Finding the Best Laptop for College

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Mixx] [Reddit] [StumbleUpon] [Twitter] [Email]

College will become that much more difficult if you’re not with the times technologically. One of the most essential items that every student must possess is an up-to-date laptop. But it’s not easy to make such a big purchase, especially if you’re not exactly sure of what you need. Several things should be taken into consideration before you embark on your computer and electronic store excursion.

Many students use their laptops for both entertainment and school purposes, requiring a good amount of RAM. Purchasing one with, say, 8GB is probably excessive and would put a hefty dent in your wallet. It’s better to aim for one with a minimum of 2GB, but 4GB is ideal. That should enable you to store lots of important documents, download all of the essential programs and then some, watch movies and have the freedom to operate it without limitations. Look for laptops with processors such as the AMD Turion, Intel Core Duo and Intel Core 2 Duo. Also the size of the screen and portability are factors to consider, depending on how you’ll use it.

As a poor college student, price will certainly come into play. Fortunately, there are several laptops that cost in the $500 range that are both highly functional and reliable. For example, the Samsung R480-11 features 4GB of RAM, an HDMI port, and a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system. Toshiba, Asus and Gateway also offer affordable laptops that contain 4 GB. It’s also not a bad idea to purchase a refurbished laptop that can do just about everything a new one can, but at a much lower price. Factory refurbished laptops are laptops that were returned to the manufacturer and then inspected, repaired, reformatted and reloaded with a new operating system. Custom refurbished laptops are assembled with different parts that can be determined by the buyer, enabling it to better suit their unique needs. Most people are surprised by the capability and reliability of refurbished laptops, which contrasts with the stigma that many people attach to all-things "used." Typically they do come with warranties, so in the unlikely scenario that something does go wrong, you’ll be covered.

If you need to surf the internet, write and nothing more, then consider purchasing a Netbook. They’re cheap, small, light and portable, and perform their narrows range of functions efficiently. Whether you can spend $200 or $500, there are numerous options that’ll meet your needs as a student. The right one will prove invaluable to your college career.

Quick Degree Finder