Are Gaming Laptops Good For College
There was once a time when our answer would be a strong no, primarily because gaming laptops were once usually much larger, thicker, and heavier than non-gaming machines. Thats the last thing you want to carry around from class to class. Thats no longer true today, when many gaming laptops are thinner and lighter than ever. In addition to our Dell G3 Gaming pick above, the Razer Blade is perhaps the classic example of a laptop thats made for gamers, with fast CPU and GPU options, but isnt much thicker or heavier than other laptops.
At the same time, gaming laptops tend to focus more on performance than battery life, and youll pay a premium to carry around those gaming components in a thin and light chassis. The great thing is that many laptops today have Thunderbolt 3 ports that can connect to external GPU enclosures for some extra gaming oomph. If you choose a laptop with at least a quad-core 8th-gen Intel CPU and at least 8GB of RAM, then you can attach it to an external GPU and get performance thats pretty darn close to a dedicated gaming laptop. And your choice of a laptop will be much wider, including choosing among the horde of excellent 2-in-1s that have hit the market over the last several years.
The Best College Chromebook: Google Pixelbook Go
Google’s latest is the best college Chromebook because it combines a sleek design with an incredible keyboard and a surprising level of hardware for its starting price.
- Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 ~ 3,840 x 2,160 touch screen
- Processor: Intel Core m3 ~ Intel Core i7
- Operating system: Google Chrome OS
- Memory and storage: 8GB ~ 16GB of RAM, 64GB ~ 256GB storage
Pros: Excellent display, incredible keyboard, lightweight and slim, long battery life
Cons: Fan-less CPU, pricey upgrades, no biometric login, small-capacity storage
If your budget allows and you want a Chromebook that’s a bit more powerful, check out Google’s newest Chromebook, the Pixelbook Go.
With its attainable starting price, the Pixelbook Go provides a shockingly luxurious portable computing experience that similarly-priced laptops couldn’t come close to. For example, the Pixelbook Go has a 1080p touch-capable display with a 1080p camera, in addition to 8GB of RAM.
However, the Pixelbook Go does come a bit short on storage, at least local storage. With merely 64GB of space in the entry configuration, it leans heavily on cloud storage, which starts at $1.99 per month for 100GB more space . Still, most other Chromebooks at this price point offer either the same or less local storage. Finally, the Pixelbook Go’s battery can last for up to 12 hours, by Google’s measure, putting it in line with the MacBook Air.
How To Choose The Best Engineering Laptop For You
Performance: If you’re going to be spending years studying engineering, you’re going to need a computer with enough power to handle anything your teachers throw at you. We recommend at least a new mid-range CPU and at least 8 GB of RAM, though if you can afford to spend more on on a laptop with better specs it will pay off in the long run.
Graphics and gaming: Most gaming laptops come with discrete graphics cards so they can run the latest games well, but the same card can be equally vital to engineering students who will be using CAD and 3D analysis programs. These kinds of applications really benefit from the power of a good GPU, so if you’re expecting to do any graphics or 3D work it’s a good idea to invest in a laptop with a discrete Nvidia or AMD graphics card.
Operating system: Laptops typically come in three flavors: Windows , macOS and Chrome OS . Chrome OS isn’t good for much besides web surfing, file management, and light computing, so a Chromebook isn’t a great choice for serious schoolwork. However, a crafty student could install Linux on a high-powered Chromebook to turn it into a decent laptop for engineering work.
As mentioned above, when making your buying decision be sure to consult your teachers and/or the engineering department at your school for more specific advice on what you’ll need for your studies. Whichever system you decide on, it’s a good idea to pair it with the best mouse for your particular work situation.
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The Best Laptops For College Students In 2020
Select is editorially independent. Our editors selected these deals and items because we think you will enjoy them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
Whether its a slim, light word processor or a powerhouse for design and engineering, college students can be sure: Sporting a laptop will make their courses much easier. But figuring out how to buy a laptop that, ideally, lasts through four years of college can be stressful there are lots of models to choose from. After all, this is the machine thats going to power Netflix nights, note-taking, essay writing and, depending on the college major, programs like video editing or 3D modeling.
Subjects that make use of complex software such as engineering, video production or architecture will require more powerful laptops, for example, while those studying art or design might prefer a laptop with a touch-display for digital sketching.
Before taking the plunge, check with your college whether they recommend any one platform over others. Colleges usually do not require a certain model of a brand, but you want students to be able to get their computers serviced quickly by on-campus technicians who are certified in brands of computers, says educational technologist Kathy Schrock.
Make A List Of Your Needs That Includes:
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How youll use the laptop for college
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Features that are most important to you, such as: mobility, performance, battery life, video, storage, and screen size
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What price point suits your budget?
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Information about discounts provided by your college or university
Whether you’re heading off to college yourself or trying to help your favorite student, searching for and finding the best laptop for college may seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, this is an open-book test and we can help you find the right answers.
The very first thing to consider when shopping for a new college laptop is how youll use it now and in the future. With technology advancing rapidly year after year, it’s a good idea to consider a laptop that can handle new applications and programs. This is called “futureproofing” your purchase or buying a PC that has headroom for more advanced technology yet to be introduced.
Ask yourself these questionsyour answers will help narrow your choices.
- What programs or applications are requirements for your classes?
- What field or major are you interested in?
- Do you play video games, or do you want to get into gaming?
- Do you use video to chat with friends or family?
- Do you enjoy creating your own contentvideos, podcasts, etc.?
Form FactorsToday’s laptops are a far cry from the thick, bulky machines of the last two decades. In fact, the traditional clamshell laptop design is now joined by other types of designs and form factors.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 7
BEST WINDOW LAPTOP
A two-in-one laptop combo as versatile as the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a great tool for any student to have in college. Welcoming in new USB-C connections and a speedy new processor, the new Surface Pro 7 has even more utility than previous generations. And if youre the go-getter type , the lengthy 12-hour battery life will be able to hang with you all day long. This laptop has as much drive as you. Even better, you can currently save 22% on this top-rated laptop, which makes it one of the best laptops under $1,000.
Dell Xps 13 Battery Life
The new 11th Gen processors arent just bringing better performance and graphics, you also get longer battery life at least, thats the plan. Tiger Lake brings with it Intel Evo, the second stage in the companys Project Athena initiative. Evo comes with a number of requirements for laptops to receive Intels certification. One of those is at least 9 hours of battery life for 1080p systems.
The Dell XPS 13 lasted 11 hours and 7 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. It outlasted the 9:50 premium laptop average as well as the MacBook Pros 10:21. The Spectre clocked in at 13:19 while the Tiger Lake-powered ZenBook 13 tapped out at 13:47.
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First Off: Research Your College
The first, and most important, thing to do is check with your school for specific system requirements. They may have hard-and-fast hardware recommendations.
Some colleges and universities want their students equipped with Windows-based laptops, to cut down on software incompatibility issues or to keep technical support concentrated on one platform. Others don’t care which operating system you use, whether it’s Windows, macOS, or even Linux if you’re a hard-core type. Some institutions have onsite computer repair centers that service only laptops purchased from the university or an affiliated computer store on campus using one of these facilities, the turn-around time will be much quicker than if you were to send it overnight to the original manufacturer.
Laptop Or Tablet For College: What To Choose
Life on campus can be demanding, involving late nights working on assignments and long lectures filled with note-taking. Picking a dependable computing companion is a must for a smooth college life as well as for improving your overall productivity. So, should you choose a laptop or a tablet?
Well, a tablet can be a smart choice for contemporary students who need to frequently use the browser, access apps on Google Play Store, read e-books, and engage in abundant wireless streaming. Tablets tend to hyper-mobile and lightweight, making them easy to carry around from class to class without fear of damage.
However, getting a laptop also comes with some intrinsic advantages. It is the closest to getting a full-purpose desktop, which means you will need it to run demanding applications or work on multiple browser tabs at the same time.
No matter how performance-oriented a tablet is, it can rarely match a laptop when it comes to activities like multimedia editing, building spreadsheets or gaming .
Additionally, if you can see yourself needing to print out a lot of stuff or hop on to a LAN network, a laptop will serve you infinitely better than a tablet.
Here are some more considerations that will help you make this crucial decision:
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How We Test Laptops
We put each laptop through extensive benchmark testing both synthetic and real-world before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.
In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop’s display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 4.3 and 5.0 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.
To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Dirt 3 benchmark with medium settings at 1080p resolution.
We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 10 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.
These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop’s materials to the feel of its touchpad.
Best Dell Latitude And Precision Business Laptops 2021
14 May 2021
These are Dell’s best business laptops for your hard-earned buck.
Dell has expanded its business offerings in recent years, and now the company sells everything from detachable tablets to powerful rugged workstations. Each machine has its own strengths and weaknesses, and every consumer has their own individual needs, so we’ve rounded up our favorite Dell business laptops by category.
Comfortable keyboards , durable chassis , and a wide range of dynamic security features are just some of the perks you can expect from these top-notch enterprise notebooks. Here are the best Dell Precision and Latitude laptops you can buy today read on to find the best one for you.
- Looking to save a few dollars? Check out our Best Dell Deals page.
2. Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-13. Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable4. Dell Precision 75507. Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-18. Dell Latitude 5420 Rugged
The best Dell business laptop overall
Specifications
Reasons to avoid
The Dell Latitude 7410 is the business laptop that convinced our reviewer to put their own laptop and desktop combo into sleep mode. Capable of acting as both a portable notebook and powerful stay-at-home solution, the Latitude 7410 helped is all about creating a more efficient workflow.
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Best Laptops For College Students In 2021
The best laptops for college students are powerful enough to let you tackle all your school projects, with enough portability and power capacity to get you through a full day of classes. Whether you’re going back to school in person or attending classes remotely, having the right laptop is key.
Our best college laptop picks all share a few common traits. Not only do they have great to excellent battery life, which is critical when you’re running between classes on campus all day, but they offer fantastic bang for your buck, with multiple models under $1,000 as well as some higher-priced laptops that are fantastic investments.
- The best laptops you can buy now
- Laptop vs. Chromebook: Whats best for you?
- Gear up for class: The best back to school sales on Apple products, laptops, and more
And if you’re worried about spending over $1,000, know that our picks are made with your future in mind. The MacBook Pro isn’t cheap, for example, but mine has lasted me 8 years, which is enough time for undergrad and graduate school .
Read on for our picks of the best college laptops you can buy now.
Best Student Laptops : The Very Best Laptops For Students
These are the best student laptops for going back to school, blended learning and studying remotely
ByRobert Jones, Yasmine Crossland Last updated 2021-09-01T13:03:06.323Z
Studying today, no matter if you are at school, college or university, is markedly different from a few years ago, with a new emphasis placed on online remote learning. There’s significantly less face-to-face time, more virtual seminars and lessons, as well as more resources being delivered purely online.
All of that means that it is now more important than ever to own one of the best student laptops of 2021.
Laptops for students are not just for writing essays now but for taking part in those critical online sessions, so you need one that can handle video calls as well as documents. And with so many online classes, video meetings and virtual collaborations, students are spending more time on their laptops than ever before and to work optimally you don’t want to scrimp on an underpowered model.
We’re now in the pre-new academic year summer months, and that is good news for student laptop shoppers as plenty of retailers are currently discounting some great systems that are perfect for school and college.
So how do you choose the best student laptop? Price is important, of course, but it shouldn’t be your sole criteria. That’s why our guide covers so many options, manufacturers and operating systems: every student is different and that means their requirements will differ.
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Hp Spectre X360 13 Price And Configurations
With a starting price of $899, the HP Spectre x360 13 comes in at $100 less than most competitors in this category, including the MacBook Air. The base 1080p model comes with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
Our $1,199 review unit comes with a 13.3-inch, 1080p touchscreen display with a Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. From there, you can pay an extra $60 for the 1080p Sure View privacy screen or another $180 for the OLED panel.
Storage upgrades cost $70 extra to go from 256GB to 512GB or double the amount to get to 1TB. You will pay a reasonable $1,269 for a model with a 13.3-inch, 1080p display, a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Things get expensive when you spend an extra $200 for a 2TB SSD.
Choosing The Best Laptop
Gone are the days when a computer was an option for a college student. All college students would agree: choosing the right computer is a big decision. College students know a computer is not just a tool to keep up with email or surf through social media. College life is demanding and academic reliance on computer technology is only growing.
Students know their computer is where the bulk of coursework is created and completed and where tons of research happens. There is no clear replacement of the computer for serious word processing, required for essays and term papers.
Having a fast computer is not a luxury anymore, it is a necessity. For all the things that phones and tablets can do, the need for a computer is still a must. Luckily, college students have a plethora of computer options, more today than ever before. From small, lightweight little notebooks to fully-loaded laptops, options abound.
Having a solid computer is also necessary for the ever-growing trend of online courses, and for interacting with professors and classmates.
Data storage on the hard drive or a cloud gets saved through the computer. Security features protect data and even the students identity and personal information. This is all before even mentioning the things that college students use their computer for in their free time: from gaming to streaming movies, surfing the web, or just keeping up with social media.
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