Buying a Laptop for College
Posted on August 20, 2008
Filed Under Buyers Guide |
The new semester is about to start and you don’t have a laptop - what should you do? Well firstly, don’t panic! There are plenty of sites online you can use to order a good but inexpensive new laptop that will fit your budget (or your parents) yet still give you years of use without slowing down. Read our college laptop buying guide below to find out what you need to consider.
Laptop Buying Guide
Here is a list of the key points to consider when buying a laptop. Remember, this is just a guide, it may not contain some other information you need to consider and ultimately the choice is yours, bt this list should help you avoid some common pitfalls
- What is you budget? Yep, let’s get the nastiest point out the way first. It’s no good lusting after the latest MacBook Pro with all the extras if it means you won’t eat for a year. Be reasonable here, as your college laptop is a key part of your college life. You probably don’t want to slip below $500, and if you have complex engineering or graphic design programs to run this will most likely start from $1,000.
- Does the laptop come with a warranty and support? Laptops are funny things, they work perfectly so much of the time you forget that sometimes they just break for no apparent reason. The hard drive will stop, the screen won’t turn on, and your mate down the corridor has no clue how to get it started. So make sure the laptop you choose has at least three months of full cover - ideally a year. Consider also stretching your budget to include full cover for three years, as it will work out cheaper in the long run if anything does go wrong.
- What are your course computer requirements? Some courses have very specific requirements about what your computer needs to run, and if that includes software which only works on Microsoft platforms then your options may be limited (although you can always run an emulator on a Mac - at the cost of speed). If in doubt, ask your professor for suggestions.
- How heavy a computer can you deal with carrying around? Although it is a laptop, the weight of these notebook computers can vary tremendously. In general you pay more the lighter the machine, although it will look super cool if you have a MacBook Air
. That said, the smaller the laptop then the easier it is to have it stolen (you do have insurance, right?) and also smaller laptops have smaller screens - so you may also find you need to buy a monitor
- What software comes built in to the computer? As a student you will get amazing discounts off professional software packages - sometimes up to 90% off the list price - so check with your department to see what software you need and whether they give a discount. That said, there’s nothing cheaper than free - so check what software comes pre-packaged. You’ll often get copies of Microsoft Office, or at least Works, to let you get started on that magnum opus of an essay.
- How big is the hard drive? Chances are your essays won’t take up too much space on your computer, but your music and video files sure will. So make sure your internal hard drive is at least 80Gb, ideally over 120Gb, to make sure you have space for everything you need. And while we’re on the subject.. don’t forget to back up! An external hard drive
There are plenty of things to consider there, and that list doesn’t even include how it looks (I know.. you want a shocking pink laptop
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