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As the Fall semester quickly approaches, students have to make the choice of what school supplies they will need. Most of these supplies are no-brainers such as pens, pencils and notebooks. But what about a laptop computer for school?
Choosing the right laptop for school can be a challenge. So to help with this decision, The Voice has taken some time to research and play with several laptops available on the market to help you make a well-informed decision on what to purchase.
Macbook Pro. Model # MD101LL/A
Screen size: 13-inch
Processor: 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5
RAM: 4GB
Hard drive size: 500GB solid state drive
Price: $1,199
Pros: Fast computing speed. Beautiful screen resolution. Large solid state hard drive.
Cons: Feels too big to be used for educational purposes.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Macbook air. Model # MD232LL/A
Screen size: 13-inch
Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5
RAM: 4GB
Hard drive size: 256GB flash storage
Price: $1,499
Pros: Lightweight. Fast computing speed. Fast start up speed. Fast everything.
Cons: High price.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Dell Inspiron. Model # I15N-2733BK
Screen size: 15-inch
Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel 2nd generation core i3
RAM: 4GB
Hard drive size: 500GB SATA
Price: $399
Pros: Low price. Good screen size. Good size hard drive.
Cons: It’s big and bulky. With the laptop weighing more than five pounds, it will feel like you’re carrying around an expensive, fragile textbook.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Toshiba Portégé Ultrabook. Model # Z835-P330
Screen size: 13-inch
Processor: 1.4 GHz Intel 2nd generation core i3
RAM: 4GB
Hard drive size: 128GB solid state
Price: $699
Pros: Price is OK compared to other Ultrabooks.
Cons: Extremely flimsy screen. Subpar computing speed.
My rating: 2 out of 5
Dell XPS Ultrabook. Model # XPS13-925SLV
Screen size: 13-inch
Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel 2nd generation core i5
RAM: 4GB
Hard drive size: 128GB solid state
Price: $999
Pros: Lightweight. Fast start up. Fast computing speed. Backlit keyboard. Sturdy design.
Cons: Owners will have to talk to Dell if something isn’t working right.
Rating: 5 out of 5
And the winner is…
Dell XPS Ultrabook.
With its low weight, sturdy design, reasonable price and fast computing speed, the Dell XPS Ultrabook will meet anyone’s basic computing needs this Fall.
