Apple caught the nation’s attention recently by releasing its MacBook Pro with Retina Display. A whole new generation of laptop, this MacBook is thinner than the old MacBook (at the expense of a DVD drive, showing that computer designers find they are becoming antiquated and doing away with them, just like they did away with floppy disk drives), has no hard drive (working off of a faster storage system called flash), and has the high resolution retina display that new iPad and iPhones have. At a whopping $2,199.00, this new MacBook Pro is also the most expensive laptop that Apple currently sells. When buying a laptop for college, it is tempting to go for the most expensive laptop on the market. After all, you want something that will get you through four years of school, and the bells and whistles can be pretty cool. Fortunately, a durable and efficient laptop does not need to break the bank—you just need to do some research to get the best deal! To help you out on your search, Savvy Student has some great tips for buying the perfect laptop for your college experience.
1. Check to see what kind the school prefers
When you need to buy a laptop for school you need to ask yourself, just as those Apple commercials ask viewers—are you a Mac or a PC? While your own personal preference is important, it is important to look to your school’s preference, as well. Some schools prefer Macs or PCs because whatever technology services they have are better equipped to work with one type of computer over another. Finding out the school’s preference and working with it can allow you to get computer repairs done quickly and, often, for free! It is definitely worth doing your research.Take a look at this article by ConsumerReports to get more information on the benefits of checking with a school first!
2. Find out if laptop companies have any deals
Some laptop companies give discounts to college students buying laptops off of their websites. Apple, for example, gives its customers a $100 store credit with new laptop purchases or a $50 credit for iPad purchases. Check out Apple’s website to explore their student discounts. Other companies also provide deals for purchases over a certain price—Toshiba provides free ground shipping for orders of $499 and up, and Dell provides free standard shipping on purchases of all laptops from its website. There is also a student discount Dell offers to Brandeis students, so be sure to explore online for additional savings.
3. Look to major retailers for deals
Especially as fall gets closer, retailers like Target, BJs, Best Buy, and Walmart release weekly deals on laptops. While it might not be in your best interest to wait until the last minute to purchase your laptop (after all, you need time to learn how to use it before the year begins!), staying on top of and utilizing these temporary price cuts can help you save money on a laptop you really want. This information is generally provided on the store’s website or weekly flier.
4. Compare and contrast on the computer’s specifics
As with all things in life, what matters in buying a laptop is not the brand-name or the bells and whistles, but how effective the technology is. Tech News Daily lists specific items for students to consider when deciding what to buy. Five main things to compare and contrast amongst laptop options are processing speed, battery life, RAM (random access memory), hard drive figure (which determines how much data can be stored), and computer weight. On all but one of these fronts (weight), more is better. A faster processing speed means your computer won’t slow you down when you flip through lecture slides to do some last-minute studying for your final exam in a couple of hours, a longer battery life means your laptop won’t die in the middle of your chemistry lecture, more RAM means your computer won’t slow down when you’re trying to write a paper and a Facebook message at the same time, a larger hard drive means you can store all of your pictures from the year and still have room for the new music you got from mix CDs your friends gave you, and a lighter computer means it won’t rip your backpack when you trek up the hill on your way to the library.
5. Keep your laptop safe!
No matter how fast or flashy your laptop is, it is no good to you if it has been lost, stolen, or broken. Once you get to school, make sure you always know where your laptop is and store it in a safe, consistent place, so that you never misplace it. You should also never leave your laptop (or any other valuables) unattended in major areas like your university’s library, student center, or dining hall. It does not matter how late at night it is or how much you need coffee to keep yourself going—you’ll never be able to finish writing that paper if your laptop gets stolen while you’re gone! Finally, make sure you get a laptop case or cover after purchasing your laptop to make sure it stays secure while you are carrying it around. These cases can be either hard or soft, come in all sorts of patterns and colors for any size laptop, and protect your laptop from scratches or cracks.
We hope these quick tips will help you find the best (and most cost-effective) laptop for your college days! As always, please send us your thoughts on how to get great deals on laptops or any other tips you have on ways to stay financially responsible. We would love to hear from you!
Happy Saving!
~Savvy Student
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