These days, laptop computers have become much more favored when compared to desktop computers, specifically among college students. It is estimated that over 90% of college students that own pc will purchase a notebook other than a personal pc. The advantages of portability and the broadening amounts of available wireless internet hubs will make this a simple and easy preference.

The negative aspect of purchasing laptops is often that they're commonly much more expensive than personal pc computers that have the same amount of power and memory.

However, this is one area where college students can easily save a lot of money. Many laptop computer manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, and Gateway, all have a wide selection of used laptop computers which are refurbished and resold at prices much lower than you would pay for a brand new notebook. Although they are “used”, they have been refitted and re-inspected by the manufacturer and even given a warranty that usually covers the first 90 days after purchase.

At today’s prices, it’s hard to find a new laptop computer for less than $750, and even then you are buying the cheapest model with the smallest screen size and minimum amount of power. To get a bigger screen, more memory, and more processing speed, you can easily end up paying from $1,000 to $2,000 or more for a new laptop.

With a used laptop, you can get the same power and screen size of the pricier new laptops without paying the higher price. The lower-priced used laptops can range from $300 to $800, and these aren’t weak little Celerons or Semprons. At this price range, you could be getting a Pentium M, Centrino, Core Duo, or Turion 64 with 512MB to 1GB of memory and at least a 14” screen. Used laptops in the $300 to $800 price range also typically have a hard drive with 30 to 120 gigabytes of space, plus a preloaded operating system, such as Windows XP or Vista. Brand new laptops with the same specifications would easily cost two or three times the price of a similarly-equipped refurbished model.

Thereby, if you’re looking for areas to save money as you head off to college, start by buying a refurbished used laptop instead of a brand new one. You’ll be walking around campus with a very capable computer for your college studies, except you’ll have a few hundred extra dollars left over for other expenses.

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1. Sony VAIO E Series SVE15115FXS 15.5-Inch Laptop

Features:

• Intel Core_i5_3210M Processor 2.5GHz
• 6 GB DRAM RAM
• 750GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
• 15.5-Inch Screen, Intel HD Graphics 4000
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Price: $613.53

Real customer review:
Alchemist said on Amazon: Good all Purpose Laptop!
I bought this for my wife that is not the best in computers, but as a past secretary, the keyboard and speed is very important.
Pros:

• 3rd Generation i5 is a must ... great speed, low battery drain, instant on when reopening lid, quick boot-up.
• Great screen ... watched movies and the screen is almost as good as a HD 1080i.
• Keyboard is friendly and the back lighting is something you will miss on your other older computers ... remember to reset it so it only goes on when you touch the keyboard...
• Battery life is over 5 hr without much sacrifice.
• Quality is good ... sturdy, non major fingerprint issues.
• Easy to back up boot up DVD ... a must to do in case of a problem later and have a clean starting point to fix it from!

Cons:

• I really can't say there are any yet because have only had it a few days... if any come up I will post an addendum. Read more reviews...

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2. Acer Aspire AS5750Z-4835 15.6-Inch Laptop 
 
Features:

• Intel Pentium B940 Processor 2GHz (2MB Cache)
• 4 GB SDRAM
• 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
• 15.6-Inch ScreenIntel® HD Graphics
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Battery Life 4.5 hours
• Price: $389.90

Real customer review:
Carmen said on Amazon: Great laptop for the price!
"I bought this Acer Notebook computer about three weeks ago. I think it's a great computer for the price. Everything works well and it was very easy to set it up. I like the feel of the keyboard and the screen is clear and bright. I highly recommend this Acer Aspire computer."  Read more reviews...

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3. HP ProBook 4530s 15.6" Notebook
The HP ProBook 4530s A7K05UT Notebook PC helps you in each of your computing needs thanks to its Intel Core i3-2350M 2.3GHz and 4GB of DDR3 memory. Save and retrieve files with the notebook PC's accommodating 500GB HDD. This notebook PC lets you access files from disks via its DVDRW Drive. Other than facilitating seamless tasks, the notebook PC can also deliver rich visuals through its 15.6-inch display. Experience quick responses from applications and programs as the notebook PC is powered by the Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system.

Features:

• Intel Core i3-2350M 2.30 GHz
• 4 GB RAM
• 500 GB Hard Drive
• DVD+/-RW SuperMulti Drive
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)
• Price: $449.99

Real customer review:
Proud Daddy said on Amazon: Great Laptop for College Students!
I bought this laptop for my daughter. She "reports" back that it is working great and able to handle all of her school work tasks. She likes the combination of a larger screen AND being lighter in weight than similar products. I give it an "A"...Read more reviews...