As back-to-school time rolls around, one of the most frequently purchased electronics for the high school or college student is a new laptop. Now, we feel it’s our duty to first ask you, “Does the person getting the new laptop really need a new laptop?” Because Sadly, you will not see an Apple product on this list. We were upset by that as well.
To cut to the chase, here are the four laptops, ranked from best to worst, that you’ll want to focus on if you’re buying an eco-friendly computer.
Lenovo ThinkPad T400 (90.1) (check this laptop out!)
Sony VAIO RS (86.3) (check this laptop out!)
Asus N50v (74.2)
Dell Studio XPS 13 (58.7) (check this laptop out!)
How did we decide that these are so eco-friendly?
Well, we didn’t, but Laptop.com did. And their methodology was sound. Laptops were evaluated based on two scenarios. The first was battery life combined with the total power used when recharging the laptop. The second was power consumption during usage. And Laptop.com based their study on the same criteria and testing that are used by two other organizations who have evaluated the green standards of computers.
EPEAT rates computer efficiency on a scale of 1 to 28. In the case of these laptops, each laptop received an identical rating of 21. Greenpeace also did a similar study of the environmental impact of laptops, with slightly harsher criteria on a scale of 1 to 10. Actually, much harder criteria, because these four laptops, which are the most eco-friendly of what the largest laptop consumer review site on the net can find, didn’t even score above a six. They, scored, respectively:
Lenovo ThinkPad T400 (90.1), 3.1
Sony VAIO RS (86.3), 5.5
Asus N50v (74.2), 4.1
Dell Studio XPS 13 (58.7), 3.7
Chances are, these are not the laptops that your hip high school or college (or these days even junior high) student wants. However, it’s your credit card buying the laptop! Make a green(er) choice in laptops this school year!
