Laptop Buying Guide: Choose the Best Laptop for College

Finding the best portable computer for college is a challenging task. With so many options and variables, it can take time to determine what matters most in a laptop. After all, you don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars on a device that isn’t going to last through your four years at school/college. 

Luckily, you have found the right article that has done your research. So, when you are considering buying a new notebook computer, here are the top four things to have in mind –

#1 Operating System

The first important thing to consider when buying a laptop is the operating system (OS). Windows 10 is one of the most popular operating systems today, and you may find it pre-installed in pretty much every laptop these days. It is convenient to use and has many awesome features, such as Cortana, which can help you find something on your computer or retrieve information from the Internet.

However, depending on what you’re studying, specific system requirements might be, such as Mac OS or Linux. You can install any software, from productivity to entertainment to games – but check if your chosen hardware supports your preferred gaming platform before committing.

#2 Processor and RAM

Intel and AMD are the two main manufacturers of processors for laptops. Intel leads by far in market share, but AMD also offers some great products if you have a lower budget and aren’t looking for something as powerful as an Intel chip would be.

The most important thing to remember when looking at processors is whether or not it has the right power for what you need them for. 

Today, most laptops come with 4 GB (gigabytes) of RAM unless they target gamers or businesses who want better performance from their machines. If games are important to you on your laptop, then 8 GB would be a good number of gigabytes; otherwise, 4GB will work fine for almost everyone else.

#3 Storage – HDD or SSD?

The hard disk drive (HDD) is a mechanical device that stores data on magnetic disks. This type of storage is not as fast as solid-state drives (SSD), but it is much cheaper. Most laptops today come with hard drives ranging from 500 GB to 2TB and above. 

A 500 GB hard drive can store plenty of software, music, movies, etc., but if you’re going to install games and store movies, you’ll need something higher, like 1 or 2 TB hard drive capacity. 

However, if you want faster reading speed & writing speed, then go for an SSD instead. They are way faster than HDDs regarding read & write operations between the two general storage mediums available today on consumer-level devices like laptops & desktops computers.

Wrapping Up

Another essential thing to consider when buying a laptop is its graphics card, which determines how well it can handle image-heavy applications and gaming. 

Two types of graphics solutions are found on laptops – integrated and discrete. Integrated solutions are typically less powerful and require more processing power from your CPU (central processing unit) than discrete ones, which use dedicated video memory instead of sharing it with your system RAM. 

Dedicated cards are usually faster than integrated solutions but have a higher price tag since they feature their own dedicated RAM chip(s)