Best Laptops for Students

Top 10 Rated Laptops for Students 2013

By Jon Bannister

Whether your child is in high-school or college, these days some sort of computer is needed. Laptops are generally your best choice as it offers portability so your child can bring it with him to class to take notes, complete homework at a coffee shop, and be on the go with his/her school work. We based our choices on the following criteria:

1. Size of the laptop/How portable it is
2. Brand of the laptop
3. Quality of the company for each laptop
4. Specs of the laptop
5. A fast processor
6. Good amount of RAM
7. Connectivity (USB ports, audio in’s, HDMI, etc)
8. Price to performance ratio

Below we review laptops in every price range with different specs. This will greatly help in your quest to find the right laptop for school for you or your child. For a more in depth buying guide on what you should look for in a laptop for a student, scroll to the bottom of the page.

Student Laptop Buying Guide

Buying a laptop for yourself as a student, or for your child, shouldn’t be an overwhelming decision. They’re only really a few key things you need to make sure the laptop will have – and the other half of the decision is simply based off price range and looks. It’s an easy decision just follow our guide!

CPU (Central Processing Unit) Type
The CPU is the brain of your computer – therefore it’s a very valuable part. You want quality and speed. Look no further then the Intel i series of processors. These include the: i3, i5, and i7. With the i3 and i5 being more common in laptops. The i3 is more entry level, and the i5 is a perfect mid range. Go with any of these, and you can’t go wrong. The most basic would be the i3 for school tasks, but if you want a bit more power go with an i5 or even i7 if possible.

RAM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory and essentially allows you to multi-task on your computer without it slowing down. The more ram the better. In laptops the most common amount of RAM is 4GB – though some go up to 6GB and 8GB. For general school tasks, 4GB is plenty. If your student is a graphic designer or will be utilizing software for video editing etc, go with 6GB of RAM.

Hard-Drive Space/Speed
Obviously the more space the hard drive has, the more files you can store. It’s common to see Hard Drives as big as 1TB in laptops these days, though most are a little less. 500GB would be plenty for most people – though if you want to hold a bunch of movies/songs/etc then go with 750GB or even 1TB. Also make sure the hard drive you look at has a fast write speed – 5200RPM is decent, but 7200RPM is ideal. This allows you to transfer files faster and other drive related tasks with speed.

Battery Life/Screen Size
Keep in mind to note how long the laptop will last on a full battery charge. You would be surprised to learn that some laptops can only run for less than 2 hours before running out of juice. Go for a laptop that will last 3 or more hours on a full battery charge, in-case you will be away from an outlet. Also note the screen-size. Most laptops are between 11″ and 14″, though it’s common to now find laptops with screens up to 17″.

Graphics
Most laptops come with integrated graphics – which will let you do basic games (nothing fancy) – though if you want to play more advanced games look into a laptop with a graphics card. It’s not very common in laptops for a laptop to have a dedicated graphics card, but some do. If you aren’t playing games, don’t even worry. Integrated graphics are fine.

Jon Bannister has always had an interest in the latest technology and gadgetry. A graduate of the Georgia Tech computer science program, Jon has a very technical and working knowledge on how computers interact with and improve… See more about Jon

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