Heading to school this fall? We’re here to help you choose the best laptop for college students in 2012! We know you have tons of options and different budgets, so before we recommend individual models we’ll break down the various factors you need to consider before choosing an individual laptop.
Best Laptop For College Students
The first decision you will have to make is between a netbook and a laptop. For durablity’s sake I would recommend a laptop, but for those of you who are not on the computer all the time and do not anticipate heavy photo/video editing (or gaming during off hours) a netbook is a lightweight, highly portable and highly affordable choice.
A netbook is defined as a laptop with a screen size under 12.2”. I am writing on one right now, and while I would love a fancier Mac Book, this works just fine for me 90% of the time. I also travel a lot, which is why I got it. With that said, I can only find one netbook with more than 250GB of memory, which is rather small (and some only carry 160GB). On top of this, I only found one netbook with the new Intel Core i3+ processors (i5 in this case). Most netbooks carry the Atom processor, which simply isn’t as fast. In general, these are only recommended for light computer users or people on a very tight budget (they can be found for under $280 before tax.
The second thing you want to consider is how you will be using the laptop. This may sound like common sense, but students who will be using the laptop for basic word processing and Internet browsing need a much less powerful computer relative to photography majors who will be doing heavy photo editing. And if you’re doing video editing (or gaming) of any sort, this becomes even more important.
Basic laptops these days contain at least 320 GB of memory and at least 4 GB of RAM (although some extremely basic models have only 250 GB and 2 GB, which is very weak). Without getting technical, ‘memory’ is like your long-term memory: it stores everything, and can be accessed one way or another. ‘RAM’ is like your short-term memory: it contains things you need on the fly/immediately, and the larger it is, the faster you can do quick tasks. Laptops with 320 GB and 4GB RAM without a new Core i3+ processor start around $350 for a basic model. This is a great option for those who do not want a netbook but are on a tight budget.
Best Laptop Under $700
For most students the best laptops under $700 are going to be those with 500 GB of memory and 4-6 GB of ram (or the option to upgrade to more RAM if needed). Many computers with only 4 GB allow you to install additional RAM, which comes in 2 GB strips and can be done at any computer shop. I increased my RAM from 2 to 4 on my netbook and wish I could up it all the way to 8. In short, the higher the number the faster your everyday tasks will be. It should also be noted that ‘Ultrabook’ and ‘Premium’ laptops do not always contain 6 or 8 GB, so definitely make sure you look into this. Anyways, most laptops with 550 GB memory and 4 GB RAM range from $350 – $500.
Moving on, we start getting into higher end laptops that cost $529 and up. The laptops feature a minimum of 500 GB memory, up to 750 GB in some cases, and virtually all contain 4 if not 8 GB or RAM. At this point, the costs start to fluctuate based on another important factor: the processing chip.
Anyone who has watched enough TV knows Intel and their clever little sound byte. Well, to this day Intel still makes the best chips for home computing. Most computers under $529 are not going to contain the newest and fastest chips, as they are expensive (and make a big difference in computing power and speed). At the entry level, Dell makes some models that feature 500 GB memory, 4 GB RAM, and the base model Core i processor (which is the i3) for $529. This is the cheapest model that contains a Core i processor. Virtually anyone doing photo editing will want to have the features listed in this paragraph. While generations have done it without this level of technology, you will spend more time in front of your computer waiting for it to react to your commands, period. Given how precious our time is, I would advise following these guidelines.
Beyond this level, it gets a little hard to help you select the best laptops for college students in 2012. While we all want the best and fastest, they come at a cost. So unless you need an i7 processor with 750 GB of memory and 8 GB of RAM, the models and specifications outlined above will help you just fine. With that said, I will still breakdown your options and some of the differences, as we haven’t even talked about Mac Books yet :)
In general, ‘Ultra Books’ (an Intel line of laptops) all feature an i3 or higher processor, and all but one contain at least 500 GB of memory. These range from $479 for i3 4 GB RAM versions to $999 for i7s with 750 GB memory. Some of these, including the Samsung 6 GB and Asus 8 GB are great deals and have good reviews.
Best Laptops on the Market
For those of you with budgets over $700 we will now cover the bet laptops on the market. Without getting too technical let’s just say these are top of the line, easy to use computers. They all contain i5 or higher processors (they don’t even mess with i3) and 4 GB RAM (only the cheapest Air has 2 GB RAM). From there they go up to i7 with 4 GB RAM. It should be noted, however, that the Airs memory only ranges from 64 GB to 256 GB; this is the price you pay for a laptop as skinny as your finger. It is expected that you will have a hard drive or be using the cloud if you need any larger storage needs.
On a purely statistical basis, you may say “Wait, I can get a PC with i5 and 4 GB RAM for WAY cheaper than that.” And you would be right. But it won’t touch the performance of the Apple. How they achieve this I’m not sure, but that’s how it is. For those of you who haven’t used an Apple, do yourself a favor and go into Best Buy. They truly are superior (unless you’re doing computer coding, as virtually coders prefer PCs to Macs). Macs also last a long time, which brings me to the issue of quality.
Quality is very important. I would highly recommend shopping around BestBuy.com, finding a model you’re interested in, and then looking at the reviews on Amazon.com before buying (Amazon’s has way more ratings than Best Buy). In general you get what you pay for, and the ratings people leave can make a big impression on you. They can also help you decide between two laptops that have the same features but are different prices. This is super important; don’t buy based on price alone.
That’s about it folks. Below you will find a breakdown regarding how to choose the best laptops for college students in 2012:
Prices & Models
- 2-4 GB RAM / 250-320 GB Memory / non-Intel processor: $249+ netbook; $349 laptop. Good for super basic computing and those on a really tight budget. Photo editing, gaming, and streaming video will require patience.
- 4 GB RAM / 320 – 500 GB Memory / Intel non-Core i processor: $379-499 laptop. Good for most users, gaming and photo/video editing may be somewhat slow though.
- 4 – 8 GB RAM / 500 – 750 GB Memory / Intel Core i3 processor: $529-999. Can handle anything but super heavy gaming (i5 or i7 and advanced video cards recommended for heavy gaming).
Mac Air & Mac Book Pros
- 2 GB RAM / 64 GB Mac Air / i5 processor – Most basic laptop Apple has to offer. Good for basic computing, but photo editing will be slower and running multiple programs at once will slow things down. Very small memory size too.
- 4 GB / 128/256 / i5 processor Mac Air – Faster, has more memory (still small though). Will be good enough for most anyone.
- 4 GB / 500 GB / i5 Macbook Pro – Can handle most anything. Memory size comparable to high-end PC laptops. Super heavy gaming may be a tiny bit slow, but barely noticeable.
- 4 GB / 500-750 GB / i7 Macbook Pro – One of the best computers you can buy off the shelf. Will handle anything. $1800 and up :)
That’s it for our breakdown of the best laptops for college students. If you found this article helpful you can support us by shopping at our partner sites, Best Buy in particular, which consistently has some of the best prices on laptops. And make sure to check reviews on Amazon. Also make sure to read through our netbook vs laptop explanation if you are still unsure of which you need. Thanks!