The Best Laptops for College Students

Before you do anything else, however, you should first check with your college or university for specific system requirements. Some schools require their students to have a Windows-based laptop, to avoid software incompatibility issues as much as possible. Many schools will have on-site repair centers that only service university-bought laptops, where the turn-around time is much quicker than if you sent it back to the laptop manufacturer. And keep in mind that most schools offer price breaks for particular manufactures and include extensive software bundles, which can shave off a good amount from your laptop purchase.

So, what the best laptop to get? True, there are a plethora of choices on the market today, and slogging through them can be a bit daunting. No worries, we did the slogging for you. Check out the hottest laptops to grace the dorm room, college classroom, and campus quad for this school year.

Featured in this Story:

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt)

Price: $1299
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Thunderbolt) is a formidable player in the ultraportable space, thanks to a Core i5 processor, backlit keyboard, and Thunderbolt port. Read the full review ››

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HP Pavilion dv6-6170us

Price: $1049.99
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The HP Pavilion dv6-6170us rivals some of the best desktop replacement laptops we've seen, offering quad-core performance and strong graphics for less than premium-priced laptops, but it has to trim a few of the finer features to do so. Read the full review ››

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Asus U46E-BAL5

Price: $700.00
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While other mainstream laptops are putting in boilerplate parts, the Asus U46E-BAL5 raises the bar with excellent processing power and a glut of cutting-edge features. Read the full review ››

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Lenovo IdeaPad V570-1066A9U

Price: $629
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You can't find a laptop like the Lenovo IdeaPad V570-1066A9U that performs this well, with this many features, for this kind of price. Read the full review ››

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HP Pavilion dv7-6143cl

Price: $999
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Those looking for a portable home entertainment solution need search no longer. The HP Pavilion dv7-6143cl is a media center laptop that provides multiple wired and wireless solutions to connect you and your living room to digital content—and it's not too bad at gaming either. Read the full review ››

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Samsung QX411-W01

Price: $900
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The premium you pay for the Samsung QX411-W01 mainstream laptop includes top-notch battery life, sturdiest design, and solid gaming performance. Read the full review ››

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Samsung RV520-W01

Price: $650
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The Samsung RV520-W01 budget laptop delivered excellent battery life and a glut of new age wireless technologies, but it's lacking a bit in terms of design. Read the full review ››

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Sony VAIO VPC-EG16FM/W

Price: $830
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The Sony VAIO VPC-EG16FM is a mainstream laptop that targets movie enthusiasts, thanks to the Blu-ray drive, excellent horsepower, and technologies that can get those flicks onto the big screen. Read the full review ››

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Sony VAIO VPC-F226FM/B

Price: $1389.99
The Sony VAIO VPC-F226FM/B offers plenty of processing muscle, thanks to an Intel Core i7-2630QM quad-core processor, and pairs it with a plethora of features and media options, like a 1080p display and a Blu-ray drive. Read the full review ››

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Dell Inspiron I15RN5110-7126DBK

Price: $729.99
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Don't let the price fool you. The Dell Inspiron i15RN5110-7126DBK gives you features you might expect to see on a much pricier system, like a Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0 and Wireless Display technology. Read the full review ››