All our guidelines for choosing laptops also apply to university equipment, including evaluating the quality of the display and chassis and ensuring that the laptop works fast enough. Get at least 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage and you’ll be happy.
There are several important things to consider in college. Portability and battery life are crucial. No matter your budget, you want something that lasts all day and won’t push you down while going from class to course. Anything over four pounds or so will start to feel noticeable in your backpack.
The overall dimension is also important. Taking a 16-inch laptop to the classroom can feel dull, given the size of the college room. The same goes for you if you plan to take your laptop to a crowded coffee shop or library. That’s why 13-inch or 14-inch laptops are preferred. That being said, if you are a gamer or need a discrete GPU for your course, you may have to bite the bullet and buy something bigger.
Here are some other specifications:
processor
- Windows: If you get a Windows machine, the main options for the processor are Intel and AMD, although Qualcomm is now a viable alternative to Copilot+ PCs. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. For a more complete guide to the differences, see our complete guide to buying a laptop.
- Chromebooks: These browser-based machines use six different processors, most of which you may have never heard of. There is one reason: these processors are slow. My advice when buying a Chromebook is to stick with the Chromebook Plus Machine. This is a new standard created by Google to ensure a certain level of performance and polish with Chromebooks.
- macos: Apple has been making its own processors for several years, such as the latest M4 chip found in the MacBook Air shown below. More powerful models like the MacBook Pros have M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips, which have GPUs comparable to discrete GPUs found in Windows laptops. Our MacBook Buying Guide can help.
Ram and storage
Regardless of which operating system you choose, the smallest amount of RAM in your laptop is 8 GB. This is enough memory to make your computer feel lively even when running under load. But nowadays, 16 GB is the new standard, and you’ll find a lot of laptops for around $800, which includes 16 GB. So if you can afford it – especially if you plan to edit photos or videos in a class, you can use 16 GB or even 32 GB.
The new storage default is 256 GB, which will do if you want to save money. If you need to add, you can use external storage at any time. However, the spring is 512 GB or trabyte if you can.
screen
The screen varies greatly, but don’t settle for anything in 1080p (or 16:10 display aspect ratio display). For 13-inch laptops, the 1080p is sharp enough. If you use a larger laptop, the 2.5k or even 4K screen will improve the viewing experience. If you try to play the game, make sure you get something with a higher refresh rate — 120 Hz or 144 Hz will satisfy.
Weight and battery
Don’t forget, you’ll delay this. It will most likely drag on your back for eight hours or more. A pound doesn’t seem to be much, but at the end of a long day you’ll notice the difference between a three-pound laptop and a four-pound laptop. Believe me. Also, maybe pick a good bag to carry your computer.
Likewise, battery life is very important when you (probably) away from a wall outlet. Whatever you end up with, make sure it can be used in the real world for at least eight hours for eight hours – browse the web, edit documents, write emails and take notes. Even then, you may still want to consider a portable battery charger.
