Education is a worldwide effort to give people the tools to help themselves, others, and the world. Technology makes education a little easier and more enjoyable. From smart phones to laptops and all in between, many present-day students take advantage of technology and have their own piece. Students may wonder what the best technology for balancing their education and leisure time is and that is why I'm writing this.
What makes a piece of technology such as a laptop meet the needs of each student? Well laptops come in a relatively wide variety of sizes, features, and prices that makes choosing the right one quite the challenge. This is even truer when you are on a budget like most students are, which brings me to my first point. Assess your budget. Do this by deciding what the main uses of your laptop consist of. Whether you are a science, business, or art major, keep in mind the bare-minimum requirements for your laptop.
For memory do not go any lower than four gigabytes (GB) of RAM or your performance will be lacking. If you can stretch your budget then opt for eight GB of RAM, and for the gamers and movie/media lovers I recommend 16GB. Your hard drive should be at least 500GB and as high as one terabyte (TB), but if your budget has more room go for a solid state drive (SSD) for faster, less power-consuming performance and less frequent crashes. Speed over size is a better mindset here so do not go for anything less than 7200 rpm. The processor speed matters mostly to those who like gaming and graphic design, but look for fifth-generation Intel i5 or higher and choose more gigahertz (Ghz) for better speed if you can.
Other than speed, portability is also a key factor for students since books are already heavy enough. Choose laptops that are less than five pounds to make lugging it around easier. This weight range is generally found among the 15-inch screen sizes or smaller. The battery is the heaviest part of the laptop so consider whether or not you want to plug your laptop in more frequently or carry the extra weight for longer battery life.
Considering portability, some enjoy intense gaming and love their movie nights so display can make a difference as well as memory. To get the most out of that experience choose full HD panels (1920 x 1080 pixels). This improves not only the quality of your picture but multitasking in the browser. Ultimately choosing a laptop seems easier than it actually is so I hope this article serves as a starting point and guide to those in need of it.
