking.. With enough memory 2GB upgradeable up to 4 GB can run many of the necessary programs and hard disk capacity of 320 GB is sufficient enough to take care of many storage needs like songs, digital media, engineering drawings, personal documents, web downloads and much more. The 15.6 “inches display is very sleek and stylish with a great look and finish and has ideal viewing. With lot of features built into the laptop which include a media card reader to transfer files from digital media, standard 10 keypad keyboard, a DVD drive which writes from CD’s to DVD’s, an integrated web camera ideal for taking photos and videos while moving and useful for online web chat. Easily play all your favorite movies on the DVD drive and see it on the 15.6 “inches wide display.

Model : Satellite L640
Starts at : $ 515.99
Satellite L640 laptop series is good laptop and has a 14”inches display ideal for those who require a smaller laptop and light weight to carry. The laptop has a display which is HD LED backlit type if you plan to use the laptop outdoors. The digital content (movies, photos, web pages) look excellent on this particular screen which offers high quality display. Portable Laptop. The Satellite L640 is a portable and light weight laptop. But compared to the features it offers it balances with a powerful Intel processors with multi-core technology, for doing multiple tasks or running two applications simultaneously ( copying or reading at a time).Hard drive capacity is sufficient enough to take care of all your files storage. This laptop has energy conservation features, a Multi-touch Control Touch Pad™ for excellent scrolling , battery consumption control to save power , and a PC Health Monitor. It is light weight in design and ideal for you if you do not like to carry extra weight along with you. You can choose from a number of sophisticated colors in this Satellite model with a excellent finish. Play games online, watch videos on the web, use webcam for online chat with family and friends, do online shopping, download your favorite music and videos with a Toshiba Satellite L640 laptop . Additional features include wireless wi-fi for connecting to internet when you are on tour and have internet at your hotel or staying place, A multi touch control Touch Pad which moves in all directions enabling you scroll and click faster. This is an excellent laptop for meeting all your business needs like email, doing account work, making and storing documents, spreadsheets, compact and offers mobility. It comes with a reasonable price for all these features and much more.

In the uncertainty of the already crumbling economy, students have had much more trouble budgeting their college expenses. The best laptops for students are generic low-end models which use slightly aged hardware, but can still get the job done. The best college laptop can end up being a refurbished laptop.

Budget laptop brands for college students who do not require much power (which are interchangeably called notebooks) include Toshiba, Compaq, Acer, Asus, Emachines, and Gateway. Some of these brands sell laptops as low as 300 dollars when on sale. It’s imperative for college students on a tight budget to be aware of these sales. You can also get more power with a refurbished laptop for a similar price, such as the Compaq Factory-Refurbished AMD Athlon II processor / 15.6″ Display / 3GB Memory / 250GB Hard Drive laptop (model cq62-209wm.)

If you’re a design student, you will want a laptop that has a dedicated graphics card. The two main brands of dedicated graphics cards are ATI, which recently has been acquired by AMD, and NVIDIA. Their lines are named Radeon and Geforce. If the graphics card in the specs of a laptop you are looking for are neither of these, it most likely is a low-end, integrated graphics card. Not having enough video memory or speed can hinder the design process. A dedicated graphics card is crucial for students working in 3D as well as in programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. You will need an adequate cpu and ram in order for a dedicated graphics card to function to its full potential. A design laptop is a much greatest investment.

While a laptop like the ASUS G51JX-3DE, which sports 1GB of video memory (NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M graphics,) 6GB of ram, a Intel Core i7-720QM processor, and 500GB of 7200 RPM hard drive space, and a $1,700 dollar price tag will give you all the power you need to design and also play games, it is overkill on a budget. A more appropriate laptop would be the ASUS UL30Vt-X1, which cuts ram down to 4GB, video memory to 512mb (NVIDIA G210M,) and 500GB of 5400RPM hard drive space, and the price tag down to roughly 710 dollars. This will do all you will ever need in college. Will you be able to play the latest PC game on the highest graphics settings? Probably not, but you’re not in college to play games.

It’s also advisable to game on a desktop computer, as laptops are prone to overheating. For Apple fans, Apple offers discounting for students with its laptop models, but it is not much. You can’t find much of a deal when it comes to Apple computers. If you must have one and your budget can afford it, go for it, but the PC counterparts are just as good, if not better, for the same price. The major advantage of Apple brand laptops are the long battery life, which can last upwards of 10 hours on one charge. If you decide to purchase an Apple laptop, the MacBook will run you $999 and the Macbook Pro starts at $1199. Some colleges and universities may recommend you buy an Apple laptops for various reasons, mainly for compatibility with course material.

The last thing you should keep in mind when it comes to purchasing your laptop, is to read the warranty carefully. Some can be tricky and won’t cover incidental damage. Some students take out 3rd party warranties to protect their purchase. Hopefully this has been helpful for you.

Editors note: This post was submitted by one of our readers; Marc JH

It can be a daunting task these days to decide the best laptop for college students. Are the more expensive ones better? In a lot of cases, it may not be so true. For most college students, cheaper is going to be better. And, with todays disposible socitey, this is a good rule of thumb for laptops.

The average college laptop will only have a life of a few years at best. Let’s face it, that can of soda that dumped into it sure didn’t help to extend that life any. Neither will the fall off the table at the Student Union Building. So look for a good, tough laptop that does not cost a fortune, as you will probably need to replace it at least once before your college career is over.

A new trend is to go with a Netbook, or an ultra small version of a laptop. And there are good and bad points on these. One, the lower price is a good incentive to check them out. And the smaller, lighter size is another good point. But most of them do not have CD/DVD drives. So using any type of software is out of the question unless you can access it online too. And the smaller screen on a killer crunch study night could get to be annoying as well. It is probably better to go with one of the smaller screens on a regular laptop.

There are also some very light and very well equiped best college laptops out there that come with a hefty price for their portability. These are high-end models, that will cost a considerable bit more. There again, you will have to make the final decision on what you are willing to spend, and these loaded laptops are wonderful, but the price is a concern, and if you are looking at possibly replacing it half-way through your college experience is that going to be worth it, having enough memory to download half the documents in the free world, or play the latest, most graphics intense version of a video game? Really, do you NEED 1,000 songs on there? Get a smaller, less costly version for your college classes, and get that big old beast after you graduate!

Most of the budget laptops are bulkier, and do not have alot of the features that will allow you to be a gamer on them, but if you are just looking for a basic laptop to take to and from class and use for your studies, there are some GREAT deals out there. Check the “Bigbox” stores, as well as online sites, as they will often put out internet-only deals that can save you a ton of cash! Watch the advertisements, and go to stores and look around. See what is out there, and make notes of the ones that you might be interested in. Start a little bit before you need it, like at least a month before you go to school, so that you can price shop, and get the laptop and get it set up and ready to go and be familiar with it before you have to use it in earnest.

One thing that I think I would avoid however is purchasing a USED unit. Those can be tricky. Even if they are certified that they are refurbished, do you really want to take a chance on that laptop with ALL of your term paper in it crashing and dying? I think that new would be the best choice here. Yes, new ones can crash too, but you do get tech support for usually one year, so there is at least a hope that you might can recover something.

Deciding the best laptop for college students really has to depend on the student and the budget that they are willing to put out there! Deals can be had, it takes a little effort, and you have to keep your eyes on the prize. Go for lower costs, and less bling, and you will have a nice little unit that will serve you well! Good luck, and happy shopping!

Reader Question: What do YOU look for in a college laptop? What features are important to you?

(Editors note: This review was written by one of our readers Helen R).

One of the best laptops for college students is the Apple Mac book 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 Mac book comes in a small 13.3-inch package that makes mobility simple. This will make transport of the Mac book 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 making it one of the best laptops for students in college.

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.

Reader Question: For those that have owned a Macbook, why would you recommend it for a college student?

(guest post written by: Julie C. )

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 laptop for students. 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.

Reader Question: What laptop would you recommend for a college student, and why?

Of all the best college laptops I’ve owned, my favorite is my Mac Book. I bought a basic model Apple MacBook when I entered law school. This was the first time that I had purchased a Mac. I did so because I wanted to make sure that I had a laptop that was portable and durable.

Indeed, my Mac Book 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. As far as good college laptopsgo, it’s one of the best in my opinion. 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.

The best college laptops are designed to fulfill the student’s needs, whether that mean having a high-quality video card for gaming, large memory for school work or durability for travel. Find good college laptopswith tips from a systems administrator in this free video on computers.