There are many factors that come into play when purchasing a new laptop for any high school student. It’s a big investment so you want to be sure to get the best laptop that fits your budget. If you’re a student and you’re looking to buy a laptop, you’ll want to focus on what the main functions you plan on using your laptop for such as word processing, photo editing, music, creating presentations, internet research, etc. You’ll be surprised at how many affordable and cheap laptops are out there that will benefit a high school student’s academic life.
Dell Inspiron15
Price: $399
Where to buy: www.dell.com
The Dell Inspiron is a great basic laptop that has 15.6 screen, Windows Vista Basic, 160GB Hard drive, and a 8x CD/DVD Burner. If you’re not looking for anything too fancy, this will be your choice. You can write all of your reports on this machine, create PowerPoint presentations, and access wireless networks. Dell allows you to add extra features for an additional cost.
Acer Aspire 4720-4825
Price: $480
Where to buy: Best Buy or Office Depot
Acer has a respected line of affordable notebooks that will fit any high school student’s lifestyle. This cheap laptop has a 1.46GHz Intel Dual-Core processor, 1GB of memory, and a generous-sized 160GB hard drive. It has a 14.1-inch widescreen and a light weight of 5.4 pounds which lends to its portability. It also has a built in web cam to take photos and chat with friends.
HP Pavilion DV6000
Price: $749
Where to buy: Best Buy
The HP Pavilion DV6000 is a solid notebook computer that would be great for any high school student. This budget laptop is very affordable especially when considering all that you’re getting in this package. The unit sports a nice, sleek design and good all-around performance. It also offers a solid balance of features which really makes this notebook just as good as any desktop computer.
HP Mini 1000
Price: $299
Where to buy: www.hp.com
The newest and hottest trend in laptop technology is “netbooks.” They’re smaller and more compact than traditional laptops but don’t have as much power inside of them. But, if you’re looking for something that will get your homework done and get you on the Internet, a netbook will be perfect. The HP Mini 1000 is thin, has a spacious keyboard, and plenty of memory and hard drive space to get you through your school day.
Apple MacBook
Price: $999
Where to buy: Apple store or www.apple.com
When it comes to affordability, the Apple Macbook may not be your first choice. But when you consider all of the benefits this laptop would give a high school student, then it could be well worth it. The Macbook is lightweight for portability. It has phenomenal speed and a large hard drive. It has a built in web cam. And if your high school student is working on graphics, movies, music, or video, the Macbook has superior software to aid in their efforts. Not to mention, this is one of the trendiest and coolest laptops on the market today.
