Tips on Choosing a Laptop Computer
How to find and buy the best laptop computer for you online
Finding the best laptop computer for college students is not always the easiest task. With so many brands, models and specs it may seem overwhelming at times. College students and their parents should first set up goals to find out what the student will need the computer for such as:
- Does the student's school (or major) require a specific type of computer? If so make sure you get exactly what they specify
- Will the college student need to do word processing / spreadsheets / Powerpoints or other programs? If so you may want to consider upgrading the RAM (memory) to allow the computer to handle multiple programs open at once.
- Will the college student use the laptop pimarily in his or her dorm room, or will they travel with it frequently (take it to class, the library, home, and other places) This will determine the size of the screen. If a college student is just going to keep it in their dorm room and hardly ever take it somewhere else, you may want to look at larger screen sizes (15" and above). If the student is going to take it with them everywhere they go, look into smaller laptops that are lighter so carrying it around in a book bag or bag is not inconvenient (15" and under).
- What is the maximum amount of money you are willing to spend on a computer? This will determine the amount of additional features and computer components the computer will contain.
Answering these types of questions ahead of time will help narrow down your choices when it comes to picking the best laptop computer for college students.
Best laptop computer: Mac or PC?
In the past only art students bought Apple's Mac laptop. Now Macs can do just about anything a PC can do and more. PC's are able to do most things a Mac can do with the right software, but there are several advantages that could make a Mac the best laptop computer for college students:
- Macs are less vulnerable to computer virus'
- Macs come with a lot of great software at no additional cost
- Macs are easy to learn
- Macs are designed better and look cooler
<< Back to: College Money
