Buying a laptop for college

 Buying a laptop for college for people who are not into technology can be tough task.These days we are spoiled for choice in shops with laptops varying from size,weight,shape,price etc.With so many laptops to pick from,how do we pick the right one?Below I listed things I think are important to consider when buying a laptop .They are also easy to understand for people who have no idea what the ''Intel Cor i3'' or the 3gb ram actually means.

Weight:

You will be probably carrying the laptop in and out of class and on and off campus so the last thing you will want is to carry a heavy laptop and put a lot of strain on your shoulders.I recommend go for a light laptop,they usually carry the word ''thin''. These laptops are slightly more expensive but will save a lot of shoulder pain in the future.Having a light laptop also means you can do your assignments everywhere you go.

Screen Size:

A larger screen is also a benefit.You can view pictures a movies much more comfortably.It also puts less stain on your eyes which is a benefit, as during your course you will spend so many hours doing your CA's and research on line.Also,having a big screen is a great benefit to someone doing subjects such as multimedia like myself.In multimedia we use quite a lot of photoshop and having a larger screen makes is a hell lot of easier as there is no need to zoom in all the time.

Battery Life:

Your will want a laptop that is ready when you are.Having a laptop that has a short battery life is no good when you are trying to do all that research.My advice would be to get a laptop with around 6 to 8h battery life if you have some more money to spend.If not,you can find a reasonable laptops with a 4h battery life.Remember..them more the better.

Wi-fi:

When your on campus and you try to find a computer that chances are none of them will be free ,so a wifi in colleges where the wifi is free will save you the stress of having to find a free computer.Also if you want the fastest speed try looking for a laptop that is wireless-N capable..This will ensure maximum speed.

Word Processing Software:

 A definite must have is word processing software.Look for a laptop that have something like Microsoft office and make sure its the full version and not the 60day trial.Most laptops come with free software like word pad,however in a course like applied psychology a student needs something more sophisticated that will allow him to do presentations,graphs and most importantly will have a word count which is so important when you are trying to do a CA!

CPU:

This is where it gets confusing for most people.The CPU is the processor at the heart of the computer and basically the better it is the faster your laptop will be.So the only thing to keep in mind is that anything from Intel Cor i3,i5,i7 or AMD Turtion will be good.

RAM

This is the memory of the computer.This will determine how much your laptop can ''do'' at a time.It will determine how many applications you can have running at once.Doing multimedia you will work with graphics and big software so I recommend going above the 2gb ram.So something like 3gb or 4gb will allow your laptop to run smoothly while you work with big software like Photoshop.

Some extras that you dont really need but that will make your life a lot more easier..

The 10 key pad:

one that not many people think about is the 10 key pad.

Not every student needs it,but as a applied psychology student it will save you a lot of time having one when you are trying to type in all that data in research methods and statistics

Usb Ports:

You want a laptop that has 3 ports.During your college life you will find you will need to connect many things at once,like a printer or a hardrive along with a ipod charger

So taking all these into account I have found some laptops that will suit any budget

My no 1 choice would be the HP Pavilon G6 laptop.It meets most of the criteria with its   Intel Cor i5 processor, 6GB ram,Wifi,3USB ports,4h bettery life ect. For a full review click

here .The price of this laptop is 469Euro.

Samsung 400B5B is very light only 1.7kg, but has also quite a large screen of

 

15.6inch,2 USB ports,Intel Core processor 6h battery life etc.The price for this laptop is 796 Euro click here

  

I would also like to propose an Apple Mac Air.I know it dosint meet some of the guidlines i gave,but then again they are only guidelines.You cant go wrong with an Apple.This MacAir is a 13inch,dual core i5 has a 4gb RAM ,7h bettery life and the list goes on.Price for this model is 1188Euro. Clik here for more detail.

I hope this has made it easier for you to decide which laptop to get.