Deciding On A College Laptop
Finding laptops for college students isn’t always easy, and the wide range of laptops offered can be overwhelming. This article will narrow down your choice to the top three laptops for students. Since the best laptop for you may not be the best laptop for everyone, we’ll look at three main categories of laptops: ultraportables, netbooks, and desktop replacements.
Netbooks are great if you need extreme portability, a battery that can last through a long day of classes, and especially if you mainly plan to use your laptop for projects and papers. Netbooks typically check in between three and four pounds, have batteries that can last eight hours or more, and still manage to have decent performance for Microsoft Office documents and web browsing. The main drawback of a netbook is the lack of a DVD drive; you’ll need to purchase an external DVD drive to watch movies, unless you mostly view Youtube or Hulu videos. If you want a solid netbook, consider something like the Asus Eee PC 1001PX. This little laptop includes the latest Intel Atom N450 processor, with 1GB of RAM, a spacious 160GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Starter. The included battery is rated for up to nine hours of continuous use. Netbooks like this are great when you’re on a budget; with standard features, this model can be found for under $300. Ultraportables are a better choice if you’re not comfortable with the restrictions of a netbook, particularly the lower screen resolution, but you still want good battery life.
Ultraportables typically have 11.6 to 14 inch screens, offer some variation of an Intel Ultra Low Voltage processor or an AMD Neo processor, and can have battery life from four to eight hours. One example of a solid ultraportable is the Toshiba Satellite T135, with an Intel CULV processor; its AMD cousin, the T135D, gets similarly good reviews. The Intel-powered version lasts nearly seven hours per charge; the AMD version, about five hours. The tradeoff is explained in part by the superior dedicated graphics of the T135D. Either model is a great choice, offering far better performance than a netbook, while still weighing less than four pounds, and lasting all day for taking notes in classes.
Finally, if you just want a laptop to sit on your desk and occasionally take to the library, consider a desktop replacement model. These vary from 18 inch monster laptops all the way to compact 14 inch models. Prices also vary; the low end of the scale is approximately $300; the high end, several thousand dollars. A good example in this category is the Gateway NV7915u, which includes one of the latest Intel Core i3 processors, a spacious 500GB hard drive, plenty of RAM with 4GB available, and an acceptable battery life of just over two hours. Though you won’t want to carry this one around for long, since it weighs nearly eight pounds when you take along the charger, this model is more than adequate for a space-saving alternative to a desktop for use in your dorm room or apartment.
Whether you want the small size and all-day battery of a netbook, the speedy compactness of an ultraportable, or even the increase in performance of a desktop replacement, a little checking around will help you find the best laptop for your situation, as there are many options available.
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