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Laptops and desktop PCs for Grads

Some hot laptops and desktop PCs for your favorite graduate.

Dan Ackerman, Rich Brown, Scott Stein

May 1, 2012 9:08 a.m. PT

1 of 6

Dell XPS 13

One of the cooler consumer/business crossover laptops we've seen, the XPS 13 will work in the classroom or meeting room, but its design is a heavy handed wink and nod to the popular MacBook Air.

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2 of 6

MacBook Air (13-inch)

The king of ultraportable laptops has some limitations (no DVD drive, obviously, and more limited onboard storage), but there’s simply no beating its battery life and design.

$400 at Back Market

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3 of 6

Apple iMac 27-inch

Apple's big screen iMac is due for a refresh any week now, but assuming the new model keeps the same, gorgeous display, any new specs will seem secondary. Browsing, gaming, movie watching, and any kind of written or design-oriented productivity work are no match for the 27-inches/2,560x1,440 pixels of glory.

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4 of 6

Toshiba Portege Z835

No need for that first post-college (or post-high-school) laptop to look cheap, even if it's budget-minded. Toshiba's take on the ultrabook has a 128GB SSD and decent performance for around $800-$900, depending on the configuration.

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5 of 6

HP Envy 14 Spectre

The glass-covered Spectre is expensive, but it’s got one of the best screens we’ve ever seen, and it strikes a nice balance between full-sized laptop and ultrabook.

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6 of 6

Origin Chronos

We like Alienware's take on the small scale gaming desktop, but the Origin Chronos shows that for just a little bit more money, true boutique PC vendors still have the performance edge thanks to their willingness to overclock.

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