Are there affordable laptops for students?
Every college student understands how important having a laptop is. Being able to carry a handy gadget to school that can make learning less difficult matters a lot to many students. But the thing is – most laptops aren’t cheap. Students with strict allowances cannot just go to the nearest store and point out the laptop model they want without having to consider the price. Fortunately, almost all computer manufacturers are offering great deals on laptops for students. Aside from having cool and stylish designs, these laptops have good specifications, and complete programs installed at a very low price. For less than $400, students can now have their brand new and high-powered portable computers.
Laptops for Students
Every year, thousands of students go to the local stores together with their parents to shop for laptops. Just before the summer ends, computer stores would display their back-to-school promo banners. The web will be plastered with advertisements from various computer manufacturers. Gone are the days when students would ask – ‘Should I buy a desktop or a laptop?’ That has been settled for so many years now. Today, the concern is more on ‘Which laptop should I buy?’
Yet, looking for the laptop that will fit to the student’s needs and preferences can be a very daunting task. Since there are a lot of models out in the market, choosing the perfect laptop can be a real challenge. But as long as every student knows what they’re looking for and what their studies require, they can always find the laptop that is best for them.
Choosing the best laptop for students
When buying laptops for students, it is very important that consumers know what they want and need from a computer. Basically, they can’t just expect that all the specs they want would be made available in a single laptop.
Here are the most important questions that consumers should always consider when buying laptops for students:
- Does the school require a specific model of laptops?
There are college courses that require students to purchase a specific model of laptop. This is common among engineering students. It is therefore important that students ask their school administrator for any laptop requirements before starting to shop.
- Is the RAM upgradable
The specifications of the laptop are the most important aspect that every buyer should look at. When it comes to the RAM, the minimum requirement is 2GB. As the student advances in college, there will be more homework and projects. Aside from the usual applications like word docs, PowerPoint, and Excel, they may be asked to install programs that would eat a lot of space in their laptop’s hard drive. For instance, students who are studying computer science may be asked to edit a video or a photo using high-end software. On the other hand, engineering students may be required to install CAD designing program or AutoCAD. This application needs high RAM and virtual memory. If they’re laptops are limited to a low RAM, it’s most likely that they will not be able to finish their homework on time. Newer laptop models can be upgraded
- Does the student need to transport the laptop everyday from home to school?
Most college stay in their dorms and would just go home during weekends or vacations. For these students, they can always choose laptops that are heavier and bigger. A 15” laptop is perfect for these students. But for those who still have to travel to go to school, they may want to consider buying laptops that have smaller screens. 14” and below laptops aren’t bad. They’re handy yet they’re not going to strain the users’ eyes.
- How long is the warranty?
The ideal warranty for laptops should be for 2-3 years. Legitimate computer suppliers provide warranty services. This is a very important aspect that consumers should look for when buying laptops especially for students. Computer repair can be very expensive. Students should be able to seek help from the shop they purchased the laptop from during the warranty period.
- Are there other features?
Students also want to enjoy. There are laptops that are very good for gaming. Some college students would install as many songs as they can, videos, and movies.
Features to look out for:
- Laptops for students should be Wi-Fi ready and make use of Bluetooth technology for easy transferring of files.
- They should have enough number of ports. A standard 14” laptop has a minimum of 6 ports (3 on each side)
- The battery life of the laptop is very essential especially for students. Some universities don’t allow students to plug in their gadgets to school outlets. Good laptops have battery life of at least 3 hours
- There are vendors that offer upgrades for laptops. However, upgrade is not always necessary. For instance, a 32-bit Window 7 that has 4GB of RAM
- Students love freebies! There are local stores and online shops that offer freebies such as free headphones, USB drive, mouse pointer, and cooling fan.
Where can students get cheap laptops?
Many students would ask – where can we get the best laptop deal? It is no doubt that the World Wide Web offers the cheapest deals when it comes to computer gadgets. However, the prevalence of online scammers makes it somewhat terrifying to buy a quite expensive item online.
Tech Radar, Student Computers, PC World
Well, it’s really easy to identify whether a store is selling good products. First, the website should have the vendor’s local office address and contact numbers. It’s advisable that students choose the online stores that do have retail outlets in their area. This can easily facilitate any issues with the product including replacements. Another thing is the refund and shipping policies. A single defect in the laptop should be sufficient for the costumer to demand for a refund or product replacement. Usually, companies do not offer refunds but they do replace products and offer free technical support.
Affordable laptops for students are easy to find. Students should just learn how to haggle with the sellers. It’s always good to bargain until the seller gives the best price.