As a university student, there are many benefits to having your own laptop. While you can use the computers in the library for free, many students prefer having the option to take their work home with them if needed. And, laptops for university students aren’t just used for work – you can use your laptop to browse the web, online shopping, or watching movies and playing games in your down time. You could even find some online work on your laptop to do to earn some extra cash and support your student lifestyle. With so many laptops to choose from, picking the right one for university isn’t always easy. Here are some of the main factors to consider.
Your Budget
First of all, it’s important to decide on your budget. Don’t get carried away and buy a high-end laptop as soon as your student loan payment comes in as this might leave you struggling until the next instalment comes through. It’s a good idea to check out options like this Lenovo laptop for business students to see what kind of price points you can expect and figure out what you can afford. Don’t forget that as a student you will be able to access student discounts and offers, particularly at the start of the term so time your purchase right and you can get some awesome deals.
Operating System
Like buying a laptop for anything, the operating system is one of the main things to consider. Your budget will likely play a huge part in the best type of operating system for you, but it’s also worth considering what you’re planning to do on the laptop. For media students, MacBooks are often recommended although you can still do lots with a Windows laptop. If you mainly plan to use your laptop for tasks like browsing the internet and writing assignments, and have a good internet connection at your student halls, then ChromeOS might work well for you.
Performance
The processor and RAM are two main components to consider when it comes to the performance of your laptop. Laptops typically run on either Intel or AMD processors. If you’re mainly using your laptop for writing assignments and running basic software, you will probably be fine with Intel Core i3 OR AMD A-series A6 or A8. On the other hand, if you’re doing work that is graphics-intensive or requires a lot of heavy programming, a more powerful processor will be needed. 8GB of RAM is usually the best option, especially if you are going to be doing a lot of multi-tasking.
Storage
Finally, as a student, you’ll probably be storing a lot on your laptop. A 500GB hard drive is usually enough for the software you will need to install, but if you’re going to be storing a lot of files, installing games and downloading movies to watch, you might need more. However, don’t worry if this is out of your budget as there are alternative options to consider like cloud storage or an external hard drive.
When it comes to choosing a laptop for university life, there are lots of factors to consider to help you choose the right one for you.
