Everyone needs own dedicated laptop and so college students. A typical college student needs a laptop that provides best value in minimum money, mostly have limited budget. A typical college student would perform several activities on laptop such as using MS Office, Photo-editing software like PhotoShop, web-browsing, streaming videos and playing moderate level games.
We have created a list of best college laptops under 600 and all can perform the activities mentioned above. We will discuss the capabilities of every laptop in detail and also share the information about what activities specific laptop can perform.
Top 5 Best College Laptops Under 600 Dollars
We are going to share a list of recommended laptops in the following.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Laptop
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is a light-weight machine which looks beautiful with its 4-side narrow bezels that dramatically boost viewing experience.
Display Performance: This laptop has 14” screen and Full HD 1080p display, streaming Netflix and YouTube videos will be great fun on this laptop. Its screen seems very rich and vibrant which looks good to the eyes.
Its color accuracy is also higher and can better help you in editing the photos.
Processor: This laptop offers a powerful processor AMD Ryzen 5 5500U which is popular for its better performance and to be a lot faster than its toughest competitor Intel Core i5-1135 processor. This processor can run latest version of PhotoShop and provide all processing support to use its all latest tools.
As far as gaming is concerned, it can run all CPU intensive games like “Red Dead Redemption 2”, “Far Cry 5”, “Forza Horizon 4” and many more on low to high settings. This is not a proper gaming laptop but can run all latest games in low settings.
RAM: Its 8GB RAM provides big support to make processor stay more efficient in performing heavy duty tasks. It stores big amount of temporary memory in own storage and processor is only used for processing unique data. 8GB RAM enables its user to perform multitasking without any lags and can run more than 5 applications simultaneously.
A college student can upgrade the RAM up to total 12GB, as one extra slot for 4GB DDR4 RAM is provided.
Graphic Card: This laptop is equipped with AMD Radeon 7 and it is the toughest competitor of NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti. In the one benchmark test, it was running a game “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey” while maintaining around 50 FPS. This game is graphic intensive and consumes much more power of any graphic card. Therefore, a college student can perform heavy duty tasks on this laptop require complex graphic-related data processing.
SSD: Its 256GB SSD storage may not be enough for a college student who needs to be storing ample amount of data, but they can manage by keep removing the junky data. User can add one more same size of SSD, as its extra slot is provided.
Connectivity: All college students are looking for connectivity in their laptops, as they have to transfer and share data with each other. It has only single Type-C USB port that can transfer data at 5Gbps. There is also one more USB port, HDMI ports, Wi-Fi 6 technology and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
Dell Inspiron 3510 Laptop
This laptop is specifically designed to meet multitasking needs and smoothly running multiple applications simultaneously. When students have to meet the short deadline, they can manage it through achieving big productivity on this laptop.
RAM: This laptop strategically offers 16GB of RAM to enable the user perform extreme level multitasking and quickly accessing the data they want to run. Mostly laptops with 16GB of RAM are available in price above $1000.
It boots the Windows in no time and also retrieves the data quickly. Faster RAM keeps loading time low for software, games and applications. This laptop is best for a kind of college student who would only be using not CPU intensive applications. 16GB RAM will help its user to run multiple applications like Excel, Word or PowerPoint simultaneously.
Processor: This laptop has basic and entry-level processor Intel Celeron N4020 having 2 cores and achieves max clock speed up to 2.8 GHz. User cannot expect to run high-end software like “PhotoShop” or “Adobe Premier Pro” as this processor will not support. It can only support web browsing, MS Office, media playback and daily computing tasks. 16GB RAM will help in running all these multiple applications simultaneously without single lag.
Display Performance: Dell Inspiron 3510 offers 15.6” screen which should be perfect size for the kind of user who wants to stay productive. Smaller screens are frustrating for long-hours working. Though, you cannot enjoy Full HD 1080p display as it offers HD 1366X768 screen resolution.
Its display performance is pretty much good for enjoying Netflix content and streaming YouTube videos.
HDD: Its user will never running out of data storage capacity neither require adding one more drive on laptop. It offers 1TB HDD which should be more than enough for a college student.
Connectivity: User can enjoy wide range of connectivity options on this laptop. It has 1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1, 1 HDMI 1.4b, SD card reader, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
This laptop is good choice considering its powerful hardware, ram and processor. A college student nothing has to compromise something big on Lenovo IdeaPad 3, except they cannot play big games on high settings.
Processor: Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is powered by Intel Core i5-1035G1 Quad-Core processor. This is categorized as upper-mid-range laptop processor and delivers decent performance to run CPU intensive applications. This processor comes with Intel UHD graphic card which then capable of running games like “Battlefield 5” on high settings.
This processor achieved one of the top five rankings in smoothly running high-end software “PhotoShop” and test was applied on “Smart Sharpen” feature. Its four cores and 8 threads helps this processor to even process complex form of data in no time. It can achieve maximum 3.6 GHz clock speed and this much speed will be more than enough for any typical college student.
RAM: Its 12GB RAM complements the processor to achieve its maximum clock speed and retain it for long period. Without a faster RAM, even a most powerful processor will be inefficient in performing heavy duty tasks. The higher compatibility between ram and processor would help the college students to stay productive and can even smoothly run high-end applications like “PhotoShop”.
Display Performance: User will enjoy its 15.6” big screen and can comfortably prepare assignments. You will not get 1080 Full HD display and rather have to manage with its 720p screen resolution. Streaming YouTube and Netflix videos would still be fun and cannot expect every feature at its best in this price range.
Graphic Card: Intel UHD graphic card enables the user running the latest version of PhotoShop and enjoy smooth performance. This graphic card with the processor support can run games like “Battlefield 5”, “Forza Horizon 4”, “Witcher 3” and many more.
Connectivity: This laptop has 1 USB 2.0 port and 1 USB 3.0 port, one HDMI port, its user can enjoy great connectivity options.
Battery Performance: A college student typical requires 6 to 8 hours battery life, this laptop exactly meets the requirement and its battery can last up to 8 hours.
ASUS VivoBook 15
College students will get all features which they can expect from any laptop. We will share all features and its Pros and Cons one by one.
Display Performance: It is not usual to get 15.6” big screen on a laptop available under 600 dollars, but you get it on ASUS VivoBook 15.It offers Full HD display on 1080p screen resolution which means one can enjoy Netflix and YouTube videos as supposed to be. Everyone subscribes the Netflix and enjoy the content on 1080p resolution.
Furthermore, big screen are also good in preparing the assignments as viewing experience is better on big screens comparing to smaller screens.
Processor: The Ryzen 3 3200U is an entry-level processor which can handle moderate level complex processing. It meets several benchmarks which shows can smoothly run 2017 version of PhotoShop and all latest games on low settings. In the benchmark testing, it ran games like “Forza Horizon 4”, “Red Dead Redemption 2” and “Battlefield 5” on low settings while maintaining higher FPS. Gaming is the toughest benchmark to evaluate the performance of any processor.
RAM: This laptop offers surprisingly much faster RAM usually offering in this price range, 16GB DDR4 RAM. This much ram is more than enough to perform heavy duty tasks like video-editing, game development and smooth gaming.
16GB RAM allows the user to perform any level of multitasking and can even run more than 10 applications simultaneously. RAM is critical for any college student to achieve higher productivity, 16GB RAM allows you to do this.
SSD: You will get 256GB SSD on ASUS VivoBook 15 and can store ample amount of data. One Netflix movie downloaded on 1080p quality will not take more than 1.5GB space. User can store more than 100 Netflix movies in 256GB SSD and still huge space will be remaining.
Battery Performance: It battery is powerful enough to survive throughout the college hours, as it can last for six hours and a full recharge would not require the student to recharge it.
Newest Acer Aspire 5
New Acer Aspire 5 is a laptop offering way better value for money comparing to its predecessor. This laptop is beast in performing multitasking and basically designed to support the productivity.
Display Performance: Its user will enjoy 15.6” big screen, as more screen area is always going to dramatically boost viewing experience. Laptops with 14” screen have limited visual intensity. Furthermore, its 1080p FHD screen is best for enjoying Netflix content and streaming YouTube videos.
15.6” screen size is more suitable for college student who needs to perform task on applications like Excel, PowerPoint, Word or PhotoShop, vivid image quality is going to improve the user experience.
Processor: This laptop is powered by 4-Core AMD Ryzen 3 3350U and on max boosting can achieve 3.5 GHz clock speed. In the benchmark test, the performance of this processor was tested on Minecraft game which is CPU intensive. It outperformed majority of its competitors and maintained higher than 100 FPS.
This processor is capable of processing medium-level complex data and also run high-end software like “PhotoShop”.
RAM: This laptop shows its multitasking muscles by offering 20GB RAM. This much RAM is insanely high for running multiple applications like Excel or Word. User can perform multitasking by running multiple applications including the one which is very resource-intensive.
Sometimes, students are working on high-end applications and also using other light-weight programs for support. Nevertheless, user is least likely to even utilize 70% of its total RAM, because 20GB is beast feature.
Graphic Card: This laptop has AMD Radeon Vega 3 which comes with Vega architecture a new designed which improves overall efficiency. This card can smoothly run latest version of PhotoShop, Premiere Pro and Dolphin Gamecube Emulator. These are the tough benchmark to achieve in this price range. Therefore, the combination of AMD Radeon Vega 3 and Ryzen is killing the budget laptop game, what else you can expect.
SSD: A college student may not find its 256GB SSD enough, but if the all junk data is deleted then this storage capacity should be enough. Its SSD is faster in retrieving data and takes less time in searching the required file.
Battery Performance: Battery is above average and can last up to 6 hours. If a student fully recharges it in the night, it will be alive in the college all the time.
Connectivity Options: This laptop has multiple ports and other sources to get connected through. User can fastest data transferring speed at 5Gbps connecting through it SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C. There are also 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports which enhances its range. Furthermore, offering 1 HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1.
Other Features: Its fingerprint feature is going to help the students to ensure data-protection. Even one lost own laptop in campus, no one can penetrate your system. Its second useful feature is “Backlit Keyboard” which keeps the user typing accurately without error even in dark room.
Final Words
A wide range of good laptops are available under 600 dollars which can get you amazing features relevant to the college students. You can get great connectivity, FHD display, powerful enough processor to run software like PhotoShop, faster RAM to perform extreme-level multi-tasking and battery which can survive up to 8 hours. Most of these laptops can run all latest games in low settings; we should not be expecting playing all big games on ultra settings on a laptop under 600.
A good decision will offer you great value for money in the form of stay productive, enjoying multitude of features, casual gaming and optimal performance.
Buyers Guide – Best College Laptop
A typical college student should be considering following features on a laptop which helps in stay productive and also enjoy the quality.
Screen Size
Screen size is critical feature because preparing assignments on Excel, PhotoShop or any other application requires continuously looking at screen for hours. A big screen size improves viewing experience and causing no strain on eyes. Smaller screens are less satisfying and become more frustrating especially when focus is required.
Therefore, students should be going for 15.6” screen size to work comfortably. Furthermore, Full HD 1080p resolution will be the plus point to more enjoy Netflix content and YouTube videos.
Processor
A processor is not very critical but also depends upon the type of usage. If a student want to work on latest version of MS Office, its CPU requirement is 1GHz dual-core processor which is most basic processor in modern times. In case, a student will be working on software like PhotoShop, Android Studio, Adobe After Affect or Visual C. These software requires minimum quad-core processor and clock speed more than 2GHz.
If, you are a student of computer programming or graphic designing, then should go for powerful processor. Otherwise, software like MS Office requires only dual-core processor.
RAM
Students always perform multitasking on own laptop to reduce the workload and prepare the assignments in short time period. Therefore, it is better to go for minimum 8GB RAM which enables multitasking. Again, it is more depended upon type of usage. Multitasking in between on software like PhotoShop may require more amount of RAM. User can manage extreme multitasking by closing down all useless apps in background.
Battery Performance
This is also very critical feature and every student demands powerful and long-lasting battery. They have long college hours and usually not get a chance to recharge a laptop in college. Therefore, a laptop must be offering minimum 6 hours long-lasting battery.
Graphic Card
Graphic card feature is important for the graphic designing students who need to be working on software like PhotoShop. Though, processor and graphic card both plays critical role in running such applications but high-end graphic card can bring lots of improvement in overall experience.
One should not be expecting to get a laptop under 600 dollars which can support 4K feature on PhotoShop.
Other Features
There are also several other features required by students on their laptops. They should be expecting minimum 256GB storage capacity on laptops under 600 dollars, some laptops also offering upgrading options.
Other features which add value are such as backlit keyboard, finger print technology and great connectivity through different types of ports.
