Need To Buy Laptops For Students..?

How to Buy Laptops for Students

Whether it’s your son or daughter going off to university, or perhaps a close family friend making the move, a laptop makes a great gift that will certainly prove useful in the years of study ahead.  But what should you look for when making this purchase?  Which specific elements should you consider when you head out to buy laptops for the students in your life?

What You Need to Know To Buy Laptops For Students

Tip #1 – Durability, durability, durability

The life of a university student is inherently mobile.  In a single day, this student may go from studying in his dorm room, to taking notes in a lecture hall, to meeting up with a work group in the library.  Not every laptop can stand up to the rigors of this constant traveling, which makes durability a prime consideration for any student laptop purchases.

If you’re going to buy laptops for students, look for machines that have extra features added to enhance durability.  You don’t necessarily need a military-grade rugged laptop, but one that has an alloy frame (versus simple plastic), reinforced hinges and a sturdy latch mechanism should be a good fit.

Tip #2 – Size matters

Similarly, when you consider the number of places a student laptop may visit on any given day, it should be clear that size matters just as much as durability.  No student wants to be stuck carrying a 17” widescreen laptop weighing upwards of 3 kg every time he leaves the dorms!

Instead, stick to laptops in the 10.1” – 15.6” range.  These laptops will be large enough for students to use comfortable, yet still small enough to be carried comfortably across campus.

Tip #3 – Consider any specialized software needs

While, in most cases, a general, all-purpose laptop will suffice for a university student’s needs, there are some cases where specialized software needs will dictate the type and style of laptop you’ll want to purchase.

For example, if you plan to buy laptops for students in graphics-intensive fields (including graphic designers, video production students and other digital artists), be aware that they may require extra processing capacity in order to successfully run programs like the Adobe Creative Suite.  Students in engineering, architecture and other technical disciplines may have similar needs, so be sure to look for laptops with at least 8 GB of RAM and a 64-bit processor to handle these advanced software programs.

Tip #4 – Mind your price tags

Unfortunately, even if you buy laptops for the students in your life that are rated highly for overall strength and durability, the reality is that accidents can and will happen – especially when university students are involved.  Beers get spilled, laptops get accidentally left underfoot of clumsy college kids – well, you get the picture!

If you’re planning to buy laptops for students, try to keep your budget as small as possible while still meeting the criteria discussed above.  Perfectly decent student laptops can be purchased for £400 and under so that you won’t be out too much money if your otherwise mild-mannered college student’s weekend gets a little out of hand!