Back to School Buying Guide: How to Choose a Laptop for College

If you're heading to college for the first time, the most important thing you will need is a laptop. You'll use your laptop for a wide variety of applications:

• Classwork
• Streaming movies, shows and music
• Social media and staying in touch with friends and family
• Gaming
• Storing photos and videos
• And much more!

This year especially, education is going more virtual than ever before. Even if you're living on campus, you may have hybrid classes, with some meetings in a classroom and others online. That means it's even more important to have a reliable laptop for attending your courses, completing assignments and maybe even taking exams.

So, what is the best laptop for a college student? The answer will depend on your specific needs and preferences, and you'll want to find one that lasts through your whole college experience.

First Step in Choosing a Laptop

Before you begin your search for the best laptops for college, the first thing you should do is check with your school or department for specific system requirements. Some colleges, universities and major-specific programs want their students equipped with a Windows-based PC Laptops to cut down on software incompatibility issues. Others will let you use almost any operating system, but to be on the safe side, you should always check first. Once you get any specifications from your school, narrow your search down further by considering some of the most frequently-asked questions when shopping for a laptop for college.

What Screen Size Should I Get?

Keep it light. A big screen may seem awesome visually but hauling it back and forth from your dorm to class or the library can be a real pain. The most portable laptops have a screen size of 11 to 14 inches and usually weigh five pounds or less, making them much easier to transport.

However, keep in mind the user experience of smaller screens may be different than what you're used to, so you might need some time to adjust. To find the best small laptop for college, stop into a P.C. Richard & Son store and try out a few models to make sure you're comfortable with the size.

How Much Memory (RAM) Do I Need?

The work demand of the classes you take will influence the amount of memory you'll want or need. 4GB is ample for the average college student but if you can find a notebook with 6 or 8GB of RAM at a competitive price, get it. The more RAM you have, the more your computer will be able to handle all at once (running multiple programs, rendering games, etc.).

How Much Storage Should I Have?

The baseline amount of storage for a laptop generally ranges from 64GB to 128GB. For college kids who use their laptop for classes, media and storing photos, etc., this may not be enough. Consider going with 256GB (or even up to 512GB if you think you'll need it) so you probably won't have to worry about running low on storage space when you need it.

Most laptops have USB ports, so you can expand storage capacity as you need it, too. Upgrading to a 500GB or 1TB hard drive is a cost-effective option, but if you're not a video junkie or an aspiring filmmaker, you probably won't need that much storage.

What are the Benefits of Chromebooks?

The key advantage of having a Chromebooks is that nothing is saved locally. Instead, all your apps, preferences, documents and data are saved on Google's servers in the cloud. This means if you lose your machine, have it stolen or spill a cup of coffee over it, there is no risk of your information being lost.

The Chromebook also offers superior security. Say you visit a suspicious website by clicking on a bad link, accidentally open a spammy email attachment, or download a program that has a fishy origin...a Chromebook has you covered. Due to the device's stateless operating system, which has built-in multi-layered protection, viruses are one less thing to worry about.

What about Hybrids?

There are plenty of reasons to scoop up a 2 in 1 laptops, starting with the fact that you'll have one device that can double as a laptop and tablet. When you need to get work done, you can use a keyboard and run desktop programs. When you want to kick back on the couch and check Facebook or watch videos, you can go with the touch screen display instead! It's a great option for college students and hybrids come in either a detachable design or a convertible approach, in which the notebook's hinge rotates 360 degrees for a similar effect.

Thinking about a hybrid? P.C. Richard & Son carries a wide variety of 2-in-1 laptops from manufacturers like Microsoft Surface Laptops.

How Much Power Do I Need?

Laptops offer a wide selection of processors, but it's rarely worth paying extra for a faster CPU. Most laptops sold these days are more than fast enough for the average college student's tasks. Web browsing, spreadsheets, simple programming, web development, word processing and social media browsing don't require a supreme processor. A powerful processor will just drain your battery faster anyway. Anything labeled Intel Core i3 or i5 should meet the average student's needs.

What About Battery Life?

With a day filled with classes and extracurricular activities, battery life is important. Many laptops today have multiple battery options. Figure out where battery life ranks in your list of importance when purchasing a laptop for school. You may decide purchasing an additional battery is a good idea if an extended one isn't available. Unfortunately, a big battery adds more weight, but the extra weight might be well worth it if it means not having to plug in the entire day.

If you want to squeeze the most juice out of your laptop's battery try following these 9 tips for longer laptop battery life.

Can I Afford It?

From basic laptops to models with all the bells and whistles, it's critical that your choice fits your price range. Try making a list of all the features you want, and rank them in order of priority. Look for a laptop model that offers as many of the most important elements as possible without breaking the bank. P.C. Richard & Son lets you shop by price range so you're only looking at options that are affordable to you.

Explore a selection of laptops with your choice of:

• Brand
• Platform/operating system
• Size/format
• Processing power
• Storage
• Additional specs

Find computer, Tablet Accessories and WiFi & Networking equipment to get everything you need to be set up for success.

If you're looking for additional supplies as you head back to college or school this year, check out our back to school supplies page to browse a wide selection of products frequently needed by students moving into dorm rooms and/or transitioning to living on campus.