Every year, I get asked for recommendations for school laptops, and unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all laptop solution, which is why my answer is always, "That depends ... "
Here are some things to consider when picking out a new laptop for school.
Windows or Apple?
The biggest question when buying a computer is to answer the question of Windows or Apple?
Apple products are almost always more expensive than their Windows counterparts. However, they are typically better built and will last a little bit longer. This is because Apple controls the entire supply chain, from operating systems to computer parts. Windows, on the other hand, typically has cheaper laptops because they are made by all different types of companies which allow cost savings.
Ultimately, your decision will probably be made for you depending on the software you’ll be using for school. If you’re in any sort of graphics major where you will be heavily using graphic editors such as Photoshop, or video editors such as Final Cut Pro, you’ll most definitely want an Apple computer. There is no video editing software that can run on a Windows operating system that can compete with iMovie or Final Cut Pro for the price.
The same goes for many STEM degrees, such as engineering. Most of the software you’ll be using requires that you have a Windows operating system for AutoCAD or Solid Works. These computer programs are only available for Windows, which is a huge bummer. All of this to say that before you go off and buy a laptop, call your school or department and ask what software you’ll be required to run, and if they have any specific recommendations.
Computer Labs
Another option to keep in mind is that most schools have computer labs that you can use for free. These are awesome because they will typically already be set up with all of the software that you would need to complete any of your assignments. I bring this up as an option because you could simply get a budget laptop to take notes on for a quarter of the price of an expensive laptop and then use the computer lab to complete assignments that require specific computer programs or a lot of horsepower.
How Will You Use Your Computer?
Once you’ve identified the software that you need for school, let’s look at the primary uses of your laptop on a day-to-day basis. Will you be taking it to class every day? Will you only be using it at the library? Will you just be using it at your dorm or apartment?
These are all important questions to ask because they will determine the size and weight of your laptop. If you’re going to be taking your laptop to and from class, it will be important to keep weight in mind. You will want something slim and light. The MacBook Air are great for this. They are extremely light and slim.
Carting your laptop from place to place will also put much more wear and tear on your laptop’s moving parts. This is why I suggest that you get a solid state hard drive for any laptop that you end up buying. All Apple laptops have solid state hard drives, but they are often an added feature for Microsoft laptops. Solid state hard drives not only make your laptop much faster, but they won’t suffer the same damage that spinning hard drives because there are no moving parts. The lifespan of a spinning hard drive will be severely reduced if it’s bumping around in a backpack.
Additional Features
There are some other features that are definitely not required for a school laptop but are nice to have. If you’re going away for school, you’ll definitely want a nice webcam and microphone so that you can use FaceTime or Skype to keep in touch with family and friends everywhere in the world.
Another hardware feature that is often overlooked is a slot for an SD card. This is typically the memory card that is used in digital cameras. I won’t buy a laptop without this card slot because my wife’s camera uses one of these memory cards, and so do all of my Raspberry Pi’s. Without this slot, I would need to carry around an adapter any time I wanted to offload pictures or load a new operating system on a Raspberry Pi.
Lastly, I really like having a backlit keyboard. Even though I can type easily without looking at the keyboard I still like having lit up keys when I type at night. It helps me avoid fumbling around.
Where to Buy New Computers
Now that you have some idea of the questions to ask and things to look for in a laptop where do you actually go buy one? If you’re going to buy an Apple computer go no further than your nearest Apple store. If you go online and search Apple.com for “Refurbished Laptops,” the company sometimes has some great deals on refurbished laptops that seem like brand new (I have one and it works great).
If you’re going to buy a Microsoft laptop, I would check out a place that you can physically look and touch the laptop. My go to place is Costco, because of the great return policy. Next I always take a look on Amazon; there are some great deals and they have a great review system so you can find any of the quirks that the laptop might have.
Be sure to check out all my earlier episodes at techtalker.quickanddirtytips.com. And if you have further questions about this podcast or want to make a suggestion for a future episode, post them on http://ift.tt/1xcMcmP.
Until next time, I’m the Tech Talker, keeping technology simple!
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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