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2012 Best Laptop Computer For College StudentsBuying guide
for the 2012
best laptop computer for college students.
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| College Student Laptop Deals |
If you are a student starting college or a parent searching for the perfect college laptop for your son or daughter, you're going to find a slew of fantastic laptop computers to fulfill your or their computing needs and then some.
Ok, so what is the best laptop computer for college students? Well,
that's a fantastic question, and because the answer does come down to a
person's specific needs, it's not quite as simple as running down to
the local Best Buy and snatching up any old laptop or browsing to
Amazon and buying any model.
This is especially true if you're on a budget and
you want the laptop
to last through the entire college experience, or if you simply want to
get your money's worth. Buying a laptop that will last is what it's all
about, so we highly recommend you not only plan for the now, but well
into the future.
Sure, choosing any old laptop will suffice since just about any laptop
will run all software applications needed for college work and much
more, though if you're truly looking for the best laptops for college
students, you're honestly going to want to spend a little time doing
some research to determine what laptop is the best for you or your
children's unique needs.
See, looking at your unique needs is the first step on the journey to
buying the best laptop computer for college students. Is it going to be
lugged around campus all day? Is it going to spend most of its time
sitting on a desk in a dorm room? Is it going to be solely used for
browsing the Internet and word processing? Is it going to be a
secondary or primary computer? Does the student's school or major
require a specific computer type? Do you have a specific
budget?
These are but a few questions to ask yourself first, especially before
forking out your hard earned cash. Once you've answered these
basic questions, it's then that you can really begin looking for the
best laptop brand, specifications, and styling to fulfill your wants
and needs.
Thankfully choosing a college notebook laptop is going to be easier
than you can imagine. You're going to find a huge laptop
inventory to choose from. Industry leading manufacturers like Apple,
Sony, Dell, HP, Gateway, Asus, Lenovo, and Toshiba to name a few, have
truly designed a ton of sweet laptops that are perfect for the college
experience.
To help you find the best laptop computer for college students, we're
going to show you what to look for in a laptop, and showcase some of
our top recommended college laptops. We've also provided links to the
best laptop shopping deals on Amazon.com. Enjoy!
Top 5 2012 Best Laptop Computer For College Students
Click on any model to jump to Amazon.com to find the best laptop deals, user reviews, and detailed product overviews.
Top 5 Best Laptops For College:
Apple MacBook Laptops
The Apple MacBook laptop is hands down one of the most popular laptops for college students.
Besides offering best in class build quality and reliability, the MacBook is easy to use, less prone to viruses compared to a PC, includes an excellent bundled in software suite, and it can even run Windows 7 in addition to Mac OSX. This makes it a very flexible mobile computing machine, perfect for any college student.
Macintosh laptops are a little on the pricey side when comparing to PC laptops, but the extra money spent is worth it in the long run when you consider how long a MacBook laptop will last you.
Best Amazon.com Deals - Apple MacBook Laptops
Dell Inspiron Laptops
Dell
Inspiron laptops are among the best laptop computer for
college
students. Dell Inspiron laptops offer industry favorite features including the latest processors, memory, wireless technologies and much more.
On top of this, college students who want that custom look will love the Dell Inspiron exterior color selections available. Red and pink Dell Inspiron laptops are hugely popular with women.
Dell Inspiron laptops are also exceptionally priced so they won't break your bank, this is another reason they are ranked among the best laptops for college.
Best Amazon.com Deals - Dell Inspiron Laptops
HP Pavilion Laptops
HP
Pavilion laptops are ranked among the best laptops for college for a
number of reasons. Among highlights, they are of a high build quality, and HP Pavilion laptops offer all the industry favorite technologies you expect.
HP makes a slew of different models in various prices ranges too. Price makes an HP Pavilition laptop a great flexible machine for those looking for discount laptops for college students.
And for those students who want a hip looking laptop, HPs color and design selection are top notch.
Best Amazon.com Deals - HP Pavilion Laptops
Toshiba Satellite Laptops
The
Toshiba Satellite laptop series are hugely popular with college
students. Toshiba laptops are also made very well like the other players in this list, and they offer the same industry leading technologies that consumers desire from a mobile machine.
As an industry leading manufacturer with a fantastic selection of laptops, Toshiba rightly deserves a spot on the list of best laptops for college.
Best Amazon.com Deals - Toshiba Satellite Laptops
Sony VAIO Laptops
No
best laptop computer for college students list would be complete
without the Sony VAIO. Sony VAIO laptops are of exceptional build quality, and like other laptop manufacturers, Sony offers industry leading technologies in the VAIO line.
Sony VAIO styling is also very popular with college students for they are very Macintosh looking in appearance.
Best Amazon.com Deals - Sony VAIO Laptops
2012 Best Laptops For College - Student Wants & Needs
Our goal with this section is to overview some key topics to help you find the best laptop computer for college students.
We're going touch base on the most desired student laptop features, then we're going to answer some of the key questions listed earlier in our article introduction.
Student Favorites By Request:
These are the top three requested laptop features by college students collected in a recent survey.
Use this information as your starting point if you're searching for the best college laptops. From this survey and personal feedback we've received from college students around the world, this is what we've compiled.
- Most students want a laptop that's lightweight. A lightweight laptop makes it very comfortable to lug to and from classes, especially when you consider students have a plethora of college books to carry in addition to the laptop.
- Most students want a laptop that gets stellar battery life. Long battery run times make a laptop perfect for college since students are often going to be on the move, and they will not always have access to a wall outlet for a charge. These days, many teachers even allow you to use your laptop in class to take notes, etc., so the extra battery juice is a huge plus.
- Most students want a laptop with a large hard drive. In addition to storing college assignments of course, students often have exceptionally large music and movie collections.
Is it going to be lugged around campus all day?
For many students, taking their laptop around campus is going to be a daily occurrence during their college experience. If this is such a requirement for the students needs, definitely look for a lightweight laptop that also gets good battery life. If you're looking for the best laptop computer for college students who fit this profile, a lightweight model is a must have.
Is it going to spend most of its time sitting on a desk in a dorm room?
If the laptop is going to be primarily stationary, you will often find that a bulkier laptop with similar or more features than a lightweight model exist at a lower price. Bulkier laptops typically cost less than a lightweight laptop, so if it isn't going to be lugged around, buying a bulkier laptop is a potential way to save some cash. And as we've mentioned, you may not even lose any more than size and battery run times in the process, and in fact, you may even gain features and performance over a similarly priced lightweight laptop.
Note: Lightweight laptops with long battery run times often cost more than a bulkier laptop, but because of advancements in technologies, this gap is getting smaller, so pay attention to weight and battery runtimes, for you might just find the perfect balance of weight and long battery life in a laptop, and at a very affordable price.
Is it going to be solely used for browsing the Internet and word processing?
If the laptop is going to be strictly used for basic tasks, you can save a fair share of cash by going for a low cost laptop, or even a lower cost netbook for that matter. But keep in mind these machines will often be less powerful and feature rich, so if this laptop is meant to last through the entire college experience, you may be disappointed as it will become outdated much quicker. Paying a little extra cash up front, may actually save you money in the long run.
Note: People often purchase cheap laptops for some reason or another, only to find that their needs quickly outgrow what the laptop can provide. For this reason think about the future as well as your current needs before purchasing a laptop. Spending a little extra cash is often a better purchasing decision, especially if you are looking for the best laptop computer for college students.
Is it going to be a secondary or primary computer?
If the laptop is going to be a secondary machine, you can save a lot of money by purchasing a low cost notebook or netbook. Many students have a primary desktop computer or laptop in which they use primarily in their room, so a secondary laptop doesn't have to be as feature rich, thus it costs less.
Netbooks make a great secondary mobile computer for they are exceptionally cheap. Netbooks are very capable at handling word processing, Internet browsing, and many more tasks that a secondary computer is quite often used for. Netbooks also often get fantastic battery life in addition to offering a slew of features, including the latest wireless (Wi-Fi) standards, and solid state hard drives to name a few.
Does the student's school, major, or a specific course require a specific computer type?
Buying the best laptop computer for college students means getting a laptop that fulfils their needs, so if a specific school, major, or course requires a specific computer type, make sure you follow their guidelines exactly. For example, an art student who is majoring in digital design may have a requirement for a Macintosh laptop.
What is your budget?
When trying to find the best laptop computer for college students, a great starting point is to determine your so called maximum budget, because you can quickly focus on laptops that fall below this price while you ignore the uber expensive models.
You should however always leave yourself a small cash buffer just in case, because a better bang for your buck may not cost you much more. Even spending a little extra cash beyond your desired maximum budget may in fact be in your best interest, especially if you plan on using your laptop throughout the entire college experience.
So once you've narrowed down a laptop within your budget, we highly recommend that you research what a few extra bucks will get you, because a few extra dollars spent on a laptop in the beginning, may just future proof your investment better than if you were to go for a slighter cheaper one.
The key here is being flexible with your budget, even if that means stretching it slightly beyond your desired maximum price.
Best Laptop Computer For College Students
Conclusion:
In today's digital age, laptops are essential tools for college
students. In addition to typing essays and performing online
research, many professors will even assign online work, and many
college students may even be taking full-fledged online
classes. So as you see, buying the best laptop computer for
college students is a must.
We hope our general tips and guidelines throughout our best laptop
computer for college students guide has
been very helpful in your quest to narrow down a fantastic college
laptop for your son, daughter, or yourself. But if you still
have questions and cannot figure out what are the best laptops for
college, please contact us anytime and we'd be more than happy to give
you some advice.
College Laptop Deals
Apple Laptops, Dell Laptops, Sony Laptops, HP Laptops, Acer Laptops, Asus laptops, Accessories & More
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