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Chromebooks are a great option for college students who want something affordable that will mostly be used for word processing, email, and web browsing. With its newest processor update, Dell has restated its fight for the position the XPS 15 for the best Windows laptop you can buy at this price.

Tom Brant John Burek The Best Laptops for College Students in 2019 You've chosen the college or university you'll be attending. Here's the next most important decision you need to make: which notebook you'll carry around campus for the next four years. Start your 'best laptops' short list with these top-rated, value-focused models. How to Choose a Laptop to Last Through School If you're a student, a is as essential as your textbooks and school ID—and not just because of your school work. It should also be able to handle your big extracurricular activities: keeping up with your social networks, streaming movies, listening to music, posting photos, gaming, video chatting with the 'rents back home. And of course, the best laptops for college students need to last for the long haul, preferably through four years of undergrad and maybe a year of grad work.

Lucky for you, we have a bunch below that fit that description perfectly—and they won't drain your savings account. Here are the basics you should keep in mind while looking for a laptop for college. First Off: Research Your College The first, and most important, thing to do is check with your school for specific system requirements. They may have hard-and-fast hardware recommendations. (Or not.) Some colleges and universities want their students equipped with -based laptops, to cut down on software incompatibility issues or to keep technical support concentrated on one platform. Others don't care which operating system you use, whether it's Windows,, or even Linux if you're a hard-core type. Some institutions have on-site computer repair centers that service only laptops purchased from the university or an affiliated computer store on campus; using one of these facilities, the turn-around time will be much quicker than if you were to send it overnight to the original manufacturer.

Also note that most schools offer price breaks for particular vendors and include extensive software bundles, which can shave off a good amount from your laptop purchase. So you might want to look into the campus store as a first shopping destination, before you hit your local superstore or favorite online seller. Keeping It Light: Why Weight Matters Not every student will agree, but depending on how far you'll haul it every day, a big-screen notebook may not be such a good idea.

It's nice to have a mini home theater in your dorm room or play the latest games in big-screen 1080p glory, but a 6-pound-plus laptop with a 15-inch or 17-inch screen will be a chore to haul across campus while you're running from class to class. You're better off with something that's light: If screen size matters less to you than convenience, a super-thin might be the way to go. Essays, research papers, and chatting online with your classmates will take up most of your computing time, so a full-size keyboard and a comfortable touchpad are crucial.