Top 5 Laptops for Students

Students benefit greatly by carrying a laptop with them. Laptops are portable and small. This allows students to take their laptop on the go to classes and still have plenty of room in apartments and dorms to set up their laptop in place of a traditional desktop. Finding the perfect laptop for your student may seem like a challenge, but once you know what to look for, it's easy to see why these five laptops are considered the top laptops for students.

What to Look For

Before we look at specific laptops, let's look at features all student laptops must have. First, the laptop needs to be lightweight, especially if the student plans to carry it to classes. A good student laptop shouldn't weight more than four or five pounds. Less is better. Student laptops must have an Ethernet port for connecting to campus networks, but they also need a wireless card for connecting to Wi-Fi networks.

For students who use their laptops frequently, a 14" screen or larger is best to help prevent eye strain. To ensure students can run all required programs easily, a 1.7 GHz processor or better is best. Student laptops also need at least 2 GB of RAM, though 3 or 4 GB is ideal. To prevent running out of space, a 250 GB or larger hard drive is recommended.

Compaq Presario CQ62-219WM

This Compaq Presario features 2 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive for ample storage. A wireless card and a wired network card are included to easily access available networks at school. The Compaq Presario CQ62-219WM features a 2.2 GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor. Three USB ports are included to connect additional hardware such as a mouse, keyboard, printer or external hard drive for extra storage.

For a student's viewing pleasure, the Compaq Presario features a 15.6" HD Brightview LED screen. A DVD/CD burner is included so students can make their own CDs and DVDs or use their laptop as a media player. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition is the installed operating system.

Toshiba Satellite L455D-S5976

The Toshiba Satellite L455D-S5976 is a great student laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit edition. With a 15.6" screen, viewing documents and websites is easier on the eyes. This laptop features 2 GB of RAM, which can be expanded up to 8 GB, meaning the laptop can grow with the student's needs. The 250 GB hard drive provides plenty of space for files, including music and videos. Wireless and wired network connections are supported.

A built in card reader and three USB ports make connecting storage devices quick and easy. A DVD/CD reader/writer is included. Software is included for playing and burning media files.

HP G61-429WM

HPs are popular student laptops. The 15.6" HD screen makes work and play a pleasure. The screen can also be displayed on an HDTV through the provided HDMI port. A numeric keypad is provided on the keyboard for easy number entry. The HP laptop comes preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium.

The HP G61-429WM features 3 GB of RAM, a 250 GB hard drive and a 2.10 GHz AMD Sempron processor. Wired Ethernet and wireless Wi-Fi connectivity is supported. This HP also features a LightScribe SuperMulti DVD/CD reader and writer drive. The LightScribe technology allows students to easily create disk labels to store and organize their data. Three USB ports are included for connecting external devices.

Acer AS5551-2013

The Acer AS5551-2013 features a 15.6" HD widescreen CineCrystal LED-blacklit display for a beautiful, vibrant viewing experience. With 2 GB of RAM, a 250 GB hard drive and a 2.10 GHz AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core P320 processor, students can run multiple applications and have plenty of storage space for all their needs. Students can connect to Ethernet and Wi-Fi networks through the included network and wireless network cards.

For both school and recreational purposes, a double layer DVD burner is included, allowing students to read and write both CDs and DVDs. A 1.3 megapixel webcam with a built in microphone is included, which is perfect for group study sessions without having to travel. Three USB ports are provided for external hardware connections. This Acer is installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition.

Dell Inspiron 1545

The Dell Inspiron 1545 will appeal to many students simply due to the availability of various colors, outside the typical black and silver. Colors choices include red, blue, green, pink, purple and many others, all for the same price. Another feature students may enjoy is the 1.3 Megapixel webcam for chatting with friends online after studying. Skype VoIP software is included so students can easily connect with friends and family.

The Dell Inspiron 1545 features a 2.3 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500 processor, 3 GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive. Students can connect to both wired and wireless networks with this laptop. A CD/DVD burner is included for students to create their own disks and even use their laptop as a media center. The 15.6" screen is perfect for students who use their laptops frequently. A card reader is also built in. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition is the installed operating system.

Conclusion

The above laptops are by no means the only student laptops available. However, the models listed are simply the latest that's perfect for a student's needs. The Dell Inspiron, Compaq Presario and Toshiba Satellite series laptops are typically geared towards the home or student user. All the above laptops are extremely portable and can double as desktop media centers to prevent the need for a television or DVD player in dorm rooms.

References:
Walmart - Compaq Presario CQ62-219WM Description
Walmart - Toshiba Satellite L455D-S5976 Description
Walmart - Dell Inspiron 1545 Description
Walmart - Acer AS5551-2013 Description
Walmart - HP G61-429WM Description