Need help choosing a new laptop for college?

Graduating from your Maple Grove high school, or from surrounding high schools, is a BIG deal – you’ve worked hard, you’ve participated in plenty of extracurricular activities and you’ve learned so much. But whether you’re planning on going to the University of Minnesota, an out-of-state university or community college, you will most definitely need one thing – a new laptop.

But how do you choose the right laptop for you?

What’s your major?
If you haven’t decided on your major yet, look for laptops that are easily portable (light and smaller) with long battery life. Having to charge up frequently while on campus or while studying can be a pain.

If you’ve chosen your major, check to see if you’ll need specific software like Photoshop or charting/diagramming programs. If so, you should make sure any laptop you’re considering has enough processing power and member to handle special software on top of the basic laptop programs. Engineering, mathematics, computer science, design and business majors often have requirements for industry-specific software.

How often will you need your laptop?
Are you online all the time watching videos and gaming? Or do you primarily use your laptop for taking notes, writing papers or word processing programs?

The more use your laptop gets, the more you should focus on memory, a fast processor, a high-resolution screen and top-quality audio. Be sure to test laptops in person to make sure the keyboard is comfortable and the screen is the right size for you.

What is your budget?
You may want a top-of-the line MacBook Pro with a high-res screen and huge amount of memory, but does your budget support that?

You can start by grabbing some cash – bring your current laptop into Device Pitstop Maple Grove and, in most cases, you will receive cash on the spot.

Then put that cash to good use and get the most laptop for your money. Your local Device Pitstop has a large selection of professionally refurbished, like-new laptops so you can get more power, more memory and the laptop you truly want at an affordable price.

What else do you like to do?
Are you a photographer who uses photo editing software? Like to watch hours of YouTube videos and movies on your laptop? Are you a gamer? You probably won’t be using your laptop exclusively for school, so consider what other activities you’ll use your laptop for.

Your campus computer lab or IT department can help make suggestions for you, but if you need more guidance and have questions, contact a member of the Pit Crew, we’re here to help!