With each graduating class, parents and their son or daughter begin planning for college and with that comes the quest to find one of the best laptops for college students to take off to school with them. Questions include “what is the right model”, “what features do I need”, “do I need a laptop or will a desktop work”, and “what are some of the best laptop brands“.

Obtaining one of the best laptops for college students is much harder that you’d expect. The market is flooded with literally thousands of models all claiming to be the best. Hopefully there tips will help you find the best laptop for you.

If you grew up with a PC, you’ll say that PC’s are the best laptops for college students

Some of the more popular PC’s include companies like Dell, HP, Gateway, and Toshiba. PC’s are a great general use computer that can handle most tasks with ease. They’re also the go-to laptop for students when you’re on a budget because they tend to be very affordable compared to their Apple counter parts. You can pickup a good PC laptop for around $550.  If you want to stick with a PC, but are tired of having the boring grey colored computer, then you might want to look into some of those cool pink laptops that are available.

Note: Even the best laptops for college students usually don’t come with a license of Microsoft Office. While Open Office is a free alternative, most students will want to purchase a copy of Microsoft Office, the good news is students get a discount.

Students that grew up with Apple or Mac’s will say they are the best student laptops

If you were introduced or have used Apple computer before you will say the Macbook, Macbook Pro, and Macbook Air are the best laptops for for students. Their simplicity, reliability, and trendiness has done well for them. Now that Mac’s can run Windows if needed, they are becoming a great choice for a college laptop. They do however cost a bit more money than a comparable PC laptop.

If you are planning on spending over $800 on a student laptop then the Macbook is a great choice. It has everything a student could want is one of the best laptops for students. It has a Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB’s of RAM, Bluetooth, a webcam, DVD burner, and a great graphics card. Apple even helps students out by giving them an additional discount on not only Apple laptops, but also all Apple products including the iPod. Last time I checked you could get a Macbook with the student discount for between $840 and $900 dollars.

When the best laptop for college students means the thinnest, lightest, most ridiculous laptop for college students.

That’s when you buy the Macbook Air. This laptop isn’t the most budget friendly, but it definitely fits into the category of best student laptops. It’s just over 13 inches in size and has a total weight of under 3 pounds. It’s also extremely thin…and I mean thin. It’s just over 3/4′s of an inch thick. It also includes all the normal features and then some. So Bluetooth, wireless, a webcam, etc are all part of the package. It’s the complete package that unfortunately comes at a bit of a price. Although in the past 6 months the price has come down quite a bit. Make sure you notice and plan for the fact that the Macbook Air doesn’t come with a built in CD-ROM. They do offer an external USB CD-ROM though so don’t worry.

Thankfully, due to this increased need and subsequent demand, laptops for students are now being made available in a variety of different models, and at a variety of price points; several of which are quite reasonable. Students now have the opportunity to obtain a basic laptop with wifi and Bluetooth capabilities, good memory capacity, and word processing programs, for under $400.00 USD. For those individuals that desire or require a higher level of speed, memory, or additional functions, there also exist mid-level and luxury models that are generally available at slightly higher price points and for those who are looking to spend the absolute minimum can hunt around for $200 laptops.

When beginning your search for the perfect laptop, be sure to identify your needs. If you mainly use computers for simple word processing tasks such as completing written assignments, for collecting information online, or communicating via email, you would likely benefit from a basic, inexpensive laptop. If you are a heavy computer user however, who enjoys online gaming, or who works on serious multi-media projects, then a higher-end, more expensive model with speedier processing and increased memory may be required.

To obtain the best deals on a variety of laptop makes and models, be sure to conduct extensive research, and do not forget to inquire with your post secondary institution. Frequently, university and college bookstores or technical support stores will offer special deals on laptops for students that can only be applied to purchases made by current students of the given institution, and directly through them. This option, if it is available, can save students hundreds of dollars, and will often include word processing programs at far below the set retail price.

Look into the variety of best laptops for students available on today’s market, and discover how the convenience and speed that they offer on a daily basis can benefit your course of study.

When looking for an inexpensive laptop, identify all of the elements that you will need to have included on said laptop. Basic models may be offered at very low prices, but may not include certain essential features or programs that, when purchased separately, will bring up that initial purchase cost. Cheap laptops for students should still include an introductory word processing program, some form of anti-virus protection, and enough RAM and memory to process all computer projects quickly and reliably.

Be sure that the laptop computer you eventually purchase is only cheap in price, and not in quality. The laptop should last for at least the length or your degree program, but ideally should last beyond that. Purchasing a laptop that sacrifices quality for price could end up costing more in the long run, since unexpected breakdowns, or undue necessity for replacements, are more likely to occur in a shorter period of time. Students, as well as every individual, should inquire about the warranty that is included with the laptop purchase, and ensure that there is some form of backing from the manufacturer in the case of defect.

One consideration for locating cheap laptops for students is to search for refurbished laptops. These are computers that have been lightly used and returned to the manufacturer. The manufacturer then conducts a thorough inspection of the computer, makes any necessary repairs or corrections, and puts it back on the market at a reduced price point. Although refurbished laptops are not always the newest models on the market, they function as well as a brand new computer, at a fraction of the cost.

Additional ways of obtaining cheap laptops for students include inquiring about special offers. Often as a buying incentive stores or manufacturers will offer additional products with deep discounts, or even for free, with the purchase of a computer. This way, students can not only obtain a well-priced laptop computer, but also a printer, ink cartridges, or an added warranty package as well, bringing down the overall cost of the computer and necessary accessories.

College students will benefit from owning a laptop computer in a number of ways. Not only are laptops for college students an efficient and organized way of keeping notes, completing assignments, and conducting research, they are also a comprehensive and compact home entertainment system that perform multiple useful tasks outside of the classroom. Many students are now using their laptops to store and play music and movies, and with excellent internet resources, they can now even download the latest television shows in a manner that is completely free and legal.

In order to accommodate the multiple and varied functions of modern laptops, manufacturers are including higher levels of RAM and memory into each individual machine. Additional common features of the newest laptop computers on the market include Bluetooth technology, and built-in wireless cards, for anywhere internet access.

The biggest challenge when looking for laptops for college students is not finding a machine that has all of the above-listed capabilities, but finding one with all of the above that is within a moderate to low price range. To facilitate this search, students should begin by looking not at electronics stores or outlets, but within their own community. Some methods of obtaining inexpensive, all-inclusive laptops include searching E-Bay or Craigslist, looking into laptops that have been refurbished by the manufacturer, or by just getting the word out around school or work that they are searching.

Refurbished laptops for college students may not be the newest products on the market, but they are often of better quality that the brand new computers that are cheaply priced due to their lower quality. Refurbished computers, when purchased from the manufacturer, have been carefully inspected and upgraded with the newest features, in order to provide a slightly older product that functions like a brand new machine, without the accompanying price tag.

Frequently, in order to keep up with the most advanced technologies, individuals will upgrade their computers yearly, selling their gently used, slightly older model, for a fraction of the original price. By identifying what they require in a computer, and consulting trusted sources on what to look for when purchasing a gently used laptop, students can get great deals on products that they couldn’t afford to buy brand new.  Another thing to take a look at is a laptop computer stand.  Almost every student will be able to benefit from purchasing one and they aren’t a huge investment money wise.