How Much Should I Spend For College Student’s Laptop?

Introduction

Buying a laptop for a college student is not easy nowadays. With the rising prices of laptops and the complex jargon of technical names and brand numbers, buying a laptop requires the technical expertise of a dedicated nerd willing to share their knowledge with us.

Hence, we often find ourselves at the receiving end of the question, “How much should I spend for college students’ laptops?” We will be trying to answer this exact query with this blog. However, a simple answer to this question is “It depends.” It depends on various factors such as the student’s chosen stream, their subjects, and personal preferences.

Laptop Requirements of College Students

College students have numerous uses for their laptops. From taking notes to playing games, completing assignments to streaming videos, a college student’s life is filled with various needs that can be fulfilled with the help of a laptop. While a smartphone can undertake some of these tasks, it can never replace the functionality provided by a laptop.

Hence, let us understand some of the factors that you should consider while trying to answer the query, ‘How much should I spend for College Student’s Laptop?’

Processor

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of any computer and laptops come with powerful CPUs that can multitask and undertake almost all duties required by any college student. They are also referred to as processors. Being the main chip inside the laptop, one should aim to get the best processor they can find within their budget.

Most laptops come with either AMD or Intel CPU inside, with a notable exception being Apple MacBooks, which are equipped with Apple’s proprietary chips. As a rule of thumb, the larger the model number you see associated with a CPU’s model name, the more powerful it would be. Hence, you should choose the best CPU you will get within your budget.

Graphics Unit

The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles the display tasks required by the laptop. However, when it comes to computing there are two kinds of GPUs available in the systems, Integrated and dedicated GPUs. An integrated GPU is a part of the CPU and is used to undertake day-to-day graphic tasks such as displaying the image on the monitor, streaming videos, etc. It uses a certain amount of the system RAM for graphical purposes.

However, a dedicated or discrete GPU is a separate hardware which has its own video memory or Video RAM, which can undertake more computing-intensive tasks like video editing, gaming, etc. You should get a laptop with a dedicated GPU only if it is necessary for the student. However, in general, laptops with discrete GPUs tend to be faster than the rest.

Memory

Memory or Random Access Memory (RAM) is used in computers to store the information being computed by the CPU. Hence, the higher the amount of RAM a system has, the higher its processing capacity since it can store a larger amount of data. Since computers start with 4 GB RAM nowadays, it is a good idea to look for a laptop with at least 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, which can handle all basic tasks.

Having 8 GB of RAM also benefits college students as they will be able to multitask efficiently. Having higher RAM also makes the laptop future-proof as the requirement for RAM keeps on increasing. If the student needs to undertake any more complex tasks, it is better to opt for laptops with at least 16 GB of RAM.

Storage

Laptop storage has recently been improved vastly, thanks to the invention of Solid State Drives (SSD). With the slowest performing SSD being at least five times faster than a traditional hard disk, many laptop manufacturers are replacing the internal hard drives with lesser capacity SSDs to avoid increasing the laptop price.

You should also note that certain laptop models come with the ideal solution, where the operating system and the programs are installed on a smaller capacity SSD, while a separate higher capacity hard disk is provided to store your files and folders. Hence, one should always try to get the best SSD capacity within your budget, while checking for college student laptops.

Display

Laptops displays are another major factor to consider when choosing a laptop for a college student since the display is visible to the user all the time. Hence, it will be ideal to choose a display that provides adequate resolution and good picture clarity. Nowadays, most laptops come in LED-backlit LCDs which provide good picture quality.

Additionally, the most common sizes of displays include either 14” or 15.6” panels with HD (1366 x 768) or FHD (1920 x 1080) resolutions. You can make the choice considering the usage of the student as well as the portability factor since 14” laptops are more portable than 15.6” laptops. If you are paying the normal price for a laptop, you need not consider OLED panels or higher refresh rate displays.

Additional Features

There are many additional features of laptops that are essential to consider for a college laptop such as connectivity options, port selection, and similar features. For connectivity options, one should check whether the laptop has the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols to ensure good connectivity and data transfer.

As for the port selection, one should ensure that the latest ports such as USB-C, HDMI, USB-A, etc. are available on the laptop for ensuring that the student can connect any kind of peripheral to their laptop. Additionally, having a decent webcam is essential for online classes and meetings, while a good backlit keyboard will ensure added accessibility.

Conclusion

Laptops are so expensive right now due to the sudden rise in their usage. However, for a student laptop, it is not necessary to choose any expensive system. While pricier laptops do come with additional features, a student’s first laptop can be a basic one, which can provide all basic functions without lagging or freezing.