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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Does my child need a laptop for school?

Technology has change immensely in the past few years alone and now more than ever you see a 10 year old walking down the street with an iPhone in hand. Who are you calling? Are you texting your friends? What need could a young child possibly have for technology like that. Even yet, what about a laptop or a computer of their own. Does a middle-school or high-school student even need a laptop or desktop?

A computer is a very valuable thing. Along with the internet a person can access libraries full of endless information. With that availability of information comes also the risk of inappropriate content we don’t want our children to see. Which is why we believe so many parents are against getting their children a laptop or desktop for school. But this content can easily be blocked with the right tools.

Elementary School (Kindergarden – 5^th Grade)

Your child is definitely too young for a computer. School assignments wont require them to use the internet for research and if it does, they can simply use yours. This age is a little young, even up to 5^th grade, to have their own dedicated computer.

Middle School (6^th – 8^th grade)

Your child is older now and is learning more. Workload at school increases and more essays are due including research online and use of Word Processing. Even Power Points and Excel become used in middle school. Some schools provide computers which is fine, and at home if you have a computer your child can use it too.

Is it critical that your middle school student have his or her own laptop/desktop? No. They can simply share one at home with you. But we would say it’s useful to have a ‘family’ computer that everyone in the family can share, including your middle schooler. This allows you to monitor what they are doing and make sure they are on task.

Highschool (9^th Grade – 12^th grade)

Absolutely. Your student is a young adult and high-school involves heavy work on computers. A lot of high-schools don’t allow students to use laptops in school, but your child can still bring the laptop to a coffee shop or to a friends to do homework.

Your child can also use the laptop to communicate with teachers via email, contact other students and communicate with them about homework/deadlines/etc. A laptop is a must for a high-school student by at least 10t^h grade. It teaches both responsibility (of owning an expensive piece of electronics) and helps them get their schoolwork done.

College

Your child NEEDS a laptop for college. Don’t let them leave without one! Pretty much anything and everything revolves around the internet in college. Turning course-work in, online classes, contacting professor via email, signing up for classes/clubs online, viewing schedules, paying for school, and so on.

A laptop is VITAL to a college students success. Again, do not let your child leave for college without a laptop!

In review, a laptop is a great idea for a high-schooler and a necessity for college students. Any younger and your child can simply share a ‘family’ laptop. Laptops are powerful machines and no longer cost an outrageous amount. Be sure to check out our Top 10 Laptops for Students for ideas on which laptops would be best for your child.

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By Jon Bannister

While the the Chromebook is new and we weren’t sure whether to include it or not, it definetely does do some things well. We believe it could make a great portable candidate for a student who needs a basic machine for internet research and word processing. The Chromebook runs on an Intel Atom N570 processor, has 2GB DDR3 RAM, a 12.1” screen, and a 16GB Solid State Hard Drive. This laptop will boot in less than 10 seconds and give you up to 6.5 hours of battery life. All your apps and data is stored on the cloud (internet storage) so this allows you to ALWAYS have your documents. Just 3.3lbs this thing is super leight weight. Connect super fast to wireless-n networks and start browsing. This laptop runs ChromeOS (not Windows) so it is definitely new to everyone. Don’t expect a full PC experience on this, those looking for a traditional laptop with Windows do not apply here! This is a very good inexpensive alternative with some neat new technology that will make all the other students say “what is that!”

Prices

By Jon Bannister

Samsung isn’t noted for their computers but that doesn’t mean they aren’t existent. The Samsung 5 Series is a super sleek and thin looking PC laptop. It sports a Intel core i5-2467M processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, 13.3” Screen, Intel HD 3000 Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS, and looks very smooth. That’s this laptops strong point, it’s almost like a netbook it’s so think and lightweight. Just 3.23lbs and 12.4” in length – it is a breeze to carry this laptop around. But you also get the power of all the laptops we listed above, in a super sleek and portable version. Up to 6.5 hours on a full battery charge.

Prices

By Jon Bannister

The Dell Inspiron line has been around for a while and seems to get better each year. This model is one of the top laptops on Amazon and for a reason. 14” LED Backlit display with a native 720P resolution. 2.3 GHZ core i3-2350M processor, 500GB Sata Hard Drive, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel HD 3000 Graphics, 2 blazing fast USB 3.0 ports, 1 standard USB 2.0 port, HDMI port, VGA video out put, 8-in-1 card reader, and it goes on! This laptop is jam packed and fast. 6GB of RAM in a laptop is unique and not found that often. More RAM means better multi-tasking on your laptop. Writing papers and researching at the same time, with iTunes open listening to music, chatting to friends on AIM. This laptop is powerful and quality built. It’s about 5.3lbs and has built in Wifi-N – this laptop is blazing fast and easy to connect online.

Prices

By Jon Bannister

For those of you who need a little more power in your laptop we have another “higher end” laptop but at an amazing price. The Toshiba Satellite models of 2012 are killer! This one features an i5-2430M Processor, 6GB of RAM (upgradable to 8), 640GB Hard Drive with Hard Drive Impact Sensor, 14” screen, windows 7 64-bit Home premium, and a whopping 10 hours of battery life. This laptop does it all, for the price of a little more then some of the budget laptops you can get a faster processor, more RAM, bigger hard drive, and longer battery life, all of which will increase your general computing experience by at least 20+% – we like this laptop!

Prices

By Jon Bannister

Acer makes quality products and their laptops arent lacking either. The AS5755 is another kind of basic laptop that fits the mold of some of the ones listed above in this list. It has an i3 processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive, 15”6 inch screen with Intel HD Graphics 3000. Running on Windows 7 HP you will get around 4 hours battery life. This laptop also has 3 USB 2.0 ports and weighs around 5.75lbs. It’s nothing a special, a slightly better than minimum laptop that will make you complete school work faster than ever.

Prices

By Jon Bannister

Another Lenovo on our list, because like we said, Lenovo makes a really quality product. This laptop is great if you want your kids to buy it as it has a low price tag (under $400) and only sacrifices a few things while still managing to be a powerful laptop. The processor is a less powerful i3-2350M, while not the best i3 from the line, it’s still got power. 4GB of DIMM RAM, 500GB 5400RPM Hard drive, 15.6″ screen with integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics. Windows 7 64-bit Home premium included. It’s a very basic laptop, which means its perfect for basic school work and internet browsing. Yet it has some more punch to it due to its processor. This is a great bargain computer for college students on a budget or a high-school student trying to buy his first laptop with his summer job earnings.

Prices

By Jon Bannister

Gateway has been around a while and though they aren’t known for their laptops, this laptop is a good one for a student. 2nd gen Intel i3 Processor, 4GB DDR 3 RAM, 500GB 5400RPM hard drive, 14″ screen with intel HD graphics. The main difference between this and the above laptops is really it’s looks and battery life. It can run for 8+ hours on a full charge, which is really good for a laptop of this size. It only has 2 USB ports, which is why we took of .5 – but the i3 combined with 4GB of ram will allow you to do basic word processing, spread-sheets, power points and internet browsing with some added umf. Having an Intel processor really helps set these laptops apart.

Prices

By Jon Bannister

ASUS is known for quality computer parts, and they are breaking into the laptop market as well with the super portable U31SD-AH31. A 2nd gen i3-2330M processor, 4GB DIMM RAM, 500GB Hard drive, all on a 13.3″ screen sporting Windows 7 home premium 64-bit. That’s not all, this laptop has a GeForce GT 520M graphics card within it! That means increased desktop performance, as well as acceleration in programs that are graphics heavy such as Photoshop. So if you have an art student this will be a great computer for them! Many laptops come with integrated graphics, so for this to have a dedicated card at a great price is incredible. Not to mention it’s small size and 8 hour+ battery life. We love this laptop!

Prices

By Jon Bannister

HP makes great laptops for students and offers competitive prices. The g6 has all the latest features at the best price! A core i3-370M 2nd generation processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB Sata Hard Drive, and Intel HD graphics. The screen is a perfect 15.6″ inches, big enough to see what your doing, small enough to carry around. It features Windows 7 home premium 64BIT Operating System and build in wireless LAN so you can connect to wifi from anywhere. It weighs roughly 5.22lbs and sports a 1366×768 resolution. This laptop features the powerful 2nd gen Intel CPU’s and packs some other good features at a very good price. It’s more than enough to get through school and some, all operating on a whopping 5+ hours of battery life. Wow!

Prices

By Jon Bannister

Lenovo is the now defunct line of what was IBM. Back when IBM made business class computers, Lenovo bought them out. You now essentially are looking at an IBM laptop. Which you know means quality. The G570 might not look like much, but it’s more than enough. With an i3 2nd gen sandy bridge processor, 4GB DDR 3 memory, 500GB hard drive @ 5400RPM – and HD Graphics 3000, you will have more than enough for basic word processing, excel, online homework, and even some older games. It has 4 USB ports and weighs in at 5.73 pounds with a 15.6″ screen (1366×768 resolution) – With a battery life of just over 4 hours, it’s a great portable machine with a bigger screen size perfect for everyday and school use.

Prices