Laptop Recommendations

Revision as of 19:02, 5 June 2020 by Steve410 (talk | contribs) (→‎Windows)

General recommendations for the incoming college student.
Note: CS IT does not purchase or configure student laptops. We are offering suggestions of what to look for in a laptop.

Windows

NOTE: The needs of the laptop depend entirely on what the courses will require.

WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM (OS): Any flavor of Windows 10. There are highter-cost versions (e.g. Windows 10 Pro) with features not available on lower-cost versions. Windows 10 Pro, for instance, offers extra features including Bitlocker security, as well as other functionality useful in an office setting.

CPU/PROCESSOR: nothing less than an i5 processor, but if funding allows, get an i7.

MEMORY/RAM: Minimum of 8gb, but recommend 16gb or more.

HARD DRIVE:

1) We suggest a SSD (Solid State Drive) over a traditional hard drive. Typically *laptop* hard drives spin at 5400 RPM, which is somewhat slow. 7200 RPM is better. But an SSD is much faster (since it's actually a type of memory, and doesn't physically spin.) The disadvantage of SSD is price per gigabyte. A terabyte (1000 gb) is cheap for a hard drive, but pricey for an SSD.
2) How much Hard Drive/Disk size (disk space) you need depends on how much disk space course/office work would require. we recommend at least 250 GB SSD at a minimum, but 500gb SSD would be better if you're going to be saving all your data on that drive. If going with a traditional hard drive, start with 500gb or 1tb.

DISPLAY: Video display size and resolution is personal preference. Consider anti-glare (matte) displays to prevent reflections of overhead lights behind you from interfering with your view of the display screen.

TOUCHSCREEN: You will have to decide touchscreen is important for a prospective student or not.

VIDEO OUTPUTS: Also, make sure there is some kind of video-out connector (HDMI? Display port? Mini display port?)

BLUETOOTH: Bluetooth would be a good feature to have (helps to sync with phone/tablet.)

WEBCAM: Needed if student will be doing video conferencing. Many laptops can be ordered with a built-in webcam. Note, some Dells include a webcam at the *bottom* of the display, which makes it awkward to position the laptop to see you. Most laptops, though, have a webcam at the top of the display. If you choose not to include a webcam, you can always purchase an external USB webcam. For security concerns, you might want to consider covering your webcam portion with something dark when not in use. A small piece of paper or even electrical tape, as long as the tape doesn't touch the lens.

BATTERY LIFE: Make sure it gives you at least 5 hours. Of course, longer battery life is better. Also, many of today's smaller laptops might have non-removeable batteries. If that's the case, consider getting a laptop with as long a battery life as you could afford. Maybe at least 8 or more hours? We say this because, for laptops with non-removeable batteries, each year, the life of the battery lessens. So, after 4 years of college, you will have wanted to make sure you started with a long-lasting battery, so that when it weakens over time, it still provides decent enough battery life.

WARRANTY: Consider an extended warranty. Along with a warranty, consider a Keep-Your-Disk option when purchasing a warranty. If, for example, your hard drive goes bad, you might not want to provide the repair company your hard drive (broken or not) that might contain your personal information. Instead, a Keep-Your-Disk add-on to your warranty will allow you to keep your old hard drive, should you need a replacement.

And finally... "Try Before You Buy"... if possible, check out the laptop at a store. Make sure it's not too heavy. Most laptops are thin nowadays, but, if getting one with a larger (15" or more) screen, it's best to make sure it's not going to be too heavy to lug around campus.