How To Save Money Buying A Laptop For A College Freshman
August 17, 2009 by Erik Folgate
Filed under College
All universities and colleges have followed suit with the rapid growth in internet technology over the past ten years, and it is now essential for college students to have a good computer for school. Laptops are the computer of choice with college students, because they’re portable and pack enough features to help them with whatever needs to be done for school. This will be one of the bigger expenses you will face if your sending your child off to college in the next couple of weeks, and it’s important that you get them a laptop that meets their needs without breaking your checking account.
Don’t go shopping with your kid
Make the laptop a surprise, and what you buy them, is what they get. If you bring your kid with you, they will go straight to the Apple store and pick out the $1800 Macbook Pro, I guarantee it. Macs have branded themselves as the hip, fun notebooks that many young people want, because it has become a status symbol. If your budget isn’t above $1,000, then you need to stay away from the Apple store.
What If They Insist On A Mac?
If your kid is very brand conscious, and you think they will be devastated if they don’t get a Mac, then consider a refurbished Macbook. Remember, there’s a big price difference between the regular Macbook and Macbook Pro, but the specs that the Pro offers are not needed for the average college freshmen who will be using it to surf the internet and write papers. Right now, the Apple store website has a refurbished 13″ Macbook with great specs for only $899 with free shipping. It’s Apple certified, so you can rest assure that they will stand by all of their refurbished products.
The Most Important Feature
Many people get caught up in all of the tech features of a laptop, and they end up buying a computer that is much too powerful than the user needs. When buying any computer, you need to consider matching the user with the specifications. If your kid is really big into video editing, recording music, and shooting high-resolution photography, then you’ll need to buy them a powerful computer. But, if they are like most computer users and they’ll be using it for the internet, watching streaming video, and using MS Office, then they don’t need the most powerful computer on the market. So, what’s the most important feature on a laptop? Size and portability matter most to me. I really don’t like laptops that act like desktops. 14 to 15″ inch screen laptops that weight less than 6 pounds are what you need to look for. I am not a big fan of the netbook, only because their keyboards are so small and the size of the screen makes it hard to do more than one thing at a time. But again, pay more for portability rather than tech specs.
Here is a list of specifications that will be plenty of power for the average user:
- 2GB RAM
- 100 GB Hard drive
- Any Core Duo processor above 2.0 Ghz
- 128 RAM on video card
- Wireless card G/N
Some extras that are nice to have, but not necessary:
- Built-in webcam
- Bluetooth capabilities
- HDMI hook-ups (allows you to hook the computer up to a television
Good Brands for Windows-Based PCs
Stay away from HP, Compaq, and Toshiba. I have never heard of someone having a good experience with these brands of laptops, and they also lag behind on my most important feature, portability. For a laptop under $1,000, look for Sony, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, and Gateway.
Where To Shop
I would stay away from the large retail electronic stores like Best Buy, HH Gregg, Comp USA, and Office Depot. They try to discount the computers they are looking to get rid of from the less desirable brands. Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s, Fry’s, and Tiger Direct are all great brick-and-mortar locations to find an affordable laptop. My personal preference is to shop online for the best laptop deals as long as you feel comfortable enough to know what you are buying based on reading the tech specs. If you’re not, you can always look at models at a store to know what you are looking at before you buy online. Buy.com, Tigerdirect.com, NewEgg.com, and Frys.com are all good places to start looking. You can also check out deal aggregators like BensBargains.net and product search engines like Google products to help you find the BEST deals on the internet from little-known, yet reputable internet retailers.
Figure out your child’s computer needs, don’t go overboard on tech specs, look on the internet, and you’ll get your kid a great laptop for a cheap price.
This is a very sensible advice on buying laptops. I was also shopping for a laptop for my kid more than a week ago, and instead of doing the normal legwork searching the local stores, I did a little looking on the internet. You see, I’ve become an avid fan of online shopping because of the nice perks you get from online stores: free shipping, cash back rewards, great discounts, and, above all, one stop comparison shopping through a discount portal like http://www.savingswatch.com. That’s where I got hold of a nice, light, branded laptop for just $449! The $110 mark off on the tag was just as irresistible as the fact that it was already a power-packed 2.0 dual core computer with a whopping 3GB DDR2 memory, and with all the hardware you’ll need. I would really suggest a site like that if you’re looking for great deals online.
A few things to consider before abandoning the idea of a Mac: You are purchasing more than the hardware and branding. The Mac OS is quicker, more secure, and more powerful (for those who are power users) than Windows. Another option to get this security, speed, and power is to opt for a computer running Linux. This gives you the benefit of of the low hardware prices from Windows computers plus the security and power of a great operating system. Linux is Free and Open Source Software, so updates and upgrades are free forever and odds are all software you will need to install is free as well, which can also help with savings. Both Mac and Linux are essentially invulnerable to viruses and malware, so you can rest assured that your child will stay safe that way. The only downside I would point out with Linux is that it isn’t overly popular just yet. You can get tons of support from online forums and what not, but campus tech support might not officially support the operating system. I suggest doing your research into these operating systems before making a final decision.
As a disclaimer, I am a computer engineering student at the moment and made the switch to Mac/Linux a couple of years ago, part way into my studies, and I will never turn back to Windows. Due to my computer background, I may be a little more prone to adapting to the new systems than the average student, but most people from this generation adapt quickly to technology anyway. I suggest finding a Mac/Linux friend to walk you through the basics if you do decide to make the switch.