Technology and Gadgets Online

If you are headed off to college this September you will need a good laptop for your classes. The study load and research requirements of Universities, and even community colleges and tech schools, require a good computer and, while a PC is great, a student needs to have something portable. This means that you will have to find the best laptop for college students which will be able to do everything required to ensure you can perform at your highest standards. The thing is though that “needs” can vary drastically from student to student. A liberal arts major will not have the same computing requirements as say a physics major. Some students require high power quad-core processors and video rendering capability, or huge hard drives and some students only need an average computer with good internet capability. This means that the best college student laptop for one student may be totally useless to another.

If this is your first laptop it is the best idea to stick with what you are familiar with. The big companies like Dell, Hewlett Packard, or Sony will custom build the best laptops for college students to fit your needs so you do not need to waste money on add-ons that you will never use. You can get anything from a high powered AMD or Intel Quad-Core to the scaled down basic Intel Celeron that many casual users opt for.

If your student needs are solely for doing internet research and writing papers the best model for you might be a Netbook, especially if you are on a limited budget. They do not have a great deal of power but they will serve for all of you internet needs and have a few other applications. The processors that are most common on these models are the Intel Atom, The Via Nano and the VIA C7-Mnd. They have limited processing power but will serve your basic needs for your first year in school.They are best used as portable internet systems. The common processors for these units are VIA Nano, VIA C7-Mnd, Intel Atom Z520 and up.

When you are a looking for the best laptop for college students you are obviously going to want to get the finest machine available for the cash you have to spend. The problem is that the best notebooks can cost a great deal of money, and finding one that is going to get you through your entire college degree without breaking or becoming obsolete can be a difficult task. One thing is for sure, if you are a regular student you are not going to be able to afford the fanciest notebook on the market, so you can forget about getting the new Mac book Air, unless your parents are willing to bankroll your degree.

Its more likely that you are going to opt for something that’s a little more run of the mill, at least in the fashion stakes. Many companies make machines that will do the job perfectly, even if they don’t look quite as spectacular as an Apple. Dell are one company that I have a lot of experience with, and they are renowned for making some good laptops for the price they go for. Having said that, many people think there quality standards have dropped a little in the past few years, but if you want a notebook that will get you through your studies and do all you need for the next four years on a tight budget they might be your best choice.

What Do You Need From Your Laptop?

Gone are the days when you used to have to spend thousands of dollars to get a laptop that could do all you would expect from a desktop. Its true that if you want a high end gaming machine you are still going to have to break the bank, but for college work, surfing the web, and watching movies, you can spend much less.

The most important thing to think about when looking for the best laptops for college students is to ensure you get one with an up-to-date processor. These days that mean you will want something that runs at least a 2 gigahertz dual core processor. You will also want to get 3 gigabytes of RAM, and a hard drive that will be capable of storing a reasonable amount of essays, music and movies.

A good sized screen is also important when thinking about your options, you won’t want to be typing out an essay at 3 in the morning on an 11″ screen. 15 inch screen offer a great balance between mobility and function, which is why I like the look of the Dell Studio 15 as a nice option for those looking for a laptop computer for studying.

I don’t recommend buying a second hand laptop just to save money as there is too high a risk that you are going to get a notebook computer that will break in no time at all. With that said there is nothing wrong with getting a reconditioned laptop direct from the Dell Outlet if you really want to save some cash. The are for all intents new notebooks that you get from the Factory Outlet, and they come with a 1 year warranty. The only problem is that you have to take what they have available at the time rather than design your own laptop like you do on the regular Dell website. If you are desperate to save money on your laptop though this isn’t going to be a problem, just ensure you get one with a reasonable specification.

Remember that when buying a notebook you will want to set aside a little extra cash to get yourself a decent laptop computer backpack so you carry carry your new machine safely to your lectures, and the library. Depending on your living arrangements you might also have to purchase a corner computer desk to give you somewhere comfortable to do your work.

When looking for the best student laptops, a lot of people get lost trying to read through review and review and comparing specs from multiple models, only to sit there confused and unsure of exactly what is the “best laptop for college students“. Don’t get stuck reading and trying to understand all the details and inner workings on laptops, it won’t help you find the best one, it might help you find a more expensive one however. And if you’re like I was in college, you’re looking for an afforable laptop for college, not the most expensive model you can find.

So how do you find some of the best laptops for college students? Easy, ask the college you are going to. Every college now has minimum requirements for what laptops will work with their network. It includes everything from the processor speed, hard drive, memory, and even the operating system. The requirements aren’t very strict, but are important to pay attention to. One of the more important requirements is the operating system however. Microsoft has been switching operating systems rather quickly over the past few years. Specifically from Windows XP to Vista and now to Windows 7. A lot of schools prefer to have either Windows XP or Windows 7.

Here’s a little secret; almost every laptop available today will be a good laptop for school and will meet their requirements. Manufactuers have made great advances in the technology inside laptops and it’s now at a point where even the entry level laptops you see for $399 are going to fit the bill and work great for most college students. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule such as a photography or graphic design student, but you’ll most likely find yourself looking around the Apple store for those majors.

Instead of worrying about the specs, spend some time looking at the other options like speakers, the color of the laptop, or even a remote. Yes, even some multimedia laptops now come with remotes. Some of the best laptops for students are the ones that you actually like and will enjoy using. Check out the models at the local electronics store, give the keyboards a try, pick them up, and use the trackpad. Make sure you like the feel of the laptop and will enjoy using it through college.