A computer is the primary piece of technology that any student is going to need for college or even high school. It is used to communicate with teachers and classmates, research, write up papers and create presentations. Of course it can also be used for entertainment purposes including streaming video from the web or playing games. A laptop is the best choice because it offers extreme flexibility in terms of performance and mobility. If I were heading back to school, here are some of the laptops I would consider:

While Apple’s MacBook Pro 15 Retina laptop isn’t the most recent and needs updating to the new 4th generation Core i processor, it still is a very solid laptop with an amazing high resolution display, some outstanding performance, great battery life and is very compact for a 15-inch system. Apple’s build quality means that the system should be able to stand up to the rigors of campus life not to mention it still has one of the best looking designs out there. The downside of course is the costwith pricing typically $2199 but they can be found for as little as $2000. Of course you can always go with a which can save almost 20% off the list prices and it still retains a product warranty as if it were a new retail model.

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For those that want to use their computer for a bit more than education, the new Razer Blade 14-inch is a surprisingly flexible and compact system. This very thin laptop has enough performance to be used as a mobile gaming platform for those that want to unwind from classes. The build quality is up there with Apple and it still provides long battery life when you are using it for more scholarly pursuits. The biggest issue with it is the display which is decent but far from the level it really should be considering its $2000 price tag.

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Apple’s latest version of the MacBook Air 13 is very compact and lightweight yet has amazing battery life that should provide students with a full day of computing. Not having to carry around the power adapter can save some precious weight when dealing with all the textbooks required for school. The design may be a bit dated but it still looks great and is a solid build that should last through the years with a student. While it doesn’t have the high performance of the previous two laptops, it is much thinner and lighter and yet still has enough performance for those using it for your standard academic work. Pricing is also quite good at just $1299 making it much more affordable.

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For those on a tighter budget, there are many older ultrabooks on the market that offer performance nearly identical to the latest models for less than $1000. Features are also quite similar but they may not have quite as good battery life which is the main advantage to the 4th generation Core i processors from Intel. I personally like the ASUS VivoBook S400CA because it is under $700, offers a touchscreen display, has a comfortable keyboard and some good battery life. The system is fairly compact although it is a bit heavier than some other 14-inch ultrabooks on the market. As this is a more affordable system, there are compromises such as just a single USB 3.0 port, a lower resolution display a low resolution webcam.

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Other Thoughts

You may have noticed that all of these laptops are very thin and lack any form of DVD drive. For the most part, the optical storage format is pretty much dead. Online software distribution has negated the need for physical software media and movie streaming, online music stores and digital video have made CDs and DVDs much less common. If you do need one of these, I highly recommend an External Slim DVD Burner to go with any of the laptops.

Now since most college terms last around five years these days, you want to try and get a sturdy machine which all of my recommendations should provide. Of course you will want to try and extend the life of these by getting bags and cases that can help protect you system. I will be talking about these and other accessories in a coming article.