How to Choose the Right Laptop for College

By Andrew Baxter, Editor for Student Tech Guide

Choosing the right laptop for college is like choosing the right tool for a very important job. Besides budget, which is obviously a big concern for students, several factors go into making a laptop well-suited for a college student. Luckily, with the power of today’s laptops, you can get a lot of performance for a reasonable price. Here’s a set of guidelines to follow when choosing a school laptop:

Screen Size and Weight: Many popular laptops have a 15-inch screen size, but that size is heavy to carry and won’t fit on a tiny lecture hall desk. The most prudent screen size for campus use is between 11 and 14 inches.

Long Battery Life: Sometimes you’ll be in class for several hours a day with no ability to plug in your laptop, so look for a laptop that can get at least four hours of battery life.

Manufacturer Support: Research the manufacturer’s warranty and support quality for each model you consider. If you get unlucky and your laptop has problems, it will be important to get it fixed fast so that your productivity isn’t compromised.

Durable Build Quality: Your laptop will be shoved into a loaded backpack, jostled around and repeatedly pulled in and out of a bag, so it needs to be durably built. Look for features such as metallic casing or chassis that make a laptop sturdier.

Cool Running: Heat is bad for a laptop -- and for your comfort if the computer’s sitting in your lap! Do your research and make sure to get a laptop that does not have a reputation for overheating.

Modern Dual-core Processor: Look for Intel Core i3, Core i5 or AMD VISION processors to know you’re getting the latest technology and something well-suited for student needs.

Although you’re armed with these guidelines, there’s still a sea of laptop choices to wade through. To help narrow down your decision, here are some laptops to consider in varying budget ranges:

$300 to $500 Laptops

HP dm1z 11.6-inch-screen laptop: A 11.6-inch-screen laptop with a starting price of $399.99. You can find a full review of the latest HP dm1z model where the author concludes it is an excellent laptop for the price.

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e: The ThinkPad X120e has an 11.6-inch screen and an AMD Fusion processor. It starts at $399.99.

Dell Inspiron 14R: The Dell Inspiron 14R is a portable laptop with Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processor technology. Read a student perspective review of the Dell Inspiron 14R here to find out more.

$500 to $700 Laptops

ThinkPad Edge E420s: The highly portable Edge E420s is a 14-inch-screen laptop and has a starting weight of 4 pounds.

Asus U31SD-XA1: The Asus U31SD-XA1 is a 13.3-inch-screen laptop powered by the Intel Core i3-2310M 2.3GHz processor.

HP Pavilion dm4x: The HP Pavilion dm4x 14-inch laptop features an Intel Core i5 processor.

$700 to $900 Laptops

Sony VAIO SB: The 14-inch screen VAIO SB is a great laptop in terms of design. You can get it in four different colors: black, blue, pink or white.

Lenovo ThinkPad T420: The T420 is durably built and sure to survive four years of campus rigor. You can read this recent review of the ThinkPad T420 to find out more.

Toshiba Portege R835 (Portege R835-P56x): The Toshiba Portege R835 is a 13.3-inch-screen laptop that comes packed with just about every technology you’ll need for an amazing $749 starting price tag.

$900 to $1,200 Laptops

Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch: The MacBook Pro 13-inch laptop is well-suited for campus due to its portable form factor, its stable and user-friendly Mac OS, and its beautiful looks and quality design.

Dell XPS 15 (L502): Although it’s not suited to be lugged around campus, the XPS 15 is a strong option if you just need a powerful laptop for your desk at home.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220: If you’re going to be taking a laptop all around campus -- and need something that’s ultraportable and well-built -- then look no further than the 12-inch-screen ThinkPad X220.

Student Tech Guide is a site dedicated to helping students find the right technology at the right price by utilizing deals and student discounts available for computers and software.