These days, the PC of choice for the college-bound is a laptop. But which one can take you through four years of campus life? We winnow down the options to give you the best laptops for college students.

A new school year is fast approaching, and for new or returning students a laptop is as essential as your textbooks and school ID. And when we say campus life, we don't just mean school work. It may also include extra-curricular activities such as social networking, watching movies, listening to music, posting photos, gaming, video-chatting with the 'rents back home, and so on. And of course, the best laptops for college students need to last them for the long haul, four years of undergrad and maybe a year of grad work. Lucky for you, we have a bunch below that fit that description perfectly.

Before you do anything else, however, you should first check with your college or university for specific system requirements. Some schools require their students to have a Windows-based laptop, to avoid software incompatibility issues as much as possible. Many schools will have on-site repair centers that only service university-bought laptops, where the turn-around time is much quicker than if you sent it back to the laptop manufacturer. And keep in mind that most schools offer price breaks for particular manufactures and include extensive software bundles, which can shave off a good amount from your laptop purchase.
So, what the best laptop to get? True, there are a plethora of choices on the market today, and slogging through them can be a bit daunting. No worries, we did the slogging for you. Check out the hottest laptops to grace the dorm room, college classroom, and campus quad for this school year.

Via PCMAG