Top 10 Tips for Choosing a Budget Laptop

Choosing a Laptop on a Budget: Tips for Canadian College Students

one thing all Canadian college students are going to need these days is a laptop. The main advantage of a laptop over a stationary PC is its size and portability. For many degree programs, a laptop can be an essential tool for most, if not all of your classes. In the modern digital age, most teachers or class speakers use PowerPoint or Adobe formats for their class notes and presentations. Most provide copies to students via class websites to download and print, and many classes even require them as daily class material. While printing your notes or presentations and following them is a perfectly acceptable way to manage your classes, using a laptop puts everything in one place.

Imagine sitting in class, following through the notes and writing your own comments or memory aids just below each slide. At the end of the class, press Save, close the laptop, go to your next class and rinse / repeat. While this may seem obvious, it is the not-so-obvious benefits that are causing more and more students to switch from the old paper-and-pencil system to a digital one. As you follow the class, you can catch up on emails, use Wikipedia or Google for more explanations on topics you’re not 100% sure about, or even participate in real-time class discussions on the same notes. You’re covering! I had a teacher who encouraged the use of laptops not only to manage digital notes, but also to participate in a live Twitter feed that I would set up every day. Instead of raising your hand and asking a question out loud risking embarrassment and ridicule, I would have students tweet the class Twitter account and answer students’ questions that way. I have never seen such a useful and extensive class discussion as the one I saw in that class, even if it was partially digital! Anyway, on the tips!

Tip # 1 – Choose the size wisely!

While 16 “+ laptops are easy to see and very comfortable to use, they aren’t actually that practical for a student who intends to use them in class. Here’s why: Many lecture rooms and classrooms try to pack as many desks and students as possible. As a result, personal space is not as abundant. Some classes have long tables with chairs that can accommodate a large laptop, but definitely not. Most conference rooms have chairs with a attached surface that is sometimes as small as 12 “wide! They were built with sheets of paper and clipboards in mind, not 16 “supercomputer laptops. So be wary of larger” entertainment “laptops and always keep in mind what you are buying this laptop for. I recommend no more larger than 15.1 “and even then they can be a hassle at times. Try to go as small as you can tolerate.

Tip # 2 – Battery life

For most students, a day at school can be 6 hours or more. While much of his time is spent running from class to class or having lunch or coffee, the rest is spent sitting in class, probably using his new laptop. This is where a laptop with excellent battery life really pays off. If you’re shopping at an electronics store, ask the seller how long you can expect a full charge to last on average. Try to find a laptop that has a battery capacity of at least 2 hours. Apple laptops are famous for their long battery life, often lasting 4 hours or more, but they are also famous for being quite expensive and probably not an option for anyone choosing a budget laptop. If you’ve found a laptop that you like but find it has poor battery life, buying a replacement battery is always an option. If your salesperson is working on commission, see if he or she offers one for free. If all else fails, tuck the power cord into your backpack and keep your laptop charged during breaks between classes.

Tip # 3 – Memory

There are two types of memory in a computer, RAM and storage memory (hard drive).

• RAM is what your computer uses to load programs, play videos, music, etc. Think of it as a handyman’s workbench. The more space you have, the more projects you can work on simultaneously and the faster you can access each of them. More is always better when it comes to RAM, so don’t try to cut costs on this feature, but don’t break the bank with large amounts either. 4 GB should be sufficient.
• Storage memory is what your hard drive is. It’s where all the things you install and save are stored. If you plan to use your laptop for music, video, games, etc. you’ll want as big a hard drive as you can afford. If your laptop is going to be used only for surfing the internet, sending emails, sending instant messages, writing essays, etc. so this is definitely a feature that you can minimize to save some money. I would advise getting at least a 100GB hard drive, as Windows, Microsoft Office, and other essential programs can really increase memory usage over time.

Tip # 4 – Processor speed

This again depends on your planned use. If you want to play movies and games, you will need a processor that is powerful enough to handle it. But if you are just doing casual tasks like browsing the web, sending emails, etc. So this is another feature where you can cut costs to save a lot of money. However, don’t drop below 1.6 GHz, this should be the bare minimum.

Tip # 5 – Sound and video on board

Don’t let a salesperson convince you to buy a laptop that has separate video and sound adapters, as these greatly add to the overall cost of a laptop. A sound card and video card can often DOUBLE the price of a proper laptop. Again, unless you are making heavy games or editing videos these are not necessary and you will never fully use them. It’s like buying an automatic machine gun when all you need is a slingshot.

Tip # 6 – Pre-installed software

Make sure your new laptop has at least Windows 7 and some productivity software. If you don’t have Windows 7 or Microsoft Office, you’ll probably want to try to negotiate with your vendor. If you are trying to sell them to them at full price or even at a slight discount, no, DO NOT buy them. Students get steep discounts through their campus computer and software outlets, often in the 80% discount range. For example, I can get a full version of MS Office Home and Student Edition for $ 60 and Windows 7 Professional for $ 99. They are regularly priced at $ 160 for Office and $ 329 for Windows 7 Pro, both from Future Shop. (Writing time: Jul 12, 2010) This is another great area to save a lot of money on a student laptop.

Tip # 7 – Everything else is just extra

As for all the features I haven’t covered, consider them extras or extras. Digital card readers, fingerprint scanners, built-in webcams, auxiliary ports, etc. these are things you really don’t need to consider. If the model you choose has them and they don’t add much to the end result, great. If a salesperson tries to convince you that you will be struck by lightning if you don’t have them, walk away. Never forget what you’re buying this laptop for, and don’t let words like “premium extras,” “limited edition model,” or “media-friendly” fool you into opening your wallet more than necessary. Over the life of your laptop, you can use those features once or twice, so they are definitely not worth the $ 100 or $ 200 they will add to the price.

Tip # 8 – Check it out!

Don’t let commission sellers manipulate you into buying right away. “This sale ends tomorrow …” is the oldest line in the book. What they are not telling you is that this sale ends, but right after a newer and even better one begins. Never feel pressured to cash in on what seems like an amazing deal. If they can afford to sell you that laptop at that price today, they can afford to do it again tomorrow, or even next week. Be sure to compare prices with other stores like Future Shop, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Costco, London Drugs, and Staples. Then check the Canadian sites TigerDirect.ca and NCIX.com online to compare how good the deals really are. You’ll often find better deals online as you check the prices of deals you found in the store, so keep an eye out for those “online-only deals.”

Tip # 9 – Accessories

The only accessories I would recommend are a small mouse and a laptop sleeve. Note: It is not a laptop bag, but a zipper rubber sleeve, they are much cheaper. It’s like a wetsuit for your laptop. That’s all you need to keep it safe from bumps and scratches and it fits perfectly in your backpack. I also recommend a mouse for those times when you are in the library or at home and have room to spread out. The touch pads are great for portability and comfort, but nothing beats navigation with a real mouse that you can hold in your hand. Look for the small wireless mice designed specifically for laptops. Some of the good ones combine a data storage key along with the USB connection component of the wireless mouse, giving you a great place to store documents, resumes, and whatever else you might need quick access to from any computer.

Tip # 10 – Guarantees

Many electronics stores and computer outlets offer their own store warranties on the sale of an item. For computers, this can be good if the price is right. They will often tell you how any problem big or small will be solved for free if you buy a warranty. What they don’t tell you is that there is almost no limit to how long they can keep your laptop in order to do a repair. The major electronics stores in Canada have central service offices where they submit their warranty claims for repair. In layman’s terms, you’re stuck without a laptop for the time it takes to ship, repair, and ship back to the store where you left it. Depending on repair and parts availability, this can take up to 6 months in some cases! Personally, I think warranties are a waste of money, as I have never encountered such a serious problem that I could not fix it myself. But I’m sure everyone has heard the story of someone who bought a computer and it broke down the next day, so it’s really all about budget and personal choice. For me, I’d rather save $ 50- $ 100 and pay a local repair shop for faster service if something goes wrong.

conclusion

Hope you found these tips helpful! I am writing them from experience as a Canadian University student owning a Hewlett-Packard G10 laptop that I bought with the Future Shop gift cards I received last Christmas! I managed to get it $ 200 cheaper using the tips above, so they definitely work! If you think I have missed something or have any comments please let me know in the forum or comment below. Happy laptop shopping!

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