I need to buy a laptop for school. Which one would be the best one to buy for a college student?

Answer 1

First, check with your college to see if they have a student purchase program affiliated with any manufacturer. Most schools do. This will get you a discount on your purchase.

Second, Dell's are just fine, so are Gateway, Acer, Toshiba, HP, Compaq, etc. In fact, I recommend that college students get Dell laptops for one simple reason alone - the accidental damage protection.

Yes you pay for it (about $200 more) but it is well worth it. Basically, you can throw it out the window of your dorm and Dell will replace it for you. It is well worth the extra investment.

Aside from that, set yourself a budget and configure a machine that works best for you. If you are planning on upgrading to Windows Vista, then make sure you have a good video card - most have a 256Mb option when you build them.

If you can't afford 2GB of RAM now, try to get 1GB and make sure it is a 1GB stick, not 2X512mb. This way when you can afford that second gig, you only need to buy one more stick. (Most laptops only have 2 RAM slots).

You could also buy a Mac, since most applications you will need at school will have a Mac counterpart. If you are interested in a Mac, I would go to the forums on Mac.com and find out more info there.

Here are the basic specs to look for:

Core 2 Duo for the CPU if it is in your budget. Next would be AMD FX series.
Stay away from Sempron, you won't make it past sophomore year with a machine built around one of those. Celeron m is OK and will get you through school.

1GB of RAM at least.
128mb dedicated video card. Dedicated is key here. 256mb is better if in your budget.
Unless you are seriously into mp3's, videos, or games, then the typical hard drive is fine. Most come with a minimum 80gb, and many with 100+gb.
Built in wireless is a must. 802.11g/a or even 802.11n

You will need an Office suite, preferably MS Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and probably Access too (you are planning on Computer Science right?). The Student and Teacher edition of Office does not come with Access. Check with your school bookstore - they will have student pricing available to you on software, even they don;t have a computer purchase program like I mentioned.

Regardless of if you get a Dell, Mac, Gateway, Sony, - whatever - get the longest warranty you can afford. Like I said, Dell's Accidental Protection program is the best out there right now, but most have something similar. If you buy retail, like at Best Buy or Circuit City, then at least you have a store to bring it into for service. Even those places have the additional warranty extension you can buy from them.

Normally I never get any of the extended warranties, especially from the retail stores. The only exception is a case like yours - college students going off to school with a new laptop.

You are probably going to spend around $1200 - $1500 when all is said and done. And despite your best intentions, the chances of something getting broken in the four (or five or eight) years you are at school is very high. Better to protect that with an additional $200 up front than deal with trying to replace the machine for another $1000 of a semester.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You might want to check with your campus bookstore... I know mine offers discounts for certain manufacturers and also sells refurbished laptops and pc's. If you're short on cash (which a lot of students are), this might be an option.

Answer 3

if u are looking for economical one go for acer compuer, if u are looking for good and sturdy one go for hp pavilion

Answer 4

not dell