There's no more archetypal small living space than a college dorm. Sure, we New Yorkers deal with closet-sized apartments, but alongside the misery of a freshman quad, crashing on the Lowest East Side is living in luxury. Such cramped quarters call for thin and light equipment .When I was in college, I made the mistake of lugging a mini tower into my dorm.Big mistake.A laptop not only takes up less precious space in the mini fridge, but can also be used to record lectures, minesweeper games and Facebook crouching in classes. And college campuses are custom-made for the devices. Today, the hallowed halls of higher education are among the most wired corridors in the world.
Let's go. The best cheap laptops for transporting to campus. With one exception, we've stuck to machines that start at under a giant. After all, college kids are poor and they break and lose things. Since virtually all laptops are customizable, so are all prices are approximate - a few extra gigs of storage or a sweet new HD DVD drive will boost any price.
MacBook: The "duh" choice
You don't need me to tell you about it, but Apple makes it easy. The 13-inch MacBook is incredibly portable, pretty as hell, and boasts just about everything college kids need - movies, music, Media editing. Of course, Macs were never known for their games. So get Parallels or Boot Camp if your damn fingers are feeling playful. And while it costs a bit more than a comparable Windows machine (and the only machine we put a sticker that says jack-of-all-trades), a Mac is a virtual vaccination that keeps you free from viruses that spread on campus computers faster than Mono at DTD. Starts at around $1099
Dell Inspiron 1420: For color awareness I still don't understand why people make such a big deal about what color a gadget is. But they do, and if you're one of those people, I won't pretend to understand what's on your mind, I'll recommend this computer. After all, one of the eight colors available makes you happy. Technically, this computer is a damn good deal. Most configurations clock under one-thousandth, and it comes with a healthy 160GB hard drive, 2-4GB of RAM, a decent 14-inch monitor, and a, I think, now standard Core 2 Duo Processor. Nice too: For about 150 more shells you can get it with 3G broadband preinstalled from any of the non-T-Mobile carriers that offer such surfing services. And at 5.9 lbs, you'll feel it, but it will also don't stop you from carrying your Psycho books. About $850
Acer Aspire 4710-2013: For the experienced buyer
For the cost of a discounted iPhone, you're getting a pretty sweet CPU. I've played around with some of Acer's new laptops and, apart from the sheer wealth of their upscale multimedia offerings, have been seriously impressed. Their designs have gone on like crazy improved (this model has received some suggestions in this BMW Group Designworks USA department, although it still doesn't have cupholders), and their machines have become incredible values. For just $600 you get a Core 2 Duo processor and an 8x DVD burner for a nice 14.1 inch model. For the money I'd say you can't beat this machine. Approximately $599
Toshiba Satellite P205-S6237: Bullshit for big screens
Campus networks are great for sucking up multi-gigabyte movies. Unfortunately, a small screen means you have to rest the laptop on your body, potentially killing future unborn children with hot drives and your style (and chance of winning the silver screen sharing) seriously limits. This model gives you a 17-inch screen and more powerful than expected speakers for under a grand piano — a rarity in the computing world. I've heard less than stellar reports on the system's benchmarking and battery life, and it comes in terms of the multimedia capabilities don't quite match Toshiba's more upscale Qosmio, but it won't rape your wallet like its big brother either
Everex StepNote SA2053T: The ultra-affordable ultra-portable
Most ultraportable notebooks are extremely expensive. The fact is, cutting weight usually comes at a high price. Save weight and expense by picking this notebook up. At just 3.8 lbs, you won't have any trouble carrying this one in your bag between It doesn't look too bad under the hood either. It's got a 1.73 GHz Core Duo processor, a 100 gig hard drive. and a DVD burner. And who the heck is Everex "I'm not entirely sure, but if they keep pumping out machines like this, they might turn into the Vizio of notebooks. And note the screenshot of Wild Hogs. Maybe these guys are hanging out with Steve Jobs. Approximately $680
